March 2026

Soil Publications

EU policy emphasises the importance of care for soil, but what kind of care is it exactly? This article analyzes key policy documents around carbon farming and argues that they promote care that relies on the commodification of soils, the generation of scientific data, and the prioritisation of human needs.

Mining projects can leave behind long-term soil contamination with significant risks to public health, but mapping these effects is challenging. This study recruited nearly 2,000 high school students to collect and test soils samples in three Peruvian towns impacted by mining, producing important data about lead contamination while also contributing to science education.

What kind of financial compensation do farmers want for adopting soil-improving practices? This study surveyed farmers across four European countries and found that expectations vary considerably depending on factors such as farm size, ecological co-benefits, and the farmer's age, gender and education.

This study provides a reflection on desirable future developments of the soil sciences. It sketches the possible future roles of soil science in society. The new European plans for the future of agriculture provide excellent opportunities for the profession.

Oldies but goodies

I "nominate" the work of Maria Alfredovna Glazovskaya (1912-2016) for the Oldies by Goodies section of the Soil Care newsletter!! Much of Glazovskaya's work was published in Russian and would be a great project for someone to translate, for Galzovskaya was not only productive and creative (especially in bring human activities into pedology and pedogenesis), her topics were wide ranging. Her work on human altered soils is found in the paper:

• Glazovskaya M. A.Solntseva N. P.Gennadiev A. N. (1986). “Technopedogenesis: Forms of Manifestation” in: Advances in Soil Science. Soviet Soil Scientists to the 13 World Soil Science Congress. Moscow: Nauka, 103–114. [In Russian].

• An informative review in English of Glazovskaya's work is Gerasimova's review, "Maria Glazovskaya—A Pioneer Soil Scientist and Geochemist Ahead of her Time" (Gerasimova M. Spanish Journal of Soil Science. 2022 Jul 20;12:10377).

Soil Events

An interdisciplinary meeting is coming up at the Royal Society in London for June (15-16). We will cover soils, plants, human health and planetary health. There is an opportunity for poster presentations. It will be of interest to anyone who likes thinking holistically about the physics and chemistry that underpin all living systems such as soil (and humans). Also thinking about how these ecosystems have developed homeostatic controls to enable them to survive change and how society can engage positively or negatively with these systems. It is free to attend but you would have to find funds for your travel and accommodation. We are encouraging a broad set of disciplines and indeed sectors (not just research but policymakers and industrialists too) to apply for these poster slots including the arts, humanities and social sciences.