Word Count: 407
Time to Read: 2 minutes
Content has been adapted from the Context Network “Get Smart, Stay Smart” Ag Carbon Service.
The short answer: Changing management practices to foster biological activity is the key to improving soil health.
Back it up: Healthy soils are teeming with life. A single teaspoon of soil can contain as many as [1 billion bacteria](https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053862#:~:text=A teaspoon of productive soil,million and 1 billion bacteria.). Invisible to the naked eye, bacteria are hard at work changing the soil structure and creating conditions for improved organic matter turnover, nutrient cycling, soil structure, and water availability.
Figure provided by the Context Network, LLC.
But how can changing land management improve soil health?
[**Adopting practices](https://www.sare.org/publications/conservation-tillage-systems-in-the-southeast/chapter-3-benefits-of-increasing-soil-organic-matter/soil-organic-matter-and-soil-biology/#:~:text=The increase in soil organic,of the total organic matter.)** that support biological activity is the first step to seeing the visible outcomes of improved soil health.
Imagine that you’re farming microbes. Microbes need food, air, water, and shelter. Here are four ways you could improve their environment:
The big picture: Over time**,** farming invisible microbes creates visible changes in soil structure and aggradation.
Changing management practices to consider the invisible aspects of soil health—microbes—is a great way to improve your soil health.