www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life mesofauna-arthropods Mesofauna » Arthropods Mites PHYLUM: Arthropoda » CLASS: Arachnida » SUBCLASS: Acari » ORDERS: Mesostigmata, Oribatida SIZE: 0.0024–0.2" (60 µm–5 mm). ECOLOGICAL ROLE: Mites are critical in soil food webs as decomposers and predators. Particularly important in their role as detritivores, oribatid mites break down leaf litter into pieces accessible to smaller decomposers. Mites are also agents of […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life mesofauna-non-arthropods Mesofauna » Non-Arthropods Rotifers PHYLUM: Rotifera ｠ CLASS: Bdelloidea SIZE: 0.0039–0.12" (0.1–3 mm). ECOLOGICAL ROLE: Rotifers are predators and scavengers. DESCRIPTION: Since rotifers are so small, only a few features are recognizable under a microscope. These features include crowns of cilia on their heads that whirl in circular patterns and are used in swimming and in filter feeding, […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life microfauna Microfauna Protozoans KINGDOM: Protozoa* PHYLA: Amoebozoa, Cercozoa, Ciliophora *The classification of different protozoan groups is in constant fluctuation as scientists better understand how these organisms are related to each other and to other groups. Currently the groups included in the kingdom Protozoa may not all share a common ancestor. Some protozoans are more closely related to […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life the-life-in-soil The Life in Soil As the title Farming for Soil Life indicates, soil is a living system. It is both the product and producer of dynamic interactions between life above the soil surface and below it. Most plants cannot grow without soil, and healthy soil cannot form without the contribution of plants and microbes. Once the process of soil […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life farming-practices-that-support-soil-health Farming Practices that Support Soil Health Farming practices that support soil health often need to be customized or adapted to local conditions. However, some overarching strategies are used in nearly all climate zones, soil conditions, or crop systems. Broadly speaking, some of the strategies that support soil health focus on a few key actions: Any one of these strategies is worthy […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life farming-practices-that-can-put-soil-health-at-risk Farming Practices That Can Put Soil Health at Risk As a geological and biological matrix, healthy, living soil is protected and buffered against dynamic changes or degradation. However, physical or chemical disruption of the soil environment destroys the healthy function between minerals, water, gases, roots and animals. Landslides, floods and storms are naturally occurring disruptions to soils. Many conventional practices used in growing crops […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life observing-soil-life Observing Soil Life As both the understanding of soil as a living system and the interest in improving soil health increase, the need to reliably evaluate soil health is becoming more apparent. Observation and measurement can help track changes at the same location, allowing you to, for example, compare baseline conditions with conditions present after a few seasons […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life soil-health Soil Health Soil is the foundation of all terrestrial life, including humans. This includes the life generated by both wild soils, such as forests and grasslands, and by the agricultural soils that are the focus of this handbook. Given this, it’s natural to be interested in the health of our soils, and indeed people often talk about […]
www.sare.org publications farming-with-soil-life our-living-soil Our Living Soil Typically, if soil gets much attention from the general public, it is simply for how well (or poorly) plants grow in it. Soil science—an incredibly rich, complex and multifaceted academic discipline—has long recognized that Earth’s soils are a dynamic interaction of physical, chemical and biological properties. Yet most of us rarely give any thought to […]
www.sare.org publications social-sustainability-in-agriculture where-do-we-go-from-here Where Do We Go From Here? A theme throughout this publication is that social sustainability–the human side of agriculture–extends beyond the quality of life of individual farmers and their families. While it’s of course critical to find ways we can improve our own quality of life, it’s equally important to take a broader view by recognizing the challenges faced by other […]