Declining Nutrient Value of our Soil

All of life begins in the soil. Since we now have a super majority of Americans, 88% with some metabolic disease, we are faced with examining our soil as part of the problem. In an era where food is more abundant and accessible than ever before, a paradox emerges: our diets are increasingly nutrient-deficient. This isn’t just a matter of personal choice but is deeply rooted in the transformation of agricultural practices over the last century, driven by what has come to be known as Big Agriculture. Here’s an exploration into how modern farming has inadvertently (or in some cases, deliberately) led to the declining nutrient value of our soil and loss of valuable nutrients in our food.

The Agricultural Revolution

A Double-Edged Sword. The mid-20th century marked the dawn of the Green Revolution, a period characterized by the introduction of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties. While these innovations dramatically increased food production, they also set in motion a series of events that would alter the nutritional profile of our food and begin the declining nutrient value of our soil.

Importance of Biodiversity in our Soils

It took the human population 2 million years to arrive at a world population of 1 billion people. Since 1900 there has been an exponential growth in the human population. For instance, Russia, the largest country on earth, has a population density of 9 persons per square kilometer. The US is 37. India is 481. Bangladesh is 1,329. You cannot feed 8 billion people with organic farming techniques. Big Ag is struggling to feed the planet earth, and the quality of food intake suffers in many respects. Norman Bourlag won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work in hybrid plants to enhance food production. Some people estimate that Dr. Bourlag saved a billion people from starvation with his work. The nutrient density of our diet has suffered in the meantime. Trace minerals of magnesium, chromium, selenium, vanadium, boron, strontium, iodide, and others are not added to Big Ad fertilizer, hence many people suffer trace mineral deficiencies in the diet. For example, many health experts now agree that syndrome X or insulin resistance is the start of many metabolic diseases. The minerals magnesium, chromium, vanadium, and selenium are required for the body to properly metabolize glucose. Hence, the beginning of the beginning of many diseases may be trace mineral deficiencies.

The heavy reliance on synthetic fertilizers focuses on providing plants with three primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, plants and soil require a vast array of micronutrients for optimal health. Over time, this imbalance leads to soil degradation. As soils lose their organic matter and biodiversity, they become less capable of delivering a broad spectrum of nutrients to crops. Not only does Big Agra ignore the importance of trace minerals for plant and human health, but the microbiome of the soil is tainted with glyphosphate rather than nourished with the appropriate bacteria and yeast that make the plant roots healthier.

GMO’s – Size, Uniformity with Few Nutrients

The adoption of monoculture and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) designed for high yield and resistance to pests has led to a genetic narrowing. Plants are bred or engineered for size, uniformity, and transportability rather than nutritional content. This focus often results in crops that might look better but contain fewer nutrients.

Food Processing Has Further Stripped Our Foods of Essential Nutrients

Refining Grains Removes Essential Nutrients

Whole grains are naturally rich in fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium. However, through modern refining processes where the bran and germ are removed, we’re left with white flour, devoid of these nutrients. While some countries enforce fortification to add back some nutrients, it’s a mere fraction of what’s naturally present.

Early Cop Harvesting Also Depletes Nutrients

Fruits and vegetables are often picked before they are ripe to enhance shelf life and reduce spoilage during transport. This practice can affect nutrient levels since many nutrients, especially vitamins like C and A, continue to develop as the produce ripens.

Pesticides and Herbicides Restrict Uptake of Nutrient Intake of Plants

Nutrient Blockers

Some pesticides can interfere with the uptake of nutrients by plants. For instance, glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, has been shown to impact the absorption of minerals like manganese, zinc, and iron from the soil.

Benefits of Nutritional Supplements

Chemical Residues Contribute to the Declining Nutrient Value of Our Soil

While direct health impacts might be debated, the presence of chemical residues on or in food can potentially affect the body’s nutrient absorption, further complicating the nutritional value of what we eat.

Loss of Biodiversity and The Declining Nutrient Value of Our Soil

Reduction in Crop Variety. The focus on a few staple crops has led to a significant reduction in the variety of plants we consume. Each plant species offers a unique nutritional profile, and with less diversity, we’re potentially missing out on a range of nutrients that could be beneficial.

The Economic Angle

Profit Over Nutrition

The modern agricultural industry is often driven by the imperatives of profit and efficiency. This leads to practices where the primary focus is on producing crops that are:

• Visually Appealing: Consumers are more likely to purchase produce that looks perfect or uniform, leading to breeding programs that prioritize appearance over nutritional content.
• Durable: Foods that can withstand long transportation and storage times are favored. This means selecting or genetically modifying crops for traits like extended shelf life rather than for their health benefits.

These priorities can result in a decline in the nutrient density of food. For instance, fruits and vegetables might look vibrant but could contain lower levels of vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants compared to their less visually perfect or less durable counterparts.

