Soil-improving cropping systems for sustainable and profitable farming in EuropeSoil-improving cropping systems for sustainable and profitable farming in Europe Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication Δημοσίευση σε Περιοδικό με Κριτές 2023-10-132022enThis research received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 677407 (SoilCare project).Soils form the basis for agricultural production and other ecosystem services, and soil management should aim at improving their quality and resilience. Within the SoilCare project, the concept of soil-improving cropping systems (SICS) was developed as a holistic approach to facilitate the adoption of soil management that is sustainable and profitable. SICS selected with stakeholders were monitored and evaluated for environmental, sociocultural, and economic effects to determine profitability and sustainability. Monitoring results were upscaled to European level using modelling and Europe-wide data, and a mapping tool was developed to assist in selection of appropriate SICS across Europe. Furthermore, biophysical, sociocultural, economic, and policy reasons for (non)adoption were studied. Results at the plot/farm scale showed a small positive impact of SICS on environment and soil, no effect on sustainability, and small negative impacts on economic and sociocultural dimensions. Modelling showed that different SICS had different impacts across Europe—indicating the importance of understanding local dynamics in Europe-wide assessments. Work on adoption of SICS confirmed the role economic considerations play in the uptake of SICS, but also highlighted social factors such as trust. The project’s results underlined the need for policies that support and enable a transition to more sustainable agricultural practices in a coherent way.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Land116Hessel_et_al_Land_11(6)_2022.pdfChania [Greece]Library of TUC2023-10-13application/pdf1.3 MBfree Hessel Rudi Wyseure Guido Panagea Ioanna Alaoui Abdallah Reed Mark S. van Delden Hedwig Muro Melanie Mills Jane Oenema, Oene, 1953- Areal Francisco van den Elsen Erik Verzandvoort, Simone Julie Elv Assinck, Falentijn Elsen Annemie Lipiec, Jerzy Koutroulis Aristeidis Κουτρουλης Αριστειδης O’Sullivan Lilian Bolinder Martin A. Fleskens, Luuk Kandeler, Ellen Montanarella, Luca Heinen Marius Toth Zoltan Hallama, Moritz 1984- Cuevas Julián Baartman Jantiene Piccoli Ilaria Dalgaard Tommy Stolte Jannes Black Jasmine E. Chivers Charlotte-Anne MDPI Soil quality Sustainable soil management Adoption Crop management Environmental dimension Sociocultural dimension Economic dimension