Regenaration of soil
The only way we can repair the soil and secure our food supply is through a combination of ecological and social measures.
Overuse is reducing the quality of the soil (‘degradation) and destroys its functions which enable us to survive. Heavily degraded land is not well-suited for agriculture and often can no longer be used at all.
In general, soil has the ability to recover on its own and regain lost functions. But this requires time. And time is scarce in today’s world. Once it was common practice to leave agricultural land uncultivated for a certain amount of time, so that it could recover during this fallow period. Today, however, fallow land is becoming less and less common.
Small farmers in particular rarely have enough land that they can afford to leave some of their fields to lie fallow and regenerate while still producing enough to feed themselves. Therefore methods are needed to help the soil to regenerate without ceasing to cultivate them. Farmers all over the world have accumulated much knowledge about such methods. One example is agroforestry, which brings together agriculture and forestry to improve the nutrient cycle. Another example is the combination of field crops and animal pasturage, which ensures that there is a sufficient supply of organic fertilizer.
However, such measures require investments that smallholders often cannot afford. The costs of soil restoration are estimated at between €30 and €230 per hectare annually. If we consider the fact that millions of the world’s smallholders are still living in extreme poverty, it quickly becomes clear that techno-ecological solutions alone are not enough to help. Social measures are also needed in order to secure the economic basis for these farmers’ livelihoods. An additional problem is that smallholders often do not have secure land tenure rights. And so long as they do not know whether the fields that they are cultivating today will still belong to them tomorrow, there is little reason for them to invest in the long-term protection of the soil.
If we want to save the soil, we also require measures that extend beyond the individual farms. At a municipal level, for example, it makes sense to plan the use of land and water as well as livestock farming in a collective manner—by including everyone who is affected. Thus extensive terraces or stone walls could be constructed. In addition, such planning processes help to strengthen municipal institutions and social structures over the longer term.
Photo credit: CC Mátyás Varga@Flickr.com
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