World Soil Day
Updated: Aug 29, 2021
#WorldSoilDay is all about improving soil health and protecting soil biodiversity. Why is that important?
Soil: A Humanitarian & Ecological Issue
95% of our food is produced directly or indirectly in our soil. The quality of soil is directly linked to not only the quality of food, but also the quantity. Soil is the foundation of agriculture and our food system, and healthy soil produces healthy crops that in turn nourish humans and animals. Soil also protects crops against temperature fluctuations by insulating the delicate root systems of the crops.
Food availability relies on healthy, living soil. Soil that is healthy is an ecosystem all its own, home to microscopic organisms that produce a reaction known as "nutrient cycling." Nutrient cycling is a process in which these organisms convert minerals and decaying matter into vital nutrients for the plants. Without the biodiversity found in healthy soil, plants are less healthy, more prone to disease, and produce fewer crops, decreasing food security.
In addition to more nutrient-dense soil, healthy soil also has a more stable structure which allows it to hold onto moisture (water) for longer periods of time. This is essential in that a healthy soil can retain more water, which can protect crops against drought. A healthier soil structure also protects delicate plant root systems from drastic changes in temperature.
Along with the benefits of protecting against drought, healthy soil also acts as a natural water filtration system. In this article by Recycle Nation, it states that the Catskill Watershed in New York provides New York City with clean water at one-sixth of the price of what a new water filtration plant would cost. When soil is unhealthy, it's more prone to flooding and more susceptible to further erosion.
Clean water, protection against drought, protection against flooding, more plentiful crops, and more nutritious food all rely on healthy organic soil.
In the last fifty years, our soil has been under increasing pressure due to over-farming to meet the increased demands of an increasingly populated earth. Farmed lands are being depleted of the nutrients required to grow food that is both abundant and resistant to disease. The over-farming of land is threatening future generations' ability to produce.
It is estimated that by the year 2050, the global population will have exceeded 9 billion. It is crucial that we move to sustainable soil practices in order to sustain food production for an increasing global population.
In simpler terms? If we don't ensure the health of our soil and prevent further nutrient depletion, our food security in the next thirty years is at risk.
Due to increased global population, coupled with nutrient-depleted farmlands that are no longer of use, this has provided an unfortunate incentive for corporations to engage in deforestation, where forests, such as the Amazon Rainforest, are cut down for profit while converting the land into farmland and depleting that soil of its health and nutrients.
Many of the crops that are grown in these newly converted lands, such as coffee, cotton, palm soil, wheat, and soybeans, increase soil erosion beyond repair. In the last 150 years, half of the earth's topsoil has been lost.
Soil erosion not only contributes to the loss of fertile and nutrient-dense land, but also increases water pollution, which leads to a decline in aquatic species like fish. With the loss of aquatic species, the rest of the ecosystem is impacted, like a life or death game of dominoes.
How to Help
If it seems like there is just one problem after another when it comes to the environment, humanitarian efforts, and animal welfare, you're not wrong. However, it's not a million individual problems that are the culprit here; all of these problems are intertwined. In our global ecosystem, everything relies on everything else.
That is why maintaining a healthy soil is so important, and in order to do that, we need to be practice sustainability when it comes to land management. This includes holistic and diverse farming practices such as agroecology, conservation agriculture, organic farming, zero tillage farming and agroforestry.
For Farmers
If you're a farmer, including gardeners and homesteaders, you're on the front lines of this ecological threat. Here are steps you can take to mitigate it, laid out in more detail in this Penn State University article:
Reduce inversion tillage.
Increase organic matter.
Use cover crops.
Reduce use of pesticides.
Rotate crops.
Manage nutrients in soil.
For Everyone Else
If you're not growing crops on your land, here are some steps you can take in your life to help reduce your impact to soil degradation and erosion and to help those who are working to overcome it.
Donate to Ceres, which is a sustainability nonprofit.
Donate to Kiss the Ground, an agricultural nonprofit focused on land stewardship, sustainable farming practices, and regenerative agriculture.
Buy organic. Organic farming practices may reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion while increasing soil fertility, and use less energy overall.
Consider going vegan. Or at least consider eating a mostly plant-based diet. As the meat industry continues to grow with the increase demand in meat, this means that more forests are cut down to create grazing pastures for livestock. Deforestation is one of the leading causes of soil erosion.
Spread awareness. Honestly, before I wrote this article, I didn't realize what a critical issue this was. That tells me that many other people probably don't has well. Share this article on social media and use the hashtag #worldsoilday on December 5.
Sources:
Charlie Nichols is the founder of WHE and a staff contributor. Charlie studied Journalism & Mass Communication, Marketing, and Psychology at Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin. She has practiced witchcraft for over two decades and is a certified spiritual empowerment coach, a certified ethical psychic, and a certified crystal healer. Charlie lives on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, USA with her partner, daughter, and animal companions.
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