144: How can we reverse the damage we've done to our soil?

<div>Global soils are the source of all life on land but their future looks bleak. Our soils are in crisis. Their health is declining to the extent that we are just one generation away from a soil system that is unable to meet the needs of the people that depend on it. We urgently need to find solutions to reverse the damage we've done to our soil in order to protect humanity in the future.<br> <br> In this episode we're joined by three experts in the field to find out the scale of the problem we face and what we need to do to save our soil. Joining host Stefan Gates are Professor Chris Collins, Programme Coordinator, Soil Security Programme, Dr Felicity Crotty, Lecturer in Soil Science, Royal Agricultural University and Richard Bardgett, Professor of Ecology, The University of Manchester. Join the conversation on Table Talk.<br> <br> <strong>About our panel<br> </strong><br> <strong>Richard Bardgett, Professor of Ecology, The University of Manchester<br> </strong><br> Richard Bardgett is British ecologist and Professor of Ecology at The University of Manchester. He graduated from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1987 with a degree in Soil and Land Resource Science, and then moved to Lancaster University, where he gained his PhD in 1991. He then held posts at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research and the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster, where he established the Soil and Ecosystem Ecology Group. Richard returned to The University of Manchester in 2013 where he is now Professor of Ecology. Until recenttly, he served as President of the British Ecological Society (2017-2019).<br> <br> <strong>Professor Chris Collins, Programme Coordinator, Soil Security Programme<br> </strong><br> Chris is Chair of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Reading. He chairs the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee providing expert advice to the UK Government on how to protect the environment from chemicals. Chris was Natural Environment Resear