◆ Pillar 1 of 6 · Weight 20%
Soil health trajectory
Aggregate UK soil health based on physical, chemical and biological indicators across the AHDB Soil Health Scorecard framework. Higher is better. Pillar weight: 20% of the composite VPI.
Phase 0 placeholder narrative: organic matter and earthworm counts steady; structure and pH below benchmark.
Methodology
The pillar score is a weighted composite of six AHDB sub-indicators (VESS structure, pH, extractable nutrients, organic matter, earthworms, microbial activity). The aggregation method is documented in the methodology page. Velocity is computed only on actual annual readings; interpolated months carry the prior velocity forward unchanged.
Sub-indicators
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-indicators populate once the AHDB data-share is in place. | |||
Primary sources
- AHDB Soil Health Scorecard — aggregate data. Negotiated data-share or public aggregate. Status: scoping.
- Soil Benchmark — national readings, ~13% of England's farmland. Commercial data-share. Status: not yet approached.
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Countryside Survey — longitudinal soil-health data on a multi-year cycle. Public. Status: available; useful for baseline calibration.
Underlying evidence
Pulse Brain studies feeding this pillar: /evidence/?topic=soil-health.
Editorial narrative
Phase 0 placeholder. Pillar narratives are refined for each quarterly publish by the editorial team, signed off by the methodology panel chair, and surfaced both on this page and as a one-line excerpt on the dashboard tile.