Supporting soil fungi to rebuild soils in agriculture

Taking up Judith Wright’s call to “make a new choice” I argue that, if we are to reverse soil degradation and its contribution to climate change, we need to relate to soil fungi differently, becoming allies of certain fungi through recognising and enabling their life-supporting roles in ecosystems. This stance involves using different tools, materials and technologies, as well as becoming receptive and imaginative, seeing soils not merely as surfaces but as complex three-dimensional communities and meshworks : worlds in themselves. The first section of the paper looks at how mainstream agriculture involves numerous practices that have banished soil fungi to the downtrodden margins of agricultural land. The second section explores a vision of agriculture as an intimate craft. I discuss how some innovative farmers and scientists are learning to support the flourishing of soil fungi through tools and methods that help soil life to become more interdependent.