Soil Health Can Help Combat Climate Change

June 11, 2019

June 11, 2019


One knows that the issue of soil health has vaulted into the mainstream when an industrial agriculture giant like Cargill collaborates with the Soil Health Institute in an $850,000 effort to help farmers gauge the economic benefits of regenerative farming. For many farmers, adopting practices that promote soil health can require significant changes to traditional practices. Reducing tillage, reducing or eliminating chemical fertilizers, and planting cover crops all can present challenges to the agricultural status quo.


Why the urgency driving a call for a significant change in the way our food is produced? According to a recent article in The Guardian, “the world could run out of topsoil in about 60 years…Without topsoil, the earth’s ability to filter water, absorb carbon, and feed people plunges. Not only that, but the food we do grow will probably be lower in vital nutrients.”


Also, according to a report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), “land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of two fifths of humanity, driving species extinctions and intensifying climate change.”


“The global community of experts has delivered a frank and urgent warning, with clear options to address dire environmental damage,” said Sir Robert Watson, Chair of IPBES. “Land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change are three different faces of the same central challenge: the increasingly dangerous impact of our choices on the health of our natural environment. We cannot afford to tackle any one of these three threats in isolation – they each deserve the highest policy priority and must be addressed together.”


In contrast to industrial agriculture, what benefits does regenerative farming offer? In 2014, the Rodale Institute stated, “With the use of cover crops, compost, crop rotation and reduced tillage, we can actually sequester more carbon than is currently emitted, tipping the needle past 100% to reverse climate change.” In addition to being a tool for combatting climate change, improved soil health through specific practices can provide on-farm benefits, as a recent report from the New York Soil Health Initiative describes:


  • Expanding the use of fall and winter cover crops increases the uptake of carbon dioxide, which in turn significantly increases soil organic matter.
  • Crop rotation “breaks pest cycles, adds nutrients or organic matter, maximizes soil biodiversity, and provides other benefits,” the report states.
  • Reducing tillage “slows the pace of organic matter decomposition so that nutrient release happens gradually, matching crop nutrient needs.”
  • Compost and other soil amendments “improve soil structure, water and nutrient retention, water infiltration rate and drainage, and can promote beneficial soil organisms.”


Entitled New York Soil Health Roadmap, the Initiative’s report concludes with the following goals and priorities:

Develop a stakeholder network, a key role of which will be to communicate with policymakers the critical importance of soil health issues;

  • Overcome barriers to the adoption of effective soil health practices;
  • Integrate soil health programming with climate change policy initiatives; and
  • Integrate water and nutrient management with soil health programming.


NERC has contributed to the dialogue on soil health, by consistently advocating for expanded training and education around compost. Its efforts range from composting in the home and school to food recovery and the use of compost in infrastructure projects. All of NERC’s extensive work on compost and organics can be found on its website.



By Robert Kropp, NERC staff

Share Post

By Sophie Leone March 26, 2025
The City of Laurel, Maryland, established in 1870, has a deep and rich history within the state. Its long-standing independence and stability have fostered a strong sense of community, providing residents with valuable resources and support. Laurel is deeply committed to sustainability, embedding green initiatives into its core values, creating a Sustainability Division and completing the City’s first Sustainability Plan as one of many ways to support a sustainable Laurel community. The city’s mission is guided by four foundational pillars: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. Laurel defines sustainability as “meeting the environmental, social, and economic needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Residents can engage with their community in numerous ways, including joining local clubs, participating in municipal committees, and taking part in community surveys. The city also hosts in-person events such as parades, farmers markets, and sustainability initiatives, further strengthening community bonds. To make waste management, recycling and organics recycling more accessible, Laurel provides detailed information on its dedicated Green Living Resource page found on the City’s website and partners with Recycle Coach, an app that helps residents easily access tailored information on residential collections, recycling and organics recycling. The Recycle Coach app also notifies residents of changes to their service days and special sustainability events. The City of Laurel continues to lead by example in sustainability and community engagement. As environmentalist Wendell Berry once said, “The Earth is what we all have in common.” Laurel’s dedication to green living ensures that future generations will inherit a thriving, sustainable community. NERC is thrilled to welcome the City of Laurel to our growing list of municipality members. We look forward to working with them to help advance our collective missions in safeguarding the planet. For more information on the City of Laurel visit.
February 28, 2025
A Time to Learn, Reflect, and Celebrate
By Chaz Miller February 26, 2025
Despite claims that recycling is a "lie," the reality is that recyclables are valuable raw materials, not just waste shipped overseas, and strict industry standards help ensure their quality. While fraudulent practices exist, the U.S. is actually a net importer of recycled plastics, and more advocacy is needed to combat misinformation and highlight recycling’s success. Once again, recycling is under attack. Once again, we are being told that recycling is a lie. That the recyclables we sort and place on the curbside are just mixed with garbage and shipped overseas. That we are sending our trash to unsuspecting countries. Once again, this is not true. The most recent attack came in a Valentine’s Day The New York Times opinion piece The Story You Have Been Told About Recycling Is A Lie . We are told that we stopped sending our trash to the nearest landfill and instead chose to send it across the oceans. This, of course, is utter nonsense. Why would anyone send garbage overseas when the transportation cost to the nearest landfill and its tipping fee is so much less than the cost of sending it further? What is particularly egregious is the lack of data. We aren’t told what “trash” is or how many tons we ship to other countries. Is “trash” our run of the mill garbage or is it bales of mixed plastics sold by unscrupulous dealers as recyclable plastics in spite of diapers and bags in the bales? Nor are we told about the hundreds of millions of tons of metals, paper, glass, plastics and electronics that are routinely recycled throughout the world. Why mess up a good story with facts. The reality that con artists sell bales of contaminated “recyclables” is nothing new. That’s why the Recycled Materials Association developed specifications defining hundreds of grades of metal, paper, glass, plastic and electronic recyclables. Those specs include strict limits on “contaminants” and “prohibitives” so that buyers get raw materials, not trash. ReMA’s specs helped make metals, paper and glass recycling the success they are throughout the world. They have the potential to do the same for plastics and electronics. Oddly, the Times piece makes no mention of that success.  Read the full article.
More Posts
Share by: