State Soil Museum & Soil Information Centre

With a wide range of soil exhibits and data, the Soil Museum at Parottukonam in Thiruvananthapuram district is considered one of the largest of its kind in the country. Offering an opportunity to know and feel the soil, the museum aims at generating awareness to conserve this precious natural resource for future generations.

The museum is a one-stop place to know everything about soil. Located near Pananvila Junction in MC Road, the museum has monoliths of 82 benchmark soils present in Kerala. ‘Benchmark soils’ denote soil varieties found extensively in a region or those that have some peculiar attribute. The gigantic vertical sections (usually 2m depth) of soil display its diversity. The museum features the benchmark soils of all the districts of Kerala. Soil monoliths from 20 agroecological regions of India are also part of the museum.

The many types of soil exhibited at the museum also give a peek into the nature of the land and the crops cultivated in all the districts. So one gets to see how the soil in the mountains, wetlands, coastal area are different from each other.

The two-floor museum also has models displaying the importance of soil. Soil- conservation structures, soil erosion and soil piping, sustainable agriculture, wetland ecosystems, etc of Kerala are explained clearly through exhibits and working models. The museum also sheds light on nutrient deficiency symptoms, sources of soil pollution, agroecological mapping units, among others.

A mini theatre is also there at the campus and it premiers short films and documentaries on soil. The complex has a Soil Information Centre which is a source of information for farmers, planters, students and researchers. They can make use of soil maps, watershed atlas, reference books, publications and soil survey reports.

The Soil Museum is run by the State Soil Survey and Soil Conservation Department at Parottukonam in Thiruvananthapuram.