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Research

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• The fight for land restitution is underpinned by a conflict between soil as ecology and soil as space; between living relations and extractive relations. We need an ecological approach to land use decisions. 

• Responding to land degradation requires an inter-disciplinary approach incorporating natural and social sciences, argue researchers from Plymouth University following a project in East AfricaNew insights into the role of minerals in soil carbon storage

• A lot of policy attention focuses on soil organic matter – how far does SOM correlate with yield increases, however? Yale researchers quantified this relationship at a global level. They find that increasing soil organic carbon -- a common proxy for soil organic matter -- boosts yields until concentrations reach about 2 percent, at which level they tend to deliver diminished returns.

• A quick and cheap method for remediating oil polluted soils through heating them has been found

• If you think managing land is difficult, have you considered underwater soils? Fascinating insights into their properties here

• Very interesting insights into the co-evolution of trees and soil bacteria (specifically nitrogen fixers) uncovered in this new research on the paper mulberry

• Negative impacts on soils from logging or wildfires last many decades.

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Policy and social movement

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• Teheran has introduced a soil conservation bill.

 

Soils in the news

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• Fukushima Prefecture is facing the challenge of managing contaminated soils – plans for their removal and storage are already sparking public opposition.

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Editorials, blogs and opinion

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• A wonderful piece on reconnecting with soils as a pathway to eco-social belonging, especially from the perspective of slave and colonised populations “Connection with soil was the awakening of my sovereignty.”

• This great blog entry takes inspiration from architecture, specifically ‘bush houses’, to think about the role humus can play in soils.

 

Art

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• An amazing art project “By the Code of Soil” tries to bring soil into our lives. It is an online networked digital artwork by Fault Lines artist Kasia Molga and sound artist Scanner. Developed as part of the GROW Observatory, By the Code of Soil turns soil data into digital art that appears on participants’ computers whenever land-mapping satellite Sentinel-1 passes overhead.

• Commemorating racial injustice through soil – a beautiful piece of participatory soil art.

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Resources

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• Rainforest Alliance summarises the trouble and hope of soil in 7 points.

• Check out this open access resource for the US - the soil moisture visualiser.

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Events

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• Eurosoil2020 conference in August 2020 in Geneva seems to be putting forward an interdisciplinary approach to soils  

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