Dirty Sustainabilty

Soil is one of the essential ingredients in food production. Happy food for us = happy soil, sun, and fresh water. Whatever is in the soil ends up in the food. This is one reason why wines taste different from different areas - the soil lends the grapes a unique flavor. (Box wine probably all tastes the same however.. like distilled Dimetapp) Not only does the flavor change with different soil, the nutrients do as well. Hence, a soil that is mineral-rich will produce a mineral-rich food. A tomato does not have standard nutritional details as that handy-dandy nutritional table might lead you to believe. It all depends on the soil.

Our industrial agriculture system largely ignores the soil. For fertilization, industrial companies spread chemical fertilizers (made from petroleum largely) and pesticides and herbicides to control weeds and pests. Industrial companies also understandably plant crops in patterns that are best suited for machines to get through for ease of fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide placement and planting and harvesting. Unfortunately, these inputs and planting patterns have negative impacts on the soil (let alone on the flora and fauna of the region and humans.. but that's another post).

Soil is made from weathered rock, decayed plant and animal matter, all of which is broken down by time and a symphony of microbes and fungi. New soil is formed at different rates all over the world based on different factors.

Soil is also taken away. When it rains, the water in essence, washes away the soil. Plants hold on to the soil, so it doesn't go anywhere, but in industrial agriculture, there are typically no trees to hold onto the soil, and all the soil gets washed out in the rows, particularly if the crops are planted on a hill. Usually industrial agriculture razes the fields and leaves them bare in the off-season, which further exposes the soil to rain and weathering, resulting in more erosion.

And, let's not forget our favorite friends, pesticides and herbicides. Pesticides have the effect of killing most everything in the soil, including worms and other creepy crawlies that are good for soil. Herbicides kill off other beneficial plant life in the soil.

Overall, soil has it rough. With industrial agriculture, it's being lost at a rate that far exceeds its creation. Some industrial agriculture uses better practices that helps slow soil loss rates, but it's only 16% of US agriculture, and way less worldwide.

Closing, we got to be better to our soil, because it's ultimately what we eat. As Roosevelt said, without soil, a country is done for, or something to that effect. Some interesting articles have linked the rise and fall of civilizations to soil loss patterns globally. Once you use the soil up, it's gone, and your civilization too.

More Info:
For all the scientific information you'd want to know on soil, from UNC - Soil