Soil is the lifeblood of every ecosystem, including food systems. Myriad agricultural techniques throughout human history and across civilizations have tapped into this core knowledge that healthy soil is fundamental - that farming means soil care. But in the wave of technological and chemical innovation that is modern agriculture, so much is forgotten.

Healthy soils are built by diversity. Soil is a complex of interactions between organisms across Kingdoms of life and trophic levels. It is the life within soil, cycling organic matter and nutrients, that gives rise to new life. Deep roots decompact soil, bringing carbon fixed by their leaves down to the depths of the rhizosphere. In turn, the nutrients fixed by roots - with the help of fungal and bacterial symbionts - are transported to the leaves, and returned to the earth when leaves die. The diversity of roots reflects manifold in the diversity of microbial symbionts. Earthworms, beetles and other tunnelling invertebrates aerate the soil and physically mix soil particles. Ground cover ensures soil is never bare for long, shielding the life within from damaging UV and ensuring continuous input of organic matter. Everything has a purpose and nothing exists alone.

Soil-centric vertical agriculture is the implementation of such vigorous, ecological soil building that it unlocks an additional dimension from which to grow: the vertical plane. Unlike 2D agriculture, vertical space is constrained only by our capacity to build upwards. The integration of vertical engineering with soil-building practices and an appreciation for the complexity of natural ecosystems presents an innovative solution to the failing modern agricultural systems.