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Healthy soil is essential for agriculture and food security

Soil is one of the Earth's most important natural resources, but are you aware of its many benefits? To help Brits protect healthy soil at home, Yeo Valley Organic has just launched a new Save Our Soil initiative — and everyone can get involved.

According to their research, less than half of Brits (47%) have no idea that almost all our food is directly produced on soil, while 36% are also unaware that soil filters our water and helps to regulate the Earth's temperature (35%). Healthy soil is essential for agriculture and food security, so it's vital we do what we can to protect it.

The organic milk and yogurt company, run by a family farm down in Somerset, relies heavily on healthy soils on its farms, where its herds graze and milk is produced for our supermarkets. To help the nation take action, the Save Our Soil campaign is asking households to help protect one of nature's most biodiverse elements.

"When it comes to food production, soil really is one of the most crucial materials," Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex, says. "It's concerning that less than half of Brits are willing to make changes to protect soil, so I am fully behind Yeo Valley Organics initiative to help the nation learn how much we rely on soil and realise the positive impact it has on nature and our planet. There are so many ways Brits can help preserve soil in their gardens."

Take a look at how you can help protect the soil in your own garden:

1. Compost all organic waste. According to Yeo Valley Organic, every garden or allotment should have a compost pile or two.

2. Mulch your vegetable patch, flower beds and young trees with your homemade compost. It's incredibly simple, but it will help boost soil health and suppress weeds.

3. Try to have a 'no dig' garden. One of the biggest gardening trends of recent years, it's a method of cultivation that aims for minimal disturbance of the soil — and can be adopted by anyone. Digging can damage soil health, turning soil organic matter into carbon dioxide, so it should always try to be avoided.

4. Recycle cardboard by either shredding it into the compost heap or laying it on the ground to suppress weeds and try not to leave soil bare for long periods.

5. Don't rake up your leaves in autumn. Instead, let the worms pull them down into the soil to boost soil health and carbon. You'll save time, too!

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