Touch Soil, Not Grass
Touch Soil is a regenerative agriculture storytelling platform at the intersection of food, health, community, and ecological regeneration.
Touch Soil blooms from the belief that we can, and we must, do more together.
Why Touch Soil?
Because it’s good for you! Studies show that the bacteria, minerals, and microorganisms in healthy soil can boost serotonin, enhance concentration, reduce stress, improve gut health, and strengthen your immune system!
It’s now clear that the millions of acres of thirsty, expensive, and chemically fed grass lawns are not serving us.
But wait…what is Touch Grass?
Touch Grass became a popular internet mantra as covid-quarantined and nature-deprived scrollers expressed their collective need for fresh air, the outdoors, and a deeper connection with our beautiful planet. For me, the Touch Grass viral moment felt like the overdue acknowledgment of how distanced we’ve become from the very planet that cares for us.
The Expansion Into Soil Health
It was during those early and confusing days of 2020 that my passions for Earth Care expanded beyond the built environment (think housing, infrastructure, transportation) and into the biological environment. While I still believe that building walkable, equitable, and transit-connected cities is crucial for creating resilient futures, I now understand that city life as we know it would no longer exist if we don’t change our relationship with the land.
The landscapes in focus expanded, but the questions remain the same:
How do we create environments that support healthy living?
How can we live in better harmony with our planet?
How does design influence human connection?
How can we heal the social fabric of urban and rural America?
How can we change the systems in place so they work for everyone?
Healthy Soil = Healthy People
Between the degraded top soil, proliferation of chemical fertilizers, and vast monoculture farms, it’s now undeniable that we’re headed for another dust bowl if we don’t change how we grow food.
But here’s the thing…guaranteeing the health of our children and future ancestors is beyond backyard gardens, recycling, or carpooling. It’s beyond buying an electric car or eating less meat. It’s beyond reusable grocery bags and paper straws.
We need to change the way we live, the way we build, and the way we produce food. The goal is not individual resiliency, it’s community resiliency.
Why Is Food The Focus?
Because it brings us together. Because it heals and nourishes us. Because it’s a window into culture. Food reflects history and history holds lessons. It’s highly personal, yet can also be the centerpiece for human connection. I believe that changing the way we grow food will help us tackle the many challenges plaguing our world today.
To name a few:
Human health (physical, emotional, spiritual, social)
Economic liveliness
Erosion, floods, and extreme weather preparedness
Biodiversity and ecological degradation
Supporting Solutions
Here at Touch Soil, we’re tired of tasteless water-balloon tomatoes and hyper-processed foods. We’re fed up with diabetes, cancer, and auto-immune diseases harming our loved ones. We’re ready for change and crave nutritious food that’s delicious, accessible, and reasonably priced.
So if you’re unfamiliar with concepts like food forests, agroecology, closed-loop bioregional systems, natural building, passive houses, cover cropping, or rotational livestock grazing, there is no need to worry! We’re here to learn with you.
Touch Soil exists so we can move forward, together.
The best part?? Change is already happening. Coalitions are forming and awareness is growing. Networks of regenerative farmers, non-profits, businesses, co-ops, plant breeders, food centers, and curious balcony herb growers are gathering around a new restorative future. A future where we collectively care for each other with nutrient-dense food, clean water, and breathable air.
Delay can no longer be tolerated as it jeopardizes the well being of the many.
So I ask you…are you ready to Touch Soil? To nurture it? To build it? To share it? It’s time we nourish ourselves, our communities, and the billions of organisms who call this beautiful planet home. As a great mentor once said,
“Tradition is tending the flame, not worshipping the ashes.”
with love,
Jonathan Dean and The Touch Soil Team
Very well said!
If I may, the end of agribusiness, giving concentration to agriculture should be the exclusive focus.
Current toxic commodity production that kills the living environment around it starting with the soil is just another extension of fossil fuel planet rape. I'm positive we can do better.
To achieve the goals you set, which I think are very Worthy not only must we move to a regenerative agriculture model of food production but restoration of bioregional habitats. All doable. If the fossil fuel corporation were eliminated. Until then, there's no hope of any environmental climate catastrophy mitigation.
It's blatantly clear that the soil building, nutrient-dense delicious non-toxic constituent food is not only the right thing to do but in the long run, a better yield, a real long term viability and facilitating life around it. Not killing it.
As a professional soil and political scientist, I'm flummoxed about now. The early 21st century is a bit much. We have become a parody of the ideal that is America.
Such a big, expensive topic. I'll stop with, if it's not organic at the very least, it's toxic.
I love your work. Keep it up. It's spot on!
Thank you.
great introductory piece explaining your why! as someone intrigued by the notion that touching healthy soil can heal us, i'd love a link to the studies you refer to AND a user friendly guide to finding healthy soil or improving the health of the soil we already have access to 😊