Soil Culture Network

"The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself" Franklin D. Roosevelt

Soil is a substance that is essential for our continued survival on the planet. Not only does it provide the medium from which most of our food is produced, but it is also serves a number of less well recognised functions. These include breaking down toxic substances, providing habitats for wildlife, supporting forestry, supplying raw materials and serving as a carbon sink. Healthy soils therefore hold the key to supplying our food and reducing carbon in the atmosphere.

Because soil takes centuries to form it is considered a non-renewable resource. Along with many other non-renewable resources it is rapidly becoming despoiled and degraded and this has serious implications for our continued sustainability. Whilst considerable information is available about the importance of soil it is a subject that doesn't usually engage those that don't have a professional interest in it. It appears that the protection of soil is not considered a high priority amongst the general public.

This research network sets out to address this issue by utilising the aesthetic, physical and emotional power of the arts to engage a wide audience in soil-related issues. It will bring together, for the first time in the UK, the leading soil organisations and the most significant artists who produce work on soil. This network will coincide with 'Soil Culture', a yearlong series of exhibitions, residencies, and educational events at the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World (CCANW), based at Haldon Forest, near Exeter.

It is anticipated that by sharing knowledge between the arts and sciences, alongside the Soil Culture programme, a strategy can be developed that will find new ways for raising awareness and promoting soil health. This will be achieved through a series of arts-based workshops and public events linked to the exhibitions at CCANW. Working in collaboration with the Soil Culture programme the research network will publish a 'toolkit' that explores the relationship between soil science and the arts, and promotes a cultural response to this vital issue.

The initial beneficiaries of the research network will be the arts community, in particular the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World. The scientific and policy expertise provided by members of the network will feed directly into the exhibition programme, arts-based workshops and other public engagement events. This will ensure that the artistic content is supported by sound scientific knowledge where necessary.

The organisations to which the individual network members belong will be key beneficiaries. These include Defra, Natural England, the British Society of Soil Science, the Soil Association, and the Environment Agency as well as the academic community. The network will use the meetings, workshops and arts-based sessions to examine the potential of the arts to contribute to the public understanding of soil science. This knowledge exchange will, in turn, will feed into the development and application of future policy and its implementation. For example Defra have identified that new ways of engaging the public on the problems facing soils and strategies for safeguarding them need to be found. It is anticipated that by involving Defra in the network the use of creative practices will be seen as a viable method for enlisting public engagement in this issue.

Beyond the immediate network of soil related organisations, the Soil Culture Toolkit, will offer a number of tested strategies designed to engage students and the general public with soil-related issues. The toolkit will therefore be of benefit to anyone concerned with education about sustainability issues, and in particular how the arts can be used to teach these issues. The workshops and examples of good practice will be aimed at a broad range of ages from primary to tertiary education as well less formal workshop settings.

Ultimately the success of this network will be of benefit to the general public. Since the overall aim is to use the arts to raise awareness about soil to our sustained survival and prosperity, the general public stand to benefit from any contribution that the network can make to this cause.