Valuing your soils

It can take 500 years to replace 25 mm (1 inch) of topsoil, yet in the UK it is estimated that 2.9 million tonnes of soil are eroded each year, and soil quality is diminished by poor practices.

The brochure, funded by CREW and produced by SRUC in partnership with stakeholders, includes useful information about Scotland’s agricultural soils and practical advice outlining the upfront financial savings and business benefits of better soil management and the efficient use of resources. Action and problem-specific ‘field-sheets’ are designed for busy farmers with limited time for reading. The appendix contains more detailed technical information and research case studies highlighting evidence from current investigations of Scottish farm soils.

New information to support the Valuing your Soils brochure includes:

• Practical ideas to protect soils and reduce diffuse pollution risks available here
• Although there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, this additional guide looks at how much some of these measures cost and how easy they are to put into practice
• The CREW team have also put together a technical report highlighting the main routes soils and nutrients are lost to the water environment “A state of knowledge overview of identified pathways of diffuse pollutants to the water environment”