The Nutritional Value of Our Foods has Declined for Decades
Only good soil can rescue our foods from these disease producing deficits in nutrients that are essential to plant health and human health.
Dear Friends,
We are witnessing a revolution in farming and gardening. It is called regenerative agriculture. It is characterized by an understanding of soil biology and how soil biology benefits our plants, with resulting benefits to our health and the health of our fellow species and our waterways.
We are also witnessing a rapid decline in the nutritional value of our foods.
According to Judith D. Schwartz in her excellent book, Cows Save The Planet:
“The USDA National Nutrient Database has calcium and vitamin A in broccoli dropping 54 and 75 percent respectively between 1975 and 2010. Over the same time period, levels of iron and vitamin A have fallen 60 and 40 percent.”
To fix this tragic decline, we must restore our soils.
Plants need 17 essential nutrients. When edible plants contain adequate amounts of all 17 essential nutrients, they become strong, resilient and nutritious. I assert that only healthy soils are capable of delivering these nutrients to the plant consistently and efficiently.
One example is PHOSPHORUS, which is the subject of this post and the video below.
Please watch the following video, especially the first 4 minutes. Don't worry if you don't understand the content at 4-6 minutes. However, I explain this content in the notes below.
How soil biology delivers PHOSPHORUS to the plant
Only soil biology is capable of delivering PHOSPHORUS to the plant consistently and efficiently.
This Matt Powers video explains the phosphorus cycle.
Let’s watch this video and note how soil microbes play a role in delivering phosphorus to the plant.
NOTES ON THE VIDEO
Phosphorus is essential partly because it is a key ingredient in ATP, adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that carries the basic unit of energy which powers all cells.
The media spreads fear about the end of our phosphorus supplies looming in coming decades. But they are only referring to supplies of phosphorus that are mined and transported industrially. Phosphorus as a key nutrient for plants will not run out for those people who know how to activate the soil biology that delivers phosphorus to our plants.
Bones are over 50% phosphate. Calcium phosphate makes up 60% of our bones and teeth.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, “Strip mining for phosphate rock violently transforms the environment, irreparably changing the character of the natural landscape. In many cases mines displace plants and animals and eat up thousands of acres of valuable habitat that are impossible to restore to their natural state.” https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/phosphate_mining/#:~:text=Strip%20mining%20for%20phosphate%20rock,restore%20to%20their%20natural%20state.
According to the United Nations: “Excess phosphorus, like the other key nutrient, nitrogen, depletes soils of their richness. It also pollutes lakes, rivers and the ocean in a process known as eutrophication. This leads to algal blooms which contaminate supplies of drinking water and create oxygen-starved dead zones, which can kill fish and other aquatic species. Phosphorus pollution is a prime driver of biodiversity loss and contributes to the degradation of ecosystems on which humanity depends.” https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-phosphorus-and-why-are-concerns-mounting-about-its-environmental-impact
Animal manures are a source of phosphorus. Make sure you get manure from animals that have not been given antibiotics and dewormers.
Technical language at 4 minutes. At 4 minutes in the video, there is technical language that might not be familiar to some. Here is a guide.
Healthy soil contains fungi.
Specifically, mycorrhizal fungi are a class of fungi that associate with plant roots and greatly extend the reach of the roots and their ability to access water and nutrients by a factor of 1,000 or more, saving energy and increasing plant health.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi and endomycorrhizal fungi are two types of mycorrhizal fungi. No need to worry about which is which, for now.
Fungi are valuable in delivering phosphorus to the plant.
Fungi are capable of emitting phosphatase, an enzyme that helps obtain phosphorus from soil mineral structures (sand, silt & clay).
Fungi release phosphates into the soil.
Phosphates are a form of phosphorus that plants can use.
Phosphates are anions.
Anions are negatively charged molecules.
Electrical charges play a key role in the transport of nutrients, including the absorption of nutrients by plant roots.
Matt refers to acidic versus alkaline.
This relates to the pH scale, which growers must try to understand at some level.
After 5 minutes, I don’t understand everything Matt is saying. I know it’s important. When I learn it, I will pass it along.
I do know this: When we measure the pH of soil, we are only getting an average. The root hairs of a plant are able to control the pH at an almost microscopic level. They tend to create an acid (low pH) environment when they need it.
Conventionally, farmers and gardeners have applied lime to make acid soil more alkaline, increasing the pH. In the regenerative space, many consider lime to be a toxic chemical fertilizer and do not recommend it.
Conclusion: Work on your soil biology. Practice the Five Principles of Soil Health. This will result in your soil having mycorrhizal fungi, which help mine phosphorus and deliver it to your plants. This will result in healthy plants that are nutritious for people and animals, and are resilient in the face of extreme weather, and resistant to insects and diseases.
If you enjoy this content, you can register for my course Healing Our Land & Our Climate, here:
https://bio4climate.org/course-offerings/healing-our-land-and-our-climate/
Matt Powers has really taken the work of Elaine Ingram forward - by leaps and bounds. His research on lactic acid bacteria, other microbes, microscopy and ph testing is invaluable.