"Organic" Farming and the True Cost of Food-A Small Farmers Perspective

[drokhole]

95. Absolutely! IMO, it's our most precious resource...

And it's a resource that's alive and needs tending to. The rate at which we're losing/shedding topsoil is absolutely stunning, thanks in no small part to our devastating conventional/factory farming methods. According to these numbers from Cornell University from six years ago, the US is losing soil at 10 times faster than the natural replenishment rate (with China and India losing soil 30 to 40 times faster). From what I remember, it can take nature up to 500 years to build just an inch of topsoil on its own. Sustainable farming methods (including things like management-intensive grazing) can help speed up the process, but, even then, it's fairly slow-going. And, while erosion is a huge threat, so too is the polluting and toxifying of the soils that are left.

Our view of "wealth" woefully focuses on and is limited to how much money one has, I think this excellent long-read article highlights soil as our true "financial institution":

Soil – Our Financial Institution
http://permaculture.org.au/2008/08/07/soil-our-financial-institution

And, if you've got the time, this was an excellent documentary on the matter:

Dirt! The Movie
http://www.hulu.com/watch/191666