The garden as the field: following soil regeneration practices with participatory soil science in Singapore

Soil is an essential part of urban foodscapes. While community gardens have received attention as parts of this foodscape, the role of experienced gardeners in the everyday transformation of human-soil relations is underexamined. This paper traces an action research project aimed at connecting human-soil relations with the “30 by 30” national food security policy that is part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Based on a collaboration initiated by a community group with the National Parks Board of Singapore, this paper introduces the concept of “soil companions”, and presents the qualitative findings of a larger 36-month study. It examines the practices of experienced gardeners who build soil as bioinfrastructure. A thematic analysis of interviews with five soil companions–gardeners employing soil regeneration practices–in Singapore was conducted. We discuss the ecological and social dimensions of their practices, and implications for soil and food security policies for an increasingly urban world. We raise future directions for research on foodscapes, public health, and global commodity chains.