At the heart of our food security matters is soil health and addressing this will improve our stead in the response to an increasingly warming planet. This is the view of Hoven Meyer, group manager for Nestlé Agriculture Services.
Our general conception of “the soil” is one that ends at the idea of fertile or barren with respect to crop husbandry. Yet, what we know for sure is that below the surface we walk on is an entire universe, of life forms and passages and networks and connections. And to this subterranean sphere, we owe 95% of the food that ends up on our tables.
Soil is literally the foundation of our food systems, and so it follows that it is central to our efforts to meet SDG Goal 2, end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Following the recent commemoration of World Soil Day on with the theme“Soils: where food begins”, the importance of soil conservation to maintain healthy ecosystems cannot be overemphasised. While that responsibility has always been assumed by those who tend to the soil – mostly farmers – the entire food value chain ought to chip in to help make a difference.
When discussing soil health, we engage on one element of a broader ecosystem that includes biodiversity, water, weather, among other pillars. And coming out of Cop27 held recently in Egypt, this broader ecosystem now includes concerns such as infrastructure and energy security. This is because in our climate reality, where energy security is increasingly threatened and infrastructure urgently needs to be adaptable, the highest existential risk humans face sits in food security. And therefore, soil is the heart of the matter.
Changing attitudes, promoting action
Centering soil in this critical moment for our planet is twofold. On one end, it is about changing attitudes towards our environment and its many constituents, and on the other, it’s about actionable interventions we can bring to the table to improve soil health and fertility.
Both ends of the discussion speak to a systemic and holistic approach in the transition towards more sustainable food systems, with farmers being the key players in this shift. Thus, the need to create a collaborative environment that supports the agriculture through information and training, coupled with innovative solutioning in our approaches to farming.
A key intervention that is delivering on soil health and ultimately changing livelihoods in this climate reality is regenerative agriculture. It is an approach to farming that centres soil fertility while protecting water retention, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and reduction of GHGs (greenhouse gases).
Key to this approach is how it mimics nature, and works with nature too, and the results show mitigation of climate change while delivering increased and high-quality yields. Further, regenerative agriculture improves the resilience of farmlands to climate change and helps protect and restore critical natural resources for farming.
Africa’s first net zero dairy farm
We’ve seen this approach in a pilot project that has applied regenerative agricultural practices over the last couple of years. A partnership between Nestlé ESAR and Skimmelkrans Boerdery, in George, South Africa, the pilot project is looking to deliver what will be Africa’s first net zero dairy farm. Interventions used centre soil health, and these include intercropping in pastures, mixing different types of grass such as ryegrass and clover, zero tillage and fertilised with cattle manure and irrigated with recycled water.
The farm has offset thousands of tonnes GHGs from escaping into the atmosphere. For instance, through carbon sequestration, each hectare has held onto an average of 10 metric tons of carbon from escaping into the atmosphere. By practising regenerative agriculture, the farm has increased its milk production by 11% – and this milk is used in well-loved products.
In Kenya, we work with farmers, suppliers and partners to help protect agricultural lands, enhance biodiversity and help prevent deforestation. Healthier soils are more resilient to the impacts of climate change and can increase yields, helping improve farmers’ livelihoods.
NESCAFÉ will provide farmers with training, technical assistance and high-yielding coffee plantlets to help them transition to regenerative coffee farming practices. The brand intends to help farmers plant more than 20 million trees at or near their coffee farms.
2025 regenerative goals
This is in line with the milestones that we have, one of which is to source 20% of our key ingredients used in our brands through regenerative agricultural methods by 2025.
At the heart of our food security matters is soil health and addressing this will improve our stead in the response to an increasingly warming planet. Therefore, now that we’ve celebrated World Soil Day, let’s remember the centrality of this component of our environment, and the role we can all play in the soil is a key component of a broader approach to regenerative agriculture as a bond where the natural resources needed to grow plants and produce food interconnect.
Protecting living soils is critical for success in the food and beverage sector. It is through continued collaboration with farmers and farming societies that this can be achieved.
- Hoven Meyer is the group manager for Nestlé Agriculture Services in East and Southern African Region. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Food For Mzansi.
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