Soils Data and the Land Use Framework for England Workshop

The Soil Health and Carbon Dynamic Topic Advisory Group (Soils TAG) held an expert workshop to contribute information to the development of the Land Use Framework for England (LUF) and general understanding of soils’ place in it. The workshop heard from experts working with soil data, apps and toolkits, maps and mapping tools, and datasets. It featured ten speakers from a broad range of industries, including academia, industry supporting agriculture, third sector, and arm’s length bodies. The following summary provides an overview of the workshop and an outline of the key themes which were discussed.

Focus was placed on the intersection of soils data and the LUF, with discussion on the need for robust, accessible, and policy-relevant soil data to inform land use decisions. This session builds on previous discussions and workshops, reflecting the UK’s broader commitment to evidence-based policy in land management, agriculture, and climate mitigation. The event highlighted current gaps, challenges, and potential solutions regarding soil data collection, accessibility, and integration into land-use decision-making.