by Sheila Doucet, AAWE Paris
Although he’s lived almost eight decades several states away from his native one-horse farming community where he was born, my Dad is a self-described “farm boy.” My Mom was a city girl whose closest contact with the garden was to cut my Dad’s wildly abundant roses for a floral arrangement. In high school, I excelled in flashing the “get out of jail free” card – “I have homework” – to avoid the family chore of helping out in the backyard. So how did I become even remotely interested in soil?
Food. I appreciate activated taste buds when I eat. I like shopping for wholesome food for my family. I am an efficient sous-chef in my sister’s kitchen. I also strive to live in harmony with the environment, so favor in-season, organic and locally grown produce whenever possible. Quite simply, I became interested in soil because this is where our food comes from. Curiosity led me down the rabbit hole of learning about one of our deepest, most fundamental connections with the earth – the soil beneath our feet. Unfortunately, soil often lies compacted stories beneath our city dwellings. As we whiz through the UN International Decade of Soils (2015–2024), shall we dig in?
What is soil? Most simply, a composition of minerals, air, water, living organisms (bacteria, fungi, nematodes, arthropods) and carbon-based compounds collectively referred to as “organic matter,” but more importantly:
- Soil is alive.
- Soil is essential to life.
- Soil is a reservoir.
- Soil is not dirt.
- Soil can die.
Soil is alive
“One teaspoon of living soil contains between 100 million and 1 billion bacteria.” (1)
“One quarter of all known species live within soil.” (2)
“Only about 1% of the microorganisms found in soil have been identified so far.” (3)
Fascinating, what we know. Intriguing that we know so little about the world which, literally and figuratively, supports us all. Humbling when we realize that we are but small widgets within a largely hidden whole. The only two universally beneficial sources of nutrients for the soil are either plant based (for instance, decomposing trees) or animal based (manure). Living plants are the essential links to soil because, although they employ photosynthesis to fuel most of their needs, they share a portion of the sugars produced with a battery of underground, microscopic organisms through their root hair systems to fuel this organic exchange process.
It becomes the job of Nature’s decomposers – bacteria and fungi – to navigate within the wider “jungle” – protozoa, nematodes (“worms”) and arthropods (“bugs”), which more often than not consume them –found beneath our feet to interpret, seek and provide whatever additional nutrients the plant may need. Scientists are having a field day identifying, discovering and describing the symbiotic processes of who from this underground jungle does what and under which conditions.
When this delicate equilibrium is in balance, the entire spectrum of plant-ready nutrients is available to the plant – and ultimately to us as recipients further along the food chain. However, not all is rosy in paradise. A University of Texas – Austin study (4) published in 2004 signaled that the food we eat is substantially less nutritious now than similar fruits or vegetables were 50 years ago. This may help explain why the global dietary supplement market was valued by Bloomberg Business as a whopping $140 billion industry in 2020. We compensate as best we can.
Hopefully in the near future, we the ultimate consumers will begin to demand that governments and distributors collect not only “crop yield” statistics (“this farm produced X tonnage last year”), but also “nutrient counts” (does variety X of corn have a higher percentage of potassium than variety Y?) or a sustainability ratio (what is the ratio of “nutrients produced to the amount of off-farm resources used” – such as fossil fuel-based fertilizers – to produce them?) or a label classifying the percentage of organic matter found in the farm’s soil. (A label which clearly states the percentage of living, vibrant soil on the farm where my salad was grown may be more insightful than the wildly variable term “organic.”) On so many levels, soil is an essential component of a healthy life.
Soil can be a reservoir of carbon…
Healthy soils hold up to three times more carbon than is found in the atmosphere. Therefore, in order to keep the carbon that is already in the soil from being released into the atmosphere, which would further increase greenhouse gas emissions, let’s encourage our governments, farmers and gardeners to keep carbon in the soil by supporting the return of native species, adopting regenerative farm practices and encouraging more sustainable land-use projects (urban farming, “re-wilding,” protecting bogs, marshlands and watersheds…).
