Soil Foodweb Institute

Potato farmer Garry Kadwell's appreciation of the environment is paying off. 🥔🌳🥔 He's transformed 40 per cent of his land into an ecological zone, in turn creating a place of peace. "Farming all can't be one way where it's all about production and taking things from the land," Mr Kadwell says. 📍 Crookwell, NSW #Landline #ABCAustralia

nder your feet lies the most biodiverse habitat on Earth. The soil on which we walk supports the majority of life on the planet. Without the life in it, it wouldn’t be soil. Unfortunately, Australia’s soils are not in good shape. The new State of the Environment report rates our soils as “poor” and “deteriorating”.

We’re all familiar with some soil dwellers, such as earthworms. But the lion’s share of life underneath is invisible to the naked eye. Microbiota like bacteria, nematodes, and fungi play vital roles in our environment. These tiny lifeforms break down dead leaves and organic matter, they cycle nutrients, carbon and water. Without them, ecosystems would collapse. Amazingly, most of this wealth of life is unknown to science.

Australia has not undergone the same glacial or volcanic activity as other parts of the world. That’s left most of our soil old and infertile. Our soils are highly sensitive to human pressures, such as contamination, acidification and loss of organic carbon. When we remove communities of plants, this leads to soil erosion. Land clearing also hits underground life hard, causing microbial diversity to decline.

Soil abounds with life – and supports all life above it. But Australian soils need urgent repair The new State of the Environment report shows Australia’s soil and the life it holds is in poor condition. We need to protect our underground biodiversity.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-third-leading-cause-of-death-globally-in-2019-was-antibiotic-resistant-bacterial-infection?fbclid=IwAR28yP2M1xB4jocaOefxUxdjIQw9KJlc2mtPrkvxnhvtEbpTrUhLpxfSJVA

The 3rd Leading Global Cause of Death Is Likely Not What You Think, New Study Reveals Antibiotic resistance is often seen as a 'future problem', but newly published data have revealed it's affecting far, far more lives than you might imagine.