Why Soil Matters

Summary

This video delves into the critical issue of soil degradation, a consequence of industrial agriculture, which is causing us to lose topsoil 17 times faster than it naturally forms. The script emphasizes the importance of healthy soil for plant growth and our survival, highlighting the need for a shift in agricultural practices. It points out that degraded soil not only affects food production but also our ability to combat climate change, as soil can store significant carbon. The video calls for a reevaluation of our agricultural methods, citing the economic and environmental benefits of soil conservation and the potential of innovative, low-till farming techniques.

Takeaways

• 🌱 Soil degradation is a critical issue often overlooked in climate discussions, with topsoil taking an average of 500 years to form naturally but being lost at a much faster rate.
• ⏱️ The United States has seen soil loss at approximately 17 times the rate of its formation due to modern agricultural practices.
• 🌾 Industrial agriculture, including intensive cultivation and mono-cropping, is a significant cause of soil degradation.
• 🔄 Soil health is vital as it supports a diverse ecosystem of organisms, including earthworms, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and arthropods.
• 🌊 Natural occurrences like floods and wind can damage soil, but human activities have accelerated the rate of topsoil loss.
• 🌱 Tillage practices used in industrial agriculture can compact soil and kill microorganisms, leading to a decline in soil fertility.
• 🌱 The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides further degrades soil health by altering its chemical composition and killing essential organisms.
• 🌍 According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 33% of the world's soil has been moderately or highly degraded.
• 🌿 Healthy soil is crucial for growing nutrient-dense food, and soil degradation threatens our ability to produce healthy crops in the future.
• 💡 Sustainable agricultural practices, such as minimal tillage, adding compost, and using natural fertilizers, can help improve soil health and mitigate climate change.

Q & A

How long does it take to naturally build an inch of topsoil?

It takes an average of 500 years to naturally build an inch of topsoil.

At what rate are we currently losing topsoil compared to its natural formation?

We are losing topsoil at 17 times the rate at which it is naturally formed.

What is soil degradation?

Soil degradation is the decline in soil health as a result of misuse or poor management.

What are some of the organisms that can be found in an acre of healthy soil?

An acre of soil may contain 900 pounds of earthworms, 2,400 pounds of fungi, 1,500 pounds of bacteria, 133 pounds of protozoa, 890 pounds of arthropods, and algae, and sometimes small mammals.

How has modern agricultural practice contributed to soil degradation?

Modern agricultural practices such as intensive cultivation and mono-cropping have led to increased soil erosion and degradation.

What is the impact of tillage on the soil's microorganisms?

Tillage aerates the soil but also compacts it underneath, killing many of the microorganisms that are essential for soil health.

Why is maintaining soil health important for our food system?

Healthy soil is the foundation for healthy plants, which are crucial for our survival. Degraded soil can make it harder to grow nutrient-dense food in the future.

What percentage of the world's soil has been moderately or highly degraded?

Almost 33% of the world's soil has been moderately or highly degraded.

How can soil degradation affect our ability to mitigate climate change?

Soil can store almost three times more carbon than forests and other vegetation, so killing it could lead to our inability to mitigate climate change.

What is the estimated annual investment needed for soil erosion control in the United States according to the PMON Telles study?

The total investment for soil erosion control in the United States would be about eight point four billion dollars per year.

What are some alternative agricultural practices that can help build soil health?

Alternative practices include adding compost and natural fertilizers like turkey manure to the soil, and minimizing the cultivation of the land.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 The Crisis of Soil Degradation

This paragraph emphasizes the often-overlooked issue of soil degradation in the context of climate action. It points out that while society tends to focus on issues like fossil fuels and water, the health of our soil is crucial yet under threat. The script explains that it takes 500 years to naturally form an inch of topsoil, which is being lost at an alarming rate due to human actions, particularly industrial agriculture. The paragraph defines soil degradation as a decline in soil health due to misuse or poor management, and it underscores the biodiversity within soil, which is essential for its health. The script also discusses how modern agricultural practices, such as intensive cultivation and mono-cropping, have accelerated soil loss, leading to a soil crisis. It concludes by highlighting the importance of healthy soil for growing nutrient-dense food and mitigating climate change, suggesting a need for a change in agricultural approaches.

