Tropical Soils Guidebook

This Tropical Soils guidebook gives farmers the dirt on everything from microbes to soil management.

Soil specialists, farmers and natural resource management organisations worked together to develop the handbook, which was was written by well-known agroecologist David Hardwick and includes practical stories from a wide range of farmers in the Wet and Dry Tropic regions of North Queensland.

The guidebook covers:

• The basics of tropical soils from soil types, biology and organic matter to structure, nutrient cycling and soil chemistry.
• The 10 principles of regenerative soil management.
• Steps to more healthy and productive soils for cropping, orcharding and tropical grazing.
• Matching farming enterprises to soil type
• Maintaining groundcover and soil organic matter
• Maximising the carbon-growing season and plant diversity while minimising soil disturbances.

**This project has been supported by Terrain NRM, Reef Catchments and Northern Gulf NRM through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. It has also been supported by the Wet Tropics Sugar Industry Partnership and Soil Land Food.