Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms
Healthy soils are the foundation of our food system and support broad environmental goals, including improved water quality and carbon sequestration. Increasingly, we appreciate that aspects of soil health such as fertility for plants, suppression of disease, and cycling of nutrients are linked to t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The American Phytopathological Society
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Phytobiomes Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PBIOMES-10-21-0060-P |
| _version_ | 1811271679577423872 |
|---|---|
| author | Deborah A. Neher Jeanne M. Harris Catherine E. Horner Matthew J. Scarborough Appala Raju Badireddy Joshua W. Faulkner Alissa C. White Heather M. Darby Joshua C. Farley Eric J. Bishop-von Wettberg |
| author_facet | Deborah A. Neher Jeanne M. Harris Catherine E. Horner Matthew J. Scarborough Appala Raju Badireddy Joshua W. Faulkner Alissa C. White Heather M. Darby Joshua C. Farley Eric J. Bishop-von Wettberg |
| author_sort | Deborah A. Neher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Healthy soils are the foundation of our food system and support broad environmental goals, including improved water quality and carbon sequestration. Increasingly, we appreciate that aspects of soil health such as fertility for plants, suppression of disease, and cycling of nutrients are linked to the functional diversity of soil microbial communities. The impact of functional capacity is influenced by farm management, which varies with farm size. Small to medium-size farms, with gross sales of less than $250,00 per year, make up 89% of farms in the United States, despite often being ignored in policy decisions. They are often more integrated into local food systems than larger farms, have greater investment in long-term sustainability due to their tendency to be passed from farmers to children, and are more reliant on soil health than larger farms. We describe a research framework to advance understanding of the soil microbiome and its role in soil health, environmental outcomes, and agricultural sustainability on small and medium farms. Our perspective elevates four research priorities to link the benefits of healthy soil microbiomes from the microscale to the macroscale. We hope this approach will lead to practical applications to enable success in the context of ongoing environmental and economic challenges that affect the agricultural landscape. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:25:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d715e417f0b45039756ffa74a2d5de2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2471-2906 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:25:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | The American Phytopathological Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Phytobiomes Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d715e417f0b45039756ffa74a2d5de22022-12-22T03:14:11ZengThe American Phytopathological SocietyPhytobiomes Journal2471-29062022-09-016320120610.1094/PBIOMES-10-21-0060-PResilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size FarmsDeborah A. Neher0Jeanne M. Harris1Catherine E. Horner2Matthew J. Scarborough3Appala Raju Badireddy4Joshua W. Faulkner5Alissa C. White6Heather M. Darby7Joshua C. Farley8Eric J. Bishop-von Wettberg9College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405Healthy soils are the foundation of our food system and support broad environmental goals, including improved water quality and carbon sequestration. Increasingly, we appreciate that aspects of soil health such as fertility for plants, suppression of disease, and cycling of nutrients are linked to the functional diversity of soil microbial communities. The impact of functional capacity is influenced by farm management, which varies with farm size. Small to medium-size farms, with gross sales of less than $250,00 per year, make up 89% of farms in the United States, despite often being ignored in policy decisions. They are often more integrated into local food systems than larger farms, have greater investment in long-term sustainability due to their tendency to be passed from farmers to children, and are more reliant on soil health than larger farms. We describe a research framework to advance understanding of the soil microbiome and its role in soil health, environmental outcomes, and agricultural sustainability on small and medium farms. Our perspective elevates four research priorities to link the benefits of healthy soil microbiomes from the microscale to the macroscale. We hope this approach will lead to practical applications to enable success in the context of ongoing environmental and economic challenges that affect the agricultural landscape.https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PBIOMES-10-21-0060-Pcarbon cyclingecosystem functionfood systemsindicatorsmanagementmicrobiome |
| spellingShingle | Deborah A. Neher Jeanne M. Harris Catherine E. Horner Matthew J. Scarborough Appala Raju Badireddy Joshua W. Faulkner Alissa C. White Heather M. Darby Joshua C. Farley Eric J. Bishop-von Wettberg Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms Phytobiomes Journal carbon cycling ecosystem function food systems indicators management microbiome |
| title | Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms |
| title_full | Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms |
| title_fullStr | Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms |
| title_short | Resilient Soils for Resilient Farms: An Integrative Approach to Assess, Promote, and Value Soil Health for Small- and Medium-Size Farms |
| title_sort | resilient soils for resilient farms an integrative approach to assess promote and value soil health for small and medium size farms |
| topic | carbon cycling ecosystem function food systems indicators management microbiome |
| url | https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PBIOMES-10-21-0060-P |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT deborahaneher resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT jeannemharris resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT catherineehorner resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT matthewjscarborough resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT appalarajubadireddy resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT joshuawfaulkner resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT alissacwhite resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT heathermdarby resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT joshuacfarley resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms AT ericjbishopvonwettberg resilientsoilsforresilientfarmsanintegrativeapproachtoassesspromoteandvaluesoilhealthforsmallandmediumsizefarms |