Dr. Christine Jones (aka. The Carbon Goddess) provides a compelling case for why our healthcare system is collapsing--our agricultural soils are no longer providing the trace minerals we need to keep our immune systems functioning properly.
In this short video, Dr. Jones, who was one of the first people to put soil carbon on the national agenda in Australia, explains how we must learn how to more effectively manage the carbon cycle in the soil so we can address the issue of food that no longer feeds us as it once did. She notes that we have the lowest level of nutrient density in our food ever, which means we don't have those trace elements that help us battle those flu bugs and other environmental threats to our immune systems. The medical understanding that most diseases are nutritionally related very much proves the adage: "You are what you eat."
Carbon is the currency by which plants and soil can function at a high enough level to provide the nutrients necessary for health. The CO2 in the air becomes liquid carbon (glucose) in the plant which then feeds the micro-organisms in the soil by sending this food source through the roots. In turn, the micro-organisms brings the trace elements to the plant which then affects the nutrient density of the plant--and nutrient dense food for humans.
So how does that relate to regenerative agriculture? This relationship between plants and soil organisms can be interrupted by tillage or synthetic fertilizers and other conventional agricultural practices that aren't focused on creating a robust carbon cycle. Fertilizers make the plant grow and it looks like everything is fine, but below ground that fertilizer may have killed or inhibited the micro-organisms necessary for bringing those trace elements to the plant.
In some cases, agricultural producers will buy those trace elements to apply to the soil. Dr. Jones suggests they could be getting the micro-organisms to provide those minerals for free by building soil biology through such practices as cover cropping or planned grazing. Regenerative agriculturalists are focused on regenerating soil health through fixing the carbon cycle and sequestering as much of that carbon into the soil as they can.
To learn more about how regenerative agriculture feeds the soil and communities, visit The Regenerative Solution page.
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