If you’re anything like me, hearing doom and gloom numbers about the rapidly dwindling diversity in the biosphere is enough to do your head (and heart) in. Knowing that you can make a real impact, and that there are simple places to start, is a welcome antidote to the paralysis that can come with this kind of information.

Let’s briefly consider a couple of those figures for a moment – some folks at the UN predict that world-wide, soil damage is so severe that we may only have 60 harvests left unless we change our approach. Another disturbing number: 10 tons of topsoil, per person on this planet, blows or washes into the oceans every year. Imagine, this is just from (tilled) land used to grow crops, not counting losses from raising animals. There is a bigger conversation to be had – and hopeful solutions emerging – for how we raise meat. Meanwhile, you can make a difference by learning how to nurture the precious soil left around you and growing something you can eat.

Author Matthew Evans has just come out with a fabulous book called “Soil: The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy.” He explains in his witty, intelligent yet simple conversational style, just how dependent we are on healthy soil systems. Matthew realized early on in his career as chef and food critic that taste actually depends on soil health, and this led him into farming and exploring the role of microbes in soil – and human – health in great depth. This book is the fruit of his journey and it’s a fine, easy to understand overview of the most valuable resource we have on this planet.