Lower Blackwood LCDC – Soil Matters

A healthy soil is vital to ensure both high yields and future high yields, as well as environmental protection – there are no negative consequences on the ecosystem from having a healthy soil! But what IS a healthy soil?

Soil health can be defined as a soil’s ability to function and sustain plants, animals and humans as part of the ecosystem. This definition speaks to the importance of managing soils so they are sustainable for future generations. To do this, we need to remember that soil contains living organisms that, when provided the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, and water, – perform functions required to produce food and fibre.

Only “living” things can have health, so viewing soil as a living ecosystem reflects a fundamental shift in the way we care for our soils. Soil isn’t an inert growing medium, but rather is teaming with billions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that are the foundation of an elegant symbiotic ecosystem. Soil is an ecosystem that can be managed to provide nutrients for plant growth, absorb and hold rainwater for use during dryer periods, filter and buffer potential pollutants from leaving our vineyards & paddocks, serve as a firm foundation for our agricultural activities, and provide habitat for soil microbes to flourish and diversify to keep the ecosystem running smoothly.

This workshop aims to give participants an introduction to management practices and tools that work to repair and regenerate our soil ecosystems and build resilience from the ground up.

Click here for more information or to register.