The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet

Ever since I read the seminal article by Soviet geographer O. P. Dobrodeyev entitled "Living Matter and Terrestrial Glaciation," in the June 1975 issue of PRIRODA [Nature], which emphasized the significance of soil biochemistry in the global carbon cycle and resultant climate change, I wondered when climate scientists in the capitalist world would finally get the message. Well, thanks to the efforts of best-selling science writer Kristin Ohlson, author of the subject book, it seems western scientists have done so. Whereas Dobrodeyev and his colleagues discerned that the soil had as much as a 25 percent influence on the exchange of carbon in the world ecosystem, early on (p. 25), Ohlson asserts that misuse of the land "accounts for 30 percent of the carbon emissions entering the atmosphere." She further adds that as of "2013scientists calculated that carbon dioxide had reached 400 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere -- 50 ppm beyond the level that experts think can reliably keep the climate stable for human life. . . She further avers optimistically, however, that "with good soil practices, we could reverse global warming." The reason for that optimism? She affirms that when good land management practices create a ton of soil carbon "that represents slightly more than 3 tons of carbon dioxide removed (extracted) from the atmosphere, or up to 3 billion tons of carbon sequestered annually in the world's soils, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide by 3 ppm every year."Ohlson notes further that the idealization of early humans as "wise stewards of nature(e. g., the "gushy" depictions of Native Americans) was a gross oversimplification. She quotes the findings of geographer William Ruddiman who determined that " without human activity prior to 1850, our atmosphere would contain carbon dioxide levels of about 245 ppm instead of 400 ppm." Early humans were so hard on the land that they created huge deserts in areas where they lived the longest. She continues by observing that by its very nature, conventional cropping "is a far greater assault on the environment than herding animals [and by extension industrial processes]. For instance, plowing "rips apart the crucial underground networks of mycorrhizal fungi and shatters soil aggregates that hold water and gases in the earth, after which the aggregates break down and the soi; particles pack tightly against one another(soil compaction)." Compacted soils can't capture and hold water from either irrigation or rain. Recent research, Ohlson adds, indicates that "almost half" of the rise of sea levels derives from water that runs off our poorly managed farmland. Much of her book is devoted to notorious examples of bad land use policies and the many international efforts to change conventional farming. On page 109, she reveals the so-called "winning trifecta" that she and the world's best land managers believe can restore the health of the world's soils while simultaneously sequestering massive quantities of carbon dioxide and countering global warming. The "winning trifecta" includes: (1.)No-till planting combined with (2.) cover-crop cocktails of scientifically selected species of grass and legumes followed by (3.)"mob grazing" of cattle onto the pasturage that will break up any and all hard surfaces, trample the nutritious grasses into the ground to the benefit of the underground fungi bacteria, and microbial "herds." The cattle naturally also will provide nutritious dung, urine, and hair to enhance the biochemical fixation of the carbon. Ohlson further notes that farmers worldwide need to learn the importance of nuturing the "wildlife" below the ground as well as the domesticates at the surface. Toward the end of her book, Ohlson discusses the divisive lobbies within the climate-change scientific community that have hampered the popularization of land/soil mismanagement rectification as a means of countering climate change versus the better-known efforts to resolve the problem by curbing and modifying energy usage.Victor L Moteemeritus Professor of geography, Russian studies, and political science atThe University of Houston Central Campus (1971-2011)Author of 150 scholarly works, including:(as V Traven) Memoirs of a Dromomaniac (Bloomington,IN: Xlibris Corp., 2011), 279 pp.;Siberia World's Apart (Boulder, CO: Westview/Perseus, 1998), 256 pp.An Industrial Atlas of the Soviet Successor States (Houston, TX: Industrial Information Resources, Inc., 1994), 300 pp.; and coauthored with Theodore Shabad,Gateway to Siberian Resources (New York:Wiley, 1977), 198 pp.

Somewhere in primary school we learn that through the process of photosynthesis, plants use chlorophyll to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, combine it with sunlight and convert it to carbon sugars which the plants use for energy. The oxygen is released back into the atmosphere and the plant consumes some of the carbon while depositing the excess in the soil around its roots in the form of humus. The carbon molecules provide structure to the soil, creating tiny air pockets and allowing the soil to absorb rainfall. The carbon also attracts tiny organisms which create their own mini-ecosystem and confer other benefits on the plants. In fact, up to 95% of our species diversity may be found below the soil. Various bacteria and nematodes control pests and attract other beneficial organisms to the plants.The loss of carbon from our soils dates back to the first agriculturalists who abandoned the hunter-gathered lifestyle in order to grow crops and manage livestock in a fixed location. Plowing and ripping land exposes soil carbon that in many cases has laid underneath the soil line for thousands of years to the air where the carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and ends up in the upper atmosphere. Previously livestock roamed the earth, eating grass and plants and dropping manure to fertilise the soil, never staying long in one place to avoid predators. It is estimated that the world’s soil has lost up to 80 billion tons of carbon.There are various schemes proposed to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere to manage the impact of global warming, but photosynthesis is one the most efficient and cost effective available. Over the past few decades, farming practices aimed at improving soil quality through minimum tilling, planting of cover crops and intensive grazing in small areas have increased carbon levels in soils. Farmers who are using these regenerative agricultural practices benefit not only from the increase in yields, but the reduction in costs as less diesel, fertilizer and pesticides are required. Some farmers are also starting to benefit from carbon credit schemes.In The Soil will Save Us, Kristin Ohlson explains the carbon cycle and interlinkage of plants, animals and soil. She travelled extensively to interview and see some of the results of regenerative agriculture and is able to convey the technical information in a very accessible manner. We visit experimental plots in Ohio, farms in Australia, Zimbabwe and North Dakota, and along the way receive an assessment of the impact of US agricultural policy on farming methods. A fascinating book about the nexus of soil, food security and global warming.

I enjoyed this book. I honestly never thought I would say that on a book about dirt, but it was interesting. All of the information was presented in understandable terms and with relatable anecdotes. There were a few typos here and there but overall I would recommend to anyone who is interested in agriculture, environmentalism, and/or ecosystems.

This book has really inspired me. I absolutely loved it and am keeping it in my bathroom to reread bit by bit. The writing is terrific, down to earth and humorous while giving us a clear understanding of how plants and microbes interact to cause climate changing possibilities. I highly recommend it.

Ich wollte einfach wissen, was in anderen Welträumen an Bestrebungen im Gange sind, um die fragwürdigen Praktiken unser nach ökonomischen Grundsätzen ausgerichteten Landwirtschaft zu beleuchten, in Frage zu stellen und neue Wege aufzuzeigen. Das wird sichtbar, dass man sich auch andernorts, andernwelts sich rührt. Will heißen, Zukunft entsteht initial weltweit, wenn man es angeht.So das eine Buchbesprechung sein? Nein. Nur ein Statement.

very good written, informative and clever book. highly recommended for everyone interested in healthy, whole foods because without good healthy soil, there is no good, healthy food.

This book is explain very well and good for gardener

It is a good read full of good resources. A couple of the chapters goes on a bit long, but still worth reading.