Securing Soils for the Future: Advancing the Soil Security Framework

Summary

Soils underpin food, water regulation, climate mitigation and biodiversity, yet their long-term security is not guaranteed. This project advances the soil security framework by integrating its five dimensions - condition, capability, capital, codification and connectivity - to develop practical, scalable pathways for securing soils from farm to national and global levels. Depending on interest, candidates may quantify soil condition (e.g. carbon, structure, water), assess capability under changing climates and land uses, value soils as natural capital for reporting and policy, contribute to digital codification (including the emerging global pedogenon), and design connectivity mechanisms that link science to governance and on-ground adoption. The aim is to generate evidence and tools that decision-makers, land managers and institutions can use to safeguard soils for the mid-21st century and beyond.

Supervisor

Professor Alex McBratney.

Research location

Sydney Institute of Agriculture

Synopsis

Soil security provides a conceptual and practical framework to ensure soils continue to sustain humanity and the planet. It recognises that protecting soils requires an integrated approach across biophysical, economic and social domains.

This project will enable candidates to explore one or more dimensions of soil security:

• Condition – Quantifying soil attributes such as carbon, structure and water under climate and land-use pressures; developing indicators and uncertainty frameworks.
• Capability – Evaluating soils’ capacity to support agriculture, ecosystems and communities into the future; scenario analysis for adaptation.
• Capital – Measuring soil as natural capital and linking it to ecosystem services, sustainability reporting and investment.
• Codification – Contributing to consistent soil information systems (e.g., the global pedogenon), digital mapping and data interoperability.
• Connectivity – Investigating governance, policy and community engagement required to embed soils in decision-making and accelerate adoption.

Methods may include field sampling and laboratory analysis, geospatial modelling, spectroscopy, data science, systems and policy analysis—tailored to the candidate’s background. Outcomes will inform soil stewardship from farm to global levels and position soil security alongside climate and biodiversity in sustainability agendas.

 

Additional information

Potential co-supervisors: Professor Budiman Minasny; Associate Professor Damien Field.

A candidate with

Background in soil science, environmental science, geography, agriculture or related disciplines. Skills in GIS, modelling, policy analysis or data science will be beneficial.

HDR Inherent Requirements

In addition to the academic requirements set out in the Science Postgraduate Handbook, candidates may be required to undertake computational, laboratory or field work. Please discuss requirements with the supervisor prior to application.

Want to find out more?

Interested in this opportunity? Learn about contacting a supervisor and developing a research proposal. Browse other opportunities within the Sydney Institute of Agriculture. Domestic and international students welcome.

 

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3682

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