*
Soil chemistry : detailed description using standard methodologies of total and "plant available" elements. As P availability and soil acidification are major problems within this region, adsorption isotherms of P, P fractions, and Al species shall be determined.

*
Soil physics : standardised description of soil physical properties as well as erodability (plots and modelling).

*
Soil biology : characterisation of soil microbial biomass and soil organic matter by the fumigation / extraction method, classical fractionation and NMR.

*
Phytopathology : evaluation of frequency and intensity of attack of most important diseases and pests by standard methods.

*
Hydrology / Hydrochemistry and Pesticide residues : dynamics of small watersheds will be followed and standard water characterisation techniques will be used to evaluate the effect of the different systems on the water regime.

*
Biogeography : inventories of existing plant associations, characterisation of the biodiversity and selection of indicator species.

*
Agronomy : balances for nutrients, organic matter, energy, and economics will be determined to characterise productivity and its changes over time.

*
Agro-sociology / Anthropology : the decision backgrounds of the different groups will be evaluated and recommendations will be elaborated to motivate them to make a better use of natural resources.