The Challenge

In talking about soil, we are involved in seeing how we can know and interact with soil better: to represent the interconnections which result in vital and alive soil and food and communities, to be able to observe changes on our farms & with a primary aim of being able to pass on this knowledge and act upon it, to attempt to provide legitimacy to soil assessment and provide direction for future research, to learn from each other and allow soil and our environment to be our teacher. We want to build a strong network of people interested in soil from ecological perspectives, we want to see farmers talking to farmers about their dirt. In a way, we know you are already out there; whether you have seen, felt, tasted, smelt or heard soil or are just curious about those millions of organisms in a teaspoon of soil.

Those interconnections? The ultimate aim is to explore further and deeper the interactions of soil biology, with already widely studied soil structure and chemistry as a springboard to understanding more deeply, greater connections to biotic and abiotic environments. We can begin there and then learn to further observe greater interactions that involve plants, animals, weather (the list may be vast indeed yet it has already begun!).

Soil science is still a relatively new thing and we have much business to go about in learning about soil systems. Meanwhile, the study of soil biology is still grossly under represented at university level and the subject of soils is underdone in a great many university degrees, which lead to occupations in environment and natural resources no less! Moreover, as has been the feedback from many landholders, the scientific community still struggles to communicate effectively with farmers what are really common aims:  improved soils knowledge, healthier soils communities, more resilient farms. The art of observation itself is not widely promoted, yet is vital to this whole conversation.

Interdisciplinary approaches are still in their infancy and the translation of systems thinking beyond society and sociology itself shows weak links to the way we approach country. The type of ecological approach needed to connect people with the land and soils again, requires that we learn what it might be, to be ecological in our very thinking. So the thought comes to mind, that it is necessary to approach natural ecology together with human ecology; that is, to acknowledge the interconnected place we humans have in the natural world. For us, this may mean reconnecting with that which has sustained us all our lives, soil.

There is much to get excited about! Whether it be a soil pit, a sweet smelling soil, one farmer teaching another about practices, celebrating a community garden, sitting in shed talking about a great field day or a vibrant healthy soil; we can all step outside and take the first look to see soil for the first time, to see it in a way we have not seen it before.

Adrianna