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.
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.
Bam, a province Burkina Faso, was once a migration source due to land degradation. This is changing thanks to soil and water conservation projects.
flickr/ Ollivier Girard/ CIFOR
Soil and water conservation projects can create fertile farmlands and change migration patterns linked to land degradation in Burkina Faso.
Strips of native prairie grasses planted on Larry and Margaret Stone’s Iowa farm protect soil, water and wildlife.
Iowa State University/Omar de Kok-Mercado
Investing in farming methods that improve lands and water, and in rural infrastructure and markets, could bring new prosperity to agricultural communities.
No-till farming conserves soil by greatly reducing erosion.
USDA NRCS South Dakota/Eric Barsness
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.
Whitlanders in the 1940s. Established in 1941 near the base of Victoria’s Mount Buffalo, this Catholic community celebrated the ‘dignity of manual labour’ and was led by a charismatic athlete and former judge’s associate, Ray Triado.
Joe Pisani
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.
Gardeners use water crystals to drought-proof their plants.
Shutterstock
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.
Wastes from facilities like this cheese factory could find uses in agriculture.
Shutterstock.com/Giuseppe Parisi
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.
Satellite data includes digital imagery of factors that affect farming.
Shutterstock/Solcan Design
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 showcase agricultural techniques and technologies to improve crops.
Flickr/Remi Nono-Womdim, FAO