What exactly makes soil “high quality”? [Ad content from Nestlé]

If you've ever had a dying house plant, you probably already know good soil is important. But there's more to the story. A single teaspoon of healthy soil like this one has more microorganisms than there are humans on Earth. Keeping them alive keeps us alive, too. 95% of the foods we eat relies on highquality soil, which isn't surprising. But the rate it's depleting is. A UN report found that 90% of the world's land surface could be degraded by 2050. So what's the difference between, let's say, good dirt and bad dirt? What exactly makes soil high quality? Picture a glass of water. You're thirsty. You drink the whole thing, but unless you refill it, the glass stays empty. Soil works the same way. Crops soak up nutrients from it. But to grow healthy food year after year, those nutrients need to be replenished. And today's farms need to keep the refills coming fast enough to feed a growing world. Agriculture is at the core of the food system and ultimately we need highquality soil to grow great crops. And that's why we work closely with farmers in our supply chain to help them transition to regenerative agriculture practices. This is Molly Fogerty. She's been working with Nestle for over 20 years. Today, she oversees the company's US sustainability efforts. And while there isn't a universal definition for what regenerative agriculture means, companies like Nestle are focusing on the benefits of these practices in key areas like soil health, water stewardship, and biodiversity. Sourced ingredients make up the largest part of Nestle's carbon footprint, but also offer the biggest opportunity to make a positive impact. At Nestle, some dairy farmers supplying milk for its Carnation brand are adopting practices like turning manure into renewable fertilizer to help put nutrients back into the soil. And Purina is helping rice farmers adopt alternating wetting and drying practices that can conserve water and enhance soil health. Gerber is another great example of how we're adopting regenerative agriculture practices like planting cover crops so that we can encourage healthy soil. At Gerber, Chris Ballock is part of the brand's agriculture team, working closely with farmers to support their regenerative agriculture journeys. — This field had corn in it, and the grower came in and planted rye over the top as a cover crop, and it will help keep the ground in place from wind, water, and rain. — Just like putting a lid on a glass, cover crops are a lid on the soil. Without water, it evaporates. soil, it erodess. — Regenerative a is not a one-sizefits-all program. For an apple farmer, that could be more green space between the rows of trees. For a carrot grower, that could be a cover crop to help put back into the soil what that crop took out. These practices can create the kind of highquality soil both a farmer and a worm want to see. A living ecosystem teameming with plants and animal life, regulating and retaining water and rich with minerals. I can think back to riding on a tractor with my grandfather when I was 10, 11, 12 years old. He said, "We've got to put back what this land gave to us. Our Gerber growers are doing that on a much larger scale. " — So why isn't every farm doing this already? Different farms need different solutions and growers point to challenges like high upfront costs and the need for training. — We partner with our growers to help figure out what kind of technical or financial assistance we need to give them. We've made a lot of progress and we're really proud of the fact that nearly all 98% of our fruit and veg growers have adopted regenerative a practices. By 2030, Nestle plans to source 50% of its key ingredients globally from farmers adopting regenerative agriculture practices. And with Nestle products in 97% of US homes, the impact could be farreaching. — It's through this approach that we'll be able to serve and delight consumers for generations to come. Together with farmers, we're working toward that future. — Truly taking care of the land and being good stewards of the land is what we mean.