Dr Emma Sharp has been awarded a prestigious Rutherford Discovery Fellowship for her project ‘Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse soil values: Examining the ontological politics of soil ‘management’ from the ground up.’
Project Description:
Dr Sharp’s Rutherford Discovery Fellowship aims to transform soil management by fostering more diverse and inclusive approaches to soil values, valuation, knowledge, governance and public engagement. Drawing on scholarship that highlights social, spiritual, and Indigenous ways of knowing and relations with soil or environment, she will examine soil as a ‘body multiple’, presenting an alternative view that throws into question human relationships with matter – and why it matters.
Dr Sharp will look at two important data sources, among others, to examine past and present attitudes towards soil in Aotearoa. One source includes popular TV programme Country Calendar, well-known for its portrayal of ‘iconic rural Kiwi life’ since 1966. The other involves her co-founded Soilsafe initiative that holds more than 4000 domestic soil samples and narratives garnered through surveys of adults and children. Collaborating with diverse scholars, sectors, and soil practitioners, including māra kaitiaki, Dr Sharp aims to find how existing and emerging practices contribute to diverse understandings, and how these can translate to changing the health of our soil. By reframing soil management through alternative perspectives, we may forge the much needed path to soil regeneration and improve environmental kaitiakitanga for the future.
Congratulations, Emma!