In our everyday lives, we quickly forget what goes on under the ground and we find it hard to imagine the serious role this area of life actually plays in our human existence, especially when we think about our diet.

When we imagine the growth of a plant, the keyword photosynthesis usually comes immediately to mind. After all, we all more or less remember the models we had to learn by heart in school. We think of light, water and CO₂. But what we usually think less about is what the plant actually grows in: the soil. It's only when we flip further through the biology book that we find pictures of the soil layers teeming with life, with wriggling worms and bright insects cavorting among the layered roots and mulch.

But recently we have been observing events that show us a different reality: Cracked, burned and depleted soils, crop losses, damage to agriculture and a dramatic loss of biodiversity. In addition, images of forest fires and record temperatures in southern Europe and also in Germany reach us, dramatically showing and making us feel the consequences of climate change.

According to the Grist news agency, heat waves that affect crop production could also drive up food prices [1], which would increase inflation: In a report last year, researchers:inside the European Central Bank examined how abnormal temperatures can trigger "heatflation." They examined seasonal temperatures and price indicators in 48 countries and found that hot summers have "by far the largest and longest-lasting impact" on food prices. As Unilever aptly puts it, one could argue that soils are more valuable than gold [2].

If we look at the past few years in Germany, we can already see some dramatic crop failures following droughts. A new research article on the future of the Earth shows that the 2018-2020 multi-year drought event in Europe sets a new standard, unprecedented in its intensity in the last 250 years. Based on long-term simulations, scientists:inside have made the alarming finding that this event is unusual compared to previous events due to its much higher intensity and rapid evolution since its onset. Similar observations can be made from the graph showing how the intensity of the drought has increased sharply in recent years.
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Some of you may remember 2018 as the year with the worst drought and no rain since weather records began, as well as overcrowded swimming pools. The state of Brandenburg, for example, had to contend with grain losses of 27% and the harvest balance sheet recorded a total loss of 680 million euros nationwide due to crop damage. Forage varieties such as hay (50% less) and forage maize (22% less) were particularly affected.

Drought stress is also widespread across the country this year. Soils in the eastern German states such as Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg in particular are exposed to extreme drought stress in deeper soil layers [5]. This can be reported by farmer Tino Ryll, who runs a 500-hectare conventionally managed farm in Brandenburg. In addition to arable farming and animal husbandry, Tino Ryll produces oil and sells fruit. In an interview, we gained insights into how he deals with the consequences of climate change and how he can adapt.

In 2018, he struggled especially with the drought, which forced him to look for other solutions to maintain the family farm. He has realized that proper care of the soil is the key to dealing with current and future climate changes. Tino explains that building up humus, the top part of the soil made up of dead organic matter, improves the water-holding capacity of the soil so that water from the winter is available to plants in the summer drought. To promote humus buildup, he works with regenerative methods such as intercropping, rotting and composting.

"Regenerative agriculture gives me the opportunity to increase the water-holding capacity of the soil. We chose the regenerative approach because the traditional method of plowing, digging up the soil and siphoning off the water is not effective." - Tino Ryll

What makes his farm special is that he has his own trial field where he tests new agricultural measures such as working with undersowing or saving on pesticides and fertilizers. In his field trials, he grows 14-16 crops, such as wheat, rye or barley, always with the goal of seeing how sustainable the varieties are for his farm. It sounds encouraging when he talks about how the measures are working: With the new methods, he is able to increase humus content and save fertilizer amounts for the same crop size. For example, humus content has increased by about a third since the 2018 conversion, from 1.16 to as high as 1.8. At the same time, he can reduce his fertilizer use by 30%. The measures influence each other, he explains, and the quality of the products increases significantly. At the same time, his yield is also secured in the long term with the climate-resistant practices. He encourages every farmer to take this important step and apply the methods on a small area: "We have to start, because we don't have the time to work the soil for years, as we have traditionally done."

The health of the soil increases nutritional value of our food

Tino tells us how the health of his soil improves the quality of his products. Through regular soil sampling, it is clear that his methods increase the levels of important micronutrients such as selenium. This is an important finding because a number of studies have examined the nutrient density of soils, which has declined overall over the past 50 years: One famous study compared the nutrient data of 43 fruits and vegetables. Six out of 13 nutrients had decreased by 9 to 38% [6]. So we can say that it is more difficult for us today to absorb as many nutrients from food as our grandparents were able to. Soil scientists:inside like Christine Jones have noted that a soil with diverse microbes and functional groups is a prerequisite for nutrient-rich plants, pastures, fruits and vegetables [7]: "Under biologically healthy conditions, 85 to 90 percent of plant nutrient uptake is mediated by microbes, and if today's crops are less nutrient-rich, practices that damage or kill soil biology are to blame." [8] So we should keep in mind that a healthy soil is ultimately a healthy human body.

"The bottom line is that we are all in the same boat. Our raw materials are essential for the food industry to sell the finished products made from them. Moreover, less food is produced when fewer raw materials are supplied. [...] After all, shortages cost the food industry money every year." - Tino Ryll

For farmer Tino, the first crucial step is therefore for regenerative agriculture to become better known in the food industry. In addition, humus projects can generate funds for CO₂ emissions, which can be a great opportunity for the food industry: By helping farmers transition to regenerative measures, food companies can make their own value chains more resilient to climate change and save on greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, Tino would like to see joint projects initiated and financially supported so that trial fields like Tino's can be implemented on a larger scale.

The financial and advisory support from Klim is helping Tino to switch to regenerative agriculture. By purchasing carbon credits, companies can get closer to their climate targets and integrate regenerative agriculture into their own value chains. Farmers like Tino document their progress and Klim digitally quantifies and verifies the impact of their carbon storage. Company supply chains become more resilient and companies gain the loyalty of their farmers, future-proofing the value chain. At Klim, our solution aims to leverage the interface between food companies and farmers to scale up regenerative agriculture as quickly as possible and at scale.

Sources:[1],[2],[3],[5],[6],[7],[8]

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