Peter Motavalli Dept. of Soil, Environmental and Atmos. Sci. University of Missouri Email: motavallip@missouri.edu

1. ADAPTING TO CHANGE: CHANGES IN COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF SOIL QUALITY AND SOIL ORGANIC MATTER Peter Motavalli Dept. of Soil, Environmental and Atmos. Sci. University of Missouri Email: motavallip@missouri.edu First Research Seminar SANREM CRSP: Adaptación al Cambio en los Andes. La Paz, April 24-28th, 2006

2. SOIL QUALITY A. B. Which soil would you pick to grow plants in your garden?

3. SOIL QUALITY Definition: “The capacity of a soil to function within ecosystem boundaries to sustain biological productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote plant and animal health” (Doran and Parkin, 1994)

4. SOIL QUALITY The interactions of soil chemical, physical and biological properties that affect how a soil performs ecosystem functions such as: • Retain and release nutrients and other chemical constituents • Partition rainfall at the soil surface into runoff and infiltration • Hold and release soil water to plants, streams and groundwater • Resist wind and water erosion • Buffer against the concentrationof potentially toxic materials

5. SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS: SCIENTISTS • Physical: • Texture • Depth of soil, topsoil, and rooting • Bulk density and infiltration capacity • Chemical: • Organic matter • pH • Electrical conductivity • Fertility (extractable N, P, K) • Biological: • Microbial biomass C & N • Potentially mineralizable N (PMN) • Soil respiration

6. SOIL QUALITY INDICATORS: FARMERS • Physical: • Soil color • Water infiltration and retention • Ease of digging and tillage • Surface appearance • Physical feel in hands • Biological: • Earthworm and other biological activity • Crop growth

7. SOIL ORGANIC MATTER AND SUSTAINABILITY • Provides soil nutrients and enhances soil nutrient availability over several growing seasons. • Improves soil physical, chemical and biological properties for plant growth. • Buffers changes in soil properties due to disturbance or variation in other environmental factors (e.g. climate). • Reduces environmental contamination and soil loss. • Possibly reduces need for external inputs and enhances internal recycling when crop residues and/or organic soil amendments are applied.

8. FUNCTIONS OF SOIL ORGANIC MATTER

9. OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH Community perceptions and assessments: Soil quality Organic amendments Soil organic matter Climate Variability Migration Market factors Changes in agricultural practices (e.g. use of organic soil amendments) Scientific assessments: Soil quality Organic amendments Soil organic matter Changes in soil organic matter Changes in sustainable agricultural production and community status

10. OBJECTIVES • To determine the indicators that community members use for evaluating soil quality, classifying soils and quality of organic amendments. • To identify changes in management practices that have occurred (e.g. type and frequency of tillage, application timing, type and amount of soil amendments) and perceptions of the relativevalue of organic versus inorganic soil amendments. • To compare changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen fractions and other soil properties under new versus traditional cropping systems.

11. OBJECTIVES (CONTINUED) • To examine the effects of different improved management practices suggested by the community on soil organic matter accumulation and crop growth in community field experiments. • To train Bolivian and Peruvian professionals to conduct soils research activities.

12. SPECIFIC STUDIES Study on the indicators that community members use for evaluating soil quality, classifying soils, and quality of organic amendments. • Will utilize participatory and baseline surveys of communities • Will be stratified by community, gender (?), principal cropping systems, importance of livestock • Samples of high and low quality soils and organic amendments indicated by the community will be sampled and analyzed in the laboratory.

13. SPECIFIC STUDIES Study on changes in management practices that have occurred and perceptions of the relative importance of organic versus inorganic soil amendments. • Will utilize participatory and baseline surveys of communities • Will be stratified by community, climate, gender (?), principal cropping systems, importance of livestock

14. SPECIFIC STUDIES Study analyzing the changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen fractions and other soil properties under new versus traditional cropping systems. • Will utilize farm fields identified during participatory and baseline surveys of communities that are representative of new and traditional cropping practices • Will be stratified by community, principal cropping systems, climate, importance of livestock • Will sample soils in those fields and do extensive laboratory characterization of the samples for soil organic carbon and nitrogen fractions and other soil properties (Lab work in Bolivia or U.S.?)

15. SPECIFIC STUDIES Study on the effects of different improved management practices on soil organic matter accumulation and crop growth in community field experiments. • Will utilize participatory and baseline surveys of communities to obtain suggested management practices to test. • Will establish a field experiment in farmer fields at each site and take periodic measurements of soil and plant characteristics. • Will have farmer participation in evaluating the success of the different management practices.

16. PROPOSED TRAINING • 1 PhD student (University of Missouri) • 4 or more M.S. Students (Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Universidad Nacional Agraria – La Molina • Undergraduate students and research technicians

17. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS?