Berenice is one of the five researchers into drought resilience who was awarded the inaugural Vic Hub Drought Resilience Scholarship

 

Project title: Incorporating soil biology into a farm-scale natural capital scheme: using microbial trait-based ecology to understand and assess soil health in agroecosystems.

 

This study seeks to deepen the current understanding of soil health in the context of the relative resilience of soil microbiological communities.  Using soil data collected from sites across the Wimmera, Lodden and southern Mallee, the project will seek to identify traits that enhance the capacity of microbiological communities to accommodate stresses such as drought.  The project will test the integration diverse agronomic practices (cereals, pastures, woodland) to understand how land management impacts the sustainability of functioning microbial communities.

 

Here we asked Berenice about her research, including what the Vic Hub scholarship means for her work, how her research will help Australian farming and rural & regional communities both prepare for and be resilient to drought, along with how the works of this accomplished artist influence her research.

Q. When did you begin your research? When are you anticipating finishing?

A. I started my PhD at the end of 2021, a few days after submitting my thesis for my Master of Science by research, and I am hoping to finish by the end of 2025.

Q. How will your research help Australian farming and rural & regional communities prepare for drought, and be drought resilient?

A. My research focuses on soil health, and specifically on unpacking the incredible complexity of soil microbial communities to understand how they relate to soil physicochemical properties and different farming practices. Developing this baseline understanding of how soils biology works is fundamental to prepare our landscapes against droughts and the uncertainties of climate change.

Soil is the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth, and it stores more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined. The technological advancements of the past few decades have allowed us to finally peer into the underground world, and have in fact revealed that this biological diversity is key to all the essential ecosystem services soils provide, including water filtration, nutrient cycling and climate regulation. The fact that “there are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are people on Earth” is becoming common knowledge, and this, paired with the growing interest in sustainable practices and environmental conservation, has generated a great interest in soil health among farming communities and societies at large. We now understand how alive and vital soils are for the health of all terrestrial ecosystems, and that preserving soils means preserving our ability to produce food and conserve water for generations to come.

However, despite this growing interest and awareness, we are still baffled by the overwhelming complexity and diversity of soil microbial communities. We are still lacking a framework of reference to understand how microbes – bacteria, fungi and much more – interact with each other and with their habitats (the soil physico-chemical environment), not to mention how they respond to different management practices, or different environmental conditions. Developing this baseline understanding of soil biology is fundamental to monitor soil functioning and health, and to predict soil community responses to climatic variability and drought.

My project has provided a quite special opportunity to answer some of these questions.

It forms an integral part of a large collaborative research project, the Farm-scale Natural Capital Accounting, based at Vic Hub Knowledge Broker partner La Trobe University, and developed in collaboration with 50 farms across Victoria, NSW and Tasmania, and funded through the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s Smart Farming Partnership scheme.

A main objective of this large, multidisciplinary initiative is to develop metrics to monitor the health of ecosystems present on farms (the natural capital), including soils which are so central and underpin farm productivity and its long-term sustainability.

Microbial communities, with their rapid turnover and adaptability, play a pivotal role in delivering key soil functions and predicting soil responses to climatic challenges. But we still lack metrics that reflect soil biology and benchmark what sustained soil functioning actually means. This is crucial as ecosystems with self-sustaining capacities are likely to exhibit higher resilience and greater recovery capacity from climatic events such as droughts and floods.

Overall, my project’s combination of scientific research with on-the-ground development of more enriched soil health metrics through natural capital accounting, aims to provide tangible solutions for enhancing drought resilience among Victorian farmers and communities.

Q. What does the Vic Hub scholarship mean for your work?

A. This scholarship represents a great support and encouragement for me as a researcher, and a recognition of the importance of projects such as mine, that are so multidisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Complex issues such as farm sustainability, or drought preparedness, require a systematic approach where different voices, knowledge systems and expertise are integrated and valued.

