Dr Zakaria Solaiman

Dr Zakaria Solaiman is an esteemed soil microbial ecologist who explores strategies to enhance soil health and fertility within sustainable agricultural systems.

He is developing projects focused on agricultural systems solutions, which aim to develop sustainable agricultural practices for managing AMR

Q: What is your educational and research background?

Zakaria: I earned my bachelor's and master’s degrees at Bangladesh Agricultural University, and then moved to Japan to complete a PhD in soil-plant-microbe interactions at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. I focused on sustainable agriculture using microbes as an alternative to chemical fertilisers. I worked as a post-doc in Japan for several years before coming to Australia. I did a three-year post-doc at the University of Western Australia (UWA), moved to the University of Adelaide for three years, then came back to UWA. I’ve been here ever since.

My group at UWA investigates the occurrence and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within agricultural (crop, pasture and livestock) and horticultural systems. Through SAAFE, I’m working on integrating molecular microbial ecology with soil-based management to address AMR at its environmental roots.

I’m currently leading the Agricultural Systems Solutions project, which focuses on developing soil-based strategies – such as the application of biochar, compost and microbial inoculants, as well as the adoption of regenerative farming techniques – to mitigate AMR in farming systems while enhancing soil resilience and crop productivity. At the same time, I’m supervising a PhD student project on exploring AMR prevalence in conventional and biological farming systems.

Q: How did you become interested in AMR research?

Zakaria: It really evolved naturally from a longstanding interest in sustainable soil health and environmentally friendly agricultural practices. A key catalyst was my work on biochar, which improves soil health while sequestering carbon. This led me to realise that AMR represents an environmental challenge, not just a clinical one. I wanted to expand my research to tackle the resistance emerging in agricultural ecosystems.

SAAFE’s One Health approach resonated with my holistic vision of research. It means I can align my expertise in soil microbial ecology with the broader mission to translate science into real-world, interdisciplinary solutions to AMR.

Q: Have you worked with industries that are at risk from AMR?

Zakaria: I have been actively engaged in industry-linked projects that are focused on sustainable and regenerative farming systems, which are directly affected by AMR concerns. These collaborations, which span real-world agricultural production contexts, integrate soil health interventions like biochar, compost, and inoculants that can mitigate AMR risks while supporting productivity.

Q: Are there challenges in working on soil?

Zakaria: Soil is what we call a ‘black box’. There are millions – maybe even billions – of microbes in soil. It’s easy to extract DNA from blood or urine, for example. But in a soil sample, there are a lot of other things that can make it difficult to extract DNA – things like seeds and organic matter. It can take a lot of work to find microbes in soil, and conventional microbiological and molecular techniques cost a lot of money.

Over the past five years, there have been several technological advancements that are helping to overcome these budgetary and methodological challenges.

Q: What aspects of your work are you most excited about?

Zakaria: The potential to reduce the chemical inputs in farming systems is exciting to me. We currently use a lot of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilisers, which degrades the soil structure. You can get a good yield over time, but the soil health decreases and the prevalence of ‘bad’ microbes can increase. Some of those microbes can develop resistance to the chemicals and ultimately cause problems in human and animal health. I’m excited about the prospect of mitigating those risks through sustainable solutions.

I’ve already had some success through collaboration with industry. I’ve worked with Troforte Innovation, a SAAFE partner, for almost 20 years. We’ve encouraged farmers to use microbial biofertilisers as alternatives to chemical fertilisers.

That’s why I’m also excited about the prospect of collaborating more with other SAAFE groups in the Monitoring, Analytics and Solutions Programs. Sharing methodology will be really important, but also learning from each other how to engage more with industry – so we can continue to create real-world impact.