Soil activism news
Stay updated with, and share the latest global news of interest to community agency networks (CANs) and community groups involved in or with an interest in Soil activism.
2025
How soil could help us reach climate targets, theconversation.com (Nov 13, 2025) - Q&A: The role of soil health in food security and tackling climate change, carbonbrief.org (Oct 29, 2025)
- ‘We found 23,000 worms!’ The soil project bringing life back to the land, positive.news (Oct 22, 2025)
- The regen farmers challenging food system foundations, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Jun 05, 2025) — large-scale regenerative farming study renews hope for nature-friendly food producers
- All the birds returned’: How a Chinese project led the way in water and soil conservation, theguardian.com (Mar 14, 2025)
- Carbon capture in Mediterranean soil: how farmland can trap greenhouse gases, theconversation.com (Jan 30, 2025)
- ‘People feel a sense of ownership’: the growth of community composting, theguardian.com (Jan 23, 2025) — residents of an English village build their own composting site
2022-2024
- ‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers, theguardian.com (Dec 26, 2024)
- In India, Good Health Starts in the Soil, reasonstobecheerful.world (Nov 19, 2024)
- Healthy soils are good for your gut, brain and wellbeing – here’s why, theconversation.com (Aug 30, 2024)
- Regen, organic & agroecology: what’s the difference?, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Jul 17, 2024)
- The Rise of the Carbon Farmer, wired.com (Apr 18, 2024)
- Food forests grown by Nile Basin farmers restore wetlands and bring back a turtle, news.mongabay.com (Feb 28, 2024)
- Indian mystic Sadhguru on 100-day motorbike mission to save soil, theguardian.com (Mar 19, 2022)
- If we want a cosmolocal revolution, writes Benjamin Still, we must learn from how soil binds the world together, The Alternative UK (Jan 23, 2022)
Soil activism
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“What we do to the soil, we do to ourselves.” — Vandana Shiva
"In giving food to other beings and species we maintain conditions for our own food security. In feeding earthworms we feed ourselves. In feeding cows, we feed the soil, and in providing food for the soil, we provide food for humans. This worldview of abundance is based on sharing and on a deep awareness of humans as members of the earth family. This awareness that in impoverishing other beings, we impoverish ourselves and in nourishing other beings, we nourish ourselves is the real basis of sustainability." Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva and soil activism
This section has been AI generated: AI Overview from a Google search, 18:24, 7 August 2025 (UTC)
Vandana Shiva is a prominent figure in soil activism, advocating for the protection of biodiversity and the rights of farmers through her work with Navdanya, an organization she founded. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of soil health, food security, and social justice, linking the exploitation of soil in industrial agriculture to issues like climate change and globalization. Shiva promotes agroecology and seed saving as alternatives to monoculture and chemical farming, highlighting the importance of indigenous farming methods and women's roles in agriculture.
Key Aspects of Vandana Shiva's Soil Activism
Critique of Industrial Agriculture
Shiva criticizes industrial agriculture for its reliance on fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers, and monoculture practices, which she argues degrade soil health and contribute to climate change.
Emphasis on Soil as the Foundation of Life
She views soil as a living entity and the foundation for food production, biodiversity, and overall well-being.
Advocacy for Agroecology and Seed Saving
Shiva promotes agroecology, a sustainable farming approach that works with nature, and the importance of seed saving to protect biodiversity and farmer's rights.
Navdanya and Earth University
Her organization, Navdanya, actively works on seed saving, agroecology, and biodiversity conservation, while Earth University provides education and training in these areas.
Connection to Ecofeminism
Shiva's work is deeply rooted in ecofeminism, recognizing the interconnectedness of social and ecological issues, particularly highlighting the role of women in agriculture and environmental protection.
Challenging Globalization and Corporate Power
She critiques the negative impacts of globalization on agriculture, particularly the dominance of large corporations in the food system and their influence on seed patents and farming practices.
Promoting Food Sovereignty
Shiva advocates for food sovereignty, the right of people to define their own food systems and have control over their food production.
Inspiration from Gandhi
Shiva draws inspiration from Gandhi's philosophy of self-reliance and non-violent resistance, particularly in her approach to defending farmers' rights and promoting sustainable agriculture. Vandana Shiva: Soil Holds Answer to Healing Environment ...
In essence, Vandana Shiva's soil activism is a multifaceted approach that combines scientific knowledge, ecological principles, social justice concerns, and a deep respect for nature and traditional farming practices.
Video
See also
Soil is the upper layer of the Earth's surface. It is made from organic material, minerals and small living forms. Soil is significant in two main ways in sustainable development - as the basis of agriculture, the living substrate on which crops are grown, and as a building and insulating material. It is also significant as a source of healthy homegrown gardens, safety of living environments (non-erosion, embankments, etc.) and as one of the important nature-based services underpinning urban and other human built environments.
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| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Phil Green (2025). "Soil activism news". Appropedia. Retrieved November 28, 2025. |