Soil-The Foundation of our Health and Existence

Why We Should Understand and Be Concerned About the Planet's Soil

Feb 2, 2009

The average person likely refers to it as 'dirt' and doesn't like to track it into the house but it is the very foundation of our existence, it is soil.

The health of our soil is directly related to our own personal health as it provides us with the mineral and nutritional content of our foods. While soil doesn’t look very exciting it is a very complicated system.

Soil is a combination of several different materials, minerals, rock, organic matter, bacteria, fungi, earthworms, air and water. In addition to these materials soil needs a perfect textural combination of sand, clay, silt and loam to efficiently sustain life. Soil needs as much special tending as the plants that grow in it.

Good farmers know that if they treat their soil right they will grow bigger and stronger crops. This involves adding back composted organic material and natural remineralization methods such as seaweed folier spray , stone meal and cover crops. The organic matter feeds the bacteria and fungi that will break down the compost into compounds and minerals small enough to be absorbed by the plants. When plants are provided with the right ratio of minerals they are better capable of defending themselves from pests and disease.

In conventional farming practices pests and disease are controlled with pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals in turn, kill the bacteria and fungi, which reduces the mineral content of the soil dramatically. The solution is to use a chemical fertilizer that contains only nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - NPK. Plants can grow with these limited available minerals but they are less nutritious and far more susceptible to disease. It becomes a vicious cycle of more pesticides and more chemical fertilizers to sustain life. This is absurd when it can occur naturally on its own and provide us with a healthier outcome.

A Few Good Reasons Why We Should Start Respecting Our Soil

As Dr Bernard Jensen explains in Empty Harvest there are a few trace minerals necessary for plant’s health. If, let’s say, cobalt is missing from the soil the plant cannot absorb it. Without organic cobalt the human body cannot manufacture vitamin B12. Without B12 we can’t assimilate iron, which leads to anemia, a condition common in many cultures worldwide. The implications of poor soil quickly affect the health of the human population.

According to Jensen, of the 58 million square miles of land surface on Earth only 10 million can be farmed. It takes 2 acres of land to feed one person for a year but we currently only have 1 acre per person, not all the land is healthy enough to grow food. Soil depletion is caused by erosion from clear cutting, improper farming methods and a general lack of respect for the complexity of soil. This is of great concern to the world’s population because our topsoil is disappearing at a dramatic rate and with it, our ability to sustain life.

What Can We Do?

Fortunately there are solutions. At a grassroots level you can grow your own food in your own garden nourished with your own compost. Get to know a local farmer and ask how he or she manages their soil and food production. You can also support proper farming practices by purchasing organic food. Organic Certification guarantees that chemicals were not used in the production of the food, which ensures a healthier environment, healthier food and a healthier you.

The copyright of the article Soil-The Foundation of our Health and Existence in Organic Farming is owned by Sarah Dobec. Permission to republish Soil-The Foundation of our Health and Existence in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.