Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

A systematic benchmarking framework for future assessments of soil health: An example from Denmark

Sebastián Gutiérrez, Mogens Humlekrog Greve, Anders Bjørn Møller, Amélie Beucher, Emmanuel Arthur, Signe Normand, Lis Wollesen de Jonge, Lucas Carvalho Gomes

Journal of Environmental Management · 2024

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Summary

This 2024 paper presents a systematic benchmarking framework designed to standardise soil health assessment across Danish agricultural systems. The authors developed and applied standardised measurement protocols to establish baseline indicators for future soil health evaluations, providing a reproducible methodology for comparative assessments across farming contexts. The framework is intended to support evidence-based soil management and monitoring at both farm and regional scales.

UK applicability

The benchmarking framework and standardised protocols developed for Danish conditions may be partially transferable to UK agricultural soils, particularly for temperate maritime climates in southern and central regions. However, UK soil diversity, regional variation in land use, and existing monitoring infrastructure (e.g. Defra's Countryside Survey) would require framework adaptation for direct application.

Key measures

Soil health indicators (physical, chemical, and biological properties); benchmarking criteria; standardised assessment protocols

Outcomes reported

The study developed and demonstrated a systematic benchmarking framework for evaluating soil health using multiple indicators across Danish agricultural soils. The framework provides standardised methods for future soil health assessments and comparisons across farming systems.

Theme
Measurement & metrics
Subject
Soil health assessment & monitoring
Study type
Research
Study design
Methodological framework / Field study
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Denmark
System type
Other
DOI
10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121882
Catalogue ID
SNmp4zks93-meqhvl

Topic tags

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