From gut health to soil health: Why agriculture must learn from probiotics

Nina Vinot of Cybèle Agrocare argues that agriculture can learn from advances in human microbiome science by treating soil as a living system, where biological complexity drives crop nutrition and health. She highlights gaps in data, investment, and soil decontamination innovation as barriers, emphasizing the need for better measurement of soil biology and nutritional quality. Vinot points to the promise and variability of microbial inputs, the importance of understanding local soil history, and the growing threat of contaminants like microplastics and PFAS. She calls for greater integration of human health considerations into agriculture, more research, and advanced soil intelligence to unlock the full potential of microbiome-based farming.