Compost – a Smart Way to Better Soil Health

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the December-January issue of AgMag magazine

Photo courtesy of normanack

Compost – a decaying mixture of organic matter that can include dead leaves, food waste, animal manure, even coffee grounds – is a solution to many soil-related problems.

How composting can make a difference in the face of climate change

Photo courtesy of Recology

The world’s soil has lost up to 80 percent of its carbon – runaway fossil fuel use, rampant deforestation and modern industrial agricultural practices that depend on widespread pesticide use are responsible for that.

That carbon, now CO² in our atmosphere, is growing at an alarming rate. Governments are beginning to recognize that climate change due to increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is a reality.

To learn what Recology, a San Francisco Bay area composting facility, is doing about this and the international attention its innovative methods have attracted, click here to read the full article.

UK farmers may only have 100 more harvests unless they improve their soil

Poor soil quality could mean only 100 more harvests in the UK

The idea of food scarcity just got a little more real in the United Kingdom. New research released by The Soil Association states that with continued soil loss and degradation, farmers in the UK may only have 100 more harvests left.