If you want to conduct an impact assessment related to agricultural soil management, our Indicator Factsheets can be useful to determine relevant indicators and how they can be quantified. We compiled factsheets with information about indicators used in literature, the spatial scale they are suitable at, and the type of data they require. Before a factsheet can be provided, one of the Assessment Perspectives Ecosystem Services (ES) or Resource Use Efficiency (RUE) must be chosen.

Below you can find an example for a factsheet with explanations (green boxes).

For structuring the impact areas related to the supply of ecosystem services, we use the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). It uses a hierarchical classification and represents a standard that facilitates comparability and upscaling of ecosystem service research. More information on the CICES classification can be found under www.cices.eu.

Please click on the links below to select a factsheet. The links with the blue background are the five most frequently assessed ecosystem services in studies on the impact of agricultural soil management (see Paul et al. 2022).

Resource use efficiency is the ratio of benefits generated and the amount of resources used for this. Resource use efficiencies are calculated for resources that are either limited (e.g., land, water, energy) or that may create conflicts with other societal targets (e.g., pesticides, greenhouse gas emissions). Based on a review of scientific literature, we identified resource use efficiencies relevant in the context of agricultural soil management.

Please click on one of the links below to select an indicator factsheet. The links with the green background are the five most frequently selected RUE indicators in assessments of agricultural soil management.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a set of goals and targets to be reached by 2030, agreed upon by, and requiring action from all United Nations (UN) member states. Soil functions play an important role for the realisation of multiple targets and underpin the achievement of the SDG agenda as a whole. Although the UN indicators for measuring progress on these targets are designed at the global level, successful achievement of the agenda requires national, regional and local efforts. It is therefore important to also connect the SDGs to effects of policy and management options at these levels.

There are 17 SDGs in total, each with multiple underlying SDG targets. We connected relevant SDG targets to the impact areas of Resource Use Efficiency and Ecosystem Services in agricultural soil management. Please note, however, that this alignment is not as methodologically robust as the processes used to identify indicators for Resource Use Efficiency and Ecosystem Services. You can select indicator factsheets based on Sustainable Development Goals by clicking on the link below.