The Connection Between Soil Health and Human Health

Soil health and human health are connected in multiple ways, but the biggest connection is that both soil and humans have microorganisms (mostly beneficial bacteria) that are critical to health and longevity. Regrettably, in the name of greed and profits, both our soil and gut health are under attack.

Our gut health is determined by what we eat, and most people are eating far too many ultra-processed convenience foods that are negatively impacting their health. But even for people who are trying to eat healthy foods, the problem is our foods are less nutritious and nutrient-dense than in the past.

Healthy foods come from healthy soil; unfortunately, most of our traditional farmland, which used to be extremely fertile, has very little fertility left. How is this possible? Because there is a big difference between soil and dirt.

Soil. Sometimes referred to as topsoil, it is foundational for growing food. It’s the wonderfully dark, microbe-rich material that is the perfect medium for growing fruits, vegetables, grasses, and grains. It sits on top of the dirt and reduces the need to use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Dirt. Inert, lifeless and sterile, devoid of organic matter and organisms that are vital for supporting life. It also has poor structure and does not retain water.

Our future health – and survival -- depends on the health of the soil because all of us eat foods either directly grown in the soil or meat from animals that eat foods grown in the soil.

Unfortunately, the soil in our farmlands has been declining steadily for the last five decades, as the industrialization of farming focused on tilling and chemicals to produce the highest yields, completely ignoring soil health. Estimates state there are about 900 million acres of industrialized farmland in the U.S., all of which need to be healed through regenerative methods.

You would think farmers and politicians would stick to the lessons learned from the devastating Dust Bowl in the American Midwest prairies in the 1930s, when tilling and other poor farming techniques were exposed and an estimated 3.5 million acres of soil blew away into the air.

In fact, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best: “A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”

Unfortunately, some seem to have forgotten this critical warning, because in the 1970s, the Nixon Administration made a big push to support monoculture crops, telling farmers to plant as much corn and soy as possible, leading to the rebirth of massive farms growing only one crop year after year (called monocrops), dousing the crops in synthetic pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides, diminishing the soil with each year’s growing cycle.

Because we have been abusing our soil for the sake of soybeans and corn – to produce soybean (“vegetable”) seed oil and high fructose corn syrup – some experts predict the soil has been so badly affected, that we only have a handful of decades of farming left.

Some experts estimate that conventional farming practices have caused nearly half of the world's most fertile and productive soil to disappear into the air or through erosion.

If we don’t drastically change our farming practices, we will be left with vast areas that were once fertile farmland that become places with dead dirt that grows next to nothing.

The good news is that some smart folks at the Rodale Institute realized starting back in the 1980s that the solution to the destruction from industrial farming is regenerative farming.

Regenerative Farming and Ranching

The goal of regenerative farming is to grow and replenish the soil so that the foods are nutrient-dense and grown without the need for synthetic additives. The gold standard is regenerative organic agriculture.

For farmers, there are a plethora of techniques to regenerate the soil, from planting nitrogen-rich cover crops to using cows and chickens to graze and amend the soil the way bison and other herd animals do naturally… but it starts with not tearing up the soil by tilling it deeply the way large-scale commercial farms do.

To be honest, while the Rodale Institute and many others in the decades since have added to our understanding of soil health and regenerative farming, Native Americans have long understood the benefits of working with nature to promote soil health, foster resilience, and preserve soil fertility.

Besides building the soil and producing more nutrient-dense foods, the other benefit of regenerative farming is more absorption of carbon dioxide by the plants and soil, leading to sequestering more carbon, which is also essential for the future health of the planet and the slowing of the climate chaos we have been witnessing these last years.

And for farmers? Many farmers report that regenerative farming is actually more profitable because a healthy soil boosts crop resiliency and productivity.

Final Thoughts on Farming and Ranching

Most importantly, we need to level the playing field by eliminating the massive subsidies the government pays to corn, soy, sugar, cotton, and wheat monoculture farmers totaling in the tens of billions of dollars annually.

These subsidies do not go to our local farmers who are actually growing our foods, but instead to massive corporations growing monoculture crops with questionable value, all while damaging the soil with unsafe practices.

But we, as consumers, have to play a role. We have to stop supporting food companies producing inferior products while damaging the soil – and the environment/climate. We must be willing to make the financial investment to support organic regenerative farms/brands that are providing healthy foods while enhancing the soil.

Conventionally growing crops kills the soil, produces substandard harvests, and uses highly-poisonous chemicals on the soil and crops that include heavy metals and have anti-nutrient and antibiotic-like effects. These chemicals negatively affect the health of the soil, the crops, and us!

Regenerative organic growing builds and enhances the soil, and produces nutrient-dense harvests with higher amounts of vitamins and minerals, while not using any poisonous chemicals.

Buying locally is always the best bet, but do ask your farmers how they raise their foods.

You can also find other nearby suppliers and suppliers who ship organic regenerative foods by using this excellent tool: Regenerative Farm Map.

Soil health and human health are intricately and forever connected. Make the investment in your health by purchasing foods from regenerative farms and ranches; that simple action will in turn support the health of the soil.

Soil = Life.

Regenerative Agriculture, Soil, and Dirt Documentaries

Kiss the Ground: Focuses on discussing the Earth’s climate, restoring lost ecosystems, and creating abundant food supplies. It highlights the important role healthier soil plays and the importance of regenerative farming practices.

To Which We Belong: highlights farmers and ranchers leaving behind conventional practices that are no longer profitable or sustainable and instead working to improve the health of the soil and sea to save their livelihoods… and the planet.

2040: Join The Regeneration: explores the ideas of fixing farming for 2040 by interviewing innovators and changemakers in the areas of economics, technology, civil society, agriculture, education, and sustainability.

Common Ground: Showcases the web of money, power, and politics behind the broken food system, revealing how unjust practices forged the current broken farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us.

Regenerative Agriculture, Soil, and Dirt Additional Resources

• Why Regenerative Agriculture is Good for You and the Planet

• What is the Difference Between Dirt and Soil?

• The Soil Crisis

• Regenerative Agriculture: An Approach to Tackle Food Security Issues

• Soil Health: Why It Is Important and How to Protect It

• 60 Harvests Left? Regenerative Agriculture Is the Future Farming Needs, Today

• Zombie Soil: The Harmful Result of Industrial Farming

• Understanding Indigenous Regenerative Agriculture: A Comprehensive Guide

• Regenerative Farming: Transforming American Soil

• Kiss the Ground

• Regenerators

• 100 Million Acres: Regenerating 100 Million Acres