The Secret Life of Soils
(Part 1 of 3

[Article by By: Will Newman II]

Artwork - Scott Patton - NRCSIA99545

An awareness of what's underneath our feet will help us find the way to health and sustainability.

Twelve thousand years ago, humankind embarked on a daring experiment: agriculture – the intentional attempt to influence what grows where, and when.

We still don't have it right. That is, we have yet to develop an agriculture that does not degrade the soil, the air and the water. We have yet to develop a sustainable agriculture.

One reason has been that we do not understand soils. Underlying that failure is our tendency to confuse industrial systems (systems of tools and machines and the resources that they manipulate) with natural systems (systems of living things).

To learn more about the life cycle of soil, buy the January/February edition of Touch the Soil magazine at a retail outlet or subscribe online.