The concept of soil health is gaining widespread attention because it promotes agricultural practices that are not only good for the farmer and rancher, but also good for the environment.
An abundance of research shows that improving soil health:
- boosts crop yield,
- enhances water quality,
- increases drought resilience,
- reduces greenhouse gas emissions,
- increases carbon sequestration,
- provides pollinator habitat, and
- builds disease suppression.
However, lack of widely-applicable measurements and methods for assessing soil health are significant barriers to adopting soil health practices and systems. Read the full release and see the complete list of indicators and methods here.