As a bank that invests and lends to organic agriculture, nature-based solutions, community farms and rewilding projects – Triodos Bank and the Soil Association really do make the perfect partnership.

This partnership has spanned an incredible 25 years. We believe in their mission to support organic farmers, advocate for policy change, and raise public awareness to improve soil health.

Keep reading to hear from the Soil Association’s Head of Horticulture, Ben Raskin, on why soil is a vital resource for combating climate change and what you can do to help save our soil.

Why celebrate soil?

We can't live without soil. It feeds us, captures carbon, improves biodiversity, purifies water, and helps against flooding and drought.

An astounding 95% of the food we eat comes from soil, but intensive farming practices are degrading it at an alarming rate, putting the future of our soil and food production at risk.

We need healthy soil, cultivated through nature-friendly farming, to ensure food security in the future.

What is soil’s role in combatting climate change?

There are 10 billion tonnes of carbon stored in UK soil alone.

Regenerated and healthy soil can improve biodiversity and wildlife. Organisms in the soil break down organic material into nutrients and minerals that support the entire ecosystem.

It is a vital resource to help prevent floods and mitigate the effects of drought. Healthy soil stores, absorbs, and filters water. A single hectare of soil has the potential to store and filter enough water for 1,000 people for a year.

How can I help save our soil?

Grow your own food

Whether in your back garden, on a windowsill, or on a shared allotment, growing your own food is the most environmentally friendly and healthiest way to get your food. It helps recycle nutrients back into the soil and reconnects you with where food comes from.

Protect what soil you have over winter:

• Mulch around plants: Use biodegradable materials like leaves, wood chips, or straw to create a natural blanket. This protects the soil from erosion, stops weeds, and keeps pests away.
• Leave winter weeds: Weeds like dandelions and chickweeds provide natural winter cover.
• Cover empty beds: A layer of compost or other organic mulching material will help regulate moisture and reduce damage from heavy rainfall.

Support organic and nature-friendly farming:

The way we eat and farm can save the future of our soil. Organic farmers make soil health a key priority on their farms, building fertility naturally through the use of compost, crop rotation, and nitrogen-fixing crops. They avoid chemicals, which protects the soil, animals, and human health. By opting for organic next time you shop, you’re helping support a way of farming that is better for the planet, wildlife, water, and people.