Living soil and farming resilience in drought
A British farm example, research on agricultural diversification, and practical monitoring for olive groves.
Source date: 2026-09-11 · Sources checked: 21 October 2026
Field experience and research
A Greek report published on 11 September 2026 describes British farmer Sam Squier’s use of diverse pasture mixtures and managed grazing during drought. This is a reported field experience, not a Greek controlled experiment.
Tamburini and colleagues’ 2020 second-order meta-analysis draws on 5,160 original studies and 41,946 comparisons. Diversification improved several ecosystem services, including water regulation, without an overall yield penalty. Responses differ across settings; water regulation does not guarantee protection from every drought.
For Ionian olive groves
The Center proposes baseline and repeated observations of ground cover, infiltration, erosion, moisture, organic matter, biological activity and production. Microscopy complements physical and chemical measurements. This is a monitoring proposal, not a claim of locally demonstrated results.