VITO_EU_Pilot1

 

EU Pilot 1

VITO

The VITO Pilot consists of the entire Flanders region which is located in the North of Belgium. This pilot is in close connection with the pilot precision agriculture.

PILOT CHALLENGES (CONTEXT)

 

The overall objective in Flanders is to balance agricultural intensification with climate resilience and environmental concerns amids high pressures on land, water and soil. 

 

PILOT OBJECTIVES

 

Manage soil resources as a natural capital with specific attention to:

Soil health and pollution

Soil health and pollution (nitrate vulnerable zone, phosphate saturated soils,  heavy metal contamination),


Soil climate resilience

Soil climate resilience (carbon and nitrogen dynamics, water balance, impacts on productivity).


PILOT INNOVATIONS

 

The pilot innovation is in the combination of satellite remote sensing, soil-crop modelling and data mining with the aim to increase soil productivity, reduce environmental impact and enhance climate resilience at the field to farm and regional scale.

VITO_col

Pilot location Belgium
Use Case Flanders region
Pilot scale

Field to Farm to Flanders region, totalling 13500 km²

Land uses (crop types)

The major crops are grassland, maize, winter wheat, potato, sugar beet, winter barley, and flax or winter rapeseed. Major horticultural crops include apple and pear, cauliflower and spinach. The major farming systems are livestock (dairy, pig, and poultry) farming, mixed farming, arable farming, and horticulture.

Major agricultural and environmental projects Irrigation is important for the horticultural sector; while overall risk management in a changing climate is a challenge for arable agriculture. The management factors are covered by locally funded climate adaptation projects.
Pilot objectives

Manage soil resources as a natural capital with specific attention to:

  • soil health and pollution (nitrate vulnerable zone, phosphate saturated soils,  heavy metal contamination),
  • soil climate resilience (carbon and nitrogen dynamics, water balance, impacts on productivity).

Message Boards (EU Pilot 1 - VITO)

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  • HK
    Rank: Youngling

    Hana Kubickova

    Posts:3 Join Date: 3/19/20 Last Post Date: 8/30/21