NEW
AGENDA JUNE 10 : Technical day on soil health monitoring in Euskadi
29 April 2026
Monitoring soil health is crucial for ensuring food security, improving crop yields, sequestering carbon and enhancing the microbial biodiversity that underpins the nutrient cycle. In practice, this approach helps to optimise resource management, reduce erosion and improve water retention, forming the basis for sustainable and profitable agriculture.
Our event is linked to EU Green Week and will focus on soil health monitoring and its practical application to improve soil management across different land uses. During the conference, the results of soil monitoring initiatives in the Basque Country will be presented, and we will demonstrate how scientific knowledge can help farmers, land managers and public authorities make informed decisions that protect and improve soil health.The programme will present the results of regional-scale monitoring, combined with local case studies illustrating successful practices that contribute to improving soil health in cropland, grassland, vineyard and forest systems. Another objective is to stimulate discussion on future approaches to soil monitoring, including the potential development of soil health indices and digital tools that can support decision-making.
The event will conclude with a practical demonstration of simple measurements that can be carried out directly in the field without the need for a laboratory, allowing participants to observe and discuss rapid methods for assessing soil health.
- AIMED AT: farmers, agricultural advisers, land managers, representatives of regional and local authorities involved in environmental and agricultural policy, researchers, technical staff and other stakeholders with an interest in soil health.
PROGRAMME
09:30 | Welcome and institutional messages
09:45 | The importance of soil health and the regulatory framework. Olatz Unamunzaga, general manager of NEIKER.
09:55 | Results of the pilot sampling by the Basque Country soil health monitoring network LURNET. Ainara Artetxe/Mercedes Román (NEIKER)
10:25 | BASONET network: 25 years of monitoring Basque forest soils. Alejandro Cantero (HAZI)
10:40 | Visual assessment of soil health in intensively managed forest plantations. Ander Arias (NEIKER)
10:55 | Use of spontaneous vegetation cover in a Rioja Alavesa vineyard as a measure to reduce erosion. Ana Aizpurua (NEIKER)
11:10 | Brunch
11:40 | Evolution of soil properties throughout a cereal-legume rotation produced under conventional and organic systems (2023–2025). Haritz Arriaga (NEIKER)
11:55 | Evidence of regenerative grazing on soil health. Nerea Mandaluniz (NEIKER)
12:10 | Participatory workshop: Co-designing a soil health visualiser and a soil health index for decision-making. Lur Epelde (NEIKER)
12:50 | Demonstration of field measurements: Simple methods for assessing soil health without a laboratory. Mikel Anza, Aitor Anitua and Lur Epelde (NEIKER)
