The story of soil through a microscope, with Isadora Schmidt

Continuing with my series highlighting badass local people around my community here in Spain, I was really pleased to be able to share this conversation that I had with a new close friend of mine and soil health advocate extraordinaire, Isadora Shmidt. I was first passed Isa’s contact by another good friend, Noemi, who is also part of the Soil Food Web graduate network. Isa created Terra Viva, her consulting and soil analytics company operating from her home base of Manresa, a small city about an hour west of me. She has a very diverse background which you’ll hear in a minute but principally she describes herself as a microbe farmer, driven by a deep concern for food security and a love for the natural world. She dedicates her work to regenerate soil health through the power of microbes and ecosystems. With a focus on tailor-made compost and liquid amendments, she partners with farmers and growers to restore soil microbiota and promote sustainable agriculture. Isa is also passionate about fostering connections within the agricultural community and continuously learning about the latest advancements in soil science. I’ve gotten to know her as an incredible connector who has partnered with many of the institutions and leading practitioners in our region while helping to make connections between all of them in order to advance the broader movement of regeneration in our region.

This is another special opportunity for me since she came to my farm to take soil samples for me in this year’s round of measurement and monitoring of the health and ecological function of the farm. I already have a lot of data points from ecological monitoring, and so soil microscopy adds an incredible depth and dimension to the larger story of soil health that I’m working to build.

In this episode we start with a quick review of the activities of the day and what we learned together from the initial analysis of the soil samples we took and looked at under the microscope. Isa does a wonderful job of explaining in simple terms the incredible range of life and activity that can be seen in this form of analysis as well as what it means in practical terms. She also shares her learnings and impressions from looking at soil samples from farms all over the region and what it means for the work ahead for the farmers who manage the soil.