From the ground under our feet to the composition of earthenware, dirt is everywhere. It’s a home for subterranean creatures and it’s at the root (literally) of our food system. This episode shares stories of people who eat the earth as well as others who meticulously wash their produce. We take a look at the science behind soil carbon capture and hear about how one community farm is conserving water. 

Further Reading:

For more of Dr. Sera Young’s work on geophagy, check out Craving Earth: Understanding Pica: The Urge to Eat Clay, Starch, Ice, and Chalk and her paper, “Why on Earth? Evaluating Hypotheses About the Physiological Functions of Human Geophagy.” And, to dive deeper into “Geophagy: An Anthropological Perspective”, go here.

To learn more about pesticides on fresh food and vegetables, check out this report published by the Journal of food and chemical toxicology. More about food poisoning and bacterial contamination can be found here and here. Read the full study the University of Maine conducted on washing food here.

To learn more about cattle antibiotics' effect on soil carbon storage, check out this article from The Counter. To learn about how the Biden Administration is investing in soil carbon storage, check out this article from The Counter.

Hear more from Evan Marks about The Ecology Center the Ecology Center’s work on Fields Season 2 Episode 3. You can also subscribe to Fields on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode!  (Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS).

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