Washington Soil Health Roadmap

The Washington Soil Health Initiative Roadmap (2021) outlines current soil health challenges and practical pathways to improve Washington state agricultural soils. Developed through a participatory process launched in fall 2019 and completed in fall 2021, the roadmap synthesizes input from feedback sessions, surveys, and prior needs assessments, then integrates that information with scientific understanding and partner review. It organizes priorities across eight focus areas representing more than 5.4 million acres and supports development of Long-Term Agroecological Research and Extension sites. Cross-cutting needs include low-cost soil health measurement tools and shared metrics, increased soil health knowledge and public understanding, preservation and improvement of soil organic matter, and stronger research and Extension capacity. The roadmap also identifies major barriers to adoption, key information gaps, and potential policy and investment actions to accelerate progress.