Summary
This forum paper examines the strategic role soil science must play in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The authors argue that soil scientists must reorient their discipline both internally—by improving procedures and practices—and externally—by strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and policy communication. Six key recommendations are advanced, including embracing the SDG framework, demonstrating soil science's integrated value for food security, water scarcity, climate change, biodiversity and health, and developing educational programmes at all levels to raise soil literacy.
UK applicability
The paper's recommendations are globally applicable and directly relevant to UK policy contexts, particularly for soil health strategy, net-zero agriculture, and water management. UK soil scientists and policymakers would benefit from these frameworks for positioning soil science in the post-2030 agricultural and environmental policy landscape.
Key measures
Not applicable; this is a forum paper providing policy recommendations rather than empirical measurements
Outcomes reported
This forum paper discusses how soil science and soil scientists can contribute to realising the UN Sustainable Development Goals through demonstrating soil functions and ecosystem services. The authors provide recommendations for the soil science community on embracing SDGs, demonstrating soil science value in interdisciplinary research, and improving knowledge transfer and policy engagement.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.