Franklin D. Roosevelt

Looking at the soil in a different way

Many things that we take for granted in our daily life, find their origin in the soil. Think about it for a second: our food, drinking water, energy and resources. We use the natural remediation abilities of the soil and build villages and cities on it. Needless to say: the soil is a precious commodity. Because of the growing world population, the stress on our soil to produce food is getting bigger. Intensive Agriculture, the usage of heavy machinery, pesticides, neglecting the relationship between the soil and crops, starve the soil more and more.  This not only leads to negative consequence for the soil itself, but also for biodiversity and the resilience of our ecosystems.

Looking at the soil as living system

The question is: how can we utilise the soil without destroying its health?

To fix this problem we need to look at the soil differently and no longer treat it as just a source of food, resources and energy, but as a living system.

We could compare this system with the functioning of our intestines. Bacteria in our intestines help us digest our food and support our immune system. In the soil something similar takes place. Bacteria deliver plants nutrients by degradation of waste materials and support the immune system of the soil against pathogens. But just like our intestines, when the system gets out of balance, the degradation function will not be optimal and the system becomes prone to diseases.

By applying our knowledge of microbiology and soil biology, we can restore the soil and bring back a healthy balance.

 

 

 

 

 

By creating a healthy soil, the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers can be brought back to a minimum or even be replaced. A healthy soil delivers more and better products.

Product development for improving a healthy soil

Bioclear earth deploys its knowledge to help suppliers develop products for improving a healthy soil.

This includes the following:

• Diagnosis: assessment of problem causes. For instance the presence of pathogens.
• Bio-supplementation: adding specific bacteria for instance to break down chemicals that impair plant growth or bacteria that produce plant growing stimulants.
• Bio-stimulation: supplying nutrients to stimulate the growth of specific microorganisms, that promote extra soil health and make it more productive.

Bioclear earth has its own laboratory with expertise in microbial research and molecular analysing techniques.

If you want to find out more about this subject, please contact Eline Keuning or Jidske Knigge.