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However, there are counter-movements and innovations aiming to realign agricultural practices with nutritional outcomes:

Regenerative Agriculture to Offset Declining Nutrient Value of our Soil

• Soil Health: Regenerative agriculture prioritizes the health of the soil. By using methods like crop rotation, cover cropping, and reduced tillage, it aims to increase soil organic matter, which can lead to more nutrient-rich produce.
• Biodiversity: Enhancing the variety of life within agricultural ecosystems can naturally control pests, reduce disease, and improve crop resilience and nutrient content.
• Water Cycle Improvement: Better management of water through practices like rainwater harvesting or creating water-retentive landscapes can lead to more sustainable farming that supports nutrient-rich crops.
• Nutritional Integrity: The holistic approach of regenerative agriculture often results in crops with potentially higher nutritional value due to the healthier soil they’re grown in.

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Organic Farming May Reverse Declining Nutrient Value of our Soil

• Chemical Avoidance: Organic farming avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which can sometimes interfere with the plant’s nutrient uptake or degrade soil quality.
• Soil Enhancement Practices: Many organic farmers employ techniques such as composting or using green manures which can improve soil structure and fertility, potentially leading to more nutrient-dense crops.
• Nutritional Superiority Debate: While some studies suggest that organic produce can have higher levels of certain nutrients, the data isn’t universally conclusive. The primary benefit might lie in the absence of residues from chemicals rather than an inherent nutritional boost.
• Consumer Health: There’s a growing consumer interest in organic products due to health concerns about pesticide residues, which indirectly supports the market for potentially more nutritious foods.

In summary, while the economic pressures of agriculture can lead to a focus on profit over nutrition, there are significant movements like regenerative and organic farming that are working to restore and enhance the nutritional quality of our food. These approaches not only aim at better human health but also at the sustainability of the food system itself.

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Biofortification

Biofortification represents a strategic approach to combat malnutrition by enhancing the nutritional content of staple crops:

• Natural Breeding: Traditional breeding techniques are used to increase the concentration of vitamins and minerals in crops. This method involves selecting varieties that naturally accumulate higher levels of nutrients like iron, zinc, or vitamin A, and then breeding them to produce new, nutritionally enhanced strains. For example, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes have been bred to contain higher levels of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
• Genetic Modification: Unlike fortification where nutrients are added post-harvest, genetic modification can introduce or enhance the biosynthesis pathways for nutrients within the plant itself. An example is Golden Rice, engineered to produce beta-carotene in the edible parts of the rice grain, aiming to reduce vitamin A deficiency in populations where rice is a dietary staple.
• Focus on Micronutrients: Biofortification often targets deficiencies in specific micronutrients common in certain regions, such as iron in sub-Saharan Africa or zinc in South Asia, directly addressing public health issues through agriculture.

Local and Seasonal Eating

The practice of eating foods that are grown locally and are in season has several benefits related to nutrition:

• Peak Ripeness: Fruits and vegetables are typically harvested at or near their peak of ripeness when consumed locally. This means they retain more vitamins and minerals which can degrade over time, especially after long transport or storage periods. For instance, tomatoes left to ripen on the vine in a local garden will be more flavorful and nutritious than those picked green for shipping.
• Freshness: The time from farm to table is significantly reduced, which helps preserve the nutrient content. Fresh produce has a higher content of vitamins C and B, which are sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen exposure.
• Environmental Impact: Local eating reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation, which can indirectly promote better agricultural practices focused on quality rather than just quantity for export markets.
• Seasonal Nutrient Diversity: Eating seasonally encourages a diverse diet throughout the year, potentially leading to a broader intake of different nutrients as various fruits and vegetables come into season.
• Support for Sustainable Agriculture: Local farmers often employ techniques that might preserve or enhance soil health, like crop rotation or organic methods, which can contribute to the overall nutritional quality of the food produced.

Together, biofortification and local, seasonal eating provide dual strategies to improve dietary nutrition. While biofortification tackles nutrient deficiencies at the source through agricultural innovation, local and seasonal consumption ensures that what is eaten is at its nutritional best, contributing to both individual health and broader ecological benefits.

Declining Nutrient Value of our Soil

The narrative around food and nutrition has often been simplified to calories in versus calories out. However, the quality of those calories, defined by their nutrient content, is crucial for health. Big Agriculture’s focus on scalability and efficiency has, in many ways, come at the expense of nutrient quality.

I was born on a farm in Illinois while my father was in combat in Korea. Watched my mother’s parents struggle to earn a living from the earth. It is not an easy career. Support your local farmer’s market. Subscribe to farming coops that provide a basket of “whatever’ produce delivered on a weekly basis. Try growing your own food. Lawns were a means for the wealthy of Europe to flaunt their wealth. Plant a fruit tree in your yard. Better to water and tend something that you can eat than a lawn.

Recognizing this, there’s a growing push towards agricultural practices that prioritize soil health, biodiversity, and nutritional content over mere production volume. For consumers, this awareness can translate into choices that support sustainable farming, advocate for food policies that encourage nutrient-rich crops, and perhaps most importantly, educate themselves on where their food comes from. As we move forward, integrating these insights into our food systems could not only enhance our diets but also heal the land from which our sustenance is drawn, ensuring that future generations inherit a world where food is both plentiful and nourishing.