This fistful of soil holds answers to some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. And yet, so little care, gratitude, respect, and interest is given.
Touch it. Feel it. Taste it. Smell it.
From food security to climate change, from social equality to biodiversity, from human health to the health of rivers, lakes, and oceans, soil quality is central to our future on Earth. And yet, more interest and resources it is given to the research of faraway planets, with no or very vague indicators of life-sustaining conditions, than to the delicate interdependencies and relations that provide soil with the life-supporting qualities.
Not so long ago, most of our ancestors (including my grandparents) had soil in their hands almost every day of their lives. Most of our ancestors were working the land as their primary source of sustenance. They were native to the land. They were a part of its natural cycle and felt a deep connection to it.
From there, to most farms being owned by people who perhaps haven’t touched the soil in their entire lives, it has been a very short period of time. (70% of the world’s farmland is owned or controlled by 1% of individuals, and a large portion of those are representatives of investment banks, hedge funds, or private equity.) Most of the world’s farms are owned by people who are not native to the land, hence have a very weak bond to its natural cycles.
Part of the cause of our weakened bond to the soil is the loss of humility. The words humus (earth/soil) and humility share the same Latin root, humus meaning «earth» or «ground». To restore that weakened bond it helps to be reminded that the soil releases oxytocin. When we smell it, the soil releases the very same hormone that creates the bond between mother and child.
It is the way Mother Earth reminds us of our true belonging.
So here is something you can do to strengthen the bond and encourage regenerative food production:
Go out to the land —preferably farmland —and stick your hand into the soil.
Touch it. Feel it. Taste it. Smell it. (if it’s safe)
And then keep that memory with you the next time you buy food.
Before buying it, be mindful of;
Where does the food come from? What kind of soil does it come from? How was that soil treated?
Was it treated with care, gratitude, and respect, or was it managed as a commodity?
If you can, purchase only those food products made available by leaving the smallest possible environmental footprint and grown under regenerative principles.
Boris Matijas 