Climate silence: a comparative study of governmental and non-governmental messaging on soil health in Wisconsin, USA

Soils are the foundation of healthy ecosystems, and promoting soil health is a primary aim of agricultural strategies intended to sequester carbon and combat climate change. In this exploratory study, we conducted a qualitative content analysis to characterize soil health messaging from 10 governmen...

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Published in:Agroecology and sustainable food systems 2025-03, Vol.49 (3), p.443-468
Main Authors: Nichenametla, Charan K., Tarpey, Ella, Cousins, Abigail, Orueta, Jose Antonio, Schwegler, Paul, Blissett, Kimberley, Bell, Michael M., Silva, Erin, Wezel, Alexander, Gurney, Rachel M., Stull, Valerie J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural conservation
Agricultural ecosystems
Agricultural industry
Agriculture
Carbon sequestration
Climate action
Climate change
Comparative studies
conservation agriculture
Content analysis
Ecology, environment
Life Sciences
Organic farming
Organic soils
Qualitative analysis
SDG 13: Climate action
SDG 15: Life on land
Soil analysis
Soil conservation
Soil health
sustainable farming practices
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Summary:Soils are the foundation of healthy ecosystems, and promoting soil health is a primary aim of agricultural strategies intended to sequester carbon and combat climate change. In this exploratory study, we conducted a qualitative content analysis to characterize soil health messaging from 10 governmental and 10 non-governmental sources targeting Wisconsin farmers. Data were collected through internet searches, focusing on accessible web content from governmental agencies, public universities, and local offices, as well as prominent industry, nonprofit, and advocacy groups within the agricultural sector. A coding framework, developed through an iterative and inductive approach, identified six primary categories and 37 sub-categories representing key themes in soil health messaging. The study compared messaging across source types by analyzing code term frequency, highlighting differences in content emphasis between governmental and non-governmental sources. Findings indicate that governmental messaging largely advocates for conservation agriculture and associated principles but does not reference climate change nor connections between soil health and broader environmental issues. In contrast, non-governmental messaging offers a wider array of information while drawing connections among soil health, organic agriculture, ecosystem health, and climate change. The omission of climate change by governmental sources may be a significant constraint on soil health discourse and climate action.
ISSN:2168-3565
2168-3573
2168-3573
2168-3565
DOI:10.1080/21683565.2024.2419404