We all know pure water and clean air are vital to our wellbeing, but what about the soil beneath our feet? The fact is, soil is responsible for supporting and nourishing most of the food we eat. Playing a huge role in human health, both protecting us from sicknesses and diseases and as a source for them.
Chronic diseases such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, germinate in our diet. Out of the top 10 causes of death, 7 of them are linked to diet.
It’s simple, healthy food comes from healthy soil, which makes healthy people.
What we feed our soil, is what ends up feeding us. Loading it with dangerous pesticides and hazardous chemicals, create a bounty of fruits and vegetables with little to no nutritional value. In fact, it is these chemicals that we end up eating.
Modern agriculture’s dependence on pesticides is another detrimental issue for soil. “The use of pesticides on soil is like a vicious cycle. When soil is degraded and in poor health, it is less resilient to pests. Pesticides lower the biological diversity in the soil so that there are less beneficial organisms in the soil that might keep pathogenic organisms and insects in check. This results in farm management that is inclined to include more pesticides. Poor soil health leads to increased pesticides, inputs, and cost, which negatively influence the health of the soil,” says Harold van Es, PhD, a professor and the chair of the department of crop and soil sciences at Cornell University and coauthor of Building Soils for Better Crops.
The performance of the soil is dramatically linked to how it is treated
“Cycling active organic matter into the soil helps maintain soil structure, provide nutrients, retain and recycle added nutrients, and provide habitat and water-holding capacity. The soil’s fertility can also be enhanced through a variety of organic matter that provides for maximum soil biological diversity. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria also form specific associations with legumes, further enriching the soil,” according to Today’s Dietitian.
Food grown with organic soil amendments has proven to be healthier for human health, contain fewer synthetic pesticides and potential toxins.