I agree with this. I would like to see a certification system that highlights whether or not the farming method builds/doesn’t deplete soil. And I would like it to be legit, not watered down by marketing. One thing that seems to matter is how soil viability is maintained. Cover crops, tap root cover crops, compost, and maintaining/adding minerals and adjuncts into soil are important to keep the soil from disappearing. If this was a common practice, there would be much less need for any chemical based fertilizer or pesticide.
One thing I’ve repeatedly read is that produce from 70+ years ago (hmmm…before the green revolution) was far more nutrient dense than produce grown today regardless of its being grown conventionally or organic. The farm soils today are massively depleted and absent additions of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, wouldn’t grow fuck all. Modern farm soils now mostly act as a hydroponic growing medium and are being constantly flooded with NPK to boost growth absent soil viability and with loads of it then running off.
Building soil enhances it as a growth medium and absorbs adjuncts rather than shedding them, and that additional viability is taken up by the plants enriching their nutritional value.
The organic labeling that exists today is wasted effort.
