Maria de Lourdes Mendonça Santos Brefin
From
The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) - BR
In residence at
Host scientist
Antonio Bispo
PROJECT
Development and mapping of Soil Safety / Soil Health Indicators for Sustainable Agroecosystems in Brazil and France
This research proposal addresses the critical degradation of global soil resources, highlighting that over 60% of European and 50% of Latin American soils are currently considered unhealthy. The project aims to perform a literature review and discussion on the concepts of soil health and soil security, and subsequently, to map and compare them in pilots areas in Brazil and France, encompassing different situations of pedoclimatic contexts : temperate and tropical conditions. While soil Health focuses on the functional performance of soil relative to its potential, soil Security offers a multidimensional systemic framework structured around five dimensions, known as the "5 Cs": Capacity, Condition, Capital, Connectivity, and Codification.
The methodological approach is structured in three steps:
1. Conceptual Framework: A literature review to discuss both concepts, and define measurable metrics for the "5 Cs," focusing on translating socio-economic dimensions (e.g., Capital) into spatial indicators, if possible;
2. Study Area Selection: Identification pilot-areas in the Centre-Val de Loire region (France) and Brazil, with large legacy data availability in both countries;
3. Modelling and Mapping: Application of Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) using the SCORPAN model and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. This approach will integrate multi-source environmental covariates to predict soil attributes and spatialise soil security and soil health indices.
The project is innovative in its use of different approaches of ML and Artificial Intelligence to quantify and map the multidimensional aspects of soil security at a regional scale, a task not yet undertaken in these countries. Expected outcomes include the production of the first soil security maps for the selected regions, the development of predictive models linking sustainable agricultural practices to improved soil security, and contributions to public policies such as the EU Soil Monitoring Law and Embrapa’s One Health initiative. The initiative fosters strategic international cooperation between Embrapa, INRAE, USP/ESALQ, and the University of Sydney.