Experiences from co-designing a national soil policy with researchers, policy teams and farmers in Wales

Since withdrawal from the European Union a series of reforms of agricultural policy are under development in the United Kingdom. There is currently no dedicated soil policy in Wales and the reforms provide an opportunity to devise a new position on soils that sets an ambition for the sustainable use of soils for future generations. To maximise soil policy adoption, we learnt from previous unsuccessful attempts to launch soil policies and developed a completely different approach to co-designing soil policy. We reflect on our experiences as researchers working in placements directly within government policy teams as a mechanism for soil policy development. This involved several different aspects of policy development and a wide range of actors. Key activities included an independent evidence review to ensure current scientific knowledge provided the foundation for the draft soil policy statement. The embedded nature of the researchers within the policy teams meant effective and fluid dialogue, building trusted relationships and the opportunity to challenge the potential bias within the policy teams regarding key evidence. Building consensus towards a draft soil policy statement was a major barrier to overcome. We used the concept of co-design with the policy team and other stakeholders (other policy teams, regulatory bodies, non-governmental organisations, and farmers) to further the development of the draft soil policy statement and to select key objectives for sustainable soil management relevant to Wales. The main outcomes from the placements were: understanding the policy context and mechanisms for policy development; presenting clear and concise evidence; managing complex relationships and challenging institutional structures.