The Week in Soil

Our weekly blog features the main scientific, political and cultural soil-related stories of interest from across the web over the previous seven days, available on our website and through our Twitter account every Friday morning.

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

22 December 2023

Scotland’s rural budget cuts
Extra £4 billion required for agricultural budget
Soil missing from COP28 declaration
Welsh government's objection to energy park
Bristol contaminated soil

15 December 2023

Private investment in nature scheme
Soil Nutrient Health Scheme
Reaction to EFRA report
Regenerative funding framework
Champion soil farmer

08 December 2023

EFRA committee soil health report
World Soil Day
COP28
Agricarbon investment
Bristol Living Soil

01 December 2023

COP28
Government support for nature
WWF report
Soils’ role in natural flood management
Ecosystem Marketplace report

24 November 2023

UK Chancellor’s Autumn statement
Greener Farms Commitment
New woodlands and soils
European Mission Soil Week
Soil relocation

17 November 2023

New UK Environment Secretary
False soil samples
Soil monitoring market
Regenerative flour
Lunar soils

10 November 2023

Sustainable horticulture
King’s speech
FAO report
‘Big Soils Stocktake’
Wildfires and soils

03 November 2023

Government nature commitment
Red Tractor update
#COPsoil
Impact of flooding
Soil organic carbon

27 October 2023

SFI payments
Storm Babel
World Food Forum
Future crops
Soil microbes and diamonds

20 October 2023

Red tractor criticism
Nature credit markets
New regenerative programmes
Peat-free soil blocks
#WorldWormDay

13 October 2023

Labour’s green agenda
UK Soils Awareness Week
Soil monitoring technology
Ancient genetic pathways
Carbon credit markets

06 October 2023

Scotland’s Agriculture bill
Value of earthworms
Soil monitoring technology
Monoculture tree planting
Human connections to soil

22 September 2023

SFI applications open
Unsubstantiated regenerative claims
Maize harvest
Nitrogen use efficiency

15 September 2023

Support for buying British produce
Multinationals trialling regenerative agriculture
Benefits of cover cropping
Lady Eve Balfour
#IGrowYourFood day

08 September 2023

‘Urgent action’ needed on soil health policy
Soil health’s relation to human health
Agroforestry show
Survey reveals farmers’ concerns
Circular dining

01 September 2023

SFI applications
Peatland projects
Resilient blackcurrants
Agroecology for Africa
Soil microbes affected by heat

25 August 2023

SFI applications
Peatland projects
Resilient blackcurrants
Agroecology for Africa
Soil microbes affected by heat

14 August 2023

Wet weather impacts
England Ecosystem Project
Soil species-rich habitat
Soil in climate strategies
Managing an allotment

04 August 2023

House of Lords protecting land
Climate adaptation plan
Reduced fertiliser increasing crops
Supermarket environmental pricing
Organic farming

28 July 2023

NFU on Wales farm scheme
COP28 on land-use
Quarry and ancient soils
Pesticides and soil biodiversity
Livestock emissions and net zero

21 July 2023

Defra report on UK agriculture
Farming industrial strategy
Welsh views on new farming scheme
US invests in global soil scheme
EU drought

14 July 2023

Polluter pays fines
Farming Rules for Water
SFI economic benefits
EU audit of soil policies
Declining insect populations

07 July 2023

Local Nature Recovery Strategies
Farming Innovation Competition
River campaign
EU Soil Law
EU Sustainable Food Law

30 June 2023

Defra measures for peat
£4.4bn for nature-friendly farming
Slow decarbonising farming
Scottish farm subsidies to include soil testing
Groundswell 2023

23 June 2023

Defra’s updated SFI
Court review of food strategy
EU Nature Law progress
Food systems and climate
Warming soils store less carbon

16 June 2023

Defra new SFI standards
England’s biodiversity targets
Drought, the next pandemic
Businesses want EU nature law
Framework for England’s soil health

09 June 2023

Global Farm Metric
NFU backs new global warming measure
EU concern over pesticides
Regenerative agriculture measure
Less insects on farm soils

02 June 2023

Decline in farm incomes
Defra funds farm resilience
Job losses for livestock farms
EU votes down nature law
Conservation Basic Income

26 May 2023

Defra support tenant farms
Scottish govt food security
Daera ammonia emissions
Bioenergy research
Accessible soil data

19 May 2023

Farm to Fork Summit
Farmer confidence
Potential soil import ban
Soil health app
Pesticides and bird decline

12 May 2023

Govt invests in fertiliser
Unfair funding for Scottish farms
Soil Health Inquiry
Spanish drought
Soil health benchmarks

05 May 2023

WWF agriculture emissions plan
River pollution election issue
Horticulture strategy scrapped
Livestock profits
Biden backs climate-smart agriculture

28 April 2023

Climate activists protest
Calls for Natural England overhaul
Govt supporting biochar
Banned pesticides sold to Brazil
Regulating natural capital markets

21 April 2023

Systemic problems with ELMS
Fenland soils
Low soil moisture in Spain
Critical minerals in UK soil
Sustainable fashion

14 April 2023

Microplastics in UK soils
Environment Agency strike
UK soils nutrient deficiencies
Potato innovation programme
Sounds of soil research

07 April 2023

Green Finance Strategy
LEAF certification for Aldi UK
Soil Health Industry Platform
Compost benefits
Acidic UK soils

31 March 2023

Peat-ban delay
Green Finance for farming
Funds for farming tech
Farming impact on air pollution
Moon soil

24 March 2023

UN IPCC climate report
Nature charities call for action
Ukraine war impacting soils
Drought in France affecting farms
Soil health computer game

17 March 2023

Phosphorus shortages
Contaminated soil fine
Dutch farmers protest
Wildfarmed regenerative tour
Pavements for soil

10 March 2023

Businesses support environmental protections
Europe winter drought
EU pesticide reductions stalled
Farm environmental data
Small-holdings and post-Brexit farm

03 March 2023

Businesses support environmental protections
Europe winter drought
EU pesticide reductions stalled
Farm environmental data
Small-holdings and post-Brexit farm