What is the Soil Food Web? | Soil Food Web School

The video defines the Soil Food Web as the living part of the soil, comprising insects, earthworms, and microscopic creatures like fungi and bacteria. It is likened to a soil biome, responsible for breaking down organic matter and releasing plant-available nutrients, a process nature has used for billions of years.

The major groups are bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. When in balance, these groups create abundant ecosystems, like forests, which thrive without fertilizers or pesticides. A healthy soil biome provides nutrients, protects against pests, diseases, drought, and flooding, acting as nature's operating system.

Human activities, particularly plowing and chemical use, have disturbed the Soil Food Web, leading to an unbalanced system. Modern machinery causes far more damage than pre-industrial methods. This imbalance results in reduced nutrient availability and compromised plant protection.

Restoring the Soil Food Web can be achieved within months, eliminating the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Farmers can save money on chemical inputs and see dramatic yield increases, sometimes over 200%, as plants gain access to a constant and controlled supply of nutrients.

A balanced Soil Food Web addresses existential threats like soil erosion, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. It prevents soil erosion by building structure, reduces pesticide use (a major cause of insect decline), and sequesters vast amounts of carbon, helping to combat climate change.

The Soil Food Web School trains people to help farmers transition from chemical-dependent agriculture to farming in harmony with nature by restoring the Soil Food Web, ultimately stopping climate change.