Over the last sixty years, the soil has been treated as a nutrient mine exploited to produce food. Large agriculture corporations and short-sited government policies have forced the farmers to pollute the soils with hybrid seeds and a host of chemicals impacting the health of the farmers, consumers, the larger ecosystems and depleting the culture of farming.
Organic farming, although a step in the right direction, could be as damaging if not practiced holistically.
Over the last 20 years, research in soil biology has revealed the intricate web of life in the soil that determines its health which in turn creates healthy plants and ecosystems. A holistic approach to the new way of farming requires the farmer to feed the life in the soil and not the plants.
This course will explore what living soil means and how we can participate with the natural processes to create abundance and diversity in soils.
Course outline:
- Understanding soil, and its health and fertility
- Soil food web and soil biology
- The web of life in the soil
- Simple ways of assessing soil
- Ethics and principles of soil care
- Composting
- Ecological succession
- Regenerative agriculture