Where it All Begins, by Kenya

April 9, 2020

Topsoil scientist Bob Kalamaria from Oregon State University's Environmental Science Department told our reporters that, "We are reaching all time lows on topsoil. In a week we'll have only a foot, in a month 3 inches, and in a year, there will be no topsoil on the planet—if we don't make big changes now."

Soil Levels

Topsoil is the top 2-8 inches of soil that plants need to survive, but it is going fast. What's making us lose it, well sometimes it gets compact and too hard for plant roots to penetrate it, other times it gets blown or washed away and is lost forever. When farmers use big machinery, they unintentionally compact the soil, and the plant roots can't penetrate the soil and neither can water. This will affect our food supply as well as the world's ecosystems. Believe it or not, all food starts with a plant. When animals eat plants, other animals will come and eat those animals, and other animals will eat those animals, creating a chain reaction. Another contributor to topsoil loss has to do with extreme weather, caused by global warming, where topsoil gets taken to the ocean and is never seen again.

When we visited local farms and communities in Portland, people have already started taking matters into their own hands. One person said, "We appreciate what scientist are doing, but now we realize that we have no time to waste, and we have to save our topsoil ourselves." Organization like Green Planet are also pitching in. There mission is to create 100 cubic yards of sterile, nutrient-rich compost every month that they will share with gardeners and backyard farmers within the city limits. They are working with neighborhood organizations, schools, and local parks to collect food scraps and yard waste in order to create the compost. They don't use large equipment, and they are working to restore our topsoil.