What We Do

Urban soil is a soil resource in built environments with high population density. It provides essential functions: water purification and flow, carbon storage, biodiversity and infrastructure support, and provision of food via urban agriculture. Urban soils are heterogeneous because of different management practices, industrial past, and remnants of cultural artifacts.

 Here at the Delta Urban Soils Lab, we teach students how to test soils from small producers, home and community gardeners to ensure soil suitability for healthy food production and human health from across the country, develop new amendments and remediation mechanisms for contaminated soils, and work with communities to improve urban ecology by promoting sustainable gardening practices.