The Chloride Free Foundation is an international non-profit organization incorporated in the Netherlands. Our purpose is to protect soil biodiversity by making agricultural practices around the world chloride-free. We work to promote sustainable and responsible agricultural practices, advocating for nature and the quality of the soil and crops.
Why make agriculture chloride-free
We are facing an environmental and climate crisis like never seen before, entire ecosystems are being wiped out, extreme weather events and climate related hazards are becoming more frequent and billions of people around the world are suffering from hunger and food insecurity. If we don’t change our ways of production and consumption, we will soon reach a point of no return.
There is a lot of discussion in the scientific community about the need to preserve the planet’s biodiversity and the consequences of not doing so, but most studies refer to the biodiversity above ground, that is, the one we are able to see. However, there is an even greater diversity hidden beneath our feet. A biodiversity that is out of sight and out of mind.
More than 40% of all terrestrial life is associated with soil in at least part of their life cycle, which makes the soil one of the main global reservoirs of biodiversity. However, it is estimated that only 1% of soil organism species is currently known.
Soil biodiversity is essential for most of the ecosystem services provided by soil, which benefit soil health, nutrition and food production, water purification, human health and climate change mitigation and adaption. A healthy soil function as a carbon sink capable of storing more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined. Therefore, soil biodiversity is essential in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, which correspond to 10% to 12% of all anthropogenic GHG each year.
However, agricultural intensification and the excessive use of saline potassium fertilizers has threatened the survival of these organisms. Use of fertilizers, such as potassium chloride (KCl) leads to high concentrations of chloride (Clˉ) in the soil. Although chloride is a micronutrient used by plants, when in excess this ion is known to have biocidal effects interrupting the vital functions of soil organisms, negatively affecting their growth, reproduction and causing their death, which in turn leads to a reduction in soil biodiversity.
When it comes to its biocidal effect, using 1 kg of KCl is the equivalent of applying 8 liters of Clorox® bleach in the soil. Chloride’s accumulation in the environment is also responsible for increasing soil salinity, water stress and affecting nutrient uptake of microorganisms and plants, causing loss of agricultural productivity.
You can help us in our efforts by signing our petition to make agriculture chloride-free by 2040.