Why Communities Should Invest in Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Sponge

Author

Didi Pershouse

Publication

Published on Medium | 2019

Abstract

It is rare to find a single leverage point to effect change and create multiple benefits to the world around us. The “soil sponge,” lowly as it sounds, might just be that perfect leverage point for effective community investment, because it is the basic infrastructure that makes life on land possible. When the soil sponge fails on a small scale, local farms and small ecosystems collapse. When it fails on a large scale, whole regions and societies collapse. Yet when the soil sponge is intact and healthy, multiple beneficial feedback loops kick into high gear. Regions that regenerate the health of their soils can expect fewer floods and wildfires; less need for irrigation; better air quality; cleaner and more abundant water supplies; more moderate temperatures; less erosion and silting of dams; more biodiversity; less spending on infrastructure repairs; and less spending on public health and disaster recovery.