Soil is not a surface, but a layer of a certain thickness

Save it from concrete. This is what Paolo Pileri wants to teach us to do in his book “L’intelligenza del suolo”, a small guide on the potential and importance of that element of natural environments that we always tend to underestimate. Soil is, in fact, a wealth of life and biodiversity, but it is threatened by the advance of concrete, that monster guilty of rampant anthropization that eats all the life in the ground, before building cities and metropolises on it.

With the analysis carried out in this book and with a series of considerations born from BotanicaldDryGarden's more than a decade of experience, we intend to do our part to understand the importance of soil, and contribute, with our work, to safeguarding it and putting into practice all the necessary actions to protect this important resource.

1. What is soil
2. The wealth of biodiversity is in danger
3. What every citizen can do and what BotanicalDryGarden will do to save the soil

What is soil

It is not just dirt. Soil is not, as it might appear to distracted observers, a simple mass of topsoil that provides us with the surface to walk on. Soil is the skin of the Earth, which contains all the life and the creatures that inhabit it. And it is not a simple surface, but a thickness, because, in its subtle three-dimensionality, it is full of life.

In a spoonful of topsoil live nine billion life forms: they are more numerous than all the inhabitants of the Earth. Yet, of those species that live in that tiny layer of earth, we only know 5%. A thin layer, made of a few centimeters of earth, actually represents one of the most biodiverse and delicate ecosystems on the planet, inhabited by the microbiota. It is an invisible ecosystem, made of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and algae, and millions of other life forms of which we still know too little. These inhabitants of the soil are invisible to our eyes, but they work constantly day and night, eating matter, reworking it, to transform it into another source of life.

Most of the wealth of the soil lives in a few centimeters, from 70 to, sometimes, 200, but the first 30 are the undisputed protagonists of life and prosperity, from which, inevitably, we also depend. It is an extremely important layer, since it is the greatest absorber of carbon and water and, therefore, a fundamental resource for all life present on earth. The trees and plants that inhabit our planet and that give us life with their countless functions, draw most of their nourishment precisely from the soil, from its water and carbon reserves.

This place full of biodiversity, life, and resources is, however, also extremely delicate.

The wealth of biodiversity is in danger

25% of the biodiversity present on our planet is found in the soil. It is a reserve in continuous movement and self-reproduction, fundamental for the survival of life on Earth. According to Paolo Pileri and his “L’intelligenza del suolo”, its biodiversity is also the greatest example of a multicultural and multi-species society. An acre of un-concreted soil can contain up to 1,000 kg of earthworms, 2,700 kg of fungi, 1,700 kg of bacteria, and 1,000 kg of insects. These characteristics, which make up biodiversity, are fundamental, because the higher the diversity of a natural community, the higher the probability that it survives, because in case of attack by a pathogen, only a part would be affected. In short, soil teaches us the wealth of diversity in a more inclusive way than the human community could ever do. But this enormous wealth is, unfortunately, in danger.

Human activities damage, to varying degrees, the delicate biodiversity of the soil. The unstoppable advance of concrete, on the other hand, the asphalt covering, kills all the life it contains. The problem, in “killing” the soil, lies in the fact that it is not easy to rebuild. It is born very slowly, and is created at a very low speed: about 2.5 cm every thousand years. After the few seconds of destruction through a pour of asphalt, thousands of years follow to restore the life of the soil.

Furthermore, even some daily behaviors, not necessarily destructive like concrete, can cause a lot of damage, including the behaviors we have in our gardens. Fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides kill billions of creatures, whose balance guarantees life on the planet.

These behaviors damage the soil in different ways. They make it impermeable, preventing water from penetrating. It leads to erosion and impoverishment of organic matter – and, therefore, a threat to biodiversity. It leads to contamination and pollution, which threaten our very safety. All these events have unstoppable consequences even on our survival. The food we eat depends on the soil, and its impoverishment leads to a difficulty of supply. And also a worsening of the climate, since the soil's ability to retain carbon is one of the greatest helpers against global warming.

What every citizen can do and what BotanicalDryGarden will do to save the soil

Each one of us can do something, in our own small way, to improve the situation of the soil. First of all, avoiding the use of chemicals that are then dispersed in the environment, both in daily life and in garden maintenance, is fundamental. But limiting chemical pollution alone is not enough to safeguard the diversity and wealth of the soil.

For these and for thousands of other reasons, BotanicalDryGarden will begin a conversion of its own lands, currently used as an intensive nursery, into a survival-forest, a type of agriculture respectful of any form of life. An agriculture without any more inputs and without superficial or deep tillage of the land. An agriculture aimed at restoring a primordial environment with modern knowledge. An agriculture destined for thousands of harvesters. The last occupational stronghold not easily robotized.