Opinion: What matters most lies invisible beneath our feet
We humans often have the impression that plants are what feed us. And that’s certainly true to some extent. But there’s a missing ingredient, an important and fascinating variable, often left out of the equation.
That variable, out of sight beneath our feet, is soil.
The soil feeds what feeds us. It constitutes, both literally and figuratively, the foundation of our health and life on Earth. And yet, we know so little about it.
As we celebrate World Soil Day, we invite you to learn more about this living, nourishing heritage home to a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity.
A BIODIVERSITY 'PARTY'
Let’s start with some Soil Science 101: mineral soil comprises approximately 45 per cent mineral particles, 20 per cent air, 30 per cent water and 5 per cent organic matter, and provides plants with the nutrients they need to grow. For plants to absorb these nutrients, the soil must be teeming with a diversity of living organisms – mostly invisible to the naked eye.
Living soil is healthy soil, where the iconic earthworm is assisted in its labour by wood lice, centipedes, arachnids, ants, springtails, mites, nematodes, protozoa, fungi and bacteria – a dizzying array of organisms (and sure to give you a great score in Scrabble). And that’s just a partial list! These exotically named fauna species perform a colossal engineering feat, essential for soil fertility: they structure and aerate the soil while decomposing organic matter into absorbable nutrients such as azote, phosphorous and potassium. These are the nutrients plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
A single gram of soil can contain several million bacteria from thousands of different species, 95 per cent of which remain unidentified to this day. That shows how much science still has to learn about the biology of living soils.
But the science is clear: over 30 per cent of the world’s soils are in poor or very poor health. This degradation threatens to reduce agricultural output by 10 per cent by 2050.
HEALTHY SOILS ARE A POWERFUL SOLUTION
In the face of the climate and biodiversity crises, it is essential that we deploy solutions that meet the needs of the 10 billion humans expected to trod the Earth by 2050. One tried and tested avenue is to eschew intensive agriculture in favour of regenerative practices, which use the full potential of soils and can help solve various social, environmental and economic issues.
A healthy soil gains organic matter and thus sequesters more CO2. This makes it an ideal carbon sink in the fight against climate change.
With this increased organic matter and the work done by fauna and microorganisms, the soil also becomes better layered and can act like a sponge. It can absorb heavy rains more easily and hold water reserves in case of drought and heat waves.
Healthy soil enables agriculture to adapt to climate extremes and is crucial for maintaining food production.
Agricultural practices based on soil regeneration also mean that farmers can count on fertile, productive soil that requires less fertilizer and synthetic pesticides. These synthetic pesticides, which pollute our waterways and can end up in our food, have become increasingly expensive and difficult to source. By using them less, we can make farms more resilient and better ensure our food security.
And as for human health? Recent studies have shown that healthy soil produces more nutritious food, bursting with minerals, vitamins and organic compounds like antioxidants. This, in turn, helps combat malnutrition and chronic disease.
'PEOPLE PROTECT WHAT THEY LOVE, THEY LOVE WHAT THEY UNDERSTAND'
A woman told us recently that in some parts of the world, when a person moves to a foreign country, they take a bit of garden soil with them so that if they get sick, they can use it to make a tisane that will restore their human gut microbiome. Becoming one with nature can take some surprising forms!
Équiterre will focus on soil health during the biodiversity COP15 in the coming weeks. We must highlight the strong linkages among soil biodiversity, food quality and human health.
If we as a society can gradually learn to understand and love our soil, the words of Jacques Cousteau would ring true, and we would raise our voices in unison to protect it. And protecting what we love means attacking what threatens it head-on. Urban sprawl and industrial encroachment are two such threats to our soils.
A small miracle – the gift that keeps giving – lies just beneath our feet. We have everything to gain by preserving it.
This opinion piece is written by:
- Carole-Anne Lapierre and Nadine Bachand, analysts at Équiterre
- Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, Physician and lecturer at the University of Montreal
- Marie-Élise Samson, Assistant professor in soil science at Université Laval
- Carole Poliquin, Director of the film 'Hummus'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
VIA Rail service delayed for hours due to suspicious package investigation in Kingston, Ont.
VIA Rail service resumed in the Kingston, Ont. area late Saturday afternoon, after a suspicious package investigation halted train service for more than four hours over the Victoria Day long weekend.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.