David A. Robinson (1), Grant Campbell (2), Pete Smith (2).
(1) UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, (2) University of Aberdeen

Soil provides environmental, social and economic functions (Blum, 2005). Recognizing the importance of soil functions, different frameworks have been proposed to convey the importance of soils to society. Such frameworks usually have a construct based on values, where the definition of value is “a framework for identifying positive (better) or negative (worse) qualities in events, objects, or situations” (Edwards-Jones et al., 2000). Quality is something often sought after but difficult to define. Ultimately, quality matters because decision making, and subsequent actions taken, are often contingent on the interpretation of quality framings. Quality means different things in different contexts and can thus lead to frequent misunderstandings. Quality can refer to excellence (the degree of distinction or superiority), a standard (how good or bad something is), or a characteristic (a feature of something) (Cambridge Dictionary Online). Moreover, quality can be classified into five categories according to its usage, 1) exception, 2) perfection, 3) fit for purpose, 4) value for money and 5) transformative. In this presentation these framings are examined in the context of soil health and the Mission soil. Different framings are suitable for different scales and purposes, but also determine to some extent how indicators are selected, thresholds determined, and results interpreted.

Edwards-Jones, G., B. Davies, and S. Hussain. 2000. Ecological economics: An introduction. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK