UWA School of Agriculture and Environment: Understanding soil health in agricultural systems within one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots
Surrounded by a wealth of agricultural, natural and mining resources, our location allows us to produce innovative research with worldwide application.
Our teaching and research benefit from a network of national and international collaborators, and our strong industry and government links are producing change in agricultural and environmental management, and regional development.
UWA Institute of Agriculture
fosters innovation and provides research-based solutions to food and nutritional security, environmental sustainability and agribusiness. The Institute works with the agricultural and natural resource sectors to create knowledge and improve workforce skills, contribute to local and regional prosperity, and exercise responsible stewardship of the environment.
UWA is 1st in Australia and 22nd in the world for Agricultural Sciences (ARWU 2023)
Environment and Agriculture Systems Lab at UWA
Our Lab has a leadership team with extensive research and mentoring experience. Our research focuses on a wide array of problems pertaining to various aspects of sustainable agriculture, soil health, waste management, soil microbiology and the circular economy. The group has around twenty members, including post-doctoral fellows, PhD students and a research support team hailing from diverse research and cultural backgrounds.
Our group is committed towards the training and development of young minds towards scientific research, and we host interns and master’s students from time to time from all over the world. Our group is/has been engaged with projects with Australian government bodies such as the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), the Australian Research Council (ARC), along with industry partners and stakeholders. We are passionately trying to adhere to UN sustainable development goals and working towards a nutritious and greener future.
Examples of our current research are:
Soil Science Challenge Project:
- Soil biological mechanisms underpinning the effects of biological amendments on soil health, productivity and resilience
- This research (funded by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)) is investigating how biological amendments can improve soil health and crop performance. Waste technologies (anaerobic digestion, composting, pelletisation) convert organic materials into soil improvers that do not have balanced plant nutrient requirements. They can complement chemical fertilisers and contribute to soil resilience beyond overcoming nutrient constraints. Many claims that soil biological amendments improve soil health and crop performance are unsupported. We are characterising underlying soil biological mechanisms associated with soil physical and chemical processes in terms of persistent contributions to soil health. A deep mechanistic understanding of this aspect of soil biology will enable transferability of knowledge of soil biological fertility across a spectrum of biological inputs that complement chemical fertilisers. The project aims to identify principles of effective and economic combinations of biological and chemical fertilisers and determine the underlying mechanisms involved.
Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program long-term trial at UWA Farm Ridgefield
- Grazing into the future for soil carbon sequestration and building soil health
- This Research (funded by the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD)) is investigating the potential for combining perennial and annual pastures species in a medium to low rainfall zone to increase soil carbon sequestration with co-benefits of improved soil health, increased biodiversity and resilience of the farming system to climate change. Pasture management practices are being augmented using soil biological amendments. The trial is established at UWA Farm Ridgefield, near Pingelly in Western Australia. https://www.uwa.edu.au/institutes/institute-of-agriculture/uwa-farm-ridgefield
The SOILHEALTH app
The SOILHEALTH app was developed to provide information about complex aspects of soil health in a digital format. This free app contains 7 animated videos, an eBook and Podcasts, and is available for both IOS and Android devices. The app was designed by Cheryl Rimmer and funded by Australian Government National Landcare Program Smart Farms Small Grants Round 2.
Apple:
Android:
