Lessons Learnt: Sharing Soil Knowledge to Improve Land Management and Sustainable Soil Use

Abstract

Core Ideas Acknowledge the role of experiential knowledge in informing soil use and management. Investigate knowledge needs and discourse in a deeper and all‐encompassing way. Train work‐ready graduates who can succeed as existing staff retire. Form knowledge partnerships with genuine commitment, trust and social cohesion. Broaden the way the discipline communicates and engages with social networks. Provide a dynamic learning environment which balances the digital and real world. Evaluate impact of activities and appraise their worth through reflection. Our aim was to examine the challenges and opportunities to soil knowledge sharing in the 21st Century. Soil can only be effectively managed if we are better connected to it by being well‐informed and with appropriate support. A central observation has been the diminishing human capital and capacity in the sectors of higher education, training and outreach, and the ramifications for knowledge sharing between the various groups: educators, policymakers, researchers, outreach agents and practitioners (including the public). We encourage a movement away from a linear learning model to a socially constructivist learning approach to address the consequences of declining resources, including: a loss of legacy soil information, moribund social networks, loss of experienced outreach staff, and finally a loss of expertise in soil science to prepare graduates for the workplace with improved soil knowledge and practical experiences. Blurring the lines between knowledge generator and user will encourage solutions for the sustainable use of soil from outside traditional knowledge‐holders. We suggest the solution, to a shrinking on‐the‐ground presence, is to invest in relationships and social networks to foster understanding of soil‐building practices and achieve wider adoption of technologies. We need to balance placing information in a digital environment with providing opportunities for sharing information via interpersonal interactions, over a sustained period. This opinion piece reflects on how soil education, training and outreach can form a genuine partnership between those with experience and those with expertise to create a dynamic learning environment with a high probability of ensuring a more sustainably managed landscape.

Introductory soil courses: a frontier of soil science education in Canada

“…The maintenance or enhancement of global soil resources will only be possible if land managers and the general public have an understanding of the importance of soil. It is, therefore, essential that postsecondary curricula provide adequate coverage of the soil's roles in global issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, environmental risk management, and food shortages (Dobrovol'skii 2007;Hartemink et al 2014;de Bruyn et al 2017). In spite of the importance of soil science education for future land stewards and citizens, there has been a long-term decline in student enrollment in soil science programs in Canada and the United States (Baveye et al 2006;Brevik et al 2014).…”

How is the learning process of digital soil mapping in a diverse group of land use planners?

“…It is interesting to note that some participants were familiar with the use of GIS and geoprocessing techniques obtained in courses (face-to-face and distance learning) from educational institutions and on-line (e.g., in the Education Portal https://www.portaleducacao.com.br). The search for knowledge, according to what is demanded by these professionals, reinforces Lobry de Bruyn et al (2017) statement that a multidimensional approach to soil education is needed that balances traditional models with new models to create a learning environment that facilitates changes and consequently learning. On the other hand, some basic concepts for building and managing a spatial database such as file formats for spatial data, coordinate reference systems, and directory naming standards, files and data tables, were not well known.…”

Soil Science Education Practices Used in Canadian Postsecondary, K-12, and Informal Settings

“…The need for the enhancement of soil science education and provision of adequate soil information have been highlighted by various international organizations, including the United Nations (UN Millennium Project, 2005; UN Development Programme, 2007) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Hartemink, 2008). The integration of soil science into the K–12 curricula and ongoing outreach efforts are needed because they address the broad issues of the lack of public knowledge about the importance of soils in a global context and the overall scientific literacy of the general public (Lobry de Bruyn et al, 2017).…”