The Beauty of Compost
As you may know, due to modern agriculture and other unsustainable human activities we are losing fertile soils at alarming rates, an estimated 24 billion tons per year. When we talk about soil degradation what is really being lost is the presence of biology especially the microbial life within the soil. Modern agriculture depicts the soil as dead inert matter, but in reality soils hold a vibrant ecosystem, teaming with life! A tablespoon of healthy soil should contain more organisms than there are people on earth.
However, the adoption of chemical farming, characterized by the use of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, and extensive tillage, has led to the widespread destruction of soil life. This approach not only portrays soil as lifeless dirt but also disrupts ecosystems, weakening them and making them susceptible to pests and diseases. The repercussions of soil degradation extend to every living being on the planet, considering that soil serves as the foundation for all life.
This is because soil is the foundation to all life on earth. We come from the soil and we return to the soil. Composting is a natural recycling system, converting organic matter back into nutrient-rich soil. This process, facilitated by saprotrophic organisms breaking down dead tissues, transforms death into fertile ground for new life.
When we look at climate change and the ecological impacts of chemical farming we see erosion, flooding, run-off pollution, wildfire, desertification, loss of soil quality, water pollution, air pollution, elevated co2 levels, extreme weather conditions, species loss, food security. The true beauty of compost is that it can be used to remediate all these negative impacts brought on by human activity.
While composting is commonly recognized as a means to reduce landfill waste, its lesser-known potential lies in serving as a microbiological inoculant to rejuvenate lifeless soils. Compost could be thought of as a probiotic for the soil.
There are many reasons microorganisms are important to the soil, one being nutrient cycling which is the process that keeps our soil rich in nutrients to support healthy plant growth. Plants send about 50% of the products made through photosynthesis to the rhizosphere. Those products such as sugars and amino acids are released through the roots as exudate with the purpose of attracting and feeding microbes. This is an simplified explanation but just to give you an idea nutrient cycling occurs when microorganisms especially fungi and bacteria are breaking down soil particles and organic matter and when these decomposers are eaten by higher trophic level organics they excrete wastes into the soil solution that are in plant available forms.
Chemical farming relies on synthetic chemicals, which limits plants to the minerals in those formulas, resulting in a loss of nutrient density in our food and, consequently, in our bodies. In contrast, healthy soils, enriched by microbial life, allow plants to access a diverse range of minerals, restoring nutrition in our food and contributing to overall well-being. It is estimated that 50 years ago 1 orange supplied the same nutrients and 8 oranges today. The lack of nutrition in our food is the root cause to much of the illness and disease we see today.
However, In healthy soils, plants are able to obtain a diverse range of minerals and nutrients through their relationships with microbial life. Healthy soil restores the nutrition in our food and health of our bodies.
Mycorrhizal fungi specifically are critical to nutrient acquisition in plants. These amazing fungi work symbiotically with plants to support healthy growth. Mycorrhizal fungi are able to mine water and nutrients from the soil and exchange those products for plant exudates. It is estimated that 80% of all plant species form mycorrhizal relationships. A handful of healthy soil can contain up to 26 miles of fungal hyphae. However, the use of the plow had a huge impact on the degradation of these fungi because the extreme disturbance rips though the long delicate threads of hyphae.
Another reason microorganisms are important is because they provide good soil structure. Bacteria produce sticky glues that adhere them to surfaces which causes soil particles to stick together forming microaggregates. Fungi wrap their hyphae around the microaggregates and form macroaggregates. This is extremely important because it creates pore spaces allowing air and water to move through the soil.
However, if soil structure is lost water is not able to run through the soil causing runoff pollution, erosion, flooding, and sea rise. If you think about what happens when you pour water over a plate of flour, the water will pool up and run off the flour. To make bread you add yeast or microorganisms. When water is poured onto bread the bread is able to absorb and hold it like a sponge. With organisms present in the soil it acts like a sponge which absorbs and holds water preventing drought stress. When soil has good structure water is able to run through the soil carbon filter where microorganisms pull out and neutralize toxins and pollutants, which provides clean water to the underground aquifers. Having good soil structure eliminates erosion, run off pollution, water pollution, floods, and sea rise.
Another great benefit of having fungi in our soils is carbon sequestration. As fungi grow they accumulate carbon and store it within their cell walls, Fungi only release 20% of the carbon they consume, for comparison bacteria release 80%. The elevated Carbon in the atmosphere belongs in the soil. It is estimated that ⅓ of the elevated carbon in the atmosphere could be returned to the soil in one growing season if all agricultural land was farmed in a way that promotes fungal life. It is estimated that in as little as three years we could reverse climate change if we all adapted practices that regenerate our soils.
Compost is a substance that encourages and supports life in the soils, while our current practices with pesticides and chemicals perpetuate death. We are well aware of the rampant decline of human health and rise in disease. Could it be because we are eating food grown in dead soils? How could we expect these soils to support human life if they cannot sustain plant or microbial life.
In society, a sterile culture has emerged that teaches us to fear the microscopic world. Germ theory has created a paradigm of sterility. Antibiotics, cleaning products, pesticides have all been overused to the point where we have severely disrupted and altered the natural balance of life.
We must shift this perspective because these microorganisms are nothing to fear. In fact, they should be celebrated and revered. Humans plants and animals have been co evolving with microbial species for billions of years. Our bodies contain trillions of microorganisms including bacteria, archaea, yeast, fungi, protists, viruses and more. We actually have 10x more bacteria cells in our body than human cells.
Microorganisms perform vital functions within our bodies, and we could simply not survive without them. We may perceive ourselves as individual humans but in reality we are a symbiotic fusion of many organisms.
We it is imperative that we come to realize no organisms are inherently bad. In Korean philosophy they say “the Good and the Bad are One.” Every organism has a purpose. Many organisms we consider bad are simply performing their ecological function, which is to break down and clean up, dead and dying tissue. This may look to us like they cause sickness or disease, while in healthy and balanced environments microorganisms act in beneficial ways. Ultimately, it is the environment that determines their function. In essence, “the microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything”
Many of the environmental and health crises we face today are caused by poor soil and waste management practices. The beauty of composting is that it can be used as a tool to revitalize our soils with microbial life and reverse these challenges we are facing today.
Together we can rebuild the organic architecture around us by integrating with the microbial community, and remembering we are the protectors of this planet, and as such it is our responsibility to live in reciprocity with all forms of life on our beautiful Earth. Composting is an act of love and devotion to the land, and It is a process that shines a glimmer of hope on our future.
