Rapidly Rebuild Your Soil Health Part 2: Soil Health Success Stories

Didi Pershouse joins us for part 2 of our Rapidly Rebuild Your Soil Health series and shares a soil health success story from India!
✅ Stay up-to-date on all things soil food web 👉 www.soilfoodweb.com/newsletter/
In webinar 2, we’ll be joined by Soil Regeneration expert Didi Pershouse. She will be sharing a case study where 700,000 farmers have been using regenerative agriculture to rebuild their soils in India. This is an outstanding example of how farmers can thrive in harmony with nature. You’ll get to ask any questions you may have about this project, about soil regeneration, and how it can be applied to the land in your part of the world; this method will work for you at any scale and on any crop type.
Panelists:
Didi Pershouse is the founder of the Land and Leadership Initiative, and the author of two books: The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities, and the FREE FACILITATOR'S MANUAL: Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function (www.landandleadership.org/soi.... Didi teaches the Soil Sponge Workshop through the Soil Food Web School.
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The Soil Food Web School’s mission is to empower individuals and organizations to regenerate the soils in their communities. The Soil Food Web Approach can dramatically accelerate soil regeneration projects by focussing on the soil biome. This can boost the productivity of farms, provide super-nutritious foods, protect and purify waterways, and reduce the effects of Climate Change. No background in farming or biology is required for our Foundation Courses. Classes are online & self-paced, and students are supported by highly-trained Soil Food Web School mentors.
Over the last four decades, Dr. Elaine Ingham has advanced our knowledge of the Soil Food Web. An internationally-recognized leader in soil microbiology, Dr. Ingham has collaborated with other scientists and with farmers around the world to further our understanding of how soil organisms work together and with plants. Dr. Ingham is an author of the USDA's Soil Biology Primer and a founder of the Soil Food Web School.
00:00 Intro to subject and panelist
08:25 Case Study: The Andhra Pradesh Community
01:03:29 Q&A
#SoilHealth #DidiPershouse #SoilRegeneration

[@HAHA-ho1zz]

I competed the soil food web basic course, really an eye opener to soil beneath my feet, Thanks to Dr elain and the team. I am from Algeria, North Africa, soil desertification and draugh is catching all North Africa, with your course I hope a can help and convince the small farmers to what should and should be done to the soil.

[@carriebrown4727]

Hello from Kansas. I am starting a moderate sized market garden this year with my Dad's help. He is 74 and tells me everyday that the garden without pesticides and chemical fertilizers won't work. I cannot convince him that grazon stays in manure and that compost is good. Kudos to all of you working with people to spread these changes in farming.

[@kencampbell9230]

Great Documentary. Thank you Soil Food Web.

[@darynneonthetrail]

Didi "Creating the conditions that invite others to change" rather than "getting" people to change. YES to that!!!!

[@shammcglue3453]

Hallo from Croatia thank you for all your hard work. When I have the cash I'm doing the soilfoodweb school I've been wanting to do it for over a year now. I'm learning as much as I can online for now but it's hard for me to get work out here I'm originally from the UK. Anyway I'm putting into practice what I learned in our garden I've got a compost going and just started a worm bin. Also saving for a microscope once again thank you.

[@Volintena]

Hallo, I'm from Croatia too. What city are you from?

[@shammcglue3453]

@@Volintena Zadar

[@Volintena]

@@shammcglue3453 Neighbor, I'm from Šibenik. If I understood correctly, you are from the UK but live in Croatia, right?

[@shammcglue3453]

@@Volintena yes that is right

[@gualteklay9042]

here I am from Ethiopia!

[@musamusashi]

Great, informative series of lectures. Greetings from Kenya 🇰🇪

[@timobrien2738]

Thank you so much for all that you do and have published. Worcester Massachusetts ❤

[@B01]

Another great one, tons of into in here! Can't wait to rewatch and digest even further. Adam, 01:54:30 would love to read if it's published?! I tried to find online and couldn't :( I did come across the one you authored regarding bio-char and worm castings for plant production rates (cowpeas). Glad I came across it! I'm always trying various combos of natural organic products but it's so nice to see some true/raw data being put out there from someone qualified, especially on the more popular ones like vermicompost and bio-char.

