Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy life

Abstract

In a world grappling with growing populations, climate change and declining nutrition, the solution to many of our challenges lies right in the soil. Soil is a living, breathing system that directly affects the quality of the food we eat and ultimately our health and wellbeing. The age-old wisdom ‘we are what we eat’ could rightly be extended to say, ‘we are what our soil feeds us’. A healthy soil is alive with billions of micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi, as well as earthworms and insects. These creatures break down organic matter, cycle nutrients, improve soil structure and make essential nutrients available to plants. A healthy soil functions like a well-tuned ecosystem which supports plant growth, stores carbon, filters water and builds resilience to pests and climate stress. Sustainable agricultural practices such as crop rotations, crop residue management, efficient water management, etc. may lead to food and livelihood security and maintained the integrity of our ecological environment.