Soil health: crucial for future food production

Healthy soil is a key driver of farm productivity, profits, and sustainable food production. Dr Hendrik Smith explained to Magda du Toit how farmers can improve the health and fertility of their soils.

-  Magda du Toit

The greatest threat to South Africa’s farmlands doesn’t come from the global economy or government policies. It’s to be found under a farmer’s feet. According to Dr Hendrik Smith, conservation agriculture facilitator, 95% of food production is estimated to rely directly or indirectly on soil. Yet this resource has long been taken for granted, and a large percentage of agricultural soils are moderately to highly degraded through years of neglect or misuse.

The good news is that, in many instances, the situation can be reversed by changing production practices and rebuilding the soil. Healthier soils will not only secure food production, even in less-than-ideal situations, but also restore biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions. The potential for carbon sequestration is increased by nurturing soil health and photosynthetic capacity through good soil management.

“If soil health is neglected, less carbon will be stored in the soil. This will have a detrimental effect on the environment and could expedite global climate change,” stresses Smith.

SOIL EROSION

Soil erosion is a major environmental problem that affects land and water resources in South Africa. Although a natural process, it is accelerated by human activities such as the clearing of vegetation, soil tillage and overgrazing.

Soil erosion has a multitude of adverse on- and off-site consequences, such as decreased soil fertility, lower water quality, and lower yields. It involves the loss of fertile topsoil and the reduction of soil productivity, but is also associated with sediment delivery to rivers, causing siltation and pollution of water resources.