Although many people regard soil as mere dirt to be used whenever and wherever necessary, it is in fact an important and widely under cherished resource. People fail to recognize the importance of soil in their day-to-day lives, and are unaware of how the soil interacts with other elements of the earth’s systems. Soil is a valuable resource for many reasons. Most predominantly, it is considered an invaluable resource for humanity because of its ability to aid in the production of vegetation, to regulate the hydrological cycle, to aid in the recycling of waste, to house organisms that produce the basics for some medicines, and to provide cultural inspirations.
Soil provides physical support to plants in a more efficient and capable way than any means engineered by humans. While hydroponic systems, for example, can remove the need for soil, they require designed and engineered supports for the plants which not only cost a great deal more than soil, but do not last nearly as long either (Daily et al. 1997).
Soil naturally regulates and maintains many processes that occur within it. Soil, along with the plants that place their roots in it, moderates the hydrological cycle. Changes to the soil and vegetation impact not only runoff, but can also affect subsurface water reservoirs (Daily et al. 1997). Soil is also a natural and important recycler of waste, preventing the exhaustion of essential nutrients and minerals in the soil.
The exchanges that happen in the soil are critical to resident plant life. The negatively charged nature of soil particles, particularly clay, is a key component to making soil an important resource, because it allows for the retaining and exchange of positively charged cation nutrients, which plants can then uptake (Daily et al. 1997). These exchanges help regulate the fertility of soils, and along with soil dwelling organisms, naturally maintain nutrient levels. In hydroponics, the leading alternative to soil cultivation, there is a much narrower margin for error in the concentrations of nutrients available for growing vegetation, which if not handled correctly, can easily lead to expensive and irreversible trouble for the growing plants (Daily et al. 1997).
We rely on soil and its inhabitants more than we realize in our everyday lives. Not only does it provide the substrate in which many of our food crops are grown, but it has implications into other fields beyond agriculture. Soil is home to organisms that provide us with essential medicines, including penicillin and streptomycin, both developed from soil residents (Daily et al. 1997).
Another of the values of soil is its cultural significance. It has worked its way into the traditions and customs of many peoples, and has found a place in artwork and even tourism, as people admire the landscapes formed by unique soils.
Soil, although often overlooked as a valuable resource, is extremely important because of its ability to regulate and maintain water and nutrients, and because of its cultural impacts. It not only is a less expensive, more reasonable, and more natural way to cultivate vegetation, it is a natural recycler and houses many organisms important to these natural cycles. Because it provides so many irreplaceable ecosystem services, soil is a resource to be greatly valued and cherished.
Daily, G.C., P.A. Matson, and P.M. Vitousek. 1997. Ecosystem services supplied by soil. Pages 113-132 in G. Daily, editor. Nature's Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, D.C.