Together with committed organic farmers, Ja! Natürlich has been campaigning for decades for the preservation and promotion of soil health in Austria's fields. After all, 90 percent of our food comes from the soil! The recent extreme weather events have not only hit agriculture hard. What many people are not yet aware of is that healthy agricultural soils are crucial for the sustainable supply of Austrians with domestic food. In the face of climate change, science and agriculture agree that soil is our most valuable resource. Studies and practice show that organic soils are much better equipped to deal with the threats.
"The topic of soil health concerns us all. Most people in Austria definitely recognize its enormous importance for high food quality," summarizes Ja! Natürlich Managing Director Klaudia Atzmüller summarizes a recent survey conducted by the Market opinion research institute on behalf of the organic pioneer. According to the survey, 86 percent of respondents clearly see a healthy ecosystem as a prerequisite for high food quality. Austrians are less aware that healthy soils are crucial for our food security. Soils rich in humus are particularly good at absorbing and storing water, an indispensable property in times of climate change with increased periods of drought and heavy rainfall. Compared to conventional production, organic farming causes an average of 25 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, as a study by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) 2021 commissioned by Ja! Natürlich together with Greenpeace has proven. "We see it as our responsibility as a strong partner of organic agriculture to make consumers aware that fertile, intact soils that can withstand the threats posed by climate change cannot be taken for granted. They are the result of the far-sighted work of farmers," says Atzmüller, explaining the background to the current awareness campaign.
Soil protection is climate protection
Humus-rich soils also bind CO2. "Soils store more carbon than all the forests on earth," surprises soil expert and surveyor Walter Fitz, adding: "A handful of soil contains more individuals of organisms than there are people on earth. Earthworms play a special role in stable soil structure, fertility and water absorption. Higher humus levels and reduced tillage encourage earthworm activity. Earthworm burrows per square meter can amount to up to one kilometer. This brings humus into deeper soil layers and creates an efficient channel system for water absorption," he says, explaining the important contribution of the mostly invisible helpers beneath the earth.
Sustainable organic farming only possible with a focus on healthy soil
Organic agriculture is based on the renunciation of easily soluble fertilizers and synthetic pesticides. This basic approach makes it essential that crop rotation, choice of varieties and soil cultivation are worked out in such a way that soil health is thereby kept high and sustainable yields are thus also possible in the long term. Organic soils have been shown to absorb more water, faster, due to their higher humus content, and also bind and store more CO2. "By not using chemical fertilizers and other artificial corrective measures, domestic organic farmers are forced to take extra good care of their soils and find solutions to protect them. In organic farming, it is essential to close the organic cycle as much as possible. They are supported in this by nature. Specially aligned crop rotations are crucial for humus build-up and thus for healthy, fertile soil and for securing harvests and reliable supplies - in other words, essential for the future of us all," explains Ja! Natürlich Managing Director Andreas Steidl explains how his long-standing suppliers ensure a high-yield harvest even in difficult years.
Wheat harvest severely affected by weather this year
One of these committed organic farmers is Herbert Nagl from Rannersdorf near Schwechat (Lower Austria). For over 20 years, he has been supplying grain to Ja! Natürlich for 20 years, mainly winter wheat, durum wheat (Durum) and rye - from which, for example, the Ja! Natürlich pizza and pasta flour is produced. As a farm without livestock, Herbert Nagl has no way of spreading manure from his stables on the fields. He has to be all the more committed to using the possibilities of specifically designed crop rotation to stop weed pressure and keep the soil fertile to achieve the appropriate quality and yield. "This year's grain harvest was not exactly favorable due to the weather - the fact that the protein values of our wheat are nevertheless above average shows me that the years of investment in our soils are having a lasting positive effect," the organic farmer is convinced.
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