Research and projects

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• This recent paper by a group of scientists offers a fascinating insight into the politics of soil carbon science. The paper argues that scientific disagreement about the potential of soils to store atmospheric carbon is part of the normal scientific process, however the current way these uncertainties are being discussed in the public eye is making is hard for policymakers to know ‘whose numbers and knowledge to use’.  

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• At the same time, there is more evidence that the crisis is truly upon us in the UK - this study of an arable farm in Nottinghamshire found that – under the current management regime – the topsoil could be eroded in 138 years with bedrock exposure occurring in 212 years.

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• We may think that we are getting closer to understanding how soils will respond to climate change; however a team of ecologists in Berlin found that when multiple factors (rather than just one or two, as is standard) are studied at the same time, effects become hard to predict. “This means that scientists are currently still quite ignorant of what might actually happen with climate change in reality, with more and more factors acting on ecosystems”.

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• We are all aware of the phosphorus limitations in agriculture, but its effects in forestry have received less attention. New research shows that the soils of tropical forests are being mined out of phosphorus due to repeated logging; as a result the species composition and character of the plants is changing as well.

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• Soil carbon loss is a huge issue for our future; in acting on this we must distinguish between particulate and mineral soil organic matter. “Only by recognizing the diversity of soil organic matter can science, government and agriculture move forward with carbon sequestration to help reverse the tide of climate change while increasing the health of our soils”, say the authors of this paper.

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• Cover crops are often assumed to increase soil carbon; this study from Iowa finds that while cover crops have environmental benefits, their effects on soil carbon sequestration is not clear.

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• How to accurately and evocatively represent soils and their states is an issue not just for science communication, but for science and policy themselves. This study finds that erroneous depictions of desertification “have fixed erroneous concepts in the minds of even some who work in the field of land degradation” and led to “inappropriate management efforts, mistaken premises in research, and ill-informed policies at local to global scales including misleading prognostications of institutions—even at the level of United Nations agencies”.

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• Adopting soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies can enhance ecologies and yields, but these methods can be labour-intensive; this paper helpfully quantifies the labour cost of their adoption in Ethiopia : “The estimated labour impacts also provide a plausible explanation for why farmers may not adopt SWC technologies despite their economic profitability.”

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• Switching to soils-protecting farming methods is not just a technical issue, but a process which involves “subjective, nonmaterial factors associated with culture, values, ethics, identity, and emotion that operate at individual, household, and community scales and interact with regional, national and global processes”, this research from Australia finds.

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• It seems that the famous giant head sculptures on Easter Island were linked with attempts to influence soil fertility.

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• Shifting land use away from agriculture in drained peatlands is becoming a policy priority in the EU in the light of the carbon emissions and land degradation costs of using these lands. This research reviews landowners’ land use change preferences in six European regions: “Our results show that mainly hard economic variables determine preferred land use alternatives: the productivity of resource systems, the economic value of land and market incentives. Other variables, such as the heterogeneity of users and conflicts among them, are more important with respect to the implementation of alternatives.” 

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• Should we ‘regenerate’ deserts? This fascinating paper shows that man-made oasis creation can in fact degrade desert ecosystems further: “Desert development causes a rapid decline in the surrounding groundwater table, increases pollution in soil and groundwater and is associated with an increased frequency of strong sandstorms. Desert development seems to have improved the environment and promoted the economy, but there is a huge cost for the overexploitation of water resources and the transfer of pollution from surface to underground, which could cause deserts to degrade further.”

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• How to encourage greater uptake of farming methods which conserve soil carbon? This research in five European regions identified key barriers, and concludes that foregrounding experimentation and farmer learning is needed.

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• Healthy soils underpin the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. This paper uses transitions theory to suggest ways for science and policy to act on the soil-water system to ensure their achievement.

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• The effects of microplastics pollution in soils are very serious: researchers found that “microplastics affect plant-soil systems  in  a  way  that  triggers  a  cascade  of  events  that  alter  the  soil’s  biophysical environment”, with the potential to “trigger environmental  change  that  threatens  agroecosystems  and  terrestrial  biodiversity”.

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Soil policy and social movements

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• Who are the movers and shakers in the world of soil policy and activism? In honor of World Soil Day, Food Tank is highlighting 15 organizations around the globe working to use soil to reverse the damaging effects of climate change, stop soil from disappearing due to erosion, and improve farmers’ well-being and connection to their land

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• This report from FeedBack in the UK argues for limiting sugar beet consumptions for the sake of both human and soil health. They calculate that “sugar beet harvesting adds an additional 13-21% to the UK’s annual topsoil loss per year”.

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• In Ontario, Canada, farmers and researchers are coming together in a programme to address soil health. On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) is a $5.75-million project to bring together farmers and researchers to focus on soil health, water quality, and overall environmental stewardship.

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• What policies may be most helpful in securing soil health in the UK post-Brexit? This article offers some ideas, including carbon trading.

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• The links between soil health and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals was highlighted as part of this year’s World Soil Day by a number of organisations

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• Soil pollution is one of the biggest challenges facing China’s agriculture; to prevent pollution from occurring, Chinese government has shut down 1300 heavy-metal producing and processing firms.

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Markets and technology

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• Turning deserts into oases? A tech start-up Desert Control has developed a patented formulation process using clay and water to create a unique compound called Liquid NanoClay (LNC). “Applying LNC to arid soil and desert sand enables and enhances the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients, and can thereby turn deserts into fertile green land.”

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• As hopes for using soils to store carbon intensify, the so does the search for market mechanisms to enable it. At Rice University in the US, a working group has been created to develop a U.S. protocol for paying ranchers and farmers to store carbon in their soil.

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• In-field soil analysis is becoming cheaper and more accessible; IBM has just secured funding for AgroPad, which will be able to perform soil analysis remotely and will only be the size of a business card.

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• A simple innovation combines cardboard and seeds to help stop erosion. The tool, called Ecosystem Kickstarter, is a honeycomb-shaped cardboard frame that can help small-scale farmers grow crops in degraded soil.

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Editorials, blogs and opinion

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• Having good soil maps is key to supporting productive agriculture in Africa, however data is often lacking. This piece in the Conversation gives some insights into the recent efforts to map soils of Ethiopia and other African countries to create Africa Soil Information Service.

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• This interesting editorial gives a good overview of the most recent technological advancements around soil sampling, including a ‘real-time’ NPK sensor.

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• Soil is often at the heart of religious narratives. Biblical scholar Mari Joerstad and indigenous activist Nick Estes challenge a human-centered worldview and find religious and cultural grounds for an ethic which recognises even soil as significant in terms of personhood and morality.

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Training

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• If you're in the UK an your resolution is to skill up on soils, check out Niels Corfield's courses on understanding soil health.

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