While you may hear that pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically engineered (GE) crops are just “tools in the toolbox” for farmers, they actually cause long-term harm to our soils despite the best of intentions. And healthy soil is one of the most valuable assets a farmer can have.
Farmers face a difficult catch-22 when managing soil health. If soils are unhealthy and biologically inactive, the crops grown can be weak and susceptible to pests and disease. Pests and disease prompt applications of chemicals, which further kill soil life, leaving crops even more prone to disaster. At the end of the day, soils, plants, and farmers are all stressed from exposure to toxic chemicals that can harm their health much more than they help. Chemicals are thus temporary fixes that create longer-term problems.
In contrast, healthy farming practices, such as complex crop rotations and cover crops, enrich the soil and eliminate or greatly reduce the need for chemicals. Compost and diverse biologicals can then be applied to meet any remaining nutrient shortfalls. In short, sustainable farming practices aim first and foremost at enriching the soil, which generates healthy plants while reducing or eliminating the need for toxic chemicals that harm soil, plant, farmer, and consumer.
