Why Soil Is the Key to Regeneration with David Montgomery
From Agrarian Futures by Agrarian Futures
November 20, 2025 · 45 min · Season 2 · Episode 8
About this episode
David Montgomery discusses the critical role of soil in regenerative agriculture and its impact on food systems and civilization.
If regenerative agriculture is about rebuilding the foundations of our food system, then soil is where that story starts. Geologist and author David Montgomery [https://www.dig2grow.com/] has spent decades tracing how the health of our soil shapes everything else: the nutrition in our food, the resilience of our farms, and the long-term fate of entire civilizations. What he shows is both sobering and energizing. We have degraded our soils at an astonishing pace, yet we now understand enough about how they actually work to turn the tide. In this conversation, David helps us zoom out. He connects the collapse of ancient societies to the vulnerabilities we see in modern industrial agriculture, and he lays out what farmers around the world are doing to rebuild soil faster than it erodes. If regeneration is the goal, soil biology is the map. In this episode, we get into: • How soil degradation has shaped the rise and fall of societies • The real consequences of erosion, tillage, and synthetic nitrogen • Why soil microbes are central to nutrient density and farm resilience • What regenerative farmers are proving about soil recovery timelines • Three core principles that can rebuild…
People in this episode
Guest: David Montgomery
Topics covered
- regenerative agriculture
- soil health
- food systems
- sustainability
- ecological understanding
Keywords
- soil degradation
- nutrient density
- farm resilience
- regenerative farming
- soil biology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Washington, MacArthur Fellowship
Books & works: Dig2Grow
More episodes of Agrarian Futures
- The Farm Bill Explained with Judith McGeary · June 12, 2026 · 43 min
- What Animals Teach Us About Caring for the Land with Fred Provenza · May 26, 2026 · 1h 6m
- How Land Heals with Judith Schwartz · May 8, 2026 · 37 min
- Life on the Range with Glenn Elzinga · April 20, 2026 · 55 min
- Blending Forest and Field with Steve Gabriel · April 1, 2026 · 30 min
- The Economics of the Other Half with Jim and Mark Kleinschmit · March 19, 2026 · 44 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Agrarian Futures podcast page.