05:01

🌐 Supporting Sustainable Agriculture

The second paragraph shifts focus to the support structure behind the video's creation, acknowledging the contributions of patrons on Patreon. It invites viewers to become supporters of the channel, offering incentives for their financial pledges, such as handwritten thank-you notes and stickers. The paragraph also encourages viewers to share the video and subscribe for future content, expressing gratitude for the viewership and setting the expectation for the next video release on the following Friday.

Keywords

💡Soil degradation

Soil degradation refers to the decline in soil health due to misuse or poor management practices. It is a critical issue highlighted in the video, as it directly impacts the fertility and productivity of the land. The script mentions that soil degradation is happening at an alarming rate, 17 times faster than the rate of soil formation, primarily due to human actions such as industrial agriculture. This degradation not only affects the soil's ability to support plant life but also has broader implications for food security and the environment.

💡Topsoil

Topsoil is the uppermost layer of soil, rich in organic matter and nutrients, which is vital for plant growth. The video emphasizes the importance of topsoil, noting that it takes an average of 500 years to naturally build an inch of topsoil. However, due to modern agricultural practices, we are losing topsoil at an accelerated rate, which threatens our ability to grow nutrient-dense food in the future.

💡Industrial agriculture

Industrial agriculture is a large-scale, intensive farming system that often prioritizes high yields and efficiency over sustainability. The video identifies industrial agriculture as a significant cause of soil degradation, particularly through practices like intensive cultivation and mono-cropping. These practices lead to the depletion of soil nutrients and the destruction of its natural structure, ultimately harming the soil's health and fertility.

💡Tillage

Tillage is the agricultural practice of preparing soil for planting by mechanical agitation, such as plowing or harrowing. The video script explains that tillage, while necessary for crop cultivation, can be detrimental to soil health. It aerates the soil but also compacts the soil underneath, killing microorganisms and leading to a decline in soil fertility over time.

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity in soil refers to the variety of life forms present, including earthworms, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and arthropods. The video script points out that a healthy soil is teeming with life, which is essential for maintaining its fertility and structure. However, soil degradation, often caused by human actions, leads to a decline in this biodiversity, which in turn affects the soil's ability to support plant life and sequester carbon.

💡Soil health

Soil health is a measure of the soil's ability to function as a vital living system, supporting plant and animal life, as well as maintaining environmental quality. The video underscores the importance of soil health, stating that it is directly linked to the health of the plants that grow in it, which are crucial for human survival. Degraded soil health, as a result of poor agricultural practices, can lead to reduced crop yields and lower quality food.

💡Mono-cropping

Mono-cropping is the practice of growing a single crop species in a field over multiple seasons. The video script mentions mono-cropping as a contributing factor to soil degradation because it can lead to the depletion of specific nutrients in the soil and an increase in pests and diseases that affect that particular crop. This practice reduces the natural resilience and diversity of the soil ecosystem.

💡Fertilizers and chemicals

Fertilizers and chemicals are substances added to the soil to provide essential nutrients for plant growth. While they can boost crop yields in the short term, the video script notes that their continual use can alter the soil's chemical makeup, making it harder for essential organisms to survive and leading to long-term soil degradation.

💡Carbon sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in plants, soils, and other media. The video script highlights that soil can store almost three times more carbon than forests, making it a crucial component in mitigating climate change. However, soil degradation threatens this ability, potentially exacerbating global warming.

💡Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture refers to farming practices that maintain or enhance the long-term productivity and sustainability of the land while also being economically viable and environmentally sound. The video script suggests that we need to reconsider our approach to agriculture, moving towards more sustainable practices that build soil health, such as adding compost and natural fertilizers, and minimizing tillage.

Highlights

Soil degradation is a critical issue often overlooked in climate action discussions.

It takes 500 years to naturally form an inch of topsoil, yet we're losing it 17 times faster.

Soil degradation is caused by a decline in soil health due to misuse or poor management.

An acre of soil can contain a vast amount of life, including earthworms, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and arthropods.

Modern agricultural practices have significantly increased the rate of topsoil loss in the United States.

Intensive cultivation and mono-cropping are major contributors to soil degradation.

Tillage practices damage the topsoil and kill microorganisms, leading to a decline in soil fertility.

The use of fertilizers and chemicals alters soil chemistry, making it harder for essential organisms to survive.

Almost 33% of the world's soil has been moderately or highly degraded, according to the FAO.

Soil can store three times more carbon than forests, making its health crucial for climate change mitigation.

