The methodology developed in the ISFERALDA project is described below
– An Initial assessment of existing agricultural waste upcycling technologies: review of existing literature concerning the variety of organic amendment production from date palm residues
– Agricultural surveys will be conducted to get a detailed inventory of (i) the local actors of the network, ii) the waste-reuse methods already in use in farms and of their perceived benefits, (iii) the problems users are faced with and (iv) the solutions already in place or to be developed
– Development of organic amendment from date palm residues and process optimization: finding the best combination of composts and/or biochars optimizing both soil quality and oases productivity, including, but not restricted to, cost and labour intensity as criteria for optimization.
– The influence of organic amendment on yield, on soil fertility and on soil properties are quantified using:
- Measurement of soil-product interactions: effect on heterotrophic respiration, N desorption, P and K exchange, effect on soil structure;
- Pot experiments with a monitoring of the vegetal biomass produced
- Field experiments at the plot and the field scale
– The results acquired during the project will be communicate and disseminate to the different target groups