Monthly Archives: June 2025

Only 1% Left: Why the Future of Food Starts with the Soil

biodiversity, ecosystems, Farming, nature conservation, soil health


We live on a planet where 70% of the surface is water. That leaves just 30% as land—our home, our farms, our forests, our communities.

Now here’s where it gets sobering:
Roughly one-third of that land is used for agriculture. But half of that agricultural land is degraded. In practical terms, that means only about 5% of the Earth’s surface is currently available to grow the food that feeds the global population.

And it’s getting worse.
If current trends continue, by 2050, just 1% of the Earth’s surface will remain productive and nutritious enough to grow food. One percent—to feed an estimated 10 billion people.

That math doesn’t work.

I know it sounds dramatic. But this isn’t fiction. It’s the real and fast-approaching future unless we act—decisively and urgently—to restore the land that sustains us.

Why This Matters More Than Anything Else

95% of our food comes from the soil. Without healthy soil, there is no agriculture. Without agriculture, there is no food. Without food, well—there’s no business, no economy, no stability, no peace.

We can’t invent our way around dead soil. No amount of money can buy food that doesn’t exist.
No soil = No us.

The health of people is directly tied to the health of our planet’s soil. Nutrient-rich soil means nutrient-rich food. When soil degrades, our health degrades with it.

What Do We Do?

This is not just a problem for farmers or environmentalists—it’s a challenge for all of us. We need to:

  • Restore degraded lands through conservation practices and regenerative agriculture.

  • Support local, sustainable food systems that value soil health over short-term yields.

  • Protect remaining productive land from erosion, pollution, and overuse.

  • Educate others about how our choices—what we eat, how we grow it, and where it comes from—directly impact the future of food and the health of the Earth.

The Bottom Line

We don’t get another planet. This one comes with limits. And we are pushing those limits hard.

The land isn’t just where we grow crops. It’s where we live, where we walk, where we build our lives. And unless we learn to care for it, we will find ourselves with no food, no stability—and no future.

It’s time to treat soil like the sacred resource it is. Because the truth is simple: no healthy soil, no healthy us.

By Ron Dodson | The Nature of Things

The Big Beautiful Bill? Or a Blueprint for Undermining What Really Matters?

Wildlife & Plants

What if a piece of legislation, wrapped in patriotic language and promises of tax relief, was quietly dismantling the very foundations of democracy, community, and environmental stewardship?

That’s exactly what many of us believe is happening with the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1), passed by the House this May. It’s been called beautiful. Bold. Even historic. But let’s be honest—when you peel back the layers, this bill is a full-scale blueprint for weakening the role of local communities, eroding environmental protections, and concentrating power in ways that run counter to everything I’ve spent my life advocating for.

1. It Rolls Back Environmental Progress

This bill guts clean energy programs and pours billions into fossil fuel exploration. It undermines climate resilience and cancels out incentives that helped communities transition toward sustainable practices. Conservation entrepreneurs, like myself and many of you reading this, know that protecting the land and using it wisely isn’t just good for nature—it’s good business. This bill turns its back on that truth.

2. It Punishes the People Closest to the Land

Farm workers, local food producers, and the people who take care of our natural resources—many of them immigrants or low-income families—are hit hard. The bill cuts access to basic programs like Medicaid and SNAP, adds punitive work requirements, and punishes states that support immigrant populations, even when they’re here legally.

If we want to build thriving conservation communities, we need to support the people doing the work. This bill does the opposite.

3. It Undermines the Courts and Our Ability to Push Back

One of the most dangerous aspects of the bill is that it limits the ability of federal courts to check executive overreach. That might sound procedural, but it’s not. Our courts have been critical to defending public land, clean water, and environmental justice. Without them, the door opens wide for top-down control with little accountability.

4. It Uses Populist Language to Mask Authoritarian Goals

Eliminating taxes on tips. Creating MAGA investment accounts. These might sound like wins for working people, but they’re just shiny distractions. The real impact? Massive tax cuts for the wealthy, reduced funding for social programs, and a deeper divide between those who have and those who don’t.

Authoritarian systems often use feel-good slogans to get people cheering while they quietly consolidate power. That’s what’s happening here.

5. It Undermines Local Resilience and Conservation Entrepreneurship

The heart of my work—whether through The Conservation Company, my writing, or local food and landscape initiatives—is about helping communities build resilience. This bill strips resources from towns, ties the hands of local leaders, and puts decision-making in the hands of a few powerful voices in Washington.

It’s the opposite of what we need.

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just Policy—It’s a Test of Our Values

We have a choice. Do we allow this kind of top-down, extractive, and regressive legislation to shape our future? Or do we push back with real solutions rooted in conservation, education, and democratic values?

The so-called Big Beautiful Bill is not beautiful. It’s a warning.

Let’s take it seriously.

—
Ron Dodson
Founder, The Conservation Company
Publisher, The Nature of Things