What it is
David Montgomery and Anne Bikle connect two invisible ecosystems: the soil microbiome beneath our feet and the human gut microbiome inside us. The book traces how industrial agriculture degraded soil biology while processed food degraded gut biology, and how regenerative practices in both domains can restore health. It is accessible science writing grounded in microbiology research.
Why we picked this
This book makes the most compelling case for why soil biology matters to human health. Global cropland topsoils hold 131 Pg C but have lost 6.8% of their carbon over 12,000 years of agriculture. Every 0.5 percentage-point gain in soil organic matter adds roughly 15% more water storage. Montgomery and Bikle explain why these numbers matter for your dinner plate.
Key takeaways
- Soil organic matter loss of 6.8% over 12,000 years of agriculture represents a massive carbon debt that regenerative farming can begin repaying.
- Each 0.5 percentage-point increase in soil organic matter improves water holding capacity by approximately 15%, reducing drought vulnerability.
- The parallel between soil and gut microbiome degradation suggests that fixing agriculture may be as important for human health as for climate.