The Crossing - honouring our soil rather than profiting from it!

The Soil in this community garden in a field in Sussex, UK, is full of life. We know that because it’s had 8 years of care and attention helping turn it from over grazed clay pasture into rich loamy soil. The succession has been from initial double-dig, to no -dig, plenty of bio-char added and now since becoming a full blown community-led project in the last year, bio-dynamic preparations and techniques are now being used also.

Meanwhile, in the surrounding 7 acres of land, those in the local community interested in animal husbandry have been able to initiate goat, sheep, pig and chicken co-ops as part of a broader regeneration land practices. This is all thanks to the land owner who recognized the growing need for deepening community bonds and producing healthier soils and thereby food, and offered the use of his land for a small membership fee.

The Crossing is an example where exchange with and honouring our soil, rather profiting from it is at the heart of this. This expression occurs a myriad of ways from the practical to the spiritual. It fosters participation, heartfelt communication, celebration and the care of the Land and its Beings.
For more information on the practices or set up of this project feel free to contact us via
thecrossingcsa@protonmail.com

By Lucy Martin, trainer Soil4Life Soil Conservation and Management training

Comments

Regenerating soil AND growing food

The land where I live has been exploited and badly damaged over many decades. The most noticeable impact is caused by the huge Eucalyptus and abundant Wattle that are overcrowding the area, dehydrating the soil, blocking the sunlight and limiting biodiversity. These plants were brought here for the vast monoculture plantations that surround us- as a replacement for the indigenous old-grow woods when they became highly endangered due to over harvesting and deforestation. Eucalyptus, Pine and Wattle are not from this country nor region, and our local flora and fauna cannot thrive here- they create a very limited ecosystem and wreak havoc on the natural ecosystem services that our unique endemic forests provide. But, with the right tools and resources, they can become a blessing! With a chainsaw and a chipper, we are able to turn biomass into compost which we use in our indigenous tree nursery, in our food gardens and in our agroforestry systems to improve the soil. While clea...

Soil for Food Security in South Africa

In South Africa the restrictions and impact of Covid-19 are having a direct effect on millions of children. 5 000 000 school children rely on government school feeding schemes. Since school closures and disruptions due to Covid-19 protocols and social distancing, millions of children are now going hungry. In a grassroots response to the ensuing food crisis and job losses, many local community members have set up soup kitchens from their own homes. Establishing food gardens creates an opportunity to feed into these soup kitchens with fresh, nourishing, healthy vegetable. Growing gardens restores a valuable sense of purpose and teaches a skill set that can help people to provide for themselves and their families´ basic needs. It also provides a place to connect, share seeds, recipes, nutritional advice and stories! Of course, at the foundation of these food gardens is the soil! Especially in a small, intensive space, soil fertility and nutrient cycling is ess...

Soil4All The change starts right in front of our door

Soil4All: Creating a Public Gardening Space Background thoughts and purpose Creating a public vegetable garden in a rural area? “What for?”, you might think, “don’t people on the countryside usually have access to an amount of land to create their own gardens if they wanted?” That’s true of course, but while ‘urban gardening’ in cities enjoys increasing popularity, fewer and fewer people and families are gardening in rural areas- despite the prevailing conditions. Reasons might be less time, less or no need, decreasing knowledge and maybe also a lack of motivation. But as every gardener knows, a vegetable garden is much more than watering and pulling weeds: for your work, it delivers fresh, seasonal and ecological food - right on your doorstep. Old knowledge and new technologies, traditional methods and scientific findings can be combined and generated here. It’s basically a knowledge hub, serving among many other things also as tool to deal with crisis – as so ma...

Soil4Life

Search This Blog