| According to David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell, "Soil erosion is second only to population growth as the biggest environmental problem the world faces. Yet, the problem, which is growing ever more critical, is being ignored because who gets excited about dirt?" In fact, many farmers get quite excited about dirt.
Soil health is largely dependent on farming techniques. While conventional farming methods are unforgiving and harsh towards soil – organic, biodynamic and no-till methods can actually improve soil health. Healthy soil is crucial to biological diversity and to our food supply.
Gert and Betty Lund started up Lund’s Organic Farm more than 25 years ago. This family farm began as a project for side income only. Their reasons for going organic, according to Gert Lund, "(were) more grounded in philosophy than for any monetary reason. There was no market for it, nobody knew and nobody cared about organics 25 years ago. We might have done better back then if we grew conventionally."
Lund’s is one of the most popular vendors at the Calgary Farmers’ Market. If you’ve ever tasted one of its juicy, flavourful carrots, you’ll understand why. The couple grow a variety of vegetables with an emphasis on cold weather crops like carrots, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. They have also set aside a wildlife refuge on their land for native birds and mammals that helps them to control insects and rodents without the use of pesticides. It also helps maintain a balanced farm ecosystem. The waterways on their land are also protected areas where native birds nest.
Gert Lund attributes the quality of their food to the quality of their soil. "We grow our own fertilizer," says Lund. They use so-called green manure methods whereby they rotate crops. This method involves growing green plants and plowing them into the soil, which adds nutrients to it. Lund runs a yearly rotation, growing green plants such as oats, plowing them under one year and growing vegetables the next. Using this method, their operation doesn’t rely on chemical fertilizers that can deplete soil health. The repeated application of chemical fertilizers kills soil microbes and increases plants’ dependence on further fertilization because they can no longer pull nutrients from the now-infertile soil.
Over the years, Lund has found that yields have gotten better, too. He says, "The soil is very fertile because of the methods we use. We probably yield 10 per cent more than conventional farming methods could, and our yields are higher quality."
Biodynamic farming is another method of farming that can actually improve soil health. It is much less popular than organics, but its methods predate organic farming, and it can produce food of a higher quality than organics, since the soil quality it generates tends to be as good or better than organically farmed soil. Studies comparing biodynamic and conventional farms have found biodynamic farms have soil with greater organic matter, content and microbial activity, more earthworms, better soil structure and thicker topsoil.
Biodynamic agriculture is based on the early 1900s anthroposophical teachings of Austrian philosopher, playwright and scholar, Rudolf Steiner. Steiner was worried about the introduction of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and was convinced that food quality would be degraded. Steiner also believed there were spiritual shortcomings in farming techniques that needed to be addressed.
It’s because of this spiritual aspect, that biodynamic goes above and beyond organic farming. There are specific field and compost preparations required, and biodynamic farming uses an astronomical calendar to set out planting and harvesting schedules. The biodynamic farmer could be likened to a naturopathic doctor in that the farmer looks at the farm as a whole organism. The compost and field preparations are done with only organic matter, and homeopathic and herbal preparations are added to "strengthen the life forces of the farm."
No-till farming also decreases soil erosion and reduces the amount of nutrient-rich topsoil that is lost. Tilling involves digging up and turning the soil. This creates erosion and the machinery used for it creates greenhouse gases. It can also pollute nearby waterways.
Gert Lund now says one of the biggest rewards of having gone organic are the financial benefits. He says, "Conventional guys have to fight to sell because there’s so much product and competition, whereas there is now more demand for organics than there is product, so it is a profitable business. It’s just far more rewarding than conventional."
Organic farming isn’t just good for the pocketbook, it’s good for the environment. As consumer demand for more responsible farming techniques increases, so too will the sustainability of soil – without which, no one will be around to eat the food we can no longer grow. |
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