An integrated framework for soil health
Soil ecosystem health and resilience – a pathway to prosperity and well-being
As part of the project Soil health: oneone ora, tangata ora we are developing a universal soil health framework that can be used by a wide range of end-users, from primary industry, landowners, iwi/hapū, to central and local government. The framework will be based on a blending of science and Māori knowledge and perspectives, and designed to work alongside existing soil monitoring programmes.
While the health and well-being of our soil can be said to have significance for everyone, there are a range of stakeholder perspectives to consider, including:
- Māori (representatives, farmers, community)
- Scientists/the research community
- Policy makers at national and regional level
- The alternative agriculture community (e.g. biological, organic, biodynamic, regenerative)
- Producers/farmers (across sectors), and
- Agricultural sector support organisations
Feedback from stakeholders to date has taken the form of a survey, a large stakeholder workshop (April 2018) and in-depth feedback from a range of Māori stakeholders. Our most recent engagement was a soil health policy workshop, held on 15 May 2019 in Wellington, where current thinking on the soil health and resilience framework was presented and discussed. Findings from the policy workshop will inform the development of the integrated soil health framework.