Foundations of Soil Security
This course offers discounted rates for University of Sydney alumni, staff, students and others. See the fees section below for more information.
Overview
Build the knowledge and practical skills to understand, assess and protect soil as a critical resource for a sustainable future. Foundations of Soil Security introduces soil security as a global framework for connecting soil science with global existential challenges such as food, water and energy security with socio-economic value and governance. Through interactive lectures, case studies and practical activities, participants will explore the five dimensions of soil security and learn how soil functions, services and threats can be assessed across domestic and international contexts. This course is ideal for all people from any discipline seeking practical tools for soil assessment, stewardship and decision-making.
What you'll learn
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain soil security and its relevance to global challenges
- Describe the five dimensions of soil security: capacity, condition, capital, connectivity and codification
- Assess soil functions, services and threats using soil security concepts
- Apply practical soil security tools to domestic and international case studies
- Translate assessment findings into actions for soil stewardship, management and governance
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
The School of Life and Environmental Sciences is educating the next generation of science talent in Australia, building successful industry partnerships, and driving research that addresses the biggest challenges of the 21st century
From Camperdown to Narrabri and Westmead to One Tree Island Research Station we have teachers, researchers and students based all over Australia, and are committed to bringing scientific research and engagement activities to the community.
Aims
This course will equip participants with the knowledge and practical skills to understand, assess and protect the soil for a sustainable future. They will explore the five dimensions of soil security and learn how they can be used to assess soil functions, services and threats across domestic and international contexts. The course supports participants in applying the soil security concept to practical decision-making in stewardship, land management, policy and governance.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to explain the foundations of soil security, distinguish soil security from soil health, interpret soil security assessments, and identify how soil evidence can inform decision-making, planning, stewardship and policy. The course supports interdisciplinary learning and equips participants with practical tools for protecting and governing soils in changing environmental, social and economic contexts.
Program Content
The course covers the following topic areas:
- Foundations of soil security: soil security as a framework for understanding, valuing and protecting soil.
- The five dimensions of soil security: capacity, condition, capital, connectivity and codification.
- Soil roles: soil functions, soil services and soil resilience to threats.
- Soil security assessment concepts: reference soils, pedogenons, genosoils, phenosoils and utility graphs.
- The Soil Security Assessment Framework: how to assess soil risks, values, opportunities and governance implications.
- Applied case studies: domestic and international examples across land management, policy and governance.
- Practical soil security application: translating assessment findings into actions for soil stewardship, monitoring, management and governance.
Delivered by Aroura: Centre for Global Soil Security Think Tank
Aroura, the Global Soil Security Think Tank, is a centre within the University of Sydney, supported by University staff who contribute to its secretariat. The teaching team delivering this microcredential draws directly on Aroura’s expertise and networks in advancing soil security research, education, policy and global collaboration.
Aroura was established to raise soil security to the forefront of global priorities, uniting a wide range of experts from fields such as politics, law, economics, and soil science, working together to address the global need for sustainable soil management.
This course is designed for domestic and international learners and professionals from a wide range of disciplines who want to understand, assess and apply soil security in real-world contexts including:
- Students, researchers and academics interested in soil science, agriculture, environment, sustainability, planning, policy or governance.
- Industry professionals and consultants working in agriculture, natural resource management, carbon, ESG, infrastructure, mining, rehabilitation, water, food systems or land management.
- Government, NGO and policy practitioners involved in land-use planning, environmental regulation, catchment management, climate adaptation, food security, water security or sustainable development.
- Land managers, extension officers and practitioners seeking practical tools to assess, value, manage and protect soils.
The course will be delivered in person through a facilitator-led format that combines interactive lectures and case study analysis. The delivery style emphasises active, applied learning. Participants will work individually and in small groups to explore the five dimensions of soil security, interpret soil functions, services and threats, and apply the Soil Security Assessment Framework to practical examples. Facilitated discussions will support peer learning, critical thinking and the sharing of perspectives across disciplines and sectors.
Early bird enrolments (enrol on or before 9th December 2026):
- New enrolments: $748
Standard enrolments (enrol on or after 10th December 2026):
- New enrolments: $880
Discounted enrolments:
- University of Sydney staff & students: $792
- University of Sydney alumni: $792 ( Register for an alumni discount now.)
- Participants from Zhejiang University: $660
- Group enrolments of 5 or more: $836 per enrolment
TThere are no formal prerequisites or assumed knowledge for this course. Participants do not need to be soil specialists, although an interest in soil, sustainability, agriculture or governance will be useful.
No specific software is required for this course. Participants will be provided with relevant learning materials, case studies and practical activity resources during the course.
Participants will complete two assessment activities as part of the course:
- Short answer questions on theory: assessing understanding of key soil security concepts
- Practical assignment: requiring participants to apply the Soil Security Assessment Framework to identify soil risks, values, opportunities and governance implications, and translate findings into practical actions for securing soil.
All courses must be paid in advance of commencing your course. We accept the following payment methods:
- Mastercard
- Visa
- American Express (only available for enrolments made through the Sydney Short Courses website)
- Electronic Funds Transfer (for comany invoices only)
- Journal Transfer (for University of Sydney Staff only)
Please see our Payment Options for further information.
I have enrolled in a Sydney Short Courses course, what happens now?
Once your enrolment has been processed, you will receive the following emails:
- Enrolment confirmation: you will receive this immediately after your enrolment has been processed.
- Tax invoice: the payer of your enrolment will receive this immediately after your enrolment has been processed.
For some courses, you may also receive the following:
- Course reminders: you will receive emails from Sydney Short Courses in the lead up to the course starting. These include information about the course and, if required, the schedule for online or face-to-face sessions.
- Course materials: if you are enrolled in a course that provides reading or other downloadable materials, you will get access to these materials prior to the class commencing.
- Online session links: you will receive reminder emails the day before and the day of each live session containing the meeting link and meeting ID.
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If you can't find what you're looking for in the informational accordions above, please visit our frequently asked questions page.
Upcoming classes
C81 Biomedical Building, Australian Technology Park
| When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 9 Feb 2027 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+11:00) | Room TBA - C81 Biomedical Building, Australian Technology Park | |
| Wed 10 Feb 2027 | 9am - 5pm (UTC+11:00) | Room TBA - C81 Biomedical Building, Australian Technology Park |
