Although it is easy to forget when we are strolling along the supermarket aisle, the beautiful and healthy food we see on the produce stands comes from farms, not factories. And many of our farms are on the verge of big trouble; maybe not so much today, but almost certainly tomorrow.

 

What kind of trouble? The levels of organic matter in Canada’s agricultural soils are dropping, and they have been for decades. Organic matter is what results when microbes convert dead plants and animals, as well as animal droppings, into what we call humus – that dark, crumbly stuff that we associate with good soil. This is a problem for several reasons. First of all, it is soil organic matter that feeds and provides habitat for the myriad of microscopic creatures that scientists refer to as the soil food web. In turn, the soil food web gives soil its natural fertility, its ability to suppress diseases and the good structure that allows water and air to infiltrate. Without good levels of soil organic matter, soils become compacted, have low fertility, and leave crops extremely prone to diseases and pests. Farming then becomes overly dependent on inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides which are expensive for the farmer and can be damaging to the natural environment.

 

The good news, however, is that scientists have clearly identified and documented what needs to be done to bring these organic matter levels back up again. The practices now being promoted to make soils healthy again include reduced tillage, cover crops, crop rotations, and the regular addition of organic matter, such as compost. In fact, compost can be seen as a soil-health champion, due to its ability to both protect and enhance the soil food web while building soil organic matter levels very quickly. Compost also brings back the nutrients that leave farms with the harvest.

 

You can help farmers to feed cities by supporting composting, so that cities can feed farm soils. In addition, you can do the same thing in your own yard and garden – use compost and feed the soil!