Often likened to human skin, soil is a protective, dynamic and complex system, anchoring all life on the Planet. Comprising of countless unique species and as high in demand an important to life as water, its degradation is already costing the European Union tens of billions of euros annually.
In a report by the United Nation’s (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 33% of the Earth’s soils are already degraded and it is predicted that 90% of the Planet’s precious topsoil to be at risk by 2050. This means that the equivalent of one soccer pitch (between 1.32 and 1.76 acres in size) of soil is eroding every five seconds. It can take up to 1 000 years to produce just 2-3 cm of healthy soil.
Estimated rates of accelerated soil erosion on arable or intensively grazed lands are 100-1 000 times higher than natural erosion rates. Soil erosion can lead up to 50% loss in crop yields. What starts off as soil fatigue becomes soil exhaustion with erosion the next, inevitable step.
As it takes around a thousand years to recreate a few centimetres of healthy topsoil and restore damaged land, soil restoration is considered of such grave importance that the UN has actively embarked on a global action plan over the last decade with their Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Programme.
Consequences of soil erosion
Soil erosion affects soil health and productivity by removing the highly fertile topsoil and exposing the remaining soil.
Soil erosion decreases agricultural productivity, degrades ecosystem functions, amplifies hydrogeological risk such as landslides or floods, causes significant losses in biodiversity, damage to urban infrastructure and, in severe cases, leads to displacement of human populations.
Soil erosion can affect the infiltration, storage and drainage of water in the soil, resulting in waterlogging and water scarcity. In agriculture, we estimate that soil erosion can lead up to 50 percent loss in crop yields.
Although soil erosion has a direct impact on farmers, it also has effects outside of agriculture. It has implications for our environment and health including on water quality, the energy sector, urban infrastructure, and our landscapes. For example, sediments associated with soil particles displaced by wind and water can lead to off-site soil and water pollution. Soil erosion affects us all.
Soil erosion and land degradation pose a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) –compromising the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people around the world.
Because 95 percent of the food we eat comes from the soil, soil erosion mitigation through the application of Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) is critical for protecting our soil while ensuring a sustainable and food secure
However, as demand for agricultural products increases at an alarming rate due to the global population explosion, forests and grasslands are, at a rate never seen before, converted to fields and pastures. This transition from natural vegetation to arable land has depleted the soil beyond its own ability to correct or maintain itself and subsequently erosion has increased. As the world needs to produce more food such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat, soil fatigue and exhaustion have become a critical threat to the Earth’s continued existence.
According to available scientific data, 50% of the Earth’s top soil had already been lost during the past 150 years, however not as fast as in recent times. Despite the UN’s informative programmes and outreaches teaching farmers to adopt practices to counteract long-term soil destruction, we do not have the luxury of time to totally reverse the damage already inflicted. Scientists regularly warn that the next generation may not have the benefit of healthy, organic-rich soil to grow nutritious crops.
Despite all the good work being done, new technology being applied and information shared, it took a South African start-up company to produce an answer to this dilemma with an unrivalled range of carbon-enriched Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) and rock dust products. SAPs can be used as conditioner for soil health improvement, ultimately increasing its water and plant holding capacity within a water scarce world and especially in dry and arid conditions. Rock dusts are natural, easy-to-use types of fertilizer additives, desperately needed trace minerals and micronutrients for poor soil. Rock dust is sometimes also called rock flour, rock minerals, rock powder, stone dust and soil remineralizer.
Next gen SAP ticks all the Boxes
Employing next generation techniques, these innovative products are used as fertilizer additive for soil enhancement and nutrient-rich carbon deployment. Its application provides plants with affordable and necessary nutrients, as well as an improved ability to retain soil, while simultaneously reducing the need for increased ground water and fertilizer replenishment rates.
Proven Benefits
- It saves on fertilizer by reducing it leaching into soil;
- saves water by up to 80% with the gel retaining more than 250 times its own mass in water, preventing leaching and evaporation, allowing the water and nutrients to be stored close to the roots where the plant needs it most;
- enables plant growth in poor soil conditions as a result of improved water and nutrient retention, normally lost in sub-standard soil;
- boosts seed germination, a direct result of more stable feeding conditions;
- reduces plant shock when transplanted by providing a stable environment of both water supply and nutrients for roots;
- sustains plant growth with controlled release of stored water and nutrients on plant demand;
- aerates the soil by creating small pockets of water loosening the surrounding soil;
- saves money on water, pumping costs, fertilizer, reducing chances of plant loss; and
- assists in controlling pH in soils with a high acidity resulting from sustained fertilizing.
These products have taken the South African agriculture environment by storm, strengthening the entire food supply chain, addressing food security with higher crop yields, improving soil health while also addressing climate change. Not only do these innovations enrich existing soil quality, it also replenishes already depleted soils. The core products are attracting global interest.
