13/03/2026
Why Soil Matters — Not Just for Humans, but for Every Species We Depend On
When we talk about food, we often focus on what humans eat.
But we forget something fundamental.
Every species that supports our food system depends on soil.
Plants grow in soil.
Animals depend on plants.
And we depend on both.
Yet one of the most neglected parts of agriculture today is animal fodder.
Farmers focus on grain, fruits, and vegetables — but the quality of fodder grown for livestock is rarely discussed.
If fodder is grown in degraded soil, it leads to:
• low nutrient density in plants
• weaker animals
• poor quality milk and manure
• declining farm health
Healthy soil produces nutrient-dense grasses and fodder crops that sustain animals properly.
And healthy animals return the favor through rich manure that rebuilds soil biology.
This is a cycle we cannot ignore.
Soil → Plants → Animals → Manure → Soil
If we want resilient agriculture, we must care about the soil that grows animal fodder as much as the soil that grows our food.
Because the health of every species in our farming system begins with living soil.
Jaiswal
