Be your own soil expert: opening soil research up to everyone

There is a huge amount of soils' research happening today, and this research is shaping how soils are governed and managed around the world. Improving soils requires ongoing learning about how to transform land uses in specific places so that both soils and people who live on them can benefit. This vast task cannot depend on top-down models of science-driven policy alone. Everyone can become an expert in soil improvement.

In this session, we ask: How can we open soil research up, and support everyone to become experts in their own soils? What is the value of ‘democratising’ soil research? What may soil research which is open to everyone or led by non-experts look like in practice? What is the role of policy and of science in supporting this direction, and what are the barriers in our way?

To address this issue we have assembled a panel of experts working on public participation in soil science in policy, research, and practice. They will discuss the value of opening up soil research in improving soil health everywhere, showcase inspiring examples of grassroots soil research can look like in practice, and discuss ways of supporting us all to become experts in our own soil.

Our speakers are:

Teresa Pinto Correia: the deputy chair of the Mission Board on Soil Health and Food of the Horizon Europe, the next Framework Program (2021-2027).

Lola Richelle: an independent researcher and soil health consultant associate with the Agroecology Lab of the Brussels Bioengineering School.

Jackie Stroud: a Research Fellow at SRUC, and the lead of the farmland earthworm survey (#WorldWormWeek).

This event is co-organised with uksoils, and with the support of the University of Sheffield Institute for Sustainable Food.

The event will be chaired by Anna Krzywoszynska of the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield, Soil Care Network & uksoils, and is moderated by Ellen Fay of SSA and uksoils.

​The talk will be recorded and available on uksoils and Soil Care Network websites.

​