A transdisciplinary approach to understanding the connections between soil and people, through food production: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University

Abstract

There is a disconnect between soil, food, and people, that is being exacerbated as our populations become increasingly urban-based. This presents a ‘wicked’ challenge for soil and food security that soil science alone is unable to address. Resolving this issue requires understanding the extent and nature of the current (dis)connections, providing an opportunity to extend beyond the disciplinary boundaries of soil science. This research aims to develop an understanding of the (dis)connections between soil and people through the conduit of food in a place-based context by operating at the interface of mātauraka Māori (Māori knowledge) and soil science. This thesis provides two soil-centred examples of TDR in an Aotearoa New Zealand context, applying the He Awa Whiria (braided rivers) epistemological framework to guide the weaving of knowledges. To develop insight into how soil science and mātauraka Māori can be woven together and gain an understanding of historical connections between soil, food, and people, a case study guided by the questions of Mana Whenua regarding their past horticultural land use at Pōhatu (Flea Bay), Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū (Banks Peninsula), is undertaken. In this study, mātauraka Māori identified likely māra (garden) sites in the bay with oral histories identifying features such as gravel additions to the soil to improve drainage and retain warmth. Analysis of soil horizons modified with rounded beach gravels identified phytoliths with a morphotype consistent with kūmara leaves. Undertaking this study has demonstrated the importance of relationships when weaving knowledges, and the benefits of recognising equal value of the knowledges involved. Building on the results and learnings from the Pōhatu case study, a TDR methodology is applied to develop the place-based Food-Landscape Networks (FLN) framework, placing soil at its centre. The FLN framework applies a holistic approach to understanding the reciprocal connections between soil, food, and people in contemporary local food production systems. To assess the suitability of the FLN framework for understanding connections between soil, food, and people, it has been applied to three food-landscapes in Waitaha (Canterbury). Applying the framework makes visible the (dis)connections between soil, food, and people in three food-landscapes with the primary disconnection being people and soil across all three food-landscapes, as well as identifying where interdisciplinary collaboration is needed. This thesis enhances understanding and demonstrates the importance of engaging with mātauraka Māori as a knowledge of equal value to soil science for addressing complex, soil-centred environmental challenges facing Aotearoa New Zealand. The application of the transdisciplinary FLN framework illustrates the complexity of understanding the reciprocal connections between soil and people, highlighting the limitations of soil science in understanding and addressing this disconnect alone. This signals the need for interdisciplinary approaches, nested within TDR, for consumer disconnects to be addressed. The co-production of knowledge by weaving knowledges together to assess and understand these connections provides an opportunity to connect, and reconnect, people with where food comes from to work towards soil and food security.