There’s growing interest in making the US food system more resilient and flexible, but soil – the origin of nearly everything we eat – is often left out of the picture.
Articles on Soil health
Displaying 41 - 56 of 56 articles
These Aussie diggers boost the health of our soils. But up until recently, we didn’t know just how much soil they can turn over (hint: it’s a lot).
The predatory flatworm Obama nungara travelled in potted plants from Argentina to Europe, where it’s distrupting soil ecosystems. Now, citizen-scientists are helping map their distribution.
Soil and water conservation projects can create fertile farmlands and change migration patterns linked to land degradation in Burkina Faso.
Investing in farming methods that improve lands and water, and in rural infrastructure and markets, could bring new prosperity to agricultural communities.
More than one-fifth of global warming emissions come from land use. Sustainable farming can make soil healthier and better able to soak up carbon, while saving energy and boosting food production.
Long before 70s hippies and hipster artisans, Australians were seeking solace by going back to the land. They ranged from anarchists to suffragists to Catholic agrarians.
Water crystals help drought-proof plants. But these tiny polymers are leaving gardeners concerned.
Recent extreme rains and weather in the Midwest are causing a multitude of problems in the topsoil that much of the nation’s food supply relies on.
US agriculture is dominated by large farms that rely on chemical inputs. In contrast, regenerative farming makes land and water healthier by mimicking nature instead of trying to control it.
Leftover lactose from cheese production shows early promise as a treatment that can help soils retain water and nutrients, making them more resistant to drought.
Big data can be used to properly advise smallholder farmers in Africa and help guide pest monitoring efforts.
The Agriculture Department provides nearly $6 billion annually for land, water and wildlife conservation on farms. President Trump’s 2019 budget drastically reduces funds for these programs.
Healthy soil teems with bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that help store carbon and fend off plant diseases. To restore soil, scientists are finding ways to foster its microbiome.
Demonstration farms are a key way in which new knowledge can be transferred to farmers around the world.
Pollution has increased carbon in our soils - which is good for climate change. But this carbon may not stay there for long.
Top contributors
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Chair Professor in Sustainability, Lancaster University
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Ecologist and Researcher, Flinders University
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Professor of Dryland Ecology, UNSW
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Associate Professor in Biology, Flinders University
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Professor emeritus, Colorado State University
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Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington
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Associate Professor, Department of Entomology; African-American Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
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Senior Research Associate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Assistant Professor of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech
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Senior Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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Lecturer - Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town
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Associate Professor Environmental and Geographic Science, University of Cape Town
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Threatened Species Biologist, The University of Melbourne
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Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University