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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>, Market Farming <marketfarming@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] What is healthy soil. (FWD thread from other list)
  • Date: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 05:34:49 -0400


<FWD from other list>

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Breeding for disease resistance and increased nutritional values (which is being done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCB3AZ-SQg8

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_*What is a healthy soil? *_

A healthy soil is one where there is life! — earth worms, insects, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. It is not just the balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. One teaspoon of a healthy soil may contain in 1 teaspoon millions of beneficial soil microorganisms including 25,000 species of bacteria, 10,000 species of fungi which with other soil microbes decompose organic matter, promote deep root development, improve soil permeability and provide plants with nutrition, moisture and resistance to pests. Plants thrive or suffer depending on the life in the soil. Beneficial soil organisms make nutrients available to plants, reduce disease, reduce nutrient losses and help degrade toxic chemicals. You can't see much but you can smell and feel the texture. Biological inputs must be chosen carefully to feed the myriad of soil life. Bacteria feed on plant residue and root exudates converting these compounds into body mass, this becomes food for the next level of the food web. Protozoa that feed on these bacteria excrete nitrogen as a waste product that then provides nutrients essential to plants. 85% of all plant nutrients must be first cycled through micro-organisms. Farming disrupts this process. We are gradually mining the soil of organic matter that is the protoplasmic basis for life on earth.. So that nutrients are cycled, disease is suppressed and nitrogen is retained so there is no leaching. If you re-establish healthy micro-organisms in the soil farm productivity goes up and costs are cut by eliminating pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

/*"Every chemical-based pesticide, fumigant, herbicide and fertiliser tested, harms or outright kills some part of the beneficial life that exists in the soil, (or on the leaf surfaces) even when applied at rates recommended by their manufacturers. ..( L)ess than half of the existing active ingredients used as pesticides have been tested for their effects on soil organisms."* /

Dr. E. Ingham. Australian Organic Gardener. '02

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Nuffield International website : http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/reports/index.php?page=FrontPage&action=doNothing&c=&y=2011

It should take you to the 2011 Scholars page - I heard summaries from these four reports and was impressed:


27/09/2012 Are mob grazed cattle the perfect arable break? <http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1348746792Tom-Chapman-2011-report_.pdf> Tom Chapman 2011 UK 3535.6kb


10/07/2012 Soil Fertility and Fertiliser Use Efficiency <http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1341908377Bradshaw-Tom_edited-report-for-2011-for-publishing.pdf> Thomas Bradshaw 2011 UK 1742.9kb
07/07/2012 The benefits to agriculture and the environment of rebuilding soil carbon <http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1341667362Rob-Richmond-edited-revised-report-2011-for-publishing.pdf> Rob Richmond 2011 UK 1154.5kb
02/07/2012 Agroforestry - a new approach to increasing farm production <http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1341272658Stephen-Briggs-2011-report.pdf> Stephen Briggs 2011 UK 4369.1kb


And I didn't hear this one from an Australian Scholar but it looks interesting:

05/02/2013 Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture: Farming in a world of finite resources <http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1360018512MichaelInwoodfinalreport.pdf> Michael Inwood 2011 AU 1048.293kb


There are others looking at pertinent issues like peak Phosphorus and Nitrogen usage.

The reports are not very searchable at the moment - the new Nuffield UK Director is interested in any feedback on improving this that users can offer. The downloads are free to access, a fee is payable for hard copies.

Hope you find them worthwhile!

Susi Batstone



  • [permaculture] What is healthy soil. (FWD thread from other list), Lawrence F. London, Jr., 07/06/2013

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