Resources
Explore the resources below, click through the links, and take advantage of the information offered here to learn more.
Dr. Elaine’s™ Soil Food Web School
Soil Food Web
Dr. Elaine Ingham’s soil food web approach is essential for soil regeneration. This three-step approach can be used to restore soil biology within a few months in most cases.
-Identify which groups of organisms are lacking in the soil.
-Boost their numbers using vital, complete compost and liquids.
-Adopt natural farming techniques to ensure biology survives.
The all-new Dr. Elaine’s™ Soil Food Web Foundation Courses are designed for just about anybody who wants to change the way food is grown on our planet. From farmers, horticulturalists and agronomists, to those who are passionate about protecting our insect populations, the environment and stopping soil erosion.
Do you want to understand how nature really works? Learn how plants exchange nutrients with the world of microorganisms that populate healthy living soils. And how nature has been growing plants and trees successfully without any chemicals or artificial fertilizers for millions of years!
With the Soil Food Web in place, plants are given access to a constant flow of nutrients that they control. Learn how plants feed and breed an army of microorganisms in the root-zone, and how these microbes harvest nutrients from soil and rock particles, as well as from organic matter, thus providing the plant with any nutrients it requires – on demand!
There is no better way to grow plants than the way which nature herself has devised. Plants and trees are in full control of the army of microbes that they command which nourish and protect plants from diseases and pest organisms. Restoring the Soil Food Web is the essence of all soil restoration practices and is the foundation of soil carbon sequestration.
Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and they invest a substantial proportion of this into the soil, to feed the microorganisms. This is the basis of the mechanism that pumps carbon into the world’s soils. It has been estimated that by regenerating the world’s soils using the Soil Food Web, we can reverse climate change within 10-15 years!
In these courses you will learn the underpinning science of the Soil Food Web, delivered in an easy-to-understand series of classes, specially designed for those with no scientific background. You will learn how to increase productivity by over 200% (in some cases) whilst simultaneously reducing costs and water usage by over 50%. You will also learn about how the Soil Food Web can be introduced to all soil types and settings in any climate on planet earth.
The Land & Leadership Initiative is a deeply participatory, community-driven school founded by author and educator Didi Pershouse.​
We provide strategic support and educational opportunities for current and emerging leaders, helping them to see and act on the potential to address society's major challenges—food, water, climate, conflict, health—by collaborating with nature and each other.
Our courses, workshops, webinars, and materials are designed to give you the tools to facilitate, lead, and support soil-health and living-climate initiatives in your own region. You will come away with an understanding of whole-systems landscape function, communication and consensus building strategies, and a well-founded hope for the future.
Explore these topics on the website and more
-Soil Sponge, Carbon Sequestration and the living climate
"Soil life is hard at work building underground structures that form a porous, strong “soil sponge,” the foundation of life on land. Allow the structure of the soil sponge to grow deeper and stronger by minimizing soil disturbance"
• Much of soil life is fed by liquid carbon compounds produced by plant photosynthesis, exuded through plant roots. Keep living roots in the ground as much of the year as possible.
• Soil life is hard at work building underground structures that form a porous, strong “soil sponge,” the foundation of life on land. Allow the structure of the soil sponge to grow deeper and stronger by minimizing soil disturbance.
• Soil life needs protection from heat, pounding rain, and wind. Keep soil covered year-round (preferably with living plants, dead plant litter, or mulch.)
• A diverse system is more resilient than a monoculture. Increase the diversity of plants growing together, to provide food and habitat for diverse soil microorganisms, beneficial insects, birds, and other species.
• Like any other living system, soil ecology will succumb to overwhelming stresses (such as excessive use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, compaction, undergrazing, overgrazing, etc.) Minimize chemical, physical, and biological stresses.
• A healthy landscape soaks up, stores and filters water, cools the surrounding atmosphere, creates mist and clouds, and is more resilient to flooding and drought. Natural communities involving all kingdoms of life are responsible for the water cycle on land. Plan, monitor, and adapt your management with the whole water cycle in mind.
• Nature never farms without animals. Animals move nutrients, create small and large pores in soil, manage flows of water, pollinate crops, balance predator/ prey relationships, and replenish soil microbes. Find ways to integrate and welcome a diversity of animals, birds, and insects into the system.
• Every place has a history, and unique strengths and vulnerabilities. Get to know
the context of the land.
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Click the link below to access website and explore more!
Webinar
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Soil Food Web's
Creating Cooling Oases through the Soil Sponge and Plant Diversity
by Didi Pershouse
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Learn how to create a cool, natural oasis for yourself and your neighbors by managing the land surface and soil structure in your yard, farm, or neighborhood.
Much of what we suffer during heat waves has to do with factors we can change, such as:
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the amount of transpiring vegetation
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the amount of shade
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the color of the surface
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the water-holding capacity of the soil
One example: which do you choose to step on when you are barefoot on a hot day? Pavement or wet grass?
