The Slow Food USA Blog

Nourish launches video encyclopedia

Print this Page Send to a Friend

Nourish, a national educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities, has launched their Video Encyclopedia, a collection of short films that explore the story of our food. In the above clip, author Michael Pollan describes how the simple act of eating offers us an intimate connection with the soil. From supporting organic farms to gardening and composting, we can nourish the Earth through our everyday food choices and practices.

The Dirt on Soil
Fertile soil is essential to food production. Soil consists of minerals, water, air, and living and dead organic matter, which are all needed to support healthy plants. Through natural processes, it can take hundreds to thousands of years to form one inch of nutrient-rich, organic topsoil.

It is estimated that a cup of fertile topsoil contains more than 6 billion organisms, or as many people as there are on Earth. Five to 10 tons of animal life inhabit an acre of soil, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, earthworms, mice, moles, and other creatures.

Soil depletion, or loss of fertility, occurs when nutrients are taken from the soil but not replaced. Over-tilling, monocrop farming, and use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides deplete the soil, leading to a loss of organic matter and soil structure. According to the United Nations, we lose about 75 tons of soil each year. Loss of soil means less food.

Feeding the Soil
By supporting organic and sustainable farming, you encourage agricultural methods that protect the soil. Sustainable techniques, such as rotating crops and fertilizing with compost and manure, restore nutrients to the earth, preserving this precious resource for years to come.

Gardening offers a first-hand experience of the soil. Instead of sending your food scraps to the landfill, feed your plants by starting a compost pile or a worm bin (a great project for kids!). If you don’t have space for a compost pile, see if your city has a composting program and get a green bin. Check out the Nourish website for more ideas and resources.

About Nourish
Visit their website for more selections from the Nourish Video Encyclopedia. You can also follow Nourish on Twitter and Facebook.