Life's Essential Component: Insight into Soil's Role in Sustenance
In a world where climate change and intensive agricultural practices have taken a toll on soil health, pioneers like Alfred Grand, a farmer and environmental scientist in Austria, are leading the charge towards regenerative agriculture. Grand, who is also an official ambassador for the EU's Soil Mission, is joined by Yanniek Schoonhoven, a farmer and environmental scientist at La Junquera in Spain, in promoting this innovative approach to farming.
The documentary "Mission Soil - Healthy Earth, Healthy Human" spotlights these visionaries and 12 other lighthouse farms worldwide, including Grand's Grand Farm in Lower Austria and La Junquera in Spain. The Grand Farm, one of the 13 lighthouse farms, grows over 150 vegetable varieties using efficient and soil-friendly methods. Meanwhile, the team in La Junquera is planting trees and shrubs, constructing ponds and dams to prevent erosion and improve water infiltration.
Regenerative agriculture emphasizes reducing soil tillage while promoting soil aeration and earthworm channels to keep the soil loose. This approach has been adopted by farms across the globe, from No-Till Farms in the USA to Agroecological Farms in Brazil, Regenerative Farms in Europe, and Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) in India.
A study involving 78 regenerative farms across 14 European countries showed significant improvements in productivity and environmental benefits. Similarly, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) Farms in the USA focus on stricter standards for soil health, animal welfare, and workers' rights. Even Farmland LP, a US-based company, converts conventional farmland to organic and regenerative practices, focusing on profitability and sustainability.
However, Grand warns that a lot of innovation will be needed in the coming years due to uncertainty about future framework conditions and cultures that will work. He compares the overworking of soil to an addiction, stating that current soil conditions are preventing the required 50% air and water balance. Grand believes that maintaining healthy soil is crucial for the well-being of future generations, as healthy soil ensures nutrition, keeps groundwater clean, promotes biodiversity, and stores CO2.
Soil scientist Gernot Bodner echoes Grand's sentiments, stating that soil is a living system that breathes, and if it cannot breathe, its vital functions fail, similar to humans. Climate change and intensive agricultural use have led to more than 60% of soils in Europe being in poor condition. In extreme cases, like La Junquera, located at 1,100 meters above sea level with extreme weather conditions, the soil is extremely fragile, with a thin layer between topsoil and rock, and the loss of more soil could take thousands of years to recover.
These poor soil conditions prevent soils from buffering extreme weather events such as heatwaves, drought, or heavy rain. As the world grapples with the effects of climate change, regenerative agriculture offers a promising solution for creating healthier soil, promoting biodiversity, and ensuring a sustainable food system for future generations.
The documentary "Mission Soil - Healthy Earth, Healthy Human" will air on 3sat on July 9 at 8:15 PM, providing a closer look at these inspiring lighthouse farms and the pioneers behind them.
- Regenerative agriculture, as featured in the documentary "Mission Soil - Healthy Earth, Healthy Human," combines scientific knowledge from environmental science and soil science to promote the health and wellness of both soil and humans, while tackling issues like climate change.
- The Grand Farm, one of the lighthouse farms showcased in the documentary, employs efficient and soil-friendly methods in growing over 150 vegetable varieties, helping to advance nutrition through a healthy-diets approach and environmental science.
- In the face of uncertainty about future framework conditions, soil scientist Gernot Bodner, like Alfred Grand, understands the importance of maintaining healthy soil to ensure future generations can benefit from the necessary balance of air, water, and nutrition in soil, which is essential for combating climate change, promoting biodiversity, and keeping groundwater clean.
