D2_Agraria_Journal_21_OPT

I remember the first time I heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” I was young enough to be a little unsettled by the idea that I might become a “chicken” or “popsicle” but old enough to understand that what I put into my body affected my constitution. As I grew up, my awareness of the organics movement, the local food movement, and the whole foods movement expanded that initial realization. I sought to avoid food grown with toxic chemicals, eschew overly processed food, and choose fresher foods closer to home. But it wasn’t until I learned about the connection between healthy soils and human health did I fully appreciate the phrase, “You are what you eat.” That’s thanks to the pioneering work of Elaine Ingham of the Soil Food Web School, who’s been studying soil life (and its relationship to human life) for going on five decades. To Ingham, it all comes down to the diversity of the microbiome — in both our soil and our digestive system. She defines “microbiome” as “the totality of microorganisms, bacteria, As Below, So Above: From Healthy Soil to Healthy Body A CONVERSATION WITH ELAINE INGHAM BY MEGAN BACHMAN 20 AGRARIA JOURNAL 2021 GRAPHIC COURTESY OF ELAINE INGHAM, SOIL FOOD WEB SCHOOL