Soil is not a living organism, but hosts multiple organisms and nutrients that are essential for our survival. Soil is an vital commodity that has remained underrated.
Here are some interesting facts about soil that may change your view.
Fact 1: More living organism, than the total population of the earth
There are more living organisms in a fistful of soil than the total population of the earth. A consensus in 2017 indicated the world population was 7.125 billion. And this number is expected to increase in the years to come.
When man started cultivating land in 8-10,000 BCE, only 4 million humans populated the earth. The collective impact of any activity performed by 7.5 billion people will have a drastic impact on the soil. To not cause a major disruption in the eco-system, opt for safer and organic methods for agriculture and gardening.
Fact 2: Soil a world of its own
Soil hosts millions of living organisms. Take unadulterated soil and put it under a microscope.
You will find:
- Around 10 to 15 billion of aerobic bacteria
- Mushrooms and a variety of 100 million fungal cell
- Thousands or hundreds of micro-arthropods and arthropods
- Variety of algae, nematodes, and protozoa
All these things makeup the ‘inner-space’ of the soil. Science has yet to identify all the microscopic organisms in the soil. However, these organisms play a huge role in improving the soil’s fertility. Excessive use and soil erosion can damage the organic content found in the soil, so be careful of depletion.
Fact 3: improving soil health can put a stop to climate change
Soil contains a high level of carbon, which plays an important role in ozone depletion and climatic change. Countries around the world rely on agriculture to run their economies. Different agriculture methods contribute different level of greenhouse gasses in to the environment. In order to prevent a global climate change, it is essential that organic methods and products of farming and gardening are used.
Fact 4: Soil a priceless commodity, running scarce
There are numerous benefits of soil; it’s a commodity that provides sustenance to the humankind. But human activity has left a detrimental impact on this valuable commodity.
- Over the past 150 years, half of the top soil of the earth surface has been lost. In the US alone, 6 pounds of soil is lost to erosion for each pound of edible-items produced.
- Yields of crop have increased in the past 50 years, but at the cost of soil degradation.
- In the past 40 years, around 1.5 billion hectares of earth’s cropland was abandoned due to soil degradation and soil erosion.
Currently, we have around 60 years of usable, topsoil left. RoLanka International, Inc. has organic solutions for soil maintenance. Our online store offers various products for sediment control and soil erosion like, organic coir potting soil, organic gardening coir fiber, organic gardening mattress and much more.
Gardening with coir soilless potting soil.
Contact us today to give your vegetation and land the protection it needs against erosion!