Dr. Elaine Ingham
Dr. Elaine Ingham originated the Soil Foodweb approach to soil, agriculture and microbiology. This approach establishes that life in soil is a complex and interdependent system that requires diversity to be functional and supportive of plant growth. In response to growing awareness that conventional agricultural practices damage biodiversity in soil, Dr. Ingham has spent over a decade in extensive research designing new management regimes and fertility treatments that support soil biology, rather than destroy it.
Elaine’s academic career spans three decades and has earned her a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry, a Master of Science in Marine Microbiology and a Doctorate degree in Soil Microbiology. Post doctoral fellowships in Natural Resource Ecology and consulting positions with the Environmental Protection Agency preceded her professorship in both Forestry and the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University.
Dr. Ingham’s work at Oregon State University founded the Microbial Biomass Service, a lab that used direct microscopy to quantify organisms in soil environments. This lab, housed at OSU, predominantly served academic researchers, but as public awareness of Elaine’s approach spread, so did the commercial demand for her lab work. In 1996 Elaine privatized her lab and began offering her services to commercial growers under the name Soil Foodweb Incorporated. The shift in clientele from academic researchers to commercial growers adjusted the focus of Elaine’s work to the practical application of ecological restoration in soil biology. The success of the Oregon lab and the Soil Foodweb approach to agriculture has expanded internationally as interest in Elaine’s science spreads worldwide.
Dr. Ingham is currently an Affiliate Professor at Southern Cross University in New South Wales Australia, in addition to being President and Director of Research for Soil Foodweb Incorporated.
For more information on Dr. Ingham and our worldwide network of laboratories, follow this link to: www.soilfoodweb.com