Health Hotline Magazine | March 2024

By Charity Isely

Regenerative Food Systems are Rooted in Healthy Soil “The great concerns of our time … boil down to the condition of the soil.” –Isabella Tree, Wilding

We talk about the carbon footprint of food, but perhaps we should get more granular: What about its soil print? American agricultural soil is vanishing at an annual rate “10 times faster than it’s being replenished,” and experts speculate that “accelerated soil erosion may be the second largest source” of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, monoculture crops, and concentrated animal feeding operations are the hallmarks of modern food production. They force productivity from the land at a cost that compounds year after year in soil degradation. Yet, there is another way. It’s regenerative.

3. Armor soil. Soil isn’t designed to be left bare, which strips it of protection from wind and weather, leaving it vulnerable to erosion; weeds also rapidly dominate in the absence of other plants. Cover crops and crop residue left on fields after harvest are regenerative practices that armor the soil. 4. Maintain living roots. Plants capture atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis, transforming it into organic forms that feed soil biology and create stable soil carbon. Soil organisms use this food to build soil, including soil aggregates—the “glue” that maintains its integrity. The flow of carbon into the soil and its protection from decomposition depends on diverse roots that provide structure and food for microorganisms. 5. Integrate livestock. Livestock help break down

The core principles of soil health guide regenerative practices and are adapted to the ecological context of each farm. These principles aim to increase and sustain higher levels of soil organic matter, with wide-ranging benefits, including enhancing soil’s structural stability, improving water retention and limiting runoff, boosting crop fertility, enhancing biodiversity, and increasing carbon sequestration and storage. All truly regenerative systems are built on “interlinking practices designed to increase biodiversity and support soil health.” The “Five Principles of Soil Health”

plant residue into organic nutrients, serve as vectors for beneficial microbe inoculation, and positively impact mineral balance, nitrogen, and soil pH. Shifts in grazing management have even greater potential to mitigate the climate crisis than policies aimed at reducing deforestation or targeting crop production practices, according to the Rodale Institute.

Regenerative outcomes from the farm A recent study in California compared soil health, biodiversity, yield, and profit between regenerative and conventional almond orchards. Almost every major metric was significantly improved in the regenerative orchards, including soil carbon, micro nutrient levels, water infiltration rates, biodiversity, and nearly doubled profits. After almost losing his farm more than 20 years ago, Gabe Brown, the author of Dirt to Soil, transformed his degraded farmland from conventional to regenerative management. Since then, his soil organic matter has increased from 1.9% to 6.1% and water infiltration rates have risen from 0.5 inches to 8 inches per hour. His soil carbon retention is 96 tons per acre in the top 48 inches, far exceeding the regional norm of 10 to 30 tons per acre. We don’t have to be farmers to have an impact on soil health. We can support it in our gardens, backyards, and especially through our food choices. As Wendell Berry says, “Eating is an agricultural act.” What will your soil print be?

1. Minimize disturbance. Mechanical or chemical interference, like excess tillage or synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, disrupts soil’s natural equilibrium, destroying beneficial organisms and critical biological processes, resulting in biodiversity loss and carbon dioxide emissions. Under organic reduced-tillage management, soil organic carbon has been shown to increase by nine percent in two years and more than 20 percent after six years. 2. Maximize biodiversity. Cultivating a diverse soil biome improves nutrient cycling, reduces plant diseases, and increases organic matter. Practices like planting polycultures, a diverse range of cover crops, and enhancing crop fertility with compost or manure nurture the biodiversity of beneficial soil organisms, supporting carbon sequestration. A review of more than 50 international studies found almost 60 percent more microbial biomass in organic farm systems versus conventional, and soil life was more than 80 percent more active.

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