Healthy soil is full of life. Literally. Organic material, microorganisms, bacteria, arthropods, fungi, and air and water - all these things bring life to soil. This life, this fertility, makes it possible to grow plants naturally, without additional fertilizers or other inputs. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., sustainable soil management can produce up to 58 percent more food than soil managed under prevailing monoculture agricultural practices. And, the kind of healthy soil that makes this fertility possible is also porous, allowing water and air to move through it freely, a property that increases water-holding capacity, improving the land's ability to better resist drought conditions and better work for us.



As California adjusts to its new drought status, it's absolutely critical that we learn from nature, and that we take steps toward sustainability that protect water resources and soil health. The state produces 90 percent or more of all the artichokes, walnuts, kiwis, plums, celery, and garlic, and 89% of the cauliflower grown in the US. What affects California's agriculture affects the whole country, and has global reverberations. We have a responsibility to ensure the security of food production all over the country and world, and the simplest and most effective way to do this is to care for the soil that bears all.



But soil isn't a natural resource that's very easy to come by or reproduce. According to the Nature Conservancy, it takes 2,000 years for natural processes to make 10 centimeters of fertile soil from bedrock. Because of industrial agriculture practices, erosion, and mismanagement, about 24 billion tons of topsoil are lost every year, more than three tons per person.



During the aftermath of the dustbowl, Franklin Roosevelt said, "The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself." That statement is as true today as it was more than 80 years ago. Although it's a different time, we face similar challenges related to changing climate and a lack of investment in the very land we stand upon. An ecological approach that empowers us to act more in harmony with nature will not only build up the health, resiliency, fertility and water-holding capacity of our soil, but it will increase the soil's capacity to naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.



Drought is only a piece of the larger issue we face as more extreme weather patterns will become more common with the advent of our self-induced climate change. A natural, regenerative approach to soil holds the key to the way we adapt, mitigate against damage and make ourselves and our planet more resilient to the challenges ahead. This approach will work to reduce the impacts of climate change, strengthen our ability to produce healthy, wholesome food, and ensure the well-being of our communities.