I also hope it will start a conversation between different actors working in this space. Our work to unpack soil biology and relate it to soil properties and management practices, represents the first step. There is still so much work to do to develop a thorough understanding of what soil health really means. We need ongoing, long-term collaborations to monitor and test ideas around soil health and across different farming systems.

Q. How will it help? What will it enable you to do that you wouldn’t have been able to do previously?

A. The prize will help me to fund some extra training, attend some events and renew the membership of several scientific societies, including Soil Science Australia and the Australian Society for Microbiology. But most of all, it is a gift of time, as it alleviates for a while the financial pressure of being a PhD student. Instead of trying to fit extra casual shifts to make ends meet, I will be able to dedicate more time and energy to my research and my work, which is wonderful and so much needed!

Q. What drew you to agriculture?

A.I always had a deep love for the natural world and a keen interest in social issues, equality and cultural diversity. But I do not come from agriculture, I am a city kid who grew up in multicultural and artistic Nicaraguan-Italian family. My connection to the land was initially found through listening to our family stories, and through my mum’s art which portrays the beautiful landscapes of Nicaragua. My dad is also a medical doctor and very dedicated to helping others, so I think that has given me a sense of the importance of using science to have a positive social impact. My upbringing fostered a great interest and commitment to the world around me, but yes, agriculture was nowhere to be found in those early days.

 I found my passion for agriculture much later in life as an adult. I loved spending time in nature, far away from cities – and I still do. I started developing a keen interest in the natural world and its protection. But as a citizen of a developing country, I also understood the importance of food security and resource accessibility. Improving living conditions while preserving our natural ecosystems is one of the great challenges of our time, not just in poorer countries. Agriculture, which is so multidisciplinary, allows me to bring together all my interests, the environmental, the scientific and the sociopolitical. I am very passionate about sustainable agricultural practices that promote biodiversity conservation, mitigate the effects of climate change, and ultimately guarantee food security. I feel very lucky to be able to participate in this space, working with others to try to address these great challenges.

Q. What’s a highlight for you so far in your project research?

A. Talking to farmers, getting their inputs, ideas and opinions about land management, agriculture, sustainability and soil health. Those initial conversations were immensely valuable to shape my research questions and the general direction of the work. I also plan to give back at the end of my project by sharing the results and other insights with the participating farmers, not just through scientific publications but also through other accessible forms, and even a little seminar with time for discussion if they are keen.

Q. You’re an established artist, how does your art influence your ag research?

A. Most of my art in recent years has been a celebration of nature and the living world around us. When I came to Australia over 14 years ago, I was completely fascinated by the Australian landscape and especially its trees. I started using pyrography (wood burning) to portray gum trees, not only because the technique is really suited to the subject, but also because it is a celebration of the unique role fire plays in regenerating the local landscapes.

 Art is a form of language; it crosses borders and can bring people together. It can help us express and describe things in different ways, often using our intuition, inspiration and personal worldview. I personally think that science is very similar, it can be extremely creative. Sometimes to push the limits of what we know we have to take a bit of a leap, follow our intuition, and test any new ideas with openness, curiosity and a sound understanding of any knowledge already gathered by us or others. Science is also a form of language that crosses borders and bring people together, and that beauty of it is that we rely on others to double check our thinking and confirm our findings. I like to think that it’s quite democratic in that regard, since everyone is welcome to join the conversation, by learning the tools and the language used.

So yes, I like to think that I art and science are two language forms that support and integrate each other, and one helps me to make sense of the other.

Q. And vice versa? Do you still create art?

A. Yes I do, but I haven’t had as much time recently. My fascination and interest in the sciences and the natural world is really taking over right now!

Q. And does your mum, Ena Gordillo Castellón, still create artwork?

A. Absolutely! My mum is a prolific artist, and while she’s currently based in Italy, she regularly paints the landscapes of Nicaragua and the stories of its people. My dad is also a very good painter, my sister is a comic book artist and ceramicist, and my aunt an award-winning photographer. I was very lucky to grow up in such an inspiring environment.