Soil Regeneration FAQs

What is soil?

Soil is the thin layer of material that covers most of the land on Earth. It’s made up of a mix of tiny rock particles, organic matter (like decaying plants and animals), water, air, and living organisms like worms, fungi, and bacteria. It may look simple, but soil is teeming with life and activity!

Soil varies with the landscape. Different types of soils are classified depending on how much sand, clay, or silt they contain, and how much organic matter is present. These differences affect what can grow in a particular area and in turn what creatures will call that area home. Healthy soil is soft and crumbly, holds water well, and has a pleasant earthy smell.

Soil forms very slowly over time as rocks break down and organic materials build up. Because of this, it’s considered a non-renewable resource in human lifetimes and needs to be treated with great care.

Why is soil important?

Soil is the foundation of nearly every ecosystem on the planet, providing important services that give rise to healthy plants, healthy people, and a healthy planet! Whether it is the food you eat, water you drink, air you breathe, climate you live in, medicines you take, matierals you use or natural environments you enjoy, almost everything humans need and want comes from the soil. Below are a few examples of the different services soil provides.

Climate regulation: soils are a key component of the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles, impacting both the level of greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O) and water vapor in the atmosphere.

Medium for plant growth: soil produces the raw materials that form the base of our global economy, providing food, fiber, flowers, fuel, pharmaceuticals and more.

Water filtration: as water moves through the soil, clay and organic matter, which carry an electrical charge, bind to contaminants, removing them from the water.

Nutrient cycling: as soil microbes feed on roots, residues, and organic matter and organisms prey on each other, nutrients are released for plant uptake.

Water storage: soil microbes, roots, and organisms that burrow through the soil stick particles together and build structure, allowing water to infiltrate the soil. The more clay and organic matter, the more water a soil can hold.

Carbon storage: plants use CO₂ to make sugars and proteins, some of which they pump out their roots to feed soil life. Living and dead biomass, decomposing plants, and animal residues store carbon underground, reducing CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Habitat for biodiversity: soils harbor ¼ of the world’s biodiversity. Over a billion organisms live in one handful of soil and 90% of insects spend a portion of their lives underground.

Engineering medium: soils support our homes, buildings, infrastructure, and parks. The type of soil (sand, clay, etc.) and its load-bearing capacity must be considered when laying a foundation.

Historical record: like chapters in a book, soils record the history of past climate and vegetation, as well as the rise and fall of civilizations.

How can we regenerate soil?

Regenerating soil means restoring it to a functioning and resilient state so it can continue supporting plants, storing water, and sequestering carbon. There are many different things we can do to regenerate soil.

One foundational step is adding organic matter: compost, aged manure, leaf mold, or mulch introduce food for microbes, improves water retention, and enhances soil structure.

Growing cover crops (such as legumes, grasses, or clovers) during off-seasons protects soil from erosion, adds root channels for air and water movement, and—in the case of legumes—fixes nitrogen from the air into the soil. Minimizing tillage preserves the delicate soil architecture and the habitats of soil organisms.

Diversifying plantings through crop rotation or intercropping prevents nutrient depletion, reduces pest outbreaks, and fosters balanced soil biology.

Incorporating biochar or rock powders can replenish trace minerals. In gardens and urban settings, simply avoiding walking on beds, using raised planters, and planting deep-rooted perennials can rebuild compacted or depleted soil over time.

By combining these practices—adding organic inputs, protecting soil cover, reducing disturbance, and diversifying plants—we can bring degraded soil back to life and ensure its productivity and resilience for generations to come.