pretty much anything that was a plant in its former life, along with shredded up newspapers,

幾乎所有前世是植物的東西，還有撕碎的報紙。

junk mail and pizza boxes. If I wait long enough, something kind of amazing happens.

垃圾信和披薩盒。如果我等得夠久，就會有奇妙的事情發生。

All that stuff is transformed into, well, what looks like ordinary dirt. But this dirt is

所有的東西都變成了，嗯，看起來像普通的泥土。但這些泥土是

anything but ordinary. This dirt is alive. Yes, it's full of earthworms. We'll get

除了普通的東西。這些泥土是有生命的。是的，它充滿了蚯蚓。我們會得到

to them. But it's also full of millions of tiny creatures that you need a microscope

對它們來說但它也充滿了數以百萬計的微小生物 你需要一臺顯微鏡來觀察

to see. You wouldn't know by looking at them, but these little guys hold the key to

來看看。你不知道通過觀察它們， 但這些小傢伙掌握著關鍵的。

human civilization. Without it, human life as we know it wouldn't be possible. Which makes

人類文明。沒有它，我們所知道的人類生活就不可能實現。這使得

it all the more puzzling when you discover that its number one enemy is us.

當你發現它的頭號敵人是我們的時候，它就更令人費解了。

So, not all dirt is created equal. It can have more or less of those little living creatures in it.

所以，不是所有的泥土都是一樣的。它可以有或多或少的那些小生物在裡面。

And there's an easy way to tell even if you don't have a microscope at home.

而且即使你家裡沒有顯微鏡，也有一個簡單的方法來判斷。

First, put about a handful of dirt in a clear glass jar. This is some soil I collected from the worm bin.

首先，在一個透明的玻璃瓶裡放上大約一把土。這是我從蟲倉裡收集的一些土。

Don't worry, I took out the worms later. And this I dug up from my backyard.

別擔心，我後來把蟲子取出來了。還有這個是我從後院挖出來的。

Next, add some water. Screw the lids on nice and tight, and shake them up. And now, we wait.

接著，加入一些水。把蓋子擰緊，然後搖晃起來。現在，我們等待。

OK, it's been a day, we're back, and we can see that both of our samples have separated

好了，已經過了一天了，我們回來了，我們可以看到我們的兩個樣品已經分離了。

into distinct layers. You can see that they look really different.

變成不同的層次。你可以看到，他們看起來真的不同。

Let's look closer at the dirt from the backyard. It has a bunch of stuff

讓我們仔細看看後院的土。裡面有很多東西

on the bottom: gravel, sand, silt, and clay. This stuff floating at the top is called humus.

礫石，沙子，淤泥和粘土。這種漂浮在頂部的東西叫做腐殖質。

That's where all the microscopic creatures live. Scientists call them microfauna: micro

那是所有微觀生物生活的地方。科學家稱它們為微動物：微

for small, fauna for animals. There are millions of different kinds. When old plants die, the

為小，動物的動物。有數百萬種之多。當老的植物死亡時，

microfauna eat them and then, well, they poop. That waste is full of nutrients that

微生物吃了它們，然後，它們就會拉屎。這些廢物充滿了營養物質

new baby plants need to grow. Grass, tomatoes, apple trees--- no matter the plant, the process

新的植物寶寶需要成長。

is the same. And the more microfauna there are in the soil; eating, pooping, doing their

是一樣的。土壤中的微型動物越多 吃飯、拉屎、做飯

thing… the bigger and healthier the plants. Over millions of years, the new plants would

越大的植物越健康幾百萬年來，新的植物

use up nutrients in the soil, then the microfauna would replaced those nutrients by eating the

消耗了土壤中的養分，那麼微型動物就會通過吃這些養分來替代這些養分。

dead plants. In mild climates, the microfauna could build up about two and a half centimeters, or one inch

死的植物。在溫和的氣候下，微型動物可以建立大約2.5釐米，或1英寸長。

of humus every 500 years. Evolution continued and eventually produced a species who changed

的腐殖質，每隔500年。進化繼續，最終產生了一個物種，他們改變了

this process forever.

這個過程永遠。

Homo sapiens have been around for almost 200,000 years, but we didn't

智人已經存在了近20萬年，但我們並沒有。

start farming until about 12,000 years ago. Before then, we still depended on healthy

直到大約12000年前才開始耕種。在那之前，我們仍然依靠健康的

soil for food. The grass that fed the herd animals we hunted, the nut trees and berry

土壤為食物。我們獵殺的牲畜吃的草 堅果樹和漿果樹...

plants we foraged… these all grew from the rich humus that the microfauna created.

