World Soil Day on December 5, 2020, serves as a reminder of just how valuable soil is as a resource. Soil is the foundation of our food supply. But healthy soil also acts as a CO2 sink, thereby making an enormous contribution to climate protection. It’s no wonder, then, that lehmann natur, an organic fruit and vegetable producer and importer based in Meerbusch, is committed to preserving and building healthy soils on many levels. Permaculture, CO2 sequestration in the soil, and the implementation of the Demeter principles of biodynamic farming are the key building blocks through which the company contributes to saving the climate.
For most people, soil and farmland are so much a given that they don’t give much thought to their specific characteristics. On the contrary—many people trample on this nourishing soil. The consequences are serious: According to expert estimates, around 950 million metric tons of soil are lost annually to erosion in the EU alone. The term “soil” refers to the top layer, which extends just 50 centimeters below the surface. When healthy, this layer is teeming with valuable microorganisms.
Since the loss of arable land is not an inevitable fact of nature, it can be halted—and it is high time to do so. After all, healthy soil not only secures humanity’s food supply but also makes a significant contribution to climate protection. As early as 1988, lehmann natur—an organic fruit and vegetable producer and importer based in Meerbusch—committed itself to the responsible use of resources and has therefore been actively engaged in soil conservation in a variety of ways. For example, the company applies the principles of permaculture on its own agricultural fincas.
The focus here is on intercropping. The plants grown in this way require different nutrients from the soil and do not hinder each other’s growth. In addition, intercropping naturally prevents the spread of pests, which pose a major problem in the monocultures of conventional agriculture. Planting legumes and wild herbs creates natural erosion control. Alternatively—and sometimes as a supplement—farmers also cover the soil with mulch. Crops are additionally planted along contour lines or on terraces. Through these simple measures alone, the team at lehmann natur makes an important contribution to significantly reducing erosion.
Another measure for creating healthy soil is building up humus. To this end, the fincas operated by lehmann natur use only compost and other natural soil fertilizers. Humus consists mainly of plant debris and the metabolic products of soil animals and microorganisms, and it provides important nutrients for plants. Another beneficial property of humus is its ability to bind the soil together and store water, much like a sponge. At the Jelanisol finca in Andalusia, farmers were able to reduce water consumption in the fields by about 30 percent thanks to the use of humus in permaculture. Especially in arid regions such as southern Spain, this also means significantly less strain on the aquifers. Humus is also an excellent CO₂ sink. Depending on the soil type, the accumulation of 0.1 percent humus per hectare corresponds to the sequestration of approximately three to six metric tons of CO₂.
Recently, lehmann natur has also begun collaborating with the sustainability consulting firm Soil & More Impacts. Together, the two partners have launched a project for climate-neutral fruits and vegetables. In this project, CO2 emissions in the company’s own value chain are offset through measures such as composting or intercropping—that is, planting a second crop in addition to a primary crop that matures earlier. “CO2 sequestration in our own soil is the right way to make our supply chain more resilient to climate change,” emphasizes Tobias Bandel, CEO of Soil & More Impacts. This is because offsetting CO2 within the company’s own value chain results in a credible, climate-neutral product—without any greenwashing. “We look forward to the results and are confident that this project will serve as a model for many other manufacturing companies,” adds Marion Hoffmann, Head of Purchasing at lehmann natur.
As a member of the Demeter Association, lehmann natur—together with its partner companies—has always adhered to principles that promote soil fertility. This is because the ideal of biodynamic farming, developed by Rudolf Steiner and his successors, envisions a circular economy with a self-contained farm system. In this system, a farmer keeps only as many animals as he can feed with his land. The farmer uses the animals’ manure as fertilizer to increase soil fertility and thus provide the soil with the best conditions for producing uncontaminated food for people. The farm resembles a unique organism in which each “organ” depends on the others: people, plants, animals, and soil all work together. “We view permaculture, climate-neutral fruits and vegetables, and the many other measures through which we contribute to preserving and building healthy soils as a contemporary interpretation of Rudolf Steiner’s thesis that healthy agriculture can produce within itself what it needs,” said Raphael Kennerknecht, managing director at lehmann natur. At the same time, lehmann natur is demonstrating that healthy soils are sustainable climate savers and that climate-neutral food production is possible even on a larger scale, Kennerknecht added.
Caption: Only 11 percent of the Earth’s land is suitable for agriculture. But even that land is under threat and must therefore be protected. (Source: Adapted from: Wilfried Bommert, “No Bread for the World: The Future of Global Food Security,” Riemann Verlag, 2009)
Caption: Groundcover plants, wild herbs, and the addition of humus are effective ways to transform soil into healthy soil that stores CO2, prevents erosion, and promotes plant growth. (Image source: lehmann natur)
Lehmann Natur GmbH is an organic fruit and vegetable producer and importer based in Meerbusch, offering a wide range of products, from imported exotic organic fruits to local produce such as salads and root vegetables. As early as 1988, we committed ourselves to the idea of enabling all consumers to enjoy sustainably grown organic fruits and vegetables, and since then we have seen ourselves as a service provider for organic agriculture. At lehmann natur, the responsible use of resources is important to us as a way to create a connection between nature and people.
Download the PDF here: World Soil Day Press Release
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