Soil Health

Soil Health a Priority for Caribbean Area NRCS

Soil Health is soil managed to its maximum potential through a system of conservation practices, including never-till, cover crops, advanced nutrient and pest management, and buffers and drainage systems where appropriate. This approach results in healthy soil that reduces erosion, requires less nutrient inputs, manages the effects of flood and drought, and reduces nutrient and sediment loading to streams, rivers and coastal waters.

La Salud de los Suelos en Español!

Meet Mighty Mini Microbe!

NRCS unveiled our new conservation education superhero last fall, and she's ready to come to your soil's rescue!

Mighty Mini Microbe is a tiny superhero of the soil, but she’s a wee bit smaller than your typical superhero. The creators of a new soil health-themed educational effort believe “Mighty Mini Microbe’s Tale” – a 24-page Learn-as-you-color, science-based adventure tale – will encourage the next generation of real-life hero farmers, conservationists and scientists to further unlock the secrets in the soil. Learn more here.

Watch the animated video promo. (:15)

Puerto Rico's Soil Diversity Highlighted on Laboratorio de Comunicaciones Cientificas ->

In April 2016, Mayagüez MLRA Soil Survey Leader, Manuel Matos, and Soil Scientist, Samuel Rios, starred in a 2-minute video on WIPR-TV about NRCS Caribbean Area Soil Survey activities and Puerto Rico's soil diversity. View it Here (en Español)!

YouTube Video Promotes Soil Health in the Caribbean Area

En YouTube: El nuevo video "La Iniciativa Nacional de Salud del Suelo"

Earth Team volunteer, Nelson O. Vázquez Santiago, created a YouTube video en Español to promote the Caribbean Area Soil Health Campaign.  MLRA Soil Survey Leader, Manuel Matos; State Soil Scientist, Carmen L. Santiago; and Soil Scientist, Samuel Rios, explain the Secrets of the Soil to viewers.

Nelson O. Vázquez Santiago, voluntario del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales (NRCS en Inglés), preparó este video en el cual se promueve la Iniciativa de Salud de Suelos del Área del Caribe. Manuel Matos, Científico de Suelos, Líder de Oficina MLRA en Mayagüez; Carmen L. Santiago, Científico de Suelos del Estado en Oficina de San Juan y Samuel Ríos, Científico de Suelos, Oficina MLRA, Mayagüez, nos invitan a descubrir los Secretos en el Suelo.

What's New in the Caribbean Area!

• NRCS Conservation Planners & Technicians Dig Deeper into Soil Health - April 2019 - NEW!
• Celebrando Día Mundial des Suelo: Presentación para el Aniversario 50 de la Oficina de Programas Internacionales del Colegio de Ciencias Agrícolas de UPR-RUM (PDF, 5.6 MB)
• NRCS Continues Soil Health & Conservation on Steep Farmlands Workshops - October / November 2018
• Soil Health and Conservation on Steep Farmland / Salud del suelo y conservación en tierras de cultivo empinadas - August 2018
• Sharing the Secrets of the Soil with DRNA Summer Campers - June 2, 2018
• Promoting Soil Health at Para la Naturaleza Festival / NRCS ofrece apoyo a entidad y socio en su feria # 29^o - April 21, 2018
• Soil Health Practices for Mitigating Natural Disasters - March 2018
• Puerto Rico's Soils' Diversity, Web Soil Survey & Soil Health - YouTube Video - 2015 Para la Naturaleza Fair
• Historia de Exito: La promoción de la salud del suelo en el Área del Caribe (PDF, 886 KB)
• Caribbean Area Soil Health Success Story (PDF, 527 KB)
• NRCS Caribbean Area Celebrates International Year of Soils Finale - December 3, 2015
• Guía educativa sobre la salud del suelo (Soil Health Education Guide) - Carmen González Toro, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Servicio de Extension Agricola (PDF, 1.8 MB)
• Guía educativa sobre la salud del suelo - Apéndice de Actividades (Soil Health Education Guide - Appendix of Education Activities) - Carmen González Toro, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Servicio de Extension Agricola (PDF, 952 KB)
• Spreading the Soil Health Message at Metropolitan University's First Green Fair - May 5, 2015
• 2015 Para la Naturaleza Educational Fair celebrates the International Year of Soils - April 18, 2015
• Preaching the Wonders of Soil Health in Las Marias - February 27, 2015
• Sharing Soils Information with the Community on World Soil Day
• NRCS Caribbean Area Celebrates World Soil Day on December 5, 2014!
• Mayagüez Daisy Girl Scouts Get Hands-on with Soil
• Potential Use of Halophytes as Buffers on Agricultural Land Adjacent to Salt Flats SOPCA Poster (PDF, 426 KB) /
• Validation of Cover Crops for the Caribbean Area - SOPCA Poster (PDF, 168 KB) / Validación de Cultivos de Cobertura para la Región del Caribe (PDF, 542 KB)
• Mapping Haiti Soils by Combining Traditional and Digital Soil Mapping Techniques Poster (PDF, 1.5 MB)
• Young PR Farmers Plan Ahead with COVER Crops
• St. Croix Farmers 'Discover the Cover' at UVI Workshop
• Jayuya School Students Learn About Healthy Soils
• National Cover Crop & Soil Health Forum
• Boy Scouts Learn About Soils at the Monte del Estado Ecological Forest
• How Our Soils Make Puerto Rican Coffee One of the Best in the World! (YouTube video)
• NRCS Shares 'Secrets of the Soil' with Agro-Ecology Students

What's New with the International Soil Health Movement!

