Soil Matters: Why we can't wait 500 years
Did you know it takes up to 500 years to build 1 inch of topsoil?
If you're thinking, well yes, isn't nature taking care of that process? Read on...
- In the U.S., we’re losing soil 10x faster than the natural replenishment rate.
- We rely on healthy soil to...
-clean and store water
-support biodiversity (one teaspoon of healthy soil supports more organisms than there are people on the planet)
-sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, to regulate the climate
-grow more than 99% of our food!
Some agricultural practices, including over-tilling, over-grazing and excessive chemical applications, are degrading our soil. Soil degradation leads to erosion, biodiversity loss, and it threatens our food supply. It can reduce crop yields by up to 50%!
So, what can you do about it?
- Keep learning! Educate yourself and your family about why soil matters.
- Ask questions about how your food is grown.
- Compost at home.
- Support regenerative farmers (those who use composting, cover crops, extended crop rotations, no- or low-till, and perennial crops, among other practices*).
This Earth Day, we want to make it easier to take care of the soil in your own yard! From 4/18 to 5/1, you can enter to win an Annie’s Compost & Gardening Kit, valued at $90.
Enter the drawing in-store from 4/18 to 5/1!
* for more info: