Soils & Research

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We often hear calls for greater cooperation between science and politics to halt soil degradation. This fascinating paper by Matteo de Donà offers a deep insight into the complexities of ‘speaking truth to power’ in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

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Advancing towards sustainable cities needs a better understanding of all components of urban ecosystems, including soils, but the biological component of urban soils remains poorly studied compared to natural and agricultural soils

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Multidisciplinary Research Project "Anthropogenic Soils : Recuperating Human-Soil Relationships on a Troubled Planet" launch at the University of Oslo, Norway. The 6 years research project launch three PhD Fellowships and one Postdoctoral Fellowship in STS connected to studies of repairing contaminated soils, Indigenous Futurism and artistic and multimedia research

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The Soil for nutrition: state of the art report is the FAO's comprehensive booklet assesses the role of soil fertility in food production, food security and nutrition and points towards new avenues for nutrient cycle and agrifood systems

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Understanding why farmers adopt soil conservation tillage: A systematic review. An extensive literature review which explores how farmers’ perceptions affect the likelihood of them adopting conservation tillage

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A ‘save the date’ announcement has now been made for the upcoming Wageningen Soil Conference, which will take place from August 28th-1st September 2023

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Soils tells complex stories, helping us to re-think over-simple narratives of our past. Sarah Jacons and Taryn Wiens re-read the story of Bos Park in Amsterdam and troubles the idea of this space as a ‘finished’ cultural landscape in this recent paper

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How to bring soils to live as societal actors? Eric Guibert, a garden architect, invites us to participate in his animistic correspondence with soils

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Soil & Policy

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The United Nations concerned by plastic accumulation in agricultural soils. The UN have published a report which shows that plastic is reaching farmers’ fields at an alarming rate. For those interested in the impacts of micro- and nano-plastics on agricultural soils, we recommend following the ongoing EU-funded MINAGRIS project

 

The European Union Soil Observatory held its second Stakeholders Forum online from October 24 to 26 together with the Joint Research Center (JRC). One year after the publication of EU Soil Strategy, demonstrating progress towards a EU Soil Health Law. Session recordings are available here
 

The BBC podcast The Compass featured a four episodes series entitled “The Understory: Life in the Soil” bringing together researchers and practitioners to talk on soil life and its protection.

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Several new entrants to farming explain how volunteering on organic farms under the ‘WWOOF’ scheme gave them a stronger understanding of how to look after soil health whilst producing food

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Can we sequester our carbon and eat it too? For the first time in 4 seasons, we're discussing natural climate solutions, and in particular, regenerative agriculture. Joining us is agrologist and fellow podcaster, Scott Gillespie (of Plants Dig Soil) to get into the nitty gritty of farming for soil carbon — its promise, possibility and feasibility

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The Soil Microbiome and its Impact on Plant Nutrition. With this eBook, you'll discover how microorganisms living in your soil play a crucial role in determining crop health and yield

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Soil Biodiversity collection published as an e-book. In this collection, 33 articles on soil biodiversity were written by scientists and reviewed by kids

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Watch the discussion with WISH-ROOTS ‘Tuning the wheat root microbiome to improve soil health and optimize rhizosphere nitrogen cycling and availability’. Find out how WISH-ROOTS is improving the soil with wheat root traits. WISH-ROOTS aims will provide advantageous varieties for farmers that support a more sustainable use of land improving soil microbial biodiversity, N cycling, and structure.

 

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