Farmer classification. An approach to soil qualityin Murcia, SE of Spain

There has been very commonly an absence of correspondence between modern systems of soil taxonomic classification and the agronomical qualities of the soils. For this reason, this study has resorted to tapping the knowledge of the farmers that know best these agronomical properties in a practical sense, in order to obtain an agronomical classification of the soils. This rural classification has been determined for three typical agricultural zones near the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Four types of soils located in the study area and characterized according to the World Reference Base as Luvisol, Calcisol, Regosol and Fluvisol, were differentiated on the basis of physical and agronomics characteristics into 8 different classes according to the local farmers. The names given by the farmers, which refer to some distinctive feature of the soil’s physiognomy, are the following: "black", "mud", "red", "slate" or "sluggish”, "coloured ("red") or "moyas", "sand", "smooth" and "hard" soils. To this effect, this system exhibited a very high knowledge of the physical, chemical and agronomics properties of the soils. In a sense, this rural classification can be very helpful for a better knowledge of the soils, and to establish more effective technologies for the management and conservation of the agricultural lands.