Soil Health Basics & Benefits

Soil Health is in Our Hands

Soil health is critical for maintaining our natural ecosystems, ensuring future agricultural productivity and maintaining our public and economic health. 

Benefits of Creating & Managing Healthy Soil: 
  • Sustaining plant and animal life – The diversity and productivity of living things depends on soil.
  • Filtering and buffering potential pollutants – The minerals and microbes in soil are responsible for filtering, buffering, degrading, immobilizing, and detoxifying organic and inorganic materials, including industrial and municipal by-products and atmospheric deposits.
  • Cycling nutrients – Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and many other nutrients are stored, transformed, and cycled in the soil.
  • Physical stability and support – Soil structure provides a medium for plant roots. Soils also provide support for human structures and protection for archaeological sites.
  • Water conservation – Healthy soil saves water and increases drought tolerance by increasing filtration and water holding capacity as soil organic matter increases. 
  • Reduced disease/pest problems – Healthy soil is able to allow for better overall plant health making them stronger and better able to resist disease and pests.

Click the resources below to learn more about the basics and benefits of soil health. 

Soil Health in the Fields