The Integral Soil Model in Support of Global Soil Health and Security.

From a science-informed perspective numerous objective facts are known about soils and environmental systems. Yet, at the global scale soil degradation, soil and carbon loss, and threats to soil functions and ecosystem services have increased steadily. Since the process of soil and environmental degradation is gradual and rather silent, occurring under out feet invisible to our perception, it does not connect with our senses to evoke an “emotional alarm” to protect soils despite them sustaining humanity and all of life. We assert that awareness, along with socio-cultural values, influence the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of people’s beliefs and their valuation of soils and nature and how they connect to or dissociate from them. These associations translate into communication, action or inaction to care about soils and secure them. Soil and ecological awareness is comprised of both exterior “scientist/observer/3^rd person” qualities (e.g., a soil scientist’s view) and interior “people/subjective” qualities (e.g., of a farmer in Ohio, a teenager glued to social media, or an urban dweller in New York City). We stress that soil and environmental literacy is composed of both, facts/data about soils and the environment, as well as deep connection, appreciation, care and value of soils and nature. To address soil and environmental literacy gaps we developed an integrative conceptual framework in support of soil health and soil security. Our Integral Soil Model formalizes integration of soil/environmental scientific facts and understanding, perceptions, beliefs, and values of individuals and decision-makers. Soil facts combined with ecopsychology allow the identification of soil and environmental literacy gaps that can be specifically targeted to optimize soil health and achieve soil security. The Soil Integral Model is derived from Integral Ecology and Integral Theory accounting for quantitative (objective) and qualitative (subjective) dimensions that are used to view soils and the issues affecting soil from all perspectives.