** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** INTEREST IN THE PROMISES OF SOIL, AND AGRICULTURAL SOIL IN PARTICULAR, TO SEQUESTER CARBON IS SKYROCKETING, OFTEN FRAMED BY PROPONENTS THROUGH THE SLOGAN, SOIL WILL SAVE US! THIS PROJECT LOOKS BEYOND THE SLOGAN TO IDENTIFY KEY SOCIAL PROCESSES ON WHICH SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM CARBON STORAGE DEPENDS. MUCH OF THE FOCUS ON AGRICULTURAL SOIL CARBON SEQUESTRATION (ASCS) HAS BEEN ON DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEASUREMENT AND VERIFICATION. HOWEVER, WHILE MANY TECHNICAL ISSUES REMAIN, INCREASINGLY SCHOLARS ARE ASSERTING THAT THERE ARE UNDERPINNING SOCIAL PROCESSES THAT WILL BE CRITICAL TO ENABLING ASCS TO MEET ITS POTENTIAL. THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT IS TECHNICALLY ATTAINABLE BY ASCS AND WHAT IS MORE FEASIBLY ATTAINABLE IS MEDIATED BY NUMEROUS, CONTEXTUALLY-SPECIFIC, AND POORLY DEFINED SOCIAL PROCESSES. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS SUPPORT FOR AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT COMBINING ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH WITH COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE THAT WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH FARMERS, FOUNDATIONS, STARTUPS AND OTHER US ORGANIZATIONS AT THE FOREFRONT OF ASCS EFFORTS. THIS WILL SUPPORT FIELD RESEARCH, DATA ANALYSIS, COMMUNICATION AND TRAINING TO BUILD NECESSARY SKILLS FOR AN IMPACTFUL CAREER FOCUSED ON THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE. ULTIMATELY, THIS INQUIRY AIMS TO ILLUMINATE THE PRACTICES AND POLICIES THAT CAN BEST INCENTIVIZE ASCS EFFORTS TO BETTER SUPPORT THE VIABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE IN THE US.