Agriculture
Farming members are focused on organic methods. This includes the production of food from the natural world, the management of land in an environmentally sustainable way and other work to support organic agriculture. Soil management is an essential part of this, with innovative methods of improving soil.
This has wide-ranging implications for wildlife. It has been estimated that 25% of the World’s species are in the soil, so healthy soil is necessary for that 25% of species to flourish. In turn, a healthy soil hosts species that are part of the food chain for thousands of other species. Well known examples are robins and blackbirds, who seek food such as earth worms. A healthy population needs a healthy soil.
Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as an entity, and each component should not be considered separately.
Healthy soil is, perhaps, a surprising source of antibiotics such as β-lactams, aminoglycosides, streptomycins, and tetracyclines and others are being produced by soil bacteria and fungi. Fungal antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporin, fusidic acid griseofulvin, and fumagillin have been obtained by fungal species penicillium, cephalosporium, and aspergillus. When the high risk of antibiotic resistance is threatening the World's population having healthy spoil as a source of new antibiotics makes it even more important. Many scientific journals have reported on this. Click here for an example of an article.
Farming methods also affect the soil and its productivity. It is recognised that soil structure and agricultural productivity are inextricably linked. Compacted soil can prevent crop root growth and so reduce the yield of crops. The presence of earthworms, which have been known to improve soil structure, are linked to increased crop yields.
Soil is the largest terrestrial store of organic carbon, and contains twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. Soil carbon sequestration is the long-term accumulation of carbon in soil. Land management practices affect soil structure and the levels of carbon / organic matter in soil. Practices such as "no dig", described below, increase levels of soil organic carbon. This probably also contributes to climate change mitigation. With careful management, the structure of the soil can be enhanced and maintained. Interventions that are beneficial for soil structure include planting cover crops, planting hedgerows and encouraging wildlife such as earthworms, that aerate the soil as they burrow.
A "no dig" strategy (or at least less digging) isn’t just a nice easy option for a gardener. This approach has been adopted by many farmers as well. Soil compacted by heavy equipment is less able to absorb water, resulting in floods from surface run off. Soil structure and climate change mitigation. The no dig approach also reduces the loss of the organic matter essential for a healthy soil.
An unhealthy soil is also prone to erosion. Soil erosion removes valuable top soil. The loss of this top soil results in lower yields and higher production costs. When top soil is gone, erosion can make cultivation difficult, and is severe cases, impossible. It has been estimated that half of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years. It is topsoil that is the most productive part of the soil for agriculture. Nutrient degradation is a real threat to many aspects of agriculture. Many articles have been written describing the threat of soil erosion. Click here for an article on this risk.
For some people, especially gardeners, slugs are a pest that create nothing but damage. But some slugs have been given an undeserved bad reputation. Slugs, such as the green/yellow cellar and Leopard or great grey slug Limax Maximus are helpful to gardens and gardeners.
Interesting, useful but perhaps not very pretty. The preferred diet of the leopard slug is fungi, dead plant or animal matter making it a useful species to have around. Easily recognisable with its leopard-like spots, the species can grow up to 16cm and is commonly found in parkland, woodland and gardens. Growing plants are left untouched.