These products contain Biochar, a type of charcoal created from organic materials in a process called pyrolysis, which refers to plant material in a low-oxygen environment. Fertilizer leaching in sandy soil is a common problem for many farmers and gardeners. It occurs when too much fertilizer or a fertilizer, not specifically designed for sandy soil, is applied. This results in poor growth and yellowing leaves.
Why does this happen?
Soil type is an important factor when it comes to fertilizing land, whatever the size. Sandier soils have a lesser ability to hold fertilizer nutrients than clay soils and as a result, the excess of too much fertilizer will run off into underground water and into storm drains in urban areas, with a negative impact on the environment. If the soil pH is above 7, the excess phosphate could damage tree trunks and roots over time by interfering with their ability to absorb nutrients such as magnesium and calcium.
How to reduce fertilizer leaching in sandy soils?
Have a soil test done by a professional before starting any type of fertilizer on arable soil, lawn or garden beds. Samples from different parts of fields or urban yards will enable geotechnical engineers to determine which nutrients types are lacking from each area and provide advice on the amount of conditioning product to be added.
Soil Fatigue vs. Soil Exhaustion
Soil fatigue, as opposed to total soil exhaustion, refers to the depletion of essential nutrients necessary for healthy plant life. The main factors causing soil fatigue include harmful soil toxins which impede and destroy plants’ chemical behaviour, as well as the growth of any surrounding vegetation. Called allelopathy, these toxins can persist in soil for lengthy periods of time and inhibit the healthy establishment of other plants, leading to nutrient-poor soils incapable of maintaining proper and healthy plant life. In this context, soil fatigue is the forerunner of soil exhaustion.
Unhealthy plants are more susceptible to infections and diseases originating from fungi, bacteria or viruses and are a scientifically recognised cause of creating even more unhealthy plants. Plant diseases can affect entire crops and many bacteria are known persist in the soil for years, awaiting the perfect conditions (soil damage) to restart.
Preventing Soil Fatigue
To stop soil fatigue before it reaches total fatigue, change age-old agriculture methods. Strengthen the soil with beneficial organisms and mycorrhizae. Beneficial micro-organisms (those organisms creating symbiotic associations with plant roots promoting nutrient mineralization and availability, produce plant growth hormones and act as antagonists of plant pests, parasites or diseases (biocontrol agents). Mycorrhizal fungi (a symbiotic association between a green plant and a fungus), can also become depleted. These organisms are necessary to help plants establish in soil and acquire more nutrients and water than without their aid. This can be done by introducing granular mycorrhizae into the soil or by simply mixing it with water.
Leaving ploughed land barren for extended periods can also be detrimental to soil, despite the benefits of providing it with a resting period between seasonal crops. It can, in effect, bring certain elements to the upper portions of the soil and therefore it is important to turn the ploughed soil periodically for aeration and to encouraging soil regeneration. This will rid the soil of toxins through oxidative processes occurring upon interaction with sunlight.
Preventing soil fatigue will lead to more productive, useful crops and a healthy soil profile, able to protect plants against disease. Soil erosion is also less likely to occur when vigorous, healthy plants are present in the landscape.
Soil Depletion Myths
Headlines about global food availability and nutrition are in many instances myths and fear mongering, making it essential to source scientifically proven facts to avoid panic and misinformation. Many claims about food not being nutritional enough are sensationalised, playing into the fad of stocking up on over-the-counter supplements and mostly unbacked by evidence. It is advisable to always consider the information source and do independent research to understand fact from fiction.
Soil erosion is one of the ten major soil threats identified in the 2015 Status of the World’s Soil Resources report. It is defined as the accelerated removal of topsoil from the land surface through water, wind and tillage.
Soil erosion occurs naturally under all climatic conditions and on all continents, but it is significantly increased and accelerated by unsustainable human activities (up to 1 000 times) through intensive agriculture, deforestation, overgrazing and improper land use changes.
Soil erosion rates are much higher than soil formation rates. Soil is a finite resource, meaning its loss and degradation is not recoverable within a human lifespan.
Soil Erosion is more than Loss of Fertile Land
There is no denying that the effects of soil erosion go beyond loss of fertile land. It has already led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. Also, degraded lands are often less able to hold water, worsening flooding when it eventually rains. Sustainable land use can reduce the impacts of agriculture and livestock, preventing soil degradation and erosion and the loss of valuable land to desertification.
Soil health is of primary concern to farmers and the global community, whose livelihoods depend on well managed agriculture practices, starting with the soil we tread on daily and take for granted. Healthy soils are the basis for sound habitats for all living beings, providing food, clean water, raw materials and various ecosystem services. Salinity, acidification and loss of biodiversity are just some of the threats soils are currently facing.
As Eduardo Mansur, FAO’s Director of Land and Water Division at the UN rightly said; “We should celebrate and care for this treasure beneath our feet which hosts a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity and provides about 95% of our food.”
