Stewarding the soil
How natural biostimulants are shaping the future of farming Soil erosion and degradation are among the most pressing environmental challenges globally. In South Africa alone, an estimated 10%-20% of agricultural…
Going back to the roots
Read in magazine Links between root architecture, root exudates and soil microbes Humanity is presently facing several threats including food insecurity that are exacerbated by climate change and the dwindling…
Service through research
Read in magazine The Agricultural Research Council – Soil, Climate and Water has excelled over many years in fulfilling its responsibilities to agriculture The ARC-Soil, Climate and Water (ARC-SCW) campus…
Healthy soils are crucial for sustainable agri-food systems – FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has launched two practical instruments designed to encourage soil organic carbon maintenance and sequestration, a key tool for climate action.…
Report reveals soil pollution as one of the world’s major challenges for ecosystem restoration
According to a joint report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme, worsening soil pollution and waste proliferation threaten…
Mutant roots reveal how we can grow crops in damaged soils
For years, conventional wisdom has held that roots don’t grow as deep in hard soil because it’s just too difficult for them to physically push through it. But our new…
What happens in our soils.
The world beneath you When you pick up a handful of dirt from your garden, you are holding more living organisms than there are people on Earth. Underneath your feet…
Food and clean water start with soil biodiversity: Learning more about it is urgent
Although soils are vital for agriculture, biodiversity and clean water, this below-ground world is often overlooked. The loss of life below the ground due to intensification of agriculture, climate change, erosion and…