logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
10m 30s

Why healthy soil matters now more than e...

TED
About this episode

From nourishing our foods to storing massive amounts of carbon, soil is teeming with diverse microbial life that could slow global warming. Climate change scientist Jane Zelikova calls for agricultural practices that protect Earth's soil by growing climate-adapted crops that don't mess with the microbes. "Soils are the literal foundation of life on this planet -- the reason that we eat and the climate solution just waiting to be unlocked," she says.

Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Sunday Pick: How to think critically about history — and why it matters (w/ David Ikard)
Have you ever recalled a story only to have someone point out "that's not how it went"? Well, what happens when what we misrepresent are our historical narratives? David Ikard is a Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. In this episode, he ta ... Show More
30m 20s
Jan 31
The language you're fluent in — but forgot how to hear | Louis VI
What if the calm you feel when you hear birdsong isn't a coincidence, but ancient evolutionary wiring ... a signal that once meant safety? Musical ecologist and rapper Louis VI says humans are hardwired to nature's sonic language, but modern life has drowned it out. He explores h ... Show More
18m 54s
Jan 30
Why can't we better prepare for extreme weather? | Catherine Nakalembe
Thanks to advanced technology, we can now see droughts and crop failures months before they hit. So why are millions of people still going hungry? TED Fellow Catherine Nakalembe, director of the NASA Harvest program in Africa, exposes the blind spots that keep life-saving climate ... Show More
11m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2023
Don't Call It Dirt: The Surprising Science Of Soil
It's easy to overlook the soil beneath our feet, or to think of it as just dirt to be cleaned up. But soil wraps the world in an envelope of life: It grows our food, regulates the climate and makes the planet habitable. "What stands between life and lifelessness on our planet Ear ... Show More
11m 31s
Aug 2023
Plant Migration
Climate change is having sweeping effects on our climate and this is changing the world, not just for humans and other animals, but plants too. Will the Earth’s flora manage to find safe refuge in time?    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
45m 19s
Nov 2014
The Microbe Revolution
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’ve probably heard about the human microbiome. Research into the composition, function, and importance of the galaxy of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that, when we’re healthy, live in symbiotic balance in and ... Show More
39m 48s
Jan 2019
The Future of Food - Seta Tutundjian
Seta Tutundjian is the Director of Programs at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), a non-profit joint venture between the UAE Govt and the Islamic Development Bank. She had spent 15 years working with USAID in Jordan, strengthening institutions and working ... Show More
23m 11s
Jan 2021
Plant scientist Dale Sanders
Professor Dale Sanders has spent much of his life studying plants, seeking to understand why some thrive in a particular environment while others struggle. His ground breaking research on their molecular machinery showed how plants extract nutrients from the soil and store essent ... Show More
27m 39s
Jun 2021
#4 - Adrian Ferrero: The Role of Microbial Communities in Soil
In this episode, we're discussing the role of microbe communities in soil. How microbes can be profiled to better understand what is happening underground, how to nurture and retain microbes and how they impact plant growth. We're also gonna talk about carbon storage in ... Show More
36m 44s
Mar 2024
How are farmers adapting to climate change?
Up to 10% of areas for major crops and livestock could be rendered unsuitable by climate change by 2050, so what can farmers do to adapt to rising temperatures and extreme weather events?Stefania Gozzer meets a farmer in Spain to see how severe droughts ruined his cereal harvest, ... Show More
18m 19s
Sep 2022
Life in soil: Tasting the earth in France
Writer and environmentalist Isabelle Legeron is in France to see how cultivating a healthy soil, teeming with fungi and microbes, can enhance the flavour profile of food and drink - from cheese to coffee to wine. She explores the fundamental role soil plays in the notion of “terr ... Show More
27m 48s
Jun 2021
Can planting trees really stop climate change? | Thomas Crowther
From governments to airlines to your favorite eco-friendly clothing brand, tree-planting campaigns are everywhere. Reforesting the planet has become one of the quickest, easiest and most ubiquitous ways to reduce our carbon footprint...but is it actually helping to stop climate c ... Show More
47m 45s