As U of G recognizes World Soil Day on December 5, a day to raise awareness of the importance and relationship between soil and water, we are proud to celebrate five years of Soils at Guelph.

Part of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), Soils at Guelph is an outreach initiative that began in 2018 to advance soil management in Ontario. Its aim is to make soils research findings accessible to the public and encourage knowledge sharing between researchers, farmers, industry and government.

Members of the Soils at Guelph community will be commemorating the five-year anniversary with an event on Dec. 7, including updates on their work and a look forward at what’s to come.

A person stands in a towering field of green plants measuring them with a blue tape.
Dr. Genevieve Ali measures crops at the Ontario Crops Research Centre in Elora

You can learn more about the unique research happening as Soils at Guelph was Featured on TVO’s Water Brothers on the episode titled “Save our Soils.” Four U of G soil experts from the School of Environmental SciencesDr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle, Dr. Kari Dunfield, Dr. Adam Gillespie and Dr. Genevieve Ali are part of the half-hour mini documentary that aired on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, available to stream on TVO’s YouTube page.

The episode “Save our Soils” explores the way soil is foundational to clean water and our food supply. In the episode, U of G faculty members share how they are helping to protect the vital connection between healthy soil and water management.

Investing in research on soil health is a critical part of U of G’s commitment to building a sustainable tomorrow. Soil health is a cornerstone of our planet’s well-being, playing a pivotal role in sustaining life, fostering environmental resilience and feeding our planet. More than just a medium for plant growth, soil health impacts global food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

Learn more about Ontario Agricultural College’s fascinating soil health research being conducted by Soils at Guelph’s Soil Health Interpretive Centre and researchers working on building a more sustainable agri-food system.

The Soil Health Interpretive Centre is located at the Ontario Crops Research Centre in Elora, which is owned by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario and managed by the University of Guelph through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Government of Ontario and the University of Guelph.