As we work to identify barriers to a system approach to investing, TIFS is looking at opportunities to connect traditionally siloed issues. Below are links to research, reports and articles that connect soil health to the nutritional level in food and to a healthier digestive system that can improve the overall health of an individual. 

We have just begun to collect relevant research and articles. As we continue to research this topic please contact us with links to relevant research.

In 2019 the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine posted this research Does Soil Contribute to the Human Gut Microbiome? that concludes “ … there are functional similarities between the soil rhizosphere and the human intestine.”   

This 2004 US Dept of Agriculture study Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999 showed a significant decline in six nutrients essential to the food value of primarily vegetable crops from 1950 to 1999. 

This 2015 study The past, present, and future of soils and human health studies describes multiple variables to consider in the soil environment, meaning traditional scientific. studies that seek to isolate and manipulate a single variable often do not provide meaningful data.

This 2020 study Soil and Human Health: Current Status and Future Needs describes “… a need to better integrate soil ecology and agronomic crop production with human health, food/nutrition science,” and “… a pressing need to effectively communicate soil and human health connections to our broader society, as people cannot act on information they do not have.”

This 2020 research article Healthy soils for healthy plants for healthy humans: How beneficial microbes in the soil, food and gut are interconnected and how agriculture can contribute to human health highlights that “… since microbes from fruits, salads and vegetables join the human gut microbiome, the plant microbiome can affect the gut microbiome and thereby human health.”

FAO has fact sheets and reports on the connection between healthy soils and food nutritional values. 

The Soil Health Institute’s 2018 conference summary: Conference on Connections Between Soil health and Human Health Conference Report  

The Rodale Institute posted this article THE POWER of the PLATE: The Case for Regenerative Organic Agriculture in Improving Human Health to offer “… a holistic analysis of the rise of industrial agriculture, the connection to our poor diets and nutrition, and solutions to move towards regenerative healthcare.”

David Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington has written extensively on these issues.

The Soil Science Society of America has resources that focus on the many ecosystem services provided by healthy soils. 

Brazilian researchers have focused on the role of healthy soils and healthy foods in recovering degraded mining lands. 

The Bionutrient Food Association holds workshops and training programs for farmers and gardeners interested in growing nutrient dense high quality food.

Rattan Lal, Professor of Soil Science at Ohio State University, authored the Soil health and carbon management paper focusing on the importance of healthy soils for nutrition and for carbon sequestration. 

Southwest Farm Press posted this 2016 article Microbes may be the new gold rush of agriculture.

Soils, Food & Healthy Communities is a farmer led effort in Malawi exploring connections between healthy soils, nutrition, and healthy rural communities. 

Fruit tree growers in Washington state, in partnership with research teams at the University of Washington, are focusing on the nutrient value of fruit and the connection to healthy soils. 

Politico featured an article on the impact of rising greenhouse gas emissions on nutrient value of food – and the dearth of good research in this field.

Research studies by three University of Illinois soil scientists raises concerns about the impact of synthetic fertilizers on soil health.

Want to boost your immune  system? Eat some dirt. https://ubiome.com/blog/post/want-boost-immune-system-eat-dirt/ 

Atlantic Magazine: Healthy Soil Microbes, Healthy People