A fertile soil is the basic requirement for profitable and sustainable farming. Agroscope experts investigate what factors constitute a fertile soil, and what measures can be used to maintain or improve soil functions. For this, they develop improved cultivation methods, new soil amendments, and tools such as the NABODAT soil information platform, the Terranimo soil compaction model, and the humus balance calculator.
The most important functions of a soil are:
- The production function for plant growth;
- The regulatory function; carbon storage, drinking-water filtration, nutrient cycle
- Habitat function for biodiversity