• Could Restoring Soil Help Halt Climate Change? - The Daily Beast - 15 August 2019 - NEW!
• Drought spells changes for soil microbes - Phys.org - 15 August 2019 - NEW!
• Compost Key to Sequestering Carbon in the Soil - University of California-Davis - 14 August 2019 - NEW!
• Farmers.gov launches new Soil Health webpage - July 2018
• The Ground Beneath Our Feet - "Without proper care for it, we can have no life" - National Public Radio (NPR) - January 2018
• The Zoo Beneath Our Feet - "We're only beginning to understand soil's hidden world" - the Washington Post - September 2017
• "Spongy" Soil can help farmers combat climate change - Inside Climate News - September 2017
• Healthy Soil Will Eat Your Underwear! ☺ - Real Agriculture - July 2017
• The role of soil microorganisms in soil health - Future Directions International - June 20, 2017
• Use Your Senses to Make Sense of Your Soil - Science Friday - May 25, 2017
• Digging Deeper into Healthy Soils - Green Living Ideas - April 10, 2017
• Anti-Depressant Microbes in Soil: How Dirt Makes You Happy - Gardening Know How
• Soil Health at any Scale - Building Soil Health in a High Tunnel - March 3, 2017
• Ray Archuleta is a Man on a Mission: USDA's soil-health evangelist wants farmers to change their ways - Progressive Farmer - mid-February 2017
• The Obama Administration Announces NEW Steps to Advance Soil Sustainability - December 5, 2016
• The next agriculture revolution is under our feet - Huffington Post - September 1, 2016
• Could no-till farming reverse climate change? - U.S. News & World Report - August 11, 2016
• To keep soil health, scientists say mix up plant species - UPI - July 28, 2016
• Tips for restoring soil health - The Dickinson Free Press - July 2, 2016
• The dirty way to feed more people and help stop climate change - TakePart - June 28, 2016
• ‘Soil and Air’ – Where Crops Meet the Environment - USDA Blog - May 31, 2016
• New Soil Health Radio PSAs now available!
• Why Our Health Depends on the Soil - Epoch Times - April 19, 2016
• Dirt First - Orion Magazine - April 14, 2016
• A surprising ally in the battle against climate change: dirt - The Christian Science Monitor - April 6, 2016
• Innovation in the Tropics Helps Farmers Conserve Resources and Improve Soil Health - USDA Blog
• Investing in Soil Health Pays - Agronomy Insider - March 18, 2016
• Farming Nature’s Way - USDA Blog
• Noted Astronomer Urges Viewers to Unlock the Secrets in the Soil
• Dynamic soil properties offer common ground for growth, understanding, scientist says
• Cover Cropping for Pollinators & Beneficial Insects - Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) booklet
• The Brown Revolution: Why Healthy Soil Means Healthy People - National Geographic "The Plate" series
• Is 2015 the year soil becomes climate change’s hottest topic?
• Researchers rediscover old ecological principles that give pests the “heebie-jeebies”
• Soils Support Urban Life - USDA Blog
• Five Questions Non-Operator Landowners Should Ask their Farmers about Soil Health - USDA Blog
• USDA Observes Kick-Off of the International Year of Soils
• Event at USDA Ushers in 2015 as International Year of Soils
• América Latina y el Caribe celebra el Año Internacional de los Suelos 2015
• The Science Behind Healthy Soil: NRCS Launches Soil Health Literature Review Project
• Farming First #IYS2015 Twitter Chat “Healthy Soils for a Healthy Life”
• NRCS celebrates the Second Birthday of our Soil Health Campaign!
• Soil Health Brought to Life on Lawn of USDA’s Whitten Building
• Reduciendo el uso de fertilizantes con una prueba más precisa del suelo (Reducing the use of fertilizers with a more precise soil test)
• National Cover Crop & Soil Health Forum LiveStream - February 18, 2014
• NRCS Celebrates World Soil Day on December 5, 2013!

Check out a National NRCS Soil Health component by clicking on one of the pictures below, access las publicaciones en Español, or download & print an 11 x 17 Soil Health Poster (English, Español).
Watch Our Videos	Learning Resources	Learn from Growers	News Media Resources	Partner Resources	Soil Health Science

Contact

Manuel Matos, State Soil Scientist, 787-766-6051 / 787-405-7600

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