Why Gardening is More than Just Fruits and Vegetables

Caught up in a hurricane of tasks, homework, and stress, my world starts to fall apart. I’m bombarded with ads, feel the pressures of getting a stable career, and caught up in an education system that isn’t working...it is too much...I collapse. Drifting into the abyss and cut from all ties with nature....how long has it been? In the dark crevices of the earth, I suddenly wake up to find myself surrounded by swirling and winding white streams, and an ecosystem so diverse and streaming with life. I follow those systems full of life, the life stream of the soil, and I’m led to a beautiful seed, a small seed, but a seed full of potential and wonder. That one seed, had the power to bring people together, transcend all borders and boundaries, string a chord in people’s hearts, and like the roots that help support its growth, this seed had the power to branch out, reach out, and allow people to grow as human beings; this is my food story.

I entered high school like a typical teenager, oblivious to global and local issues, disconnected from the world around me, and working to just get good grades. School was meaningless to me, I had no urge to learn on my own, no desire to learn more than what was being taught, and no drive to involve myself in my community. But everything changed a year later. A few students decided to start a food garden at my school, and by chance, I started to get involved, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Through the garden, I learnt about food security, water security, social issues, and environmental issues. Food was at the heart of everything, and the garden was a wealth of knowledge. Along the way, I met amazing and inspirational friends, bonded with the 2 most amazing teachers in my life, and had the opportunity to eventually lead and coordinate the garden project in grade 12 with an amazing and inspirational student! The garden was truly more than a space to grow food...it became a breeding ground for leadership, peer to peer learning, creativity, critical thinking, and student initiative. From this experience,I took my passion even further by studying agriculture at UBC, and became even more determined to convince people that soil and food are the answer to sustainability and social equality.

From my studies, I became intrigued that many civilizations in the past fell not only because of political instability, but also because of degrading agricultural practices, as exemplified by the Polynesians, Mayans, and Rwandans. It became apparent to me that human life was linked to how soil was treated. If there was a single lesson to take away from my story, it’s that soil is a substance to appreciate. Soil is responsible for life below and above ground, responsible for cleaning and filtering out toxic chemicals, responsible for many of society’s antibiotics, and responsible for cycling nutrients and gases. Despite soil’s importance, I learnt that we are losing 1% of our topsoil a year, that 40% of the world’s agricultural land is considered degraded, and that erosion rates on flat lying fields are now similar to those of slopey mountains.  

It was clear to me, that society wasn’t just disconnected from soil, but also destroying it, leading to increased erosion, climate change, eutrophication, pollution of waterways, as well as the increased likelihood of floods, dust storms, desertification, and saltwater intrusion. As you can see, my heart went on an emotional roller coaster; from happy and appreciative learning, to a deep concern about how people are treating soil. And it didn’t help that the way we have treated soil, was responsible for the food crisis’ of 2007-2008 and 2010-2011, resulting in higher food prices around the world and social unrest in Egypt, Haiti, Africa, and the Middle East. Even now, we are witnessing the effects of degraded soil, as the incapability to deal with climate change and droughts are killing crops. Degrading soil wouldn’t just  be catastrophic, but could also spell the end of our civilization. Soil, I determined, was literally at the heart of sustainability.

So so far, I’ve learnt that soil was responsible for many of life’s functions, and it was time to dive into the complications of degraded soil and global warming. Soil is the 3rd largest carbon reservoir, and is the largest terrestrial reservoir of carbon, meaning that soil can either amplify or reduce the greenhouse effect. Currently, soil degradation is not only contributing to increased erosion rates, but also to nutrient deficiency, which has a role in whether soils act as carbon sources or carbon sinks. Ultimately, this leads to soils acting like carbon sources, which has the potential to greatly amplify the effects of anthropogenic global warming. However, there is always a downhill after a tough battle uphill, which is why I think we live in an exciting time. By improving soil and reducing soil degradation, soil erosion can be prevented, as well as support a more diverse ecosystem for soil biota and plants. As a result, better growing plants and woody perennials can help fix and allocate more carbon below ground. This practice is also referred to as conservation farming, and features how healthy soils can grow healthier plants as well as turn growing space into carbon sinks. By taking in more carbon from the atmosphere, we are reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and thus alleviating the possible positive feedback of soils to climate change.

Completely entranced by the mounting importance of soil, I continued to learn ways to treat and manage soil as a means to adapt to environmental change.  For example, heavily compacted soil prevents the infiltration of water due to decreased pore size, resulting in run off. Increased run off leads to soil erosion and the displacement of nutrients and sediments, ultimately reducing soil fertility. This is not only a problem related to agriculture but also an issue of social class for farmers growing at different elevations. Where farmers on the bottom are able to produce more than those at the top of a hill, which can further lead to political instability. The risks associated with increased runoff can result in more floods, contaminated reservoirs, eutrophication and more degraded farmland. According to the global models, as temperatures increase, discharge will happen sooner and at larger quantities than normal, which could result in catastrophic disasters if the water cannot be retained. In addition, because water is melting earlier, water intensive crops in the summer will exceed the water that is available, resulting in a decreased water table. As a result it is critical to improve the way soil is treated because it has the ability to hold large amounts of water. Soil also has the power to filter and breakdown pathogens that could otherwise have gone into lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. By improving soil, we can increase the infiltration rate allowing for more water to be filtered, increase groundwater recharge, increase biodiversity, increase fertility, and with plants, can prevent soil erosion. In an age where global temperatures are increasing, it is becoming increasingly important to prevent some hazards associated with increased run off and erosion, and improving soil is a critical factor that will help us adapt to environmental change.

To end this extremely long story, my first garden experience at Winderemere put meaning into my life, it provided an outdoor classroom full of student dedication and passion, allowed innovative growth such as a student built greenhouse and an aquaponics system, and most importantly, it went beyond what any textbook could talk about. This kind of hands on learning experience was more far reaching, community impacted, and creative than any education I’ve ever received. Soil is so unknown, so interesting, and always changing. Soil is not just an individual substance, but a link that helps us understand how life works. Soil, is something that deserves to be studied, and is a substance/ecosystem we can all learn from. Soil is the heart of life. This is my food story. (Brendan)

Want to share yours?