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New EU project to explore the impacts of plastic debris on soil health and agricultural productivity

Sheep in the Netherlands feeding in a field with plastic debris.

Sheep in the Netherlands feeding in a field with plastic debris. (Image: Minagris project).

A thin polyethylene film used as mulch in vegetable production in the Netherlands.

A thin polyethylene film used as mulch in vegetable production in the Netherlands. (Image: Minagris project).

An agricultural soil containing plastic debris.

An agricultural soil containing plastic debris. The impact of plastic on soil health is still relatively unknown. (Image: Minagris project).

The impacts of plastic debris on soil health are largely unknown, although equal or possibly greater amounts of plastics enter our soils compared to our rivers, seas, and oceans. To shed light on the plastic residues in soil, an international team of researchers, including contributions from FiBL Switzerland and FiBL Austria, will investigate how plastic affects soil biodiversity, soil functions, associated ecosystem services and agricultural productivity. The EU-funded MINAGRIS project was launched in September 2021.

Plastic has many uses in agriculture. For example, mulch films used for weed control often contain plastic, as do hail nets, greenhouse tunnels, irrigation equipment, tractor tyres and some slow-release agrichemicals. However, little is known about the impacts of the resulting plastic debris left in the soil, particularly in combination with other contaminants such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals from livestock farming which enter the fields through manure or slurry application.

The impacts of plastics on soil health are now being investigated in the EU-funded project MINAGRIS (MIcro- and Nanoplastics in AGRIcultural Soils). Twenty European institutions from twelve European countries are investigating the use of plastic in farming systems and its impact on soil health in eleven case studies, two of which are in Austria and one in Switzerland. Each case study involves a network of at least ten farms in a region. In addition, the MINAGRIS project will provide farmers and their stakeholders with tools and guidance to assess the contamination of their soils. Furthermore, practitioners will be supported to reduce the use of plastic to reduce the input into the system.

Two sustainability assessment experts from FiBL Austria, Ildiko Heim and Stefan Schweiger, are involved in the project. They will lead one of the case studies in Austria with horticultural and arable farms. They are also coordinating a work package to develop and operationalise a strategy for assessing the biophysical, economic and social impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on ecosystem services and sustainability at field, farm and societal levels. Recommendations for the use of plastics in agriculture that will be made available to EU policymakers will also be developed.

The FiBL Switzerland team consists of Anja Vieweger, Joelle Herforth and Sheila Hofer from the Department of Crop Sciences and Andreas Fliessbach and Dominika Kundel from the Department of Soil Sciences. FiBL Switzerland will lead a work package assessing the use of plastics in Europe and the resulting concentration of MNP (micro- and nanoplastics) in soil. It will also be involved in assessing the impact of MNP - also in combination with other stress factors - on soil physical and chemical properties and crop productivity.

FiBL researchers involved in the project believe that the project offers a great opportunity to learn more about the impact plastic has on our soils, our crops and ultimately, our health. Through the project's various work packages and the broad expertise of the partners involved, they will work to find alternatives and solutions to reduce inputs to agricultural soils and reduce the negative impact of plastics on our food system.

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References

Scientific article: "Microplastics in freshwater and terrestrial environments: Evaluating the current understanding to identify the knowledge gaps and future research priorities"