Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019
The 5 Core Principles of Health—
Symbiosis is Key BY ANN ADAMS
S
oil Scientist Dr. Christine Jones wrote an article for the Ecofarm Daily titled “Soil Restoration: 5 Core Principles” in which she notes how our food’s nutrient level has decreased by 10–100% over the past 70 years because of decreased soil health. She also notes that there are numerous practices that can help us improve soil quality. All of these practices use the power of photosynthesis through plants and the animals that eat them. The key to remember is that without photosynthesis there would be no fertile
Low-Input Agriculture INSIDE THIS ISSUE Low-input agriculture is key to being able to create a profit more consistently with challenging markets and weather. Learn how the Siebs (page 8) and the Nixes (page 11) have developed low-input production systems to create profitable farming operations.
In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International
NUMBER 187
topsoil to feed those plants. It is a symbiotic relationship known as the “Plant-Microbe Bridge.” Dr. Jones notes that 95% of life on land resides in the soil and the energy for that life is derived from plant carbon—the microbes in the soil are fed by the liquid carbon coming from plant roots. In turn, those microbes increase the availability of minerals and trace elements to insure the health of their host plants. This symbiosis results in health for all including the animals and humans eating those plants. Biologically active soils do not exhibit compromised nutrient levels because 85–90% of the plant’s nutrition is “microbially-mediated.” Again, the Plant-Microbe Bridge is key. Five Principles for Soil Restoration 1. Green is good —and year-round green is even better The more plants growing more of the year with more area of leaf to capture sunlight, the more photosynthesis occurs. In other words, how many inches of “solar panels” do the plants have for how much of the year? As Dr. Jones explains, the importance of green is more about productivity and photosynthetic potential of these plants than their actual biomass. As just explained, the relationship with the microbial community influences that potential. For example, mycorrhizal fungi can significantly increase photosynthetic rate. 2. Microbes matter As mentioned earlier the Plant-Microbe bridge is critical to the healthy function and productivity of the plant and the soil for storing nutrients and water. These microbes are the “worker bees” that are actually creating health out of nutrients. Any system that is focused on health and regeneration has to take into account how the nutrients are feeding these “minilivestock” which in turn feeds the bigger bodies of plants, animals, and humans. 3. Diversity is indispensable Each plant and soil organism has its unique blend of chemistry, properties, and roles to play. The greater diversity of plants and animals,
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the more robust the system. Dr. Jones notes that the myth of monocultures being more profitable is not true because of the additional inputs needed to support their supposed high production. Likewise, the plants are extremely vulnerable and have low resilience to pests, diseases, and weather challenges. 4. Chemical use can be dangerous I would define this principle as “Feed the system”. While Dr. Jones focuses on how chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides damage the natural systems, she also articulates the value that living soils can provide the natural system. For example, she notes that researchers have shown that “mycorrhizal fungi can supply up to 90% of plants’ nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) requirements.” 5. Avoid aggressive tillage Dr. Jones notes that tillage appears to be a quick fix to soil problems which are created by lack of deep-rooted living cover. But tillage leads to depletion of soil carbon and other nutrients as well as vulnerability to erosion. It also destroys all the beneficial micro-organisms and invertebrates (like earthworms) you want working for you in the soil. In the end, we are all “light” farmers. Some of us do this work through raising food and fiber. Others use the products raised to create other products and services. Ultimately, we must all support the Plant-Microbe Bridge through understanding these five principles and making choices to increase the strength of that bridge.
