Soil health on our planet is vital. Soil supports plant growth. While it’s easy to dismiss soil as the simple dirt beneath our feet, it’s this earth that contains the most foundational elements for all of life. The microorganisms within soil form the building blocks of food webs and complex ecosystems.
About half the soil around the world is considered degraded. Degraded soil can’t support plant life, which contributes to food insecurity and elevates the threat of extinction. Degraded soil also releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, further intensifying climate change. Without healthy soil, we can’t eat. In subsistence farming communities, this can lead to desperate behaviors that further environmental damage.
Restoring soil health can happen a number of different ways, but one keyway is regenerative farming. Because a lot of soil damage happens on land that is used for farming, learning new farming skills (or re-learning indigenous farming skills) that support soil health can help restore these areas. Regenerative farming can include practices like composting, minimizing soil tillage, or practicing crop rotation appropriate for that place. These practices minimize the release of carbon and organic matter from the soil and retain more nutrients within it.
