The importance of soil

WHEN they celebrated World Soil Day on December 5, members of the Westville Conservancy, Sue Smith and Carol Lovemore, educated the public about the importance of the soil and how to maintain a healthy soil for the benefit of the environment.

Describing the soil, the members said some scientists have described soil as Earth’s living skin, and it is critical for life on our planet. “Soil is one of the most diverse habitats on Earth, containing millions of micro-organisms, and it helps to produce the food we eat. It filters our water, it can reduce flooding and is able to capture and store carbon, thus helping to combat climate change,” they said.

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Smith and Lovemore explain in more detail why soil is so important.

Soil helps produce our food

Healthy soils provide habitats that support thousands of different species of fungi, bacteria and invertebrates, which then work together to create the nutrients and food we need to survive. Soil produces a staggering 95% of our food supply by growing both the crops we eat and the grasses and other plants that are fed to livestock.

Soil is one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth

Soil biodiversity has an important medicinal role to play due to its relationship with plant roots. Unhealthy soil leads to unhealthy plants and plant diseases. Healthy soils enable plants to produce helpful chemicals, such as antioxidants, which protect them from pests and other external threats. When humans eat these healthy plants, the antioxidants they contain boost our own immune systems.

There is a direct connection between healthy soils and healthy humans, so if we want to eat healthy food, we must take care of the soil. Food is only as healthy as the soil in which it grows.

Some life-saving medicines, for example, certain antibiotics, such as penicillin and cancer-treating drugs, have been found in soil.

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Soil filters and purifies our water

When water passes through soil, it is filtered and cleaned.

Soil acts as a sponge and reduces flooding

Healthy soils absorb water and reduce the risk of run-off, erosion and flooding.

Soil is important in tackling climate change as it captures and stores vast amounts of carbon. Most people are already aware of the importance of forests, trees and grasslands in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. But soil stores an extraordinary quantity of carbon. Plants extract CO2 from the atmosphere in a process called photosynthesis, and some of this carbon is then stored in the soil as plants decompose and form rich humus.

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