{"id":41566,"date":"2025-08-14T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wearewater.org\/?post_type=waw_insight&p=41566"},"modified":"2025-08-01T11:37:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T09:37:59","slug":"soil-fungi-managers-of-water-and-life","status":"publish","type":"waw_insight","link":"https:\/\/www.wearewater.org\/en\/insights\/soil-fungi-managers-of-water-and-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Soil Fungi. Managers of Water and Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Researchers studying biosystems claim we know more about the Moon than we do about the soil beneath our feet. A key reason makes lunar study easier: the Moon is dead. Its analysis is the work of astrophysicists or planetary geologists, not biologists. Since life is absent, no microbiologist studies the Moon.<\/p>\n

On Earth, however, research on the life unfolding in the soil has multiplied in recent years. One of the main drivers of this boom is the growing alarm over agricultural soil degradation \u2014 a process that worsens droughts linked to climate change. Economists, agronomists, and ecologists agree that soil health is essential not only for feeding the world but also for mitigating climate change. These studies are revealing a crucial and long-overlooked element: fungi.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Deep underground, millions of microorganisms weave what some scientists now call the \u201csoil internet\u201d: a living network that connects roots, exchanges nutrients, regulates moisture, and maintains fertility.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Invisible Underground<\/h2><\/div>

When we talk about soil fungi, we\u2019re not referring to the mushrooms we sometimes see sprouting in forests. Mushrooms are merely the visible, reproductive \u201cfruit\u201d of certain fungi. In reality, the main body of the fungus resides underground as a microscopic network of filaments known as mycelium. This mycelium is the true fungal organism, and it plays a vital role in soil life: it connects roots, breaks down organic matter, and helps retain moisture.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated that a single handful of soil can contain around one billion bacteria and fungi. These fungi are invisible, forming an underground network that some scientists compare to a \u201csoil internet,\u201d because it connects entire ecosystems and helps maintain underground balance.<\/p>\n

We recommend following the work of Tom Shimizu<\/strong>\u2019s team at the AMOLF Institute<\/a> \u2014 a milestone in understanding the fungal micro-world. Their research combines physics, biology, and advanced modelling to observe how soil fungi organise themselves, interact, and respond to their environment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Suillus luteus<\/strong> and other mycorrhizal fungi live in symbiosis with roots, guiding them in the search for water and nutrients, and assisting during periods of drought.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Plants Owe Them Their Lives<\/h2><\/div>

This is how we can summarise what many scientists are now confirming about soil fungi \u2014 especially mycorrhizal fungi, which are key to plant health:<\/p>\n

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  1. They live in symbiosis with roots<\/strong>. They guide<\/em> them in the search for water and nutrients and assist them during droughts.<\/li>\n
  2. They regulate soil moisture<\/strong>. A critical function for vegetation in dry and semi-arid lands, especially important for rainfed crops.<\/li>\n
  3. They are vulnerable<\/strong>. Extremely sensitive to pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilisers. When applied intensively, these products destroy the fungi.<\/li>\n
  4. T<\/strong>hey restore the land.<\/strong> They optimise many regenerative farming practices already being implemented worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

    Rainfed Agriculture Feeds the World<\/h2><\/div>

    A crucial part of the research on fungi focuses on their role in the health of soils where rainfed crops grow. According to the FAO<\/a>, in 2012, nearly 80% of the world\u2019s cultivated land was rain-fed, and this proportion has remained stable over the past decade.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s over 1.5 billion hectares producing approximately 60% of the staple foods consumed globally \u2014 such as wheat, maise, barley, legumes, and millet.<\/p>\n

    Today, more than 2.5 billion people depend directly on these crops for their food, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, the Mediterranean Basin, Latin America, and the semi-arid regions of southern Europe.<\/p>\n

    In these areas, soil health becomes a critical factor: crops depend entirely on underground ecological balance and rainfall, with no irrigation systems. This vegetation is more vulnerable to climate change and, in most cases, is tightly linked to small-scale, family-based, and low-income farming.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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    Today, more than 2.5 billion people depend directly on dryland crops for their food, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, the Mediterranean Basin, Latin America, and the semi-arid regions of southern Europe.. \u00a9 pexels-deesarkee<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

    The Dead Soils of Industrial Agriculture<\/h2><\/div>

    In contrast to traditional farming systems that rely on ecological soil balance, industrial agriculture<\/a> has accelerated global soil degradation. The intensive use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilisers has disrupted the biological processes that sustain underground life, especially the mycorrhizal fungal network.<\/p>\n

    These products, designed to maximise short-term yield, kill pests \u2014 but also beneficial microorganisms \u2014 turning soils into inert, compacted substrates that can no longer retain water or properly nourish plants. This is what many scientists and farmers now refer to as \u201cdead soils.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Intensive tillage and the disappearance of vegetation cover worsen the situation. Without ground cover, soil is exposed to erosion<\/a>, evaporation, and loss of organic matter. As a result, it loses its capacity to act as a sponge<\/a>, a filter, and a home for billions of invisible organisms that are key to natural fertility.<\/p>\n

    Paradoxically, these systems demand more water and energy to sustain productivity, creating a vicious cycle that, in many regions, has become unsustainable: the more soil degrades, the more expensive cultivation becomes, and the less resilient it is to climate change.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

    Regenerative Agriculture: More Life, More Yield<\/h2><\/div>

    In response to the depletion caused by industrial agriculture, thousands of farmers worldwide are adopting regenerative practices that harness the power of soil life. Far from being a rural utopia, this approach is supported by scientific studies \u2014 such as those mentioned above \u2014 demonstrating that healthy soils, rich in mycorrhizal fungi and microorganisms, enhance medium- and long-term productivity, particularly in rainfed systems.<\/p>\n

    This happens for several reasons:<\/p>\n