In our busy lives, we often overlook the ground beneath our feet. Yet, the soil we walk on is the foundation upon which all life on Earth depends. It's the medium in which our food grows and the habitat for countless microorganisms and insects. However, our soil is vanishing at an alarming rate due to erosion and the loss of essential microorganisms and insects. This negligence has dire consequences not just for humans, but for the entire natural world. We must recognise and address this crisis immediately.
The Crisis we Face
The degradation of our soil has been a growing problem for decades. Industrial farming practices have stripped the soil of its natural nutrients and disrupted the balance of essential microorganisms. Consequently, our soil is becoming increasingly depleted, and it can take hundreds of years to produce just one centimetre of topsoil through natural processes. It's alarming to note that we could lose all of our topsoil within a century, with catastrophic consequences as we won't be able to grow the food we need to survive.
"Soil is vital for all life on earth. It is the substance on which we depend for growing enough food to feed humanity and the natural world." - Steve Smith, Edibles Permaculture Farm.
This video demonstration will help you to visualise just how little soil we have and how precious it is. Steve Smith of Edibles Permaculture Farm uses an apple to demonstrate the amount of soil in the world. He cuts away segments of the apple to signify what portions of Earth are not soil, what remains is quite unexpected.
Imagine an apple to represent the world. Firstly, how much of the world is water? We've got oceans, seas, lakes and rivers covering much of earth. Surprisingly that's about three quarters of the surface of the Earth that is covered in water. There's obviously no soil there, so let's remove three quarters of the apple.
Already we're down to a quarter of the world where we have the possibility of finding soil. Where else isn't there soil? It's not just seas, it's the polar ice caps and deserts, which cover quite a large proportion of the earth. Half of our remaining quarter is either polar ice or its deserts, where you don't get any soil and you can't grow anything. So, we're left with just one eighth of our apple.
Where else isn't there soil? There's really steep places, mountainous places, rocky places, places where it's too wet or it's too dry to have any soil or the soil is very poor so you can't really grow anything. That actually takes out another half of places where there's no soil on the Earth. We're left with one sixteenth of the surface of the Earth which has the potential to have soil where we can grow food.
Out of that, how much have human beings built on the earth? All over the world we have giant cities, airports, things that have been concreted over, car parks, roads. Again, that takes another half out and takes us down to a really, really thin slice.
Finally, how deep do you think soil is? Does soil go down to the centre of the Earth? Is it a mile deep? A few metres deep? On average, soil is about two metres deep and sometimes not even that. In many places where crops are grown, it's only a metre deep.
If we take a thin layer of that to try and represent the depth of soil so again we're going to get rid of the core all the way that surrounds the Earth, we end up with a tiny little slice. So, that's got to feed humanity. Our thin sliver of apple skin is where we've got productive fertile soil and that's what we're all dependent on.
Our soil is vanishing before our eyes, and it is up to us to protect it. The consequences of neglecting our soil are dire, not just for humans but for the entire natural world. Soil erosion and degradation lead to decreased food production, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and decreased water quality. These effects have a devastating impact on the ecosystem and our ability to sustain life on Earth.
The root of the problem lies in the way we have treated our soil. We have stripped it of its natural microorganisms and insects through the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. We have also engaged in unsustainable farming practices, such as monoculture, that deplete the soil of essential nutrients and leave it vulnerable to erosion. As Steve Smith points out, "If we continue to lose soil through erosion or keep killing off all the microorganisms and worms and insects that live in soil, we've got a dead planet really. We can't grow the food that we need to survive, and not just us surviving but the rest of the natural world and all the living beings within it."
The Power of Regeneration: Restoring the Foundation of Life
Fortunately, there is hope. Regenerative farming practices, such as permaculture, offer a way to regenerate and sustain our soil. Permaculture is a holistic approach to farming that mimics the natural processes of an ecosystem. By using diverse crops, reducing tillage, and composting, permaculture farmers can regenerate soil health and increase biodiversity.
Our Role
We can start by taking action in our own lives. Composting food scraps and garden waste, using organic and regenerative farming practices, and supporting local farmers who prioritise soil health are all ways we can make a difference. We can also advocate for policy changes that prioritise soil health and regeneration, such as increased funding for regenerative agriculture research and education; and stronger regulations to protect against soil erosion and degradation.
Our soil is the foundation upon which all life on Earth depends, and we must protect it. As a community of passionate and dedicated individuals, we can make a difference. We can use the power of storytelling and art to inspire change and build a more sustainable future. The fate of our soil and our planet is in our hands and the Plant Stories project offers just one of the ways in which we can shine a light on this important topic and get people talking about it before it's too late. Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.