World Soil Day

By Ginny Richter

It may surprise you to learn that conventional farming practices worldwide have significantly contributed to climate change.  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):

The long-term conversion of grassland and forestland to cropland (and grazing lands) has resulted in historic losses of soil carbon worldwide but there is a major potential for increasing soil carbon through restoration of degraded soils and widespread adoption of soil conservation practices…The work of the FAO aims to identify, develop and promote cultural practices that reduce agricultural emissions and sequester carbon while helping to improve the livelihoods of farmers.   (For more information, click here.)

In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations declared December 5 as World Soil Day to connect people with soils and to raise awareness of the soil as a vital resource.  There is much we can accomplish toward this end at Hart’s Mill through our farming and soil regeneration practices. 

33% of global soils are degraded and desertification is spreading rapidly. Soils that are tilled and fertilized cannot grow plants with all the micronutrients necessary for human health. Only fertile soil can do that. Fortunately, in the last decades farmers and ranchers have learned new (old) ways to facilitate the growth of new soil. I say “old” because what’s new is that people are observing how Nature does things.

For example, the inspiration for Holistic Management of Cattle came to Allan Savory by watching the behavior of the large ruminants in Zimbabwe. The herds were constantly moving to new pastures, allowing the plants left behind to regrow. The earth was always covered, plants were always growing (allowing constant nutrition for the soil food web) and biodiversity was allowed to flourish. Ranchers who use this approach (sometimes called mob grazing) find that the cattle are healthier, input costs are much lower, the rancher works less and make more money.

Other farmers have found that with crop diversity, no-till, cover crops and the use of compost the land becomes very productive and the percentage of organic carbon sequestered rises rapidly. These practices are being used all around the world very successfully. Many nations have the goal of increasing Carbon in the soil by .4% year. The faster the regeneration of the land that occurs, the faster the possibility of reversing climate change.

For more information, visit the links below.  And I’m always open to a conversation on my favorite topic, so please be in touch!  

Elaine Ingham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDtGxOdDj1A

Allan Savory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTHi7O66pI

Gabe Brown, North Dakota https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfTZ0rnowcc

Michael Pollan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxqBzrx9yIE