Investing in erosion control could save billions in damages caused by soil degradation.

Innovators like Curtis Stone demonstrate how to build soil health through low-till and natural fertilizers.

Industrial agriculture has provided abundance but at the cost of long-term soil health.

Soil is a hidden lifeline; its destruction threatens our ability to feed ourselves and protect the environment.

The video calls for a reconsideration of agricultural practices to halt soil degradation.

Support for the channel on Patreon helps in creating more educational content on climate and environment.

Transcripts

our soil is dying we tend to focus on

issues such as fossil fuels or water in

our fight for climate action and often

the issue of soil quality gets left in

the dust but it takes an average of 500

years to naturally build an inch of

topsoil and we're losing it at 17 times

that rate although soil degradation can

be caused by a number of natural factors

increasingly soil quality is affected by

human actions today I'm going to narrow

in on one of the bigger human caused

factors industrial agriculture in order

to answer what soil degradation is why

it's happening and why we need to strive

for better soil health so first what is

soil degradation quite simply it means

decline in soil health as a result of

misuse or poor management soil can vary

widely in its depth depending on whether

it's young or stable and old but it's

generally teeming with life according to

the earth Institute at Columbia

University it's estimated that an acre

of soil may contain 900 pounds of

earthworms 2,400 pounds of fungi 1,500

pounds of bacteria 133 pounds of

protozoa 890 pounds of arthropods and

algae and even sometimes small mammals

and when in soil health is affected this

biodiverse system wanes why then is soil

degradation such a big issue now well

the quality of topsoil can definitely be

damaged by natural occurrences like

floods or wind the rate of topsoil loss

has increased radically over the last

200 years in the United States as a

result of modern agricultural practices

in Pimentel a tall study on the

economics of soil erosion and

conservation they estimate that in the

United States soil has been lost at

about 17 times the rate at which its

formed we can pin some of the soil loss

to the intensive cultivation practices

and mono cropping oven

girl agriculture when we till and turn

over a field for the next season's crop

using large combines the topsoil is

decimated much in the same way habitat

is lost when clear-cutting a forest

tillage aerates the soil by breaking up

its composition but in the process

compacts the soil underneath and kills

the wealth of microorganisms hidden to

the naked eye as a result of many years

of industrial cultivation practices the

topsoil lives Floyd of life and then

needs to be injected with nutrient

filled fertilizer and chemicals which in

turn alter the chemical makeup of the

soil and make it even harder for

essential organisms to survive in short

cultivating the soil always results in

the decline of its fertility and health

and the continual use of intensive

cultivation over the last century has

left the United States with a looming

soil crisis so why does degraded topsoil

even matter and will it even affect me

yes it will and even more than you think

healthy soil is the foundation for

healthy plants which are obviously

crucial for our survival this means that

when we continually abuse soil structure

and quality to pump out massive amounts

of corn and soybeans we are making it

harder to grow nutrient-dense food in

the future right now almost 33% of the

world soil has been moderately or highly

degraded according to the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United

Nations and when you consider that soil

can store almost 3 times more carbon

than forests and other vegetation

killing it could lead to our inability

to mitigate climate change in order to

halt this process we need to reconsider

the way we approach agriculture in PMON

Telles study they argue that the total

investment for us erosion control would

be about eight point four billion

dollars per year considering that

erosion causes forty four billion

dollars in damages each year and could

very well cause more this is a

no-brainer but on a more basic level we

should look towards the examples of

innovators like Curtis Stone we

able to create a comfortable lifestyle

on a low till intensive urban farm his

farm builds soil health by adding

compost and natural fertilizer like

turkey manure to the soil as well as

keeping the cultivation of the land to a

minimum yes industrial agricultural

practices have provided a large amount

of food to North America but when we

consider the long-term negative effects

of those practices and the fact that our

food system now relies heavily on just a

few crops the positives of supposed

abundance merely seem like a flimsy

patch for a leaky ship soil is our

hidden lifeline and if we destroy it we

lose our ability to feed ourselves and

protect our environment

[Music]

this video is made possible in part by

the wonderful people who support me on

patreon if you're interested in helping

me grow this channel head on over to

patreon and pledge a small amount of

money for every video I release in

return I'll send you gifts like a

handwritten thank you note or an our

changing climate sticker as always if

you like what you just saw share it

around and subscribe thanks so much for

watching and I'll see you next Friday