TY - CONF
T1 - Local soil classification and crop suitability: Implications for the historical land use and soil management in Monti di Trapani (Sicily)
AU - Lo Papa, Giuseppe
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - In the past, the lack of technologies (e.g. synthetic fertilizers) to overcome biophysical limitations has played acentral role in land use planning. Thus, landscape management and agronomic practices are reactions to localknowledge and perceptions on natural resources, particularly soil. In the framework of the European researchproject MEMOLA (FP7), the role of local farmers knowledge and perceptions on soil for the historical landuse through the spatial distribution of crops and the various management practices have been assessed in threedifferent areas of Monti di Trapani region (Sicily). The identification of the soil classification systems of farmersand the criteria on which it is based, linked to the evaluation of the farmers’ ability to identify and map thedifferent soil types, was a key step. Nevertheless, beyond the comparison of the ethnopedological classificationapproach versus standard soil classification systems, the study also aims at understanding local soil managementand land use decisions. The applied methodology was based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining soilscience methods and participatory appraisal tools, particularly: i) semi-structured interviews; ii) soil samplingand analysis; iii) discussion groups; and iv) a workshop with local edafologists and agronomists. A rich localglossary of terms associated with the soil conditions and an own soil classification system have been identified inthe region. Also, a detailed soil map, including process of soil degradation and soil capability, has been generated.This traditional soil knowledge has conditioned the management and the spatial distribution of the crops, andtherefore the configuration of the landscape, until the 1990s.
AB - In the past, the lack of technologies (e.g. synthetic fertilizers) to overcome biophysical limitations has played acentral role in land use planning. Thus, landscape management and agronomic practices are reactions to localknowledge and perceptions on natural resources, particularly soil. In the framework of the European researchproject MEMOLA (FP7), the role of local farmers knowledge and perceptions on soil for the historical landuse through the spatial distribution of crops and the various management practices have been assessed in threedifferent areas of Monti di Trapani region (Sicily). The identification of the soil classification systems of farmersand the criteria on which it is based, linked to the evaluation of the farmers’ ability to identify and map thedifferent soil types, was a key step. Nevertheless, beyond the comparison of the ethnopedological classificationapproach versus standard soil classification systems, the study also aims at understanding local soil managementand land use decisions. The applied methodology was based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining soilscience methods and participatory appraisal tools, particularly: i) semi-structured interviews; ii) soil samplingand analysis; iii) discussion groups; and iv) a workshop with local edafologists and agronomists. A rich localglossary of terms associated with the soil conditions and an own soil classification system have been identified inthe region. Also, a detailed soil map, including process of soil degradation and soil capability, has been generated.This traditional soil knowledge has conditioned the management and the spatial distribution of the crops, andtherefore the configuration of the landscape, until the 1990s.
KW - -
KW - -
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10447/232115
M3 - Other
ER -