Guiding carbon farming using interdisciplinary mixed methods mapping

In recognition of the need to address complex environmental problems, some ecological studies have adopted social research methods to better understand the complexity of social‐ecological systems management. The overwhelming majority of these studies stop short of fully embracing qualitative methodologies.
The lack of integrative social and natural science data for a topic such as soil carbon farming is problematic as theoretical carbon sequestration opportunities identified through soil mapping and process‐based models can fail to deliver the sequestration levels promised when introduced on‐the‐ground. Such mapping needs to account for the human factors involved in delivering increased soil carbon on‐farm.
Here, we develop a mixed methods mapping approach to explore the potential for increasing soil carbon stocks on upland farms in the UK. Our approach considers ecological and social complexity through application of soil science, ecology, participant observation, interviews and a fo...