Salt Poisoning

As much of a health kick as I've been on you might guess I’d be blogging about how bad salt is for our bodies and blood pressure, but I’m not! The salt poisoning I’m referring to here is happening to farmland all over the world every day. It happens where farmland is irrigated (which is lots of farmland) and to recognize it I think about any houseplant I've killed in the past. Over time salt from the watering builds up and leaves a white crust on top of the soil in the pot. Yep, by that time the plant is usually dead or well on its way because this salt crust is toxic to plants. Think of this same salt crust extending over the planet’s agricultural fields and you have a better idea of the extent of this problem. A report, Economics of Salt-Induced Land Degradation and Restoration, puts the annual economic cost of lost crop production due to salt at $27.3 billion and the problem is compounded when you consider world demand for food is set to increase by 2/3s by mid-century. Land can be rehabilitated, flushed, and even more importantly protected. That’s what needs to happen.