National Soil Action Plan education resources
This set of resources was developed with funding from the Australian Government through the National Soil Action Plan. Including a poster and student workbook mapped to Agriculture syllabuses from year 7 to 12, a series of career videos and a children's book with activities for our younger students.
Industry Insights poster and workbook - secondary students
The poster and student workbook (with accompanying teacher's guide) allow students to discover Australian soils. Content includes:
- Soil physical properties including soil horizons, soil colour, soil texture, soil structure, bulk density and soil porosity
- Soil chemical properties including soil pH, Ion Exchange Capacity (IEC), soil nutrients (macro and micronutrients), fertilisers
- Soil biological properties including soil organic matter, soil carbon, soil microbes and invertebrates, nutrient cycles
- Sustainable soil management including land degradation issues, managing soil fertility, land capability and sustainability and profitability
- Soil science careers
- Past HSC revision questions
Download the student workbook (zip file containing student workbook and answer guide).
The poster and student workbook activities are aligned to Stage 5 and 6 NSW Agriculture syllabus, and Australian Curriculum outcomes in Year 10 Science, Year 11& 12 Earth and Environmental Science, Design and Technologies and Geography.
Posters are available to purchase for $35 including postage and handling. The poster is A1 size printed on high quality poster stock. Other posters in the series include pastures, weeds and cops of NSW and dairy, poultry and pork production and can be purchased as a set for $200. Purchase the poster set.
Children's picture book and video - young primary students
Children's book 
This story book introduces young students to soil as a living thing that is important for growing healthy food, as well as the role of an agronomist. Download the book (for printing on A4) along with the teaching and learning activities.
Note: when printing the book set your printer to 2-sided, flip on short side so the pages line up correctly.
Video
Join Paris Capell a Natural Capital Advisor with Local Land Service (NSW) as she demonstrates what soil is and why it is important. This video answers the questions:
- How are soils formed?
- Are all soils the same?
Why does it matter? - Are soils living or non-living?
- Who lives in the soil? and what role do they have?
- Can we improve soil?
Career videos - older primary and secondary students
These videos highlight a range of soil careers across New South Wales. View the playlist or individual videos via links below:
- Paul Theakston - Rangeland Rehabilitation - Western Local Land Services
Paul shares his role working with rangelands farmers across an area of approximately 45% of NSW to help them control and prevent erosion and use surface water efficiently across the arid farming zone of NSW. This is achieved through vegetation and grazing management and earthworks. - Drew Walsh - Regional Manager, Precision Pastures (Agronomist)
Drew shares his career journey as the Regional Manager of Precision Pastures (Agronomist) from starting out as the Junior Agronomist to working his way up to become the Regional Manager. Drew shares what it is like being an independent agronomist and the diversity in his role from providing GIS spatial mapping, variable rate fertiliser application prescriptions, and soil services such as sampling or project registration. - Paris Capell - Natural Capital Advisor, Western Local Land Services
Paris shares her passion for soils and tells us about her role working with farmers to help them get financial returns in the form of carbon farming credits, for looking after the environment and natural capital assets (vegetation, soils, water and wildlife) alongside carrying out profitable agricultural production. - Amy Canty - Agronomist, Elders
Join Amy as she as she tells you about her career journey as an Elders Agronomist. Amy shares about the variety in her role including weed identification, pest identification, soil sampling, soil analysis, industry networking, building grower relationships and her love of the outdoors and lifelong learning involved in agronomy. - Dr Jason Condon - Associate Professor in Soil Science at Charles Sturt University
Join Jason as he shares his career journey and the diversity of his role including anything from paddock fieldwork, soil sampling and setting up trials to liaising with students, helping people, presenting research findings to farmers and advisers, all the way to overseas travel for research and conferences. - Brooke Kaveney - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Charles Sturt University
Brooke tells us about her international agricultural research in Southern Vietnam, and the research she is carrying out to respond to climate change by working with farmers to develop alternative cropping and soil management systems suitable to the environment other than rice. - Rob Grant - Graduate Extension Officer- Local Land Services Graduate Program
Rob shares about the amazing opportunities the statewide LLS Graduate Program offers, career opportunities, how to get involved and his passion for rangeland rehabilitation, progressive agriculture, soils and working with rangelands farmers in Western NSW.
