The Way We Farm Matters
Farmers who utilize practices like cover cropping and practicing reduced tillage are building healthy soil that will produce more wholesome food, protect our water, and better care for the land. Understanding the role soil plays in growing healthy food is important to understanding the role farmers play in your health.
WHAT IS HEALTHY SOIL?
Healthy soil is teeming with bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, nematodes, and other tiny creatures that play an important role in plant health.
Soil bacteria produce natural antibiotics that help plants resist disease. Fungi assist plants in absorbing water and nutrients. Together, these bacteria and fungi are known as “organic matter.” The more organic matter in a sample of soil, the healthier that soil is.
What Farming practices Build Healthy Soil?
Farming practices such as cover cropping and limited or no-tillage improve and build soil organic matter over time. These methods, also called climate-smart farming, help plants fight diseases and pests naturally and improve the minerals and nutrients in the soil to provide better nutrition to feed plants. When farmers focus on building healthy soil, we all win!
Kids Soil Activity Pages
Kids love soil – and farms! Download these free soil activity pages to help the kids in your life connect soil with healthy food, encourage healthy eating, and teach environmental stewardship.
Partner Profiles the Southern Piedmont Climate-Smart Project
The Southern Piedmont Climate-Smart project is working with farmers and farmers markets in GA, AL, NC, SC and Virginia to study the impact of agricultural practices on soil health. Our project team combines perspectives from academic institutions, nonprofits, NGOs, and farmer associations to form one wholistic study of diverse vegetable farming in the Southern Piedmont.
Project Partner
Emory University is a leading research university, recognized internationally for its outstanding liberal arts colleges, graduate and professional schools, and one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic health care systems.
-
Dr. Eri Saikawa
Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory College of Arts and Sciences
Project Partner
FarmRaise helps farmers find and access the funding, resources, and support they need to build successful, resilient farms. Through its digital platform, FarmRaise makes it easier for farmers to discover grants, cost-share programs, and other financial assistance opportunities and understand how to apply for them.
By simplifying the often-complicated process of finding and accessing agricultural funding, FarmRaise connects farmers with programs that can help them invest in their operations, adopt new practices, and strengthen their businesses for the future.
Project Partner
Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to growing the regenerative organic agriculture movement through rigorous research, farmer training, and education. Our groundbreaking science and direct farmer-support programs serve as a catalyst for change in farming and food production worldwide. Over our 75-year history, we have proven that organic farming is not only viable, but essential to humanity’s survival.
-
Dr. Kristie Wendelberger
Southern Region Research Director