[@420Trees]

Thanks👍

[@exhile3747]

36:43 about yield reduction

[@slizzardman]

1:10:44 and the next 5 minutes is probably the heart of the issue: We may see and understand all these great downstream benefits for the environment and whatnot, but farmers are paying their grocery bills and house notes with their net earnings. We have to be willing to make the farmer's net profit the center of the message and talk to them in that language, which means understanding that they simply cannot afford to jump ship in one or maybe even two steps... but if you look at their needs and current net earnings you can find an acceptable "trial space" that the farmer can afford to experiment with (probably not more than 1-2% of their cropland at first). Even a 50% loss in salable harvest would be meaningless if they can see the same per-acre net profit... and sure we know that is not what happens, but run the numbers and look at how much of a yield reduction could be tolerated in the experimental plot while maintaining the per-acre net. That is how you show people value in a way that makes them comfortable with trying a shift towards regenerative agricultural practices: taking a perceived risk and putting numbers to it, and showing real world comparison data that shows that even a break-even situation would be a "worst case" scenario that is extremely unlikely even in year 1. You need to look at a farmer's cropland and say "The stuff I grow there is what I sell to pay for my family's food, insurance, medical bills, my retirement, etc. The products of this land have given us our life so far, I can't risk that just on a stranger's word. They aren't going to pay my bills if this transition doesn't pan out." If you do that then you will have a real chance at understanding the fear that farmers have when talking about a big change in management practices, and that will let you talk to their true hearts. No matter how good the data is, MOST people make decisions based on emotional factors: understanding that and learning how to make it a strength instead of treating it like a barrier is how you get people on board. The results will take care of the rest.

[@mojavebohemian814]

Thanks

[@sydneywalker2966]

Is there a poster we can print out dealing with the question at 1:03:37? Something like an advertisement...maybe addressing the enormous price of fertilizers, etc. and how there is a better solution? Something with the name of the organization/website farmers/gardeners can visit for more information? I was thinking I could print a few and post them up on the boards at local country feed stores, coops, etc.

[@soilfoodwebschool]

@Sydney Walker It is a great suggestion. I will pass it along. If you have not already watch the video of some of the case studies you may be interest to see what happens when farmers make the transition: promo.soilfoodweb.com/oct22-consultant/#casestudies

[@didipershouse3351]

Hi Sydney, if you want to write up a very rough draft I'd be delighted to help. You can contact me through www.landandleadership.org.

[@sydneywalker2966]

@@didipershouse3351 Will keep that in mind. I thought about it, but things take me forever these days! Will make a note to try to put something together.

[@user-jg7zu6uu7x]

Привет из России!С уважением Константин Тверской.

[@andyourlittledog]

Has anyone been working on a natural solution to spotted lantern fly? I live on the east coast and it’s becoming a real problem. I’ve begged my town to remove the tree of life from vacant and public properties as it’s thought to be the native habitat of SLF to no avail. Is there a compost tea that can save the day?

[@MrSkid56]

Phoenix, AZ

[@joelbruneski6486]

Interesting. I found the case study WAY too long and not totally relevant. The rest was great though. Looking forward to part 3

[@mikeymike3440]

Good job

[@soilfoodwebschool]

@Mikey Mike You might find it interesting to hear what our students are saying about us: promo.soilfoodweb.com/oct22-consultant-va/#student-reviews

[@garybrohard3144]

In reference to the question on reducing chlorine in tap water. Could I use an inline liquid fertilizer injector with a slurry of humic acid to get rid of the chlorine? Also I have heard using citric acid in the water can remove it as well. If that is so, is one of these more preferable over the other?

[@adamcobb6423]

Dr. Elaine has referred to in-line humic acid addition before, but I've also read that letting the water set for 10 minutes after addition can improve the binding of the humic acid to chlorine. USDA does list citric acid as an option: www.fs.usda.gov/t-d/pubs/html/05231301/05231301.html#:~:text=Approximately%202.5%20parts%20of%20ascorbic,slightly%20in%20low%20alkaline%20waters.

[@humantouchfacetoface5480]

Sydney

[@rodneycloete5298]

hi im rodney from south africa

[@soilfoodwebschool]

Hi Rodney, If you have a question for us, please email us at [e-mail] so that we can help you.

[@scsfulsarahr598]

FUN-GUY FUNG-GUY FUN-GEE FUNG-GEE

[@soilfoodwebschool]

✅ Stay up-to-date on all things soil food web 👉 www.soilfoodweb.com/newsletter/

[@simpliciasantor5299]

Philippines

[@lorebrown5307]

N.Idaho U.S