The Soul of Soil

May 20, 2002 Issue

By Julie Madsen

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The Soul of Soil, David Marsh, Resurgence
Industrial farming has seriously affected our food and land, resulting in noticeably reduced nutrients--some by almost half in the last 50 years. But the problem of low-quality food stems from "high-output" farming's depletion of minerals in the soil itself, according to David Marsh in Resurgence, and our reliance on "high-output" farming methods will perpetuate the cycle of soil depletion to the point where trying to reap enough nutrients from the soil to sustain normal body functioning will be futile. Indeed, Marsh argues that the absence of minerals could be the cause of many of Americans' health complaints, because "without minerals, vitamins don*t work." He sees organic farming as one of the best ways to halt further damage to our soil, as organic farmers focus on "feeding the soil and the microflora within it."
--Julie Madsen
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The Soul of Soil

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