Get down and dirty with soil research programme

A nationwide project to investigate the soil beneath our feet has been launched, and anyone with any soil to call their own is invited to contribute samples for analysis.

Soilsafe Aotearoa is a new Auckland University research programme run in partnership with GNS Science.

Dr Melanie Kah, from the university’s school of environment, said about 70 people had registered interest, and 15 had sent in soil samples.

“It’s a major undertaking, and we hope a wide range of Kiwis will be keen to get a better idea of the soil in their own backyards. We expect gardeners to be particularly interested, but the project is open to anyone who has a bit of soil around their home, whether it is a small patch of lawn or a lush vegetable garden.

The aim is to gain a better understanding of Kiwis’ relationship with the earth and nature, and includes a wider education programme on soil health and community attitudes.

Those wishing to have their soil tested will be asked to fill in a short survey, and will receive a detailed report on any heavy metals, such as lead, that are detected.

The researchers say almost all urban centres across the world have legacies of lead petrol and lead-based paint use, and although the latter have been replaced by more environmentally-friendly versions, the general public may wonder about their own home soil health.

Soilsafe is also running a soil values project, Dr Emma Sharp, also from the university’s school of environment, said a questionnaire had been prepared, in both te reo Ma¯ori and English, to capture community attitudes to soil health.

“There is also a wider aim of the programme to find out much more about what people are growing in their gardens and why gardening is important to them, and we’re encouraging marae, community gardens and schools to get involved. “We believe that there have been changes in our communities’ gardening habits over this past year due to Covid-19 lockdowns, so we’d love to hear what these changes might be.”

Interested? Check it out online at the Soilsafe Aotearoa website.