​

Soil Research

​

• This study of no-tillage in Indiana argues that no-till is appealing for many producers as a soil conservation strategy which does not challenge the values of industrial farming.

​

• Farmer’s engagements with soils through learning create a feeling of kinship and connection to the natural world which contributes to a change in farming systems towards regenerative agriculture, this paper from Australia confirms.

​

• We already know that microplastics in soils are bad news (have you heard the term “plastiphere”?); this new research finds that microplastics also offer a breeding ground for fungi which can be detrimental to human, animal and plant health.

​

• As invasive species, wild pigs’ rooting for food is releasing a lot of the carbon which would otherwise be sequestered in soils, making dealing with these populations a concern for soil regeneration.

​

• Smartphones just found a new application in soil sensing - this group of researchers found that the touchscreen is capable of acting as a contaminant detection device.

​

• What contribution has soil science made to key policy challenges so far, and how can this contribution be strengthened? This paper provides a review, focusing especially on climate change, food security, water security, urban development, and ecosystem functioning and biodiversity.

​

• Why do some farming sectors carry out soil testing more readily than others? This paper looks into this question, as well as arguing for a knowledge and innovation rather than regulatory approach to enhance uptake of soil testing.

​

• A new study creates “cyborg” soil environments, using microchips to perceive underground soil processes that are altered when soil is removed from its environment.

​

• New tests developed at Duke University detect small particles of coal fly ash in soil, a hazardous byproduct of coal power generation. The study has just been published in Environmental Science & Technology.

​

• This new study looks at soil erosion data in post-Soviet Russia, finding soil erosion and river sediment load decreased alongside political shifts.

​

​

Soil policies

​

• New York State just passed the Soil Health Act and Climate Resiliency Act, which aims to improve climate adaptation in agriculture through soil restoration.

​

• A new report, “Farming for 1.5,” aims to help Scotland achieve net zero agriculture by 2045.

​

​

Soil stories and editorials

​

• You may already know the great podcast series Farmerama. Their ‘Re-storying the landscape’ series starts with an important provocation: ‘A family farm is a colonial construct’, and goes on to explore the relation between land as commons and indigenous farming practices in the Scottish Highlands.

​

• Soil carbon credits are already a booming area for investment, however different ways of accounting and accrediting carbon credits exist - this editorial provides an interesting overview and proposes some solutions for the US context (like remote imaging technologies from the Scenic Hudson Soil Lab) while this article explains the pilot project on soil carbon markets being set up currently in the UK

​

• At the same time, the scientific conversation about the fate of carbon in soils - crucial to the question of carbon sequestration - continues, with the idea of immobilising carbon permanently being challenged by recent research into the activity of soil bacteria. This interesting editorial offers a good overview of the debates. 

​

​

​

Soil innovations, courses and events

​

• Schumacher College in Devon has a brand new BSc program called Regenerative Food and Farming, which gives students the opportunity to explore leading-edge alternatives to mainstream agricultural practices and food systems. You can learn more here.

​

• Farmers in Ireland can now use a specialised soil health app to engage with their soils.

 

• American Farmland Trust’s just-updated Retrospective Soil Health Economic Calculator helps farmers estimate the economic returns of soil conservation measures using current crop prices and historic land use data.  

​

• The Soil Health Institute will hold its Annual Meeting, Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life, on August 11th. 

​

​

​