2020 FEBRUARY | Soil Care Network

Soil Care Network Newsletter

Research and projects

How to measure soil contamination? This is a political as much as a technical question, Salvadore Engel-Di Mauro argues in this paper on soil pollution baselines. As he notes, “soil quality standards can be used to pre-empt public debate over (..) land use decisions’. It is necessary to approach the question of baselines critically to ensure their use does not reinforce ecological and social injustice.

Climate change is not just progressive, but brings sudden shocks. Their impacts on soils can help the spread of crop diseases, as this research on a fungus which thrives after drought events suggests.

‘Dirt’ and ‘soil’ are often seen as contrasting concepts, one associated with risk, and the other with fertility. This interesting paper in history of education in the UK looks at how these concepts were both used and contested by child educators; an interesting insight into the historical dimension of human-soil disconnect.

A new species of soil bacteria has been found, which is capable of breaking down cancer-causing chemicals that are released when coal, gas, oil and refuse are burned. This may offer a powergful way for regenerating contaminated soils.

Soil animals are powerful soil engineers – and in Australia a small endangered marsupial called bandicoot has been found to the properties and health of soils. The little 750g animal turns over up to 4.8 tonnes of soil every year.

An artist and a soil scientist have been collaborating on listening to soil – listen to the fascinating story of their collaboration, and to soil sounds (and soil sound pollution!).

If you ever need a quick proof that soil erosion is a socio-political issue, you can now use this satellite data project which has shown radical differences in soil erosion rates between countries along their borders – the images are striking!

Soil policy and social movements

Farmer managed natural regeneration is a traditional coppicing method which regenerates land and provides livelihoods, and it is now receiving serious support with the Grand African Savannah Green Up. The method uses existing seed banks and stumps to regenerate coppicing forests. Land rights and legal protection of land use are important to the uptake; as in many other cases, strengthening legal and institutional frameworks and ensuring access to land are crucial for the success of soil restoration using this method.

The power of humans as soil restorers! Ecosystem Restoration Camps is a Dutch non-profit established in 2018 which enrols thousands of volunteers to create soil erosion and degradation combatting projects. To date it has launched more than 20 camps on six continents to fight soil erosion.

The new Italian ReSoil foundation we reported on in the previous newsletter has officially launched. It is funded by a bioplastics manufacturer Novamont, and it sees hope for soil in the EU’s focus on circular economies and bioeconomies – more detail on their plans in this press release.

In Washington, a promising policy bill goes to vote – the sustainable farms and fields bill “would provide $1 million in 2020-21 to launch a grant program supporting practices aimed at carbon sequestering and reducing greenhouse gases (…) The legislation would pay for additional soil research and give grants to farmers who try new methods to sequester carbon or cut greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2015, India launched the Soil Health Card programme which is testing holdings’ soil fertility. Its adoption by farmers has led to “some reduction in fertiliser use, especially nitrogen”, and “increase in use of bio-fertilisers”, and a significant increase in yields To increase trust in the method, thousands of model villages are being set up. India is now “assisting Nepal to scale up soil-testing facilities as well as organic farming for sustainable agriculture in the extremely sensitive Himalayan ecosystem.”

This blog provides a useful overview of the state of soil conservation in Europe, and identifies key upcoming policy frameworks that will shape it in the future.

Markets and technology

Typically food and energy production compete for land. This partnership between graziers and a solar farm company in Georgia claim they will overcome this conflict combining grazing with renewable energy production while restoring soil health.

Land use change for soil health is entering the business world, as this blog from the Legal & General Investment Management. “We are engaging with some of the largest food companies in our portfolio to understand both how they are adapting their product strategies in light of the land-use changes necessary under a 1.5°C scenario, and how they are working with their suppliers to improve agricultural practices.” The famous producer of denim Wrangler is also introducing measures to conserve the soils used by their suppliers.

Editorials, blogs and opinion

BBC World Service’s ‘Business Daily’ has published this short accessible programme on soil degradation in farming.

This editorial combines a poetic sensibility with a strong political stance in examining Christianity’s approach to soil and land, with a focus on land justice. “Dirt knocks me out of my human arrogance to remind me of all that has come before me, and all that will outlive me.”