Unearthing Soil's Secrets: Matthew Evans' Vital Revelation
Could the Solution to Our Planet's Crises Be Found in Soil?
Soil: The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy
Matthew Evans
Amidst the bustle of our world’s attention-grabbing issues, there exists an unsung hero silently nurturing life beneath our feet – soil.
As we mark World Soil Day on 5 December, it is a fitting moment to ponder the profound significance of healthy soil in sustaining life.
Yet soil often remains an unattractive subject, and is overlooked in a world fixated on images and branding. Matthew Evans’ compelling book, Soil: The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy (Soil) sings the praise of topsoil, and is an urgent and passionate call to think about soil differently.
For all - Unveiling the Earth’s secret
Driven by his passion for gastronomy, Matthew Evans embarked on a quest to uncover the origins of flavourful meals. His journey led him to become a farmer, experimenting with the relationship between soil, nutrition, and taste.
He strongly believes that the heart of sustainable and ethical food production lies beneath our feet. In his book Soil, Evans takes us on a journey that borders on the magical, but is firmly rooted in evidence. He emphasises the critical role fertile soil plays in ensuring a healthy life, and for the survival of our planet. From nutrition and food security to global warming, this often-overlooked resource has the potential to bring about transformative change, and deserves the spotlight.
Soil loss and degradation demand our immediate attention and action. Evans explains why we all should care for the land, not only farmers and keen gardeners. Addressed to every food consumer, Soil confronts us with some astonishing facts and new concepts. Without quality land, Evans tells us that life will be a struggle, as it is the soil that shapes us and influences our health. His book offers practical actions to help, stop, repair, and build healthy topsoil.
Enjoyable and informative
Insightful, well-researched and compelling, Evans’ writing will keep you entertained through page after page of astonishing revelations. Soil tells the fascinating story of our most ignored resources. It delves into the history of agriculture, and explores the opportunities lying directly below us, to address many of the planet's crises. In summary, it provides a solid foundation for further exploration of the importance of soil.
Soil Advocate
Matthew Evans is a well-known TV personality who has presented several food-related shows including The Gourmet Farmer and What's the Catch? However, he is more than just a TV presenter. Evans is a former chef, food critic and passionate food writer, who conducts thorough research on the origin of our food, and advocates for sustainable and high-quality food practices.
The Microbial Miracle Beneath Our Feet
Arable land holds an intricate ecosystem – a thin layer of topsoil composed of minerals, organic matter, and microorganisms, formed over millions of years. Fertile soil teems with life, especially microorganisms like fungi and bacteria, with striking similarities to the human gut’s microbiome. Evans emphasises their pivotal role in capturing and distributing nutrients, stressing that plants do not turn thin air into nutrients by themselves.
“Soil without life, including plant life, is dirt.”
Fascinating studies reveal an underground economy where microorganisms fiercely negotiate the food supply. Evans extensively covers the significance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), and notes that fertiliser use can render microbes idle, impeding their nutriment distribution role. Although the author illustrates his points with case studies, the intersection of soil and nutrition remains an emerging field. To his credit, he acknowledges limitations in recent studies.
Evans contends that nutritive properties go beyond macronutrients and micronutrients as plants contain trace biochemicals that benefit our health. Despite the author's enthusiasm, reflected in anecdotes and cutting-edge research references, tangential stories disrupt the narrative flow, challenging readers to follow his arguments effectively.
“A change in soil fungus can alter flavour.”
Evans ponders whether nurturing bacteria and fungi could enhance crop yield and nutrient levels, yet historical attempts to boost yields have often harmed soil and human health in the long run. These advancements have focused on generating high-calorie produce while compromising on nutritive properties. When soil lacks essential nutrients, it directly impacts the variety and richness of nutrients found in the plants we consume, leading to dull flavours in our food.
Interconnected resources
Prepare to be amazed by mind-blowing revelations—microbes hold extraordinary powers akin to science fiction. Incredibly, soil bacteria even serve as the nucleus for rain droplets and Evans argues that biodiverse soil is vital for precipitation. These microscopic organisms act as cornerstones, connecting all natural systems. They bridge soil, air, and water, inhabiting every corner of our planet, even residing within living beings. Astonishingly, they possess sensory abilities. Evans elucidates these marvels with compelling research, case studies, and anecdotes.
World Soil Day 2023: Soil and water, a source of life
These microbes, he explains, primarily crave carbon as fuel for their incredible feats. Fertile soil adeptly traps carbon, which in turn enhances water retention and thus fosters plant growth.
Amidst discussions of greenhouse gases, Evans passionately advocates for unlocking soil's potential for carbon sequestration, supported by ample research pointing to the topsoil as a premier terrestrial carbon sink. “The ability of soil to store carbon is one of Climate’s great hopes,” says Evans.
This book highlights the interconnections of all natural systems. Apart from storing carbon, the role of organic matter in retaining water becomes apparent. This echoes the theme of World Soil Day, inviting us to reflect on the intricate interplay between soil and water.
Preserving Soil, Securing Life
Fertile soil, a crucial resource with immense potential, faces an alarming annual decline. Matthew Evans deeply explores the human impact on arable land, and expresses his profound sorrow over the loss of this vital substance. He delves into the structure of soil depletion, dissecting how farming practices like tilling, ploughing, and so many more, have contributed to accelerating natural topsoil depletion.
Conditioning the topsoil is the initial step in the endeavour to rejuvenate and build quality soil.
Through impactful facts and evocative language, Evans urgently emphasises the irreversible nature of topsoil disappearance. Once the topsoil is gone, it can never be recovered. This fragile asset is essential for our survival, yet each passing year witnesses the permanent loss of arable land, exacerbating desertification (United Nations). This degradation poses imminent threats to food security, to ecosystems, and to biodiversity conservation.
“What we do to soil, we do it to ourselves”
Evans traces a historical journey from an era when nurturing the cultivable land was to achieve vigorous crops, to the introduction of profit-driven scientific methods that disconnected us from the land. Despite the topsoil’s accelerated degradation, Evans remains optimistic, presenting the concept of building healthy soil, and notes that while seemingly a new notion, humankind has cared for soil since ancient times. Highlighting the possibility of land regeneration, Evans proposes unconventional yet stimulating ideas to nourish and revitalise the soil.
Reading this book was both rewarding and enlightening.
Reading this book was both rewarding and enlightening. It offers an engaging narrative, weaving anecdotes and stories to simplify complex concepts and to engage readers. The author’s honesty in expressing scepticism or disbelief about certain notions allowed me to connect with his perspective and his reasoning. The book sheds light on the state of rapid soil depletion and provides solutions for its restoration.
Given the author’s passion for delicious food, I anticipated the book would more deeply explore the relationship between soil, nutrients, and taste. While it does touch on this connection to some extent, I am left with lingering questions. This could be due to the experimental nature of the science involved. “Nutritional science, like soil science, is playing catch-up with the complexity of whole systems” says Evans.
To uncover the intricate story of soil's decline and the possibilities for rejuvenation, dive into Matthew Evans' compelling book, Soil.
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