我們覓食的植物... 這些植物都是由微動物創造的豐富的腐殖質生長出來的。

Farming developed at various points in time, in different regions of the world. And from

農耕在不同的時間點，在世界不同的地區發展起來。而從

the beginning, some of those early farmers recognized the relationship between healthy

一開始，這些早期的農民中的一些人就認識到了健康與健康之間的關係。

soil and healthy plants. Like the Iroquois in the eastern part of what is now the United

土壤和健康的植物。就像現在美國東部的易洛魁人一樣。

States. The first farmers there, women, by the way, planted corn atop mounds of

州。那裡的第一批農民，順便說一下，都是女人，她們在土堆上種上了玉米。

soil every spring. After they harvested the corn in the fall, they left the dead cornstalks

每年春天，土壤。秋天收割玉米後，他們會把死玉米棒子留下

atop the mound. All winter long, the microfauna broke them down into nutrient-rich humus.

在土丘之上整整一個冬天，微型動物將它們分解成營養豐富的腐殖質。

The next spring's new baby corn plants would use those nutrients and start the cycle again.

第二年春天新的小玉米植株會利用這些養分，再次開始循環。

Iroquois farmers would also plant beans and squash in the same plot. Together, these three

易洛魁農民也會在同一塊地裡種植豆類和瓜類。這三樣東西加在一起

crops were known as the “three sisters.” Not only did this combination make for a balanced

農作物被稱為 "三姐妹"。這樣的組合不僅能使農作物均衡

diet of protein, carbohydrates, and crucial vitamins for the Iroquois people, it also

蛋白質、碳水化合物和易洛魁人重要的維生素的飲食，它也是

kept the microfauna in the soil happy, healthy and pooping. Early farmers in other parts

讓土壤中的微型動物保持快樂、健康和大便。其他地區的早期農民

of the world developed different ways to feed the soil. Like in the Amazon river basin.

的世界發展了不同的方式來養活土壤。比如在亞馬遜河流域。

Early farmers there used controlled fires to create patches of rich humus.

早期的農民在那裡用控制的火來製造成片的豐富的腐殖質。

Today, if you dig deep into that soil, you can see that its much darker and healthier

今天，如果你深挖這些土壤，你可以看到它的顏色更深，更健康。

than the regular tropical soil nearby.

比附近普通的熱帶土壤。

All over the world, the earliest farmers found ways to care for the

在世界各地，最早的農民都會想方設法地去照顧他們。

soil so that it would produce healthy plants. But slowly, as European colonists descended

這樣才能培育出健康的植物但慢慢地，隨著歐洲殖民者的到來

on various parts of the world, these ancient practices gave way to a new type of farming.

在世界各地，這些古老的做法讓位於一種新型的農業。

Machines like the steam engine and the power loom transformed life in Europe, and then in North

蒸汽機和動力織布機等機器改變了歐洲的生活，隨後又改變了北方的生活。

America, starting in the mid-1700s. The lure of factory wages drew people from the countryside

美國，從17世紀中期開始。工廠工資的誘惑，吸引了來自農村的人們。

into cities, which meant the farmers who stayed on the land needed to produce more food to

這意味著留在土地上的農民需要生產更多的糧食來滿足他們的需求。

be shipped to the cities. Farmers got stuck in a cycle of constant harvesting, without

被運往城市。農民們陷入了不斷收割的循環中，而沒有... ...

giving the soil time to regenerate the nutrients it had built up over generations. The soil

讓土壤有時間來再生它世代積累的養分。土壤

quickly wore out, so they responded by cutting down forests and turning them into fields.

很快就被磨滅了，於是他們的對策是砍伐森林，把森林變成田地。

In North American, European settlers used violence to push the Iroquois and other indigenous people further west,

在北美，歐洲定居者使用暴力將易洛魁人和其他土著人進一步推向西部。

away from the three sisters fields that had sustained them for thousands of years. When

遠離了養育他們幾千年的三姐妹田。當

they stripped that soil of its life, the settlers kept moving west, seizing indigenous lands

他們剝奪了土壤的生命，定居者不斷向西移動，奪取土著人的土地。

along the way. New steel plows helped them break up the hard, heavy soils of the Great

一路走來。新的鋼犁幫助他們打碎了大山裡又硬又重的土壤。

Plains. But these new steel plows did something else. They turned up the soil over and over again, which killed

平原上。但這些新的鋼製犁卻做了別的事情。他們一次又一次地翻起土壤，這殺死了

a lot of those microfauna that had been living in the soil making humus. And when gasoline-powered

很多那些生活在土壤中的微生物都在製造腐殖質。而當汽油動力

tractors showed up in the early 1900s, their weight pressed down on the increasingly lifeless

拖拉機在20世紀初出現了，它們的重量壓在了越來越沒有生命力的土地上

soil, making it even harder for plants to grow. By the 1930s, the soil of the Great

土壤，使植物更難生長。到了20世紀30年代，大的土壤。

Plains had lost so much of its microfauna, giant dust storms pummeled the region. Thousands

平原失去了大量的微型動物，巨大的沙塵暴襲擊了該地區。成千上萬的

of families lost their farms. This new type of farming wasn't limited to Europe

的家庭失去了他們的農場。這種新型農業並不限於歐洲。

and North America. The small farms that had sustained the indigenous peoples of Central

和北美洲。維持中美洲土著人民生計的小農場，在這裡被稱為 "小農場"。

and South America for generations had been replaced by giant mega-farms, haciendas, run

在南美洲，幾代人都被巨大的巨型農場、莊園、農場主和農場主所取代。

by the Spanish and Portuguese settlers and worked by indigenous and enslaved people.

