World Soil Day 2019: A photo essay

December 5, 2019

Angel Oak Tree, Charleston, SC. circa Nov. 2019 ©PallaviBharadwaj

<6 mins. read Approx. 599 words

Today, December 05 is World Soil Day, as designated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO). Readers might be wondering what exactly soil is and why are we dedicating an entire day to celebrate it. Take a look at the above picture. The Angel Oak Tree in Charleston, S.C. is over 400 years old, according to the experts. Legend has it that it’s over 1,500 years old. 400 or 1,400 years, the reason that this tree has been standing strong for so long and attracting over 1000s of visitors each year is because of the healthy soil underneath it’s roots.

Charleston Tea Factory, S.C. circa Nov. 2019 ©PallaviBharadwaj

For a lay person: there’s no obvious difference between dirt and soil. Dirt is what the kids make mud pies from, we buy in bags to start a window garden or wash off our hands.

For scientists, farmers and gardeners: Unlike dirt, which is mostly broken-down rocks that contain minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron, soil is dirt with the added bonus of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, worms, and insects. These aerate, build structure, and give vital nutrients to soil. Add plants to this mix, and what you get is a complex system called a “soil food web.”

Tea plantations in a row seen on the right at Charleston Tea Plantation. circa Nov. 2019 ©PallaviBharadwaj

The theme for World Soil Day this year is #StopSoilErosion. Seen in the above pic on the right hand side are tea plants in a row in Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina, US. Traditionally, tea is grown on the rolling hills of India and Sri Lanka. In part, because tea plants do not need standing water, and in part to #StopSoilErosion.

Thriving happily above ground ferns and mosses in S.C. circa Nov.2019 ©Pallavi Bharadwaj

It’s not just what is beneath the surface of soil or as scientists call it, the rhizosphere, where an astounding number of micro-organisms live. It’s also what lives because of this layer above the surface. Seen above is a thriving population of ferns and mosses on the tree’s branches.

A chameleon calling the Angel Oak Tree it’s home in S.C. circa Nov. 2019 ©PallaviBharadwaj

What we put in soil, determines not only the soil’s but also the organisms that live under and above the surface. Chemical induced industrial farming is gradually deteriorating the soil’s health and making it increasingly difficult for the soil food web to remain intact. Look closely in the above pic, a chameleon calls this tree it’s home and forms a part of the soil food web.

Mushrooms thrive happily on the Angel Oak Tree in Charleston, S.C. circa Nov 2019 ©PallaviBharadwaj

Soil biologist Elaine Ingham says that biodiversity in soil leads to, not just optimal crop yields but also weed suppression, fire resistance, flood resilience, as well as soil growth, increasingly critical as climate change wreaks havoc on our landscapes. All those essential ecosystem services, healthy soil can provide. Seen above mushrooms, an edible form of fungi, likes when it’s moist inside and outside the soil to thrive.

In conclusion:

Regenerative agriculture and legislative actions across the states in US and globally, shall prove instrumental in alleviating soil pollution and erosion. It’s a positive sign that soil health is gaining attention in a diverse group of people, including farmers, businesses and experts. Working together, we shall be able to keep the soil healthy for all the organisms that depend on it now and also in the future.

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