SoilSCAN: Soils, Science and Community ActioN

East African farming communities face complex challenges regarding food and feed productivity. Primary production systems are under stress, nutritional choices are changing and the relationship between development and agriculture is undergoing profound transformation. In the face of severe threat of soil erosion, East African agro-pastoral systems are approaching a tipping point and there has never been a greater urgency for evidence-led sustainable land management interventions to reverse degradation of natural resources that support food and water security. A key barrier, however, is a lack of high spatial resolution soil health data wherein collecting such information is beyond conventional research means. We will test if bridging this data gap can be achieved through a coordinated citizen science programme. Accessible and portable technology is currently available in the form of hand-held soil scanners that can enable farmers to become citizen scientists empowered to collect data to establish research data bases that support critical landscape decisions. The aim is to test the potential for using soil scanners as a tool for mapping whole community soil characteristics at a resolution beyond that achievable in conventional research, with the ultimate objective to deliver research that empowers stakeholders to create a sustainable community landscape plan.

Technical Summary

In the face of severe threat of soil erosion, East African agro-pastoral systems are close to a tipping point and there has never been a greater urgency for evidence-led sustainable land management interventions to support enhancement of agricultural food production and reverse the degradation of natural resources that support food and water security. The interdisciplinary nature of our work aligns with broad UKRI strategy with specific relevance to the Strategic Priorities Fund "Landscape Decisions". We seek to co-design and trial a citizen science approach that overcomes barriers to crowd-sourcing soil health data and further to counter risk of potentially negative association between SMART agricultural technology and 'Western' donor cultures Decisions" programme. The aim is to test the potential for using soil scanners as a tool for mapping soil characteristics at a resolution beyond that achievable in conventional research, with the ultimate objective to empower stakeholders to create a sustainable land-use plan for the community.

Objectives are:

(1) to introduce the AgriCares soil scanner and its associated app to the community, assess initial perceptions and understandings of its potential utility, and together co-design a short citizen science evaluation programme to enable different sectors of the community to 'have a go' with the technology within the context of the broader research project aims.

(2) to develop and trial citizen science protocols for community diagnosis of soil health in terms of nutrient status and stability (using organic matter as a proxy), at high spatial resolution, guided by erosion risk frameworks from prior research

(3) conceptualise the next steps for upscaling the pilot study. Further, it will evaluate the inclusion of 'big data' digital data training and sharing platforms and their utility in creating more robust and better research-informed collective decision-making.