The word "health" is applicable only with living organisms, and not
with any dead or non-living components. Natural soil behaves like a
living organism because it has living components and therefore it
has its health issues. Soil health is completely different from soil
properties or soil fertility and soil health is independent of soil
properties or soil fertility. Natural soil is composed of two basic
components, non-living components and living components. Nonliving
components are sand, silt, clay, organic matter, water and air.
These non-living components have physical properties (soil structure
and soil texture), chemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity,
plant nutrients and micronutrient content) and biological properties
(organic carbon content). These soil properties are tested in the
laboratory by following standard methods and protocols. The plant
nutrient and micronutrient content in soil is known as soil
fertility. The living components of soil are plants, animals and
microorganisms. Therefore, soil health is the total of plant health,
animal health and microorganism health. Soil health is usually
measured by visual observation of plant health, animal health and
microorganism health.
(1) Plant health is measured by the green
colour of the leaves (chlorophyll content), normal growth and
development of the plant and its immunity against insect pests,
diseases and weeds.
(2) animal health is measured by counting the
number and diversity of earthworms (indicator species) per unit
volume of soil.
(3) The health of soil microorganisms can be
measured by counting the number and diversity of the naturally grown
wild mushrooms (indicator species) per unit area of land.
The biodiversity of organisms (plants, animals and microorganisms) in the natural farming agroecosystem can be measured in gene level, species level or ecosystem level. Biodiversity can be measured by using common tools of ecology such as species richness, Simpson index and Shannon-Wiener index. Biodiversity in the natural farming agroecosystem is measured through non-destructive and replenishable sampling methods to keep the natural balance in the population dynamics undisturbed.
Valuation of natural capital of natural farming agroecosystem means
assigning monetary or non-monetary values to the various elements of
the natural farming agroecosystem, such as soil health, water
resources, solar energy, clean air, biodiversity of plants and
animals and human resources.
(1) Market-based Valuation:This method
relies on actual market transactions where natural resources are
bought and sold. For example, the value of crops harvested, eggs,
milk, meat or fish sold in the market can be directly measured using
market prices.
(2) Cost-based Valuation:
This approach calculates
the value of natural capital based on the cost required to replace
or reproduce it. For instance, the cost of constructing and
maintaining a water purification plant can be used to determine the
value of the ecosystem service provided by a natural water source.
(3) Benefit Transfer:Benefit transfer involves estimating the value
of natural capital by using existing data from similar studies
conducted in different locations. This method is useful when primary
valuation data is not available for a specific ecosystem but has
been studied in comparable contexts.
(4) Contingent Valuation:
In
this method, researchers directly ask individuals or communities
about their willingness to pay (WTP) for the preservation or
restoration of a particular natural resource or ecosystem service.
(5) Travel Cost Method:
This technique estimates the value of
recreational resources (e.g., eco-agritourism) based on the cost
people incur to travel to these areas for recreational purposes.
(6) Hedonic Pricing: This method assesses the value of certain natural
features (e.g., proximity to a lake, green spaces) by examining how
they influence property prices and rental values in a particular
area.
(7) Ecological Footprint:
This method evaluates the
sustainability of human activities by comparing human resource
consumption and waste generation to the Earth's ecological capacity
to regenerate those resources and absorb the waste.
(8) Shadow Pricing: Shadow pricing involves estimating the economic value of an
environmental resource based on its impact on production or
consumption in the economy. It's often used in cost-benefit
analysis.
Valuation of ecosystem services is the process of assigning economic values to the benefits that
ecosystems provide to humans.
(1) Market-based methods: These methods use market transactions as a
basis for valuation, such as the prices of goods and services directly linked to the ecosystem. For
example, the value of agricultural products obtained from the natural farming agroecosystems or the
fees charged for ecotourism activities.
(2) Revealed preference methods:
These methods analyse actual consumer behavior to deduce the value of
ecosystem services. For instance, travel cost analysis examines the number of money people are
willing to spend to visit natural areas, revealing their value for recreational purposes.
(3) Stated preference methods:
These methods involve asking individuals or communities directly about
their preferences and willingness to pay for ecosystem services through surveys and questionnaires.
Contingent valuation is a commonly used stated preference method.
(4) Benefit transfer:
This approach involves applying values from existing studies to similar ecosystems
or regions when primary valuation data is unavailable. It relies on the assumption that ecosystem
services have comparable values across similar contexts.
(5) Replacement cost method:
This method estimates the value of an ecosystem service by determining the
cost of replacing the service with human-made alternatives. For example, the cost of building and
maintaining a water treatment plant to replace the natural water purification function of wetlands.
(6) Cost-based methods:
These methods assess the costs incurred when ecosystems are degraded or lost.
For instance, the expenses involved in pollution cleanup, flood control, or the loss of agricultural
productivity due to soil degradation.
(7) Shadow pricing:
In this method, the value of ecosystem services is incorporated into decision-making
processes by assigning "shadow" prices to the services. These prices are used alongside traditional
economic indicators to evaluate projects or policies.
(8) Multi-criteria analysis:
This approach considers a range of ecological, social, and economic factors
to assess the overall value of ecosystem services. It involves integrating diverse criteria into
decision-making processes.