eommon mlnerals as relspars rn rdsls lo swell and lemme no luck, lhen lo hydrate lhe lelspars lo luolm, day, and porassrum (arbonale The rarlrorrales released male Dlsai! walera suonger carbonic aeid lhan ll is as r-anl Almospllent oxygen dlssolves m rain m orldise lmll minerals lpyrites) and lorml both haern and a quanmy dl sulpnune aerd, whreh agaln drssalves ulelals, so lhal waler malres an elleeirve rock decomposer, even wnhonl lnvolslng lne espansron ol wllu as lee. or me power ol lee las glaelersl to grmd nxki to llour Hunts loo are uedglng open rocks and mineral vamcles, reereallng aelds, and lransporllng minerals ln melt sap roorher localxon; Aflunhls work ere-res a manrle al topsoil, whlch ls esumaled lo build alabonl 2-41/ha per year as uneornpaeled lopsorl, but whieh we remove as a rare al lrom «>500 l/year rn cropping and soll llllage Even llle mall ideal llllage rusl keeps pare with lhe mosl rdeal eondllions ol soll lonnauon, and m llle wolsl cases we ran remove 2000 years ol soll m a slngle erosron season or one sequenee or llood or snong wlnol over eulnvaled soils lhe only plaees where solls are conserved or lnereased are . ln uneul totes . Under ule oulel walerol lakes and ponds, o ln pralrlee and meadows olpermaneru plants; and - where we grow phnfi wi|h rnulehed or non- dllagesyslems these then are lhe eure subiecls ol suslarnable sodeues ol any eoneervahle lulure They are nor, you muhl nolree, llle luoreels mosl laugh. ln lhe agn- euhural eolleges or loresrry eourses oi lhe reeenl pasl, nor do iney oeeupy rhe mrnds el polllleians, invcslr menl bankers, ur TV srars selole slanlng on lhe mnpk'x subpd ol solls land I am rrol a sell serenlrsel, u is wrse lo draw llaels a lulle and eonslder rhe queslrdn el solls lrorn some very dlllerenl viewpelrus, or sels ol values. They are broadly lhele - ea lh (ho-h human and planll We musl be ralelul and eonseryallve rn approach, eserrrally ln lhe area olbioadls and high levels ol arullelal lemlisers. Ailer all, our aneeslors llved m a ripe old age on homergmwn produre wlrnoul llle benelll or herlrleldes, peslrerdes, or mineral lerulrsers. we must lherelore lmprove on. nol lessen, inal lncmv ol lungelesfed vlra ly um was, and ls, lnlegral lo good gardeners, Nor enal l oelreve lhal lherr health was purely due to did, several olller ladors amlalcd wlln gardenlng may be one day betteriwssed, lneludlng: 7 null llvl Vgxular txrvnj: gardenlng rs a son ol sceady and nmlAJmsslng lar [hl _ mrdnalwll we ran srl and look as much as worle and hanlrh all cares l lourld my gralldlalher as oilen lus| loaklllg as workmg land he led about 1n lamrlres lrorn nrs mum garden) 7 manmx ln gardenrng «here ls a very ronseleus saw or dorng a you Ihal ls worlhwhrle, and oi arrrrr value so olhels Gankning, espeelally lood gardenlng rs ~rlghr Ilvelahood” 7 ll/e rnreresl. perhaps derlved lram lhe auove Every day, every season lhere is ehange, sornelhmg new so aulerye, and eonslanl leamrng. rennarullure ereally adds lo lhis inreresr, and has me dxmnimns ol a lllwnenled chess game, rnvolvlng lhe elemenls, energy. and lhe drmensrons or bath llle-(onus and nullding llnrsrures (also wnll pulldral, soeral, lrnanrral, and global lmplioauonsl. . mg, Hele, we same so a grave impasse There ls no daulrl that lhe oneesoll yield ol a ploughed and lemlrsed monoeulrure, supporled by snemleals and large energy rnplus, ean oulrylreld ma! olalmosl every olher plodueelon syslem Burl al whal publle eosv lor how long rnalnlamedv wrlh wnal improvemenr ln nu|nllonY wrlll wnal guaranlee or snsumnhillly? wllll whal elleel on world hungll” on wlls’ and on our hullh’ There rs now abundam plool lhar sueh loreed ylelols are hempomry, and lhal plougn eullures desnoy solls and soereries These are some very .Iwkwa'd quesnons ln ask ol lhe agrieulnaraleslalrllshmenr, [m vrry lew, ll any, modern agrieulnaral sysrems do nor Carly llle seeds ol our own deserunion. nesesyslernsale lhoae lnal reserve publre hnanrral suppon, yd lhey desaoy the eounlrysrde in a mulelnlde or ways, lrorn clearlng lhe land o4 loresl, hedgerow, and anrmal spuiu lo lungderm soll degradauon and polsonmg We are lnus oullged, by ennenehed bureaucraeres, lo pay (or lhe dealnrelion ol our world. regardless o! lhe leng-lerm rosls lo be lrorne uy our ehlldren and our soeleaes . 1; ln gall Sail organlsms are a mayor soil latter, and have myriad pereepuule and prolound elleds on pH. rrunenl eonlenl and avallahrllly. soll snuelure, and eroslon . gums, It ls nor are purpose a! people on earlh lo reduee all solls lo perreelly ualanred, well—druneds lrrlgaled, and mulrhed marlrel gardens. allhough rhrs ls uhmrnbk and neeessary on llle la. ol lne earlh we need lor our lood produellon. l-hlrs, whal I have so say ol solls 14er lo llle: we, wrln wider rmplreanons only lor those solls law at all agfimhunl sollsl lhar we have rulned uy lhe plough or polluled lay emlssrons lruln rals,spraya radioaelives and lndusrry olrr largesl loll ls are .esloranorl ol solls and lows lor llle nke el a heallhy earln llsell I| rs mosl dzflmlely um la elear, delorm, or ruin any more land, lrul nrsl lo pm in order what we have desuoyed, al lhe same rime aloendrng lo lhe modes: area lhar we need roroursurvival and mu nurnllen, wnnoul pearly drarned, nanrrally deilslenl. leashed. asidls or nlknline sues, many 0! lhe phm species on earlh would disappear, niey have evolved in response lo yusl sueh drllrelrll sondllions, and have speerallsed lo ore-spy lass man perleel soil sues Colin 1udge (Ntw Scream! '36) muses en lhe propomon or lhe llriush lsles rhal eould be given bxk lo nalure, He comes down wllh a very sonservauve esurnale ol perhaps was, And al lhal, wuhoul Idung ‘83