“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself,” Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote in 1937 following catastrophic dust storms and flooding in the United States. He was right. Soil deserves respect. A medium for plant growth, a source of nutrients, a habitat for organisms, and a water purifier and reservoir. It also plays a huge role in modifying the earth’s atmosphere. The soil—the skin on the planet’s surface—is essential for life on earth. A healthy soil functions as a vital living system that sustains plants, animals, and humans. It is the most biologically diverse part of the planet, with about four billion bacteria in a handful of fertile soil, many yet to be identified. Simply put, a healthy soil is alive with a multitude of fungi, bacteria, nematodes, insects, spiders, and other organisms that interact with each other in ways critical to the health of the soil and the plants that depend on it. Soils are also diverse in their physical make-up. They can be characterized as clay, sandy, loamy, silty, peaty, and chalky based on the size and composition of their particles. These physical differences are important when planting crops, since they affect the soil’s ability to hold moisture, its nutrient content, and how quickly it warms up in the spring. One key characteristic of a healthy soil is the amount of organic matter.”

The above quote from:

“Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Foods We Love and Need” by Michael P. Hoffmann, Carrie Koplinka-Loehr, Danielle L. Eiseman and wanted to share this quote with you.

“a plant dies, it decays and forms the organic matter called humus. Because this is a slow process, it essentially holds, or sequesters, that carbon-rich matter for a long time. Some soils, such as in rainforests, typically have above 10% organic matter. Poor soils or those overly exploited can have less than 1%. Soils with higher organic matter absorb more moisture when it rains and hold that moisture better between rains, which may be beneficial as droughts increase.”

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