Objectives of Ash4Soil

The main objective of Ash4Soil is to improve the health of acidic soils by increasing agricultural and forestry productivity through the use of amendment-fertilizers derived from the valorization of ashes and manure from cattle, pigs, and poultry.

In addition, it also has the following specific objectives with a direct impact on the agroforestry sector:

Formulation of an amendment-fertilizer for acidic soils following the physicochemical and agronomic characterization of mixtures of waste from livestock farms (manure and poultry litter) and by-products from the forestry industry (biomass ash). This will enable a reduction in the use of liming agents and synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizers, while also reducing the carbon footprint of all involved sectors.
Development of an integrated sustainability indicator for the obtained amendment-fertilizer, which will assess productive, environmental, and social aspects, and be validated by the end-users of the product.
Promote the circular economy and sustainability of agricultural and forestry activities in three aspects, which will be validated through the development of a protocol and a registration report for the new amendment-fertilizer:
A. Improvement of productivity and reduction of overall costs.
B. Reduction in the use of synthetic inputs, which will decrease direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (production and transport).
C. Valorization of livestock waste and forest by-products, enabling nutrient recycling and limiting landfill accumulation.