Geomorphological processes in the European vineyards: Regional issues and human perception

Abstract

Winegrowing in the European vineyards typically goes along with the intensive use of chemicals and machinery and, aggravated by the impact of climate change, soil functions and soil-use sustainability are being affected. Negative impacts on soils have been reported in the European terroir and as a consequence soil fertility, grape production and wine quality are also affected. There is abundant information about the impact of conventional farming on land degradation processes such as soil erosion in European vineyards. On the other hand, the perception and opinions of the farmers and owners are usually missed or, even, ignored in these studies. The transformation of conventional farms into organic and sustainable farming (regulated by the European Council Regulation No 834/2007) and its positive influence on soil functions and quality provides a potential solution for farmers and society to improve soil resilience, but they should be involved to make this implementation successfully and consolidated. According to this, it is essential to emphasize that human activity and perception is the central factor in the formation of terroir and vineyard soils. Most vineyard soils in Europe are Anthrosols (human activity is a major soil-forming factor). However, hardly any soil research exists that accounts for this anthropogenic factor by combining social and natural sciences investigations. Thus, this research, project aims to investigate the differences in land degradation processes by means of soil erosion and some soil quality indicators between different European wine farming and contrast these results with farmers´ and owners´ perceptions. Even more, it is hypothesized that soil erosion and specific soil key properties can be used for land management sustainability because it determines the maintenance of recovery mechanisms after a disturbance such as trampling, tillage or rainfall. To achieve this goal, we present a new concept of experimental plot where techniques related to agriculture 4.0 include new ways to support farmers and decisions.