Actively maintaining healthy ecosystems in our soil is key to organic farming and essential for our continued survival. Now it seems the rest of the farming world is starting to catch on. With the UN’s stark warning of soil degradation having a major impact on future harvests, let’s hope this soil conservation movement grows.
The conservation agriculture movement he (Farmer, John Cherry) advocates means no ploughing or turning the soil, instead keeping the ground covered with crops all year round and growing a wide variety of plants.
The method involves more planning, but the benefits its advocates claim are remarkable – from plummeting costs on machinery and labour to a drastic reduction in fertiliser and chemicals. This in turn leads to a huge increase in insects, birds and wildlife, as well as fewer floods and more resilient crops during droughts.
Healthy soil can also absorb massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions – playing a key role in the drive to tackle climate breakdown and the biodiversity crisis.
The Guardian: ‘It’s a groundswell’: the farmers fighting to save the Earth’s soil
Cover Photo Credit: Alissa Welker