…. and rainwater
When root systems penetrate and earthworms burrow deeply into the ground, they create aerated chambers which welcome raindrops as they fall. The water slowly percolates into these micro-pores underground rather than rushing across impermeable, hardened surfaces in a flood. A living soil is able to absorb a tremendous amount of rainwater, which in turn yields several beneficial results: it acts as a sponge to prevent or attenuate future droughts, serves as a defense against floods, filters harmful toxins and replenishes water aquafers.
Soil is, therefore, not dirt
Soil actively supports an intricate web of underground life which anchors and nurtures our plants. While we are amazed by the above-ground end products, soil biologists concentrate their benevolent attention on approximately the top 18 centimeters of a field and characterize each soil type based on physical, chemical and biological traits.
My Dad tells me that his farmer father shared his perspective on bugs as he was growing up in the 1930s. “Pay attention. They tell us what’s going on beneath our feet. No need to kill ’em ’cuz they have to eat too. What you have to do is to adjust what you’re feeding them.” What my grandfather noted was what agronomists are proving in the laboratory and field studies: by observing the presence and activity of the full range of organisms – from the tiniest fungi to the creepy crawler arthropods – farmers and gardeners find many clues as to what is happening below.
Soil can die
Fine particles billowing across a darkened horizon are images from the 1930s Dust Bowl in the US, which remain etched into our collective memory. The most commonly cited 
causes for the depleted soil situation emanate from several industrial practices: compaction by heavy farm machinery, over-tilling, which exposes light sensitive microorganisms to sunshine, synthetic fertilizers that provide only a select few of the nutrients a plant needs for its sustenance, and pesticides which destroy both “pests” and “friendly” organisms. When these practices are combined with monocropping, many healthy, symbiotic relationships within the soil are destroyed. Over time, the number and variety of microorganisms decrease or are out of balance. In the past, the farmer’s classic response was to double down by increasing the amount of fertilizers or a bevy of “-cides” (fungicides, herbicides), but this only fueled an increasingly downward spiral. Slowly, as the soil is stripped of its vitality, it is transformed into dirt.
However, this story does not end on a defeatist note. Hope springs eternal – if we all do our part.
We are part of the earth and it is part of us ... What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. – Chief Seattle, 1852
What can we do to support soil health, even though we may live far removed from a working farm?
- Help commemorate UN World Soil Day on December 5.
- Learn more about soil (several resources listed below).
- Share your appreciation for soil.
- Support reduced pesticide farm products when feasible.
- Push for an official label to recognize the percentage of organic matter within the soil where your produce is grown.
- Compost.
- Mulch your garden.
- Inquire at your local store whether they collect information regarding the nutritional value of the produce they sell – beginning with those December strawberries.
- Sponsor a school or community project to raise awareness.
- Reduce pesticide use in gardens (a multitude of alternatives available on YouTube).
- Get involved in local or regional land use projects (support urban renewal project, reforestation, urban gardens, etc.).
- Support non-profits with a mission to support small holder farm expansion.
- Advocate and/or support policy changes at the local, regional and/or national levels.
Footnotes
- “The Living Soil: Bacteria” by Dr. Elain R. Ingham
- One quarter of all known species live within soil
- Soil Association, Living Soils: A Call to Action”
- University of Texas—Austin study
Sources & Resources
- Dr. Elaine Ingham: The Soil Food Web (articles, videos, blogs)
- European Commission: The Factory of Life: Why soil biodiversity is so important ISBN 978-92-79-14998-6
- International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) Publications page
- Soil Association, “Living Soils: A Call to Action”
- USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soil Biology Primer [online].
- Quiz: “How much do you know about soils?” – 15 questions to celebrate the 2015 International Year of Soils
- Movie: 4-minute film narrated by bestselling author, Michael Pollan – Soil Solutions to Climate Problems, Center for Food Safety
Photos courtesy of Jocelyn Fitzgerald, Sheila Doucet and Pixabay
SDGs: 1 – No Poverty, 2 – Zero Hunger, 3 – Good Health & Well Being, 13 – Climate Action and 15 – Life on Land
