The Five Principles
By Sherrie Ottinger (The Tennessee Dirtgirl)
“Why do you think the 5 principles of soil health are so important, and are they the ONLY principles?” This was a question I recently received, and I’ll address today.
The 5 Principles of Soil Health are:
Minimize soil disturbance – Maintain a living root – Keep soil covered – Animal integration – Plant diverse crops.
The basis of the 5 soil health principles, is simply observation of how Nature handles things. Nature has been around many times longer than humanity, and the system, the biocycle, the slow and steady way it works, really does work! Don’t believe me? Go for a hike in the woods, and observe how the life there functions symbiotically…in harmony with all surroundings. The duff on the floor of the forest, is the nursery bed for new life. Downed timber, animals and plants that have expired, feed the microbes and fungi, that feeds the roots of the seedlings. A million seeds fall, but only a few takes root and grow. Why? Because they fell on a spot that was just right for them. Everything in that environment works together to keep the whole, healthy. You won’t find raw ground, unless a tree has uprooted. Even in drought years, there’s moisture to sustain life. The air inside a forest canopy is much cooler than open air. Harmony. Balance.
No, I don’t believe this is the whole picture, but it’s a darn good start! If you look back in history, and at the way the indigenous people farmed, it was always with respect for the land, because they understood their lives, and the lives of their people, depended on protection of resources. For thousands of years the soil has been farmed, and balance was maintained. Humans were fed. So was the soil. Value was placed on life, and the human occupiers didn’t over-harvest or abuse their resources.
It's only been about 130 years that humans have begun to separate themselves from the responsibility of value and respect of life. Somehow, we came to believe that “take dominion” meant to use and abuse at will…and we have. We’re now dealing with the crisis we’ve pushed our planet to. Oh, I believe the planet will survive. I’m not so sure about the humans on board!
Take a listen to Ray Archuleta.....
