Bringing Life Back To The Soil

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Soil health is vitally important,...

because if the soil in the environment is deficient and toxic, then we can expect the same of the food, that it's going to be missing vital nutrients. And if that be the case, then by eating that food, we can assume that we aren't going to get a lot of nutritional benefit.

It turns out, that the food that we are eating today has very little nutrition compared to foods that were grown only a few decades ago.

This means that the food has less vitamins and minerals. And these concerns for soil health aren't only worries that are facing farmers and others around the US, but in many countries around the world.

Growers who are concerned for soil quality in the US say that if things don't get better soon, that we could expect to see another Dust Bowl situation arise in the years to come.

Investigating The Quality...

Back in 2004, researchers from Texas sought to investigate how much might have changed over the years as far as the nutrition content for vegetables and other crops grown in the country.

They looked at the nutritional data for more than 40 different vegetables and fruits, between the years of 1950-1999. They found that there were notable declines in iron, protein, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and phosphorus.

The researchers at the time had concluded that the reason these circumstances came about was because farmers were paying too much attention to the traits of their crops, as opposed to focusing on the nutrition. Meaning, they were more focused on pest resistance, size of the crops, and growth rate.

The fingers have been pointed in many directions as to what's to blame for the poor soil quality in various regions.

Factory farming methods have been blamed as the culprit, for depleting the soil of valuable nutrients and not allowing for the land to rest and recover. Others have suggested that perhaps the myriad of different toxic sprays that we use on farms around the country, might be playing a vital role in contributing to the degradation of the soil quality; things like fungicides, larvicides, pesticides, and so on.

Some researchers have also investigated the effects of heavy metals and their contribution to soil contamination and they unsurprisingly discovered that heavy metals have a negative effect on the crop.

They recommend that people try to avoid eating large quantities of foods that are being grown in such an area, that might be coming from a region with contaminated soil. They have previously warned that it could promote excessive accumulation of heavy metals in your body.

The concern for soil quality has prompted a number of farmers to consider going organic.

Farmers who believe that a number of pesticides and weedicides etc have damaged and degraded the fertility of their land, have opted instead for organic fertilizers to try and resolve the problem that they face. Aside from opting to go organic, you can find a number of growing and farming conferences taking place around the world, where people are trying to share tips and discuss their ideas for what could help to address the problem here.

Many farmers today are looking for new advice and information on what could help them to develop the best soil health building practices for their growing operation. Thankfully, the technology we have today provides them with many options as far as educational resources and ways to network with others.

Farmers from around the world are able to network with each other today and can share their different farming tips and secrets, techniques from different cultures, helpful knowledge that might be able to assist other farmers in boosting the quality of their crops and farm.

Some of the tips that have been shared for trying to address the issue, such as opting for organic growing methods, or trying to reduce the reliance on fertilizers and pesticides, or using rotational grazing practices. There's also been growing popularity for no-till farming.

The same problems that farmers face in the US, we see farmers also facing in other places around the world. And this is why there could be tremendous benefit if growers work together in order to share their expertise.

Researchers in the Netherlands have been busy working on an app that is going to allow farmers to be able to compare their soil quality by using their smartphone.

Those who use the app will be able to post the soil data to the cloud and share details with other farmers on what they are doing to try and improve conditions of their fields. Researchers believe that farmers from around the world might be able to learn from one another, different and helpful tips on how to grow better. And it's not the only app on the market that's been created to try and help growers network with one another in an effort to boost the quality and results of their farming experience.

Pics:
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Sources:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/
https://dev.thedailystar.net/city/soil-not-healthy-1529980
https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/ohio-grazing-conference-focuses-on-soil-health/467467.html
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=434769
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09064710.2017.1401113
http://nationalpost.com/life/food/grass-fed-beef-is-growing-in-popularity-but-can-it-survive-less-nutritious-grass
https://www.agweek.com/business/agriculture/4405028-soil-health-minute-soil-health-panel-northern-corn-and-soybean-expo
http://blackburnnews.com/chatham/chatham-news/2018/02/16/soil-health-conference-attendance-overflows/
https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/cultural-cross-fertilisation-rescue-soils_en.html
https://civileats.com/2018/02/13/no-till-farmers-push-for-healthy-soils-ignites-a-movement-in-the-plains/
http://www.hpj.com/ag_news/patience-belief-and-passion-needed-for-soil-health-journey/article_7aaf9234-0d09-11e8-8a66-efdbbe4c8930.html