Soils are our Past, Present and Future
Join the movement to stay #Grounded
On a personal level we all use soil, whether we realise it or not, on a daily basis. Whether it’s the food we eat, playing football on a school playing field, enjoying the local park gardens or gardening for pleasure. A lack of nutrients in soil caused by climate change, has a huge impact on our personal lives, even in urban areas.
There are a few simple actions we can all take at a local level to support the soil health whilst improving our own health.
- Remove patio slabs and crazy paving to help soils absorb water in heavy rainfall. This will slow the flow into drains, and particularly help to prevent flash floods, which will be crucial in cities as climate change leads to increased intense rainfall.
- Plant cover crops instead of leaving soil bare. Cover crops or ‘green manure’ are popular with allotment holders and farmers, and add carbon and nutrients to the soil naturally, reducing the need for artificial fertilisers.
- Don’t use peat-based compost as the intensive mining of peat bogs has a detrimental impact on the climate and local eco-systems. If you have the space, start your own compost heap, rather than buying compost or disposing of your food and garden waste in your green-waste bin.
- Plastic is a threat to the world’s food and water security, health and environment. It is time to adopt new behaviours to solve ecological, social, and economic problems of plastic pollution. Every single person can make a difference.
#Grounded
soil restoration
Our supporters Lizzie Daly and Riverford Organics recognise the need for effective action and that the protection and restoration of soils must be a global priority. At a policy level, the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) supports the Global Soil Partnership and the Coalition of Action for Soil Health and advocates for healthy soils at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
It is estimated that there are 1,500 gigatonnes of carbon in the world’s soil; three times more than in all vegetation and forests. Deforestation, global warming and poor farming practices can lead to the release of soil carbon into the atmosphere, and in turn speed up the climate warming process.
Our Science Note: Soil Carbon, sets out why soil carbon is so important and outlines our recommendations for governments.
Healthy soil supports biodiversity: biodiverse soils can host millions of organisms in each teaspoon. Sustaining life in soil is essential to ensure soil health, which supports our ability to grow food and farm effectively. When managed well, soil can store significant amounts of rainfall, preventing flooding and stop soil washing away, which can affect the health and safety of communities.
Support us with #grounded
Let us know how you are supporting your soil health by tweeting us using #Grounded.