Dark solid pavement will burn your feet–and it will continue to retain and emit heat long after the sun goes down. Whereas if you jump onto a moist grassy surface, it will cool your feet, and your body as well. Trees, grass, and other plants actually remove heat from the air, as long as the soil is managed to retain water at the root zone–like a sponge.
We can think of greenhouse gasses as the cover over a cooking pan that holds in heat, but our management of land surfaces is how we turn down the flame under the pan, even when the sun is shining, and long into the evening hours.
This means we have far more influence over the temperature around us than we think.
This webinar recording with international educator and author Didi Pershouse will lead you through science and strategies that will help you create cooling oases to get through heat waves, and potentially even help shift regional temperatures if enough of your neighbors get involved!
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Watch Below
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Video Date - August 29, 2025
Regenerative Resources
Support the Movement
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Mission & Namesake
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.
Our name (which is pronounced Zer-sees, or /ˈzɚˌsiz/) comes from the now-extinct Xerces blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces), the first butterfly known to go extinct in North America as a result of human activities. The Xerces blue's habitat was destroyed by development in the sand dunes of San Francisco, and the species was declared extinct by the 1940s.
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Our Work
The Xerces Society is a science-based conservation organization, working with diverse partners that include scientists, land managers, educators, policymakers, farmers, and communities. By utilizing applied research, engaging in advocacy, providing educational resources, addressing policy implications, and building community, we endeavor to make meaningful long-term conservation a reality.
See the Our Work section or our annual reports for further details on our programs and conservation efforts.
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An Enduring Legacy
For over 50 years, we have protected endangered species and their habitats, produced ground-breaking publications, trained thousands of farmers and land managers to conserve habitat, and raised awareness about the importance and plights of invertebrates in forests, prairies, deserts, and oceans. Our key program areas are pollinator conservation, endangered species conservation, and reducing pesticide use and impacts. Click on the icons below to learn more about our work.
Our founder, Robert Michael Pyle shares the story of the Society from its beginnings in 1971, and looks towards the future of invertebrate conservation.
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Click here to visit page, read full story and access links
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Collaborating Partners
Check out these organizations and explore the resources they offer, including programs, news, events, courses, webinars, podcasts, clubs, and more.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)
CAFF is an organization dedicated to advocating for California family farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture. Its mission focuses on building resilient food systems and supporting local communities through various programs. Key activities include:
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Policy Advocacy: Representing family farmers at local, state, and national levels.
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Biological Agriculture: Promoting sustainable farming practices.
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Farm to School Programs: Connecting local farms with schools to educate children about agriculture.
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Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaigns: Encouraging consumers to purchase locally sourced food.
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Pollinator Partnership
Pollinator Partnership is a non-profit organization that focuses on the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems. It runs the Bee Friendly Farming (BFF) program, which helps farmers implement practices that support pollinator health. Key aspects of the program include:
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Forage Provision: Encouraging farmers to provide nutritious forage for bees.
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Diverse Blooming Plants: Promoting a variety of flowering plants throughout the growing season.
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Water Access: Ensuring clean water sources for pollinators.​
Funding Opportunities for California Agricultural Producers
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RCPP Farmer-to-Farmer Collaboration
The Resource Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Farmer-to-Farmer Collaboration is looking for producers who are enthusiastic about increasing pollinator habitat and receiving financial and technical support for implementing on farm practices that support pollinators in California. Through a USDA NRCS RCPP, Farmer-to-Farmer Collaboration is offering contracts to distribute over $1,000,000 to California’s farmers and ranchers to help them build habitat on their property. Pollinator Partnership is eager to have you join their network as a producer-participant. Eligible counties include: Fresno, Madera, Merced, Monterey , Napa , San Luis Obispo , San Joaquin , Santa Barbara , Sonoma , Stanislaus. Practices include: Cover Crops Conservation Cover Wildlife Habitat and Range Planting Hedgerow Planting Prescribed Grazing Micro-Irrigation Integrated Pest Management Tree-Shrub and Brush Establishment and Management.
Watch the webinar presentation
Enhanced Farmland for Pollinators, Crops, and Soil
Through the California Department of Food and Agriculture Pollinator Habitat Program, each project will be designed so that regionally appropriate species are chosen to support pollinators and soils. A priority will be given to plant species that have high establishment rates, low cost, drought tolerance, low maintenance, and soil health benefits. Pollinator Partnership, CAFF, WFA are excited to offer webinars and onsite trainings, and can offer support in IPM implementation and monitoring.
NOW OPEN Application for the Enhanced Farmland program.
Apply Today!
Wild Farm Alliance
The Wild Farm Alliance collaborates with farmers to integrate food safety and wildlife conservation into agricultural practices. Its initiatives aim to demonstrate that these two goals can coexist and benefit each other. Important elements include:
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Food Safety Practices: Educating farmers on maintaining food safety while conserving wildlife.
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Conservation Benefits: Highlighting how practices like cover crops can reduce pathogen risks and enhance biodiversity.
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Regulatory Collaboration: Working with federal agencies to align food safety regulations with conservation efforts.
