Graduate Prizes 2020: Ecem Asma presented the British Society for Soil Science Award

Posted 8 December 2020

Ecem Asma has been presented the British Society for Soil Science Award in recognition of the quality of her Master's thesis.  

Awarded to the best postgraduate final year dissertation on a soil related topic, Ecem received the honour for her dissertation entitled, Indication of evidence exists regarding the effects of Holistic Planned Grazing (HPG) on carbon sequestration and soil carbon. 

The 27-year-old hails from Turkey and undertook a degree in Industrial Engineering before beginning her MSc Agroecology studies at Harper Adams. Ecem said: “I have experience in different industries and positions such as community coordinator working with food, and agriculture start-ups. 

“I had set up a business where we produce worm casting. However, I realised that I need to have more knowledge about soil and agroecology. I took Holistic Management training, which comprises the grazing method and the decision-making framework, certified by The Savory Institute and decided to continue my education in an area where I can have more holistic approaches that consider all ecosystem functions equally. 

“I think it is difficult to have knowledge of agriculture without real field research and observations. The main reason for choosing Harper Adams was that the university provided students with the land that they can practise their theories on and gave them a great opportunity to gain field experience.” 

Ecem added: “While the entire Harper Adams experience is quite unique, the highlight of my time at Harper Adams was the first module I attended: Soil, Water and the Nutrient Cycle and Waste Management. 

“It was a well-planned and really well-delivered module that covered the topic from different angles. The module helped me to realise the fact that soil is such a complex living entity that has accommodated billions of organisms for millions of years and deserves to be treated as a living organism.” 

Having now completed her Masters, Ecem feels her knowledge is more well-rounded, enabling her holistic approach. She said: “Thanks to my education at Harper Adams, I had a chance to examine and analyse different types of agroecological models and see various farms that have environmentally friendly production systems. 

“I advocate for regenerative agriculture and soil conversation and am highly interested in analytical psychology. I write about all of this in my blog, ecemonthefarm.com.” 

Ecem is currently undertaking voluntary work on an organic livestock farm as a WWOOFer, working to learn more about sustainable agriculture in the UK. In the future she would like to work in ecological restoration of grasslands.