由西班牙和葡萄牙定居者建造，由土著人和受奴役的人建造。

the crops didn't feed the people there. These fields were full of sugarcane and cotton to

莊稼並不能養活那裡的人。這些田地裡種滿了甘蔗和棉花。

be shipped out of the country to factories. And, just like in North America, the overworked

被運往國外的工廠。而且，就像在北美一樣，過度勞累的人...

soil quickly crumbled and started to wash away. In response, farmers around the world

土壤迅速崩塌，開始沖刷。對此，世界各地的農民

started to rely on chemical fertilizers, which help crops grow quickly, but can also pollute

開始依賴化肥，化肥有助於作物快速生長，但也會造成汙染

drinking water and kill fish and other types of aquatic life. According to the United Nations,

飲用水，並殺死魚類和其他類型的水生生物。據聯合國稱：

practices like this are killing the humus so quickly, we may run out of healthy soil

這樣的做法正在殺死腐殖質如此之快，我們可能會用完健康的土壤。

in less than 60 years. That is, if we keep doing things the same way.

在不到60年的時間裡。也就是說，如果我們繼續以同樣的方式做事情。

Remember the soil we tested, that these guys helped to make?

還記得我們測試過的土壤嗎？ 是這些傢伙幫忙做的？

Look at it next to the jar of backyard soil. See how there's way more humus floating on the top? More of this stuff is exactly

看看它旁邊的後院土壤罐。看到上面漂浮著更多的腐殖質了嗎? See how there's way more humus floating on the top?更多的這種東西正是

what we need, all over the world, to replace the soil we've already destroyed.

我們所需要的，在世界各地，以取代我們已經破壞的土壤。

And earthworms can help.

而蚯蚓可以幫忙。

On farms where years of plowing has damaged the soil, a handful of farmers have stopped doing it.

在多年耕種破壞土壤的農場，少數農民已經停止耕種。

Instead, they roll down the old crop then use a series of drills to plant the new seeds

相反，他們將舊的作物滾落，然後用一系列的鑽頭來種植新的種子。

underneath the old crop. Because this method doesn't disturb the soil, it gives earthworms

在舊作物的下面。因為這種方法不擾動土壤，所以給蚯蚓提供了

a chance to make humus, and to create tunnels that help water get to plant roots. It also

提供了一個製造腐殖質的機會，並創造了有助於水進入植物根部的隧道。它還

helps to loosen the soil so that plant roots can spread. But this method has been slow

有助於疏鬆土壤，使植物的根部能夠蔓延。但這種方法進展緩慢

to catch on. Just one in four American farmers use it. On many smaller farms, though, earthworms

來流行。只有四分之一的美國農民使用它。不過在許多小型農場，蚯蚓

are a big part of the operation. This is our worm bin. These are the hardest workers, these

是行動的重要組成部分。這是我們的蟲倉。這些是最辛苦的工人，這些

are actually red wriggler worms. This is Marc White. He showed me around his urban farm,

其實是紅色蠕蟲。這是馬克-懷特他帶我參觀了他的城市農場

right in the middle of Cleveland, Ohio.Here are the raspberries I talked about. Just pull

就在俄亥俄州克利夫蘭市的中部，這就是我說的覆盆子。只是拉

one off right there. Oh my gosh. Isn't that awesome? Everything is based on the soil. Everything that

就在那裡哦，天哪，是不是很厲害？一切都是基於土壤。所有的東西

we eat is a reflection of the soil.

我們吃的東西是土壤的反映。

This right here, this is the black gold.

這裡，這就是黑金。

On Marc's farm, that process starts here, in the compost

在馬克的農場裡，這個過程就是從這裡開始的，在堆肥裡。

pile. Over time, wood chips and food waste break down with the help of earthworms and

堆。隨著時間的推移，木屑和食物殘渣在蚯蚓和

microfauna.

微型動物：

So this is how the soil you saw inside, this is how it starts out.

所以你看到裡面的土壤，就是這樣開始的。

In the next 10, 15, 20 years, this whole footprint will have been improved so much more for us

在未來的10年、15年、20年，這個整個腳步對我們來說，會有更多的改善。

having been here.

來過這裡。

We need healthy soil to grow healthy food, and we need healthy food

我們需要健康的土壤來種植健康的食物，我們需要健康的食物。

to grow healthy people. It's all connected.Dirt is so much more than the stuff beneath our

培養健康的人。這一切都有聯繫，汙垢比我們腳下的東西要多得多。

feet. It's the stuff of life. And the sooner we realize that, the better off we'll be.

腳。這是生命的東西。我們越早意識到這一點，我們就會越好。