In part 1 the author of "Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations" comments on what industrial agriculture is doing to the planet's soil. In part 2 he tells what we can do about it.
Produced by Tom Allen
Since agriculture began in the fertile crescent, soils and civiliaztions have been left waste as farmers exhausted soils. First Sumeria fell, then it was the first Greek Golden Age, then it was Rome's turn. A few centuries later Western Europe succumbed to the plague as soils played out in the face of the Little Ice Age. Five hundred years later, Europe was able to look for colonies to support its growing population.
The story continues today with much of the world facing reduced crop yields as soils play out faster than ever under heavy machines and heavy doses of chemicals. What's the solution? Montgomery and his wife find it in their own back yard.
See also "Demand for Organic Outstrips Supply," also by Tom Allen
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