This goes all the way down the food chain to the Microbes in the soil. The healthier the soil and the more diverse the Microbes living in it, the more nutrient-dense and microbially diverse our foods become and the healthier we are.

A vibrant Microbiome does not only make us healthier but also happier. The Microbes in our gut are pivotal in regulating our neurotransmitters, Serotonin amongst them – the happy chemical – a natural anti-depressant and a powerful immune system improver.

So ultimately, our health and emotional wellbeing are dependent on the quality of the soil our food grows in.

High plant diversity is needed for a healthy Microbiome in the soil, whereas Monocultures weaken the Microbes and suppress cell growth.

A growing community of regenerative farmers focus on the improvement of soil biology, water systems and diversity above and below ground. They produce the nutrient-dense foods we require for a vibrant immune system plus achieve a vast array of environmental benefits.

What remains largely unknown, however, is the role of the soil around us – our environmental Microbiome.

The quality of the soil surrounding us is as important to our health and vitality of our immune system as the soil our food grows in.

Just by being surrounded by healthy soil, the diversity of bacteria on our skin increases. The healthier the soil around us, the more diverse the bacteria on our skin and the higher the count of leucocytes in our blood – an indicator for a healthy and potent immune system.

An environment with high plant diversity and a diverse microbial community makes us healthier and happier. Monocultures with a poor microbial community suppress cell growth and weaken our bodies’ defences against pathogenic intruders.

So why then don’t we manage ALL Land regeneratively?

SHOULDN’T OUR GOAL BE TO DIVERSIFY THE MICROBIOME IN OUR SOIL AND OUR ENVIRONMENT TO ENHANCE EVERYBODY’S HEALTH AND HAPPINESS?

Managing Land regeneratively is surprisingly easy and economical. All it requires is a different mindset and changing our focus from what is going on above ground to what is going on below.

Anywhere – in Backyards, Schoolyards, Parks, Mining Sites, Farms, Golf Courses, Roadsides, Solar Farms etc.

I can not see on single reason against managing all those places regeneratively.

It would boost our immune systems and achieve a wide variety of environmental benefits.

Let’s promote Regenerative Land Management as the new normal for all landholders, private and public, great and small, to improve our health and that of everyone around us.

Contact me if you would like to know more about the practical applications of Regenerative Land Management. I am looking forward to talking to you soon.

Stefanie Hildmann