These critical issues, along with demand for ecologically produced foods, are motivating farmers, ranchers, and growers to switch to Regenerative Agriculture.
But they need support to make the transition happen rapidly and effectively…that’s where you can help!
It can feel like it’s a never-ending battle fighting against all the different critters out there that want to take your crops down.
Layers of compacted earth result in soil erosion and they make it really tough for plant roots to penetrate deep into the soil profile.
Diminishing soil fertility is a major problem around the world. This results in lower yields and produce that is nutrient deficient.
As soil structure and organic matter content are degraded over time, the soil’s ability to infiltrate and hold water is compromised.
Many farmers are experiencing diminishing crop yields despite the fact that they are pouring on more and more chemical fertilizer year after year.
For many farmers, the costs of chemical inputs seem to rise every year, making it harder and harder to earn a living.
Having a healthy, functional soil results in several benefits that farmers are becoming aware of as the Regenerative Algaculture movement grows. Many of these benefits can be seen in months, rather than years, once the Soil Food Web is restored. That’s the microbial community that drives the soil ecosystem.
With beneficial biology in the soil, plants get to control their own nutrition by exchanging simple sugars for the nutrients they need, when they need them. Click here to learn more.
The Soil Food Web protects plants from disease-causing organisms and pests in a number of different ways. Click here to watch the video about this.
Improved nutrition and soil structure as well as protection against pests and diseases are some of the ways in which plants are positively affected, resulting in increased yields. Learn more.
Beneficial soil microbes build soil structure, which enables water to better infiltrate clay soils while increasing the water-holding capacity of sandy soils. Increased organic matter is also very important. Learn more.
With the Soil Food Web Approach, we enlist the help of beneficial microbes to build soil structure and we also adopt management practices such as no-till to ensure that compaction doesn’t recur. Learn more.
Your plants can get what they need from the soil once you have the right biology in place. This includes nutrition and protection from pests and diseases. Click here to learn more.
”150% Increase in Yields with Many Costs Reduced by 60%
Shane Plath, Passionate HorticulturalistOrganic Banana Farm Owner, Employing 2,000 People
"Our farm was in serious trouble, but after implementing Dr. Elaine’s approach we increased our yield by 150% in a single season, and repeated these results on different soils at different farms. We also cut many input costs such as fertilizers by at least 60%."
Whether you’re growing on a small scale or large, alfalfa or almonds, United States or United Emirates, the Soil Food Web Approach simply works.
You could create a new income stream by supporting other farmers in your area.
See below how the Soil Food Web Approach benefits all
Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and they invest a substantial proportion of this into the soil (~40%) to feed microorganisms. This is the basis of the mechanism that pumps carbon into the world’s soils. It is possible that by regenerating the world’s soils, we may be able to halt climate change.
Recent studies have shown that the world’s insect populations have been declining by around 25% every decade for the last 30 years! Bird populations are also plummeting, and other animals are being affected too. The major causes have been identified as habitat destruction and the use of pesticides.
Typically only about 40% of the inorganic fertilizers, applied by conventional farmers, are absorbed by plants. The rest pollutes our air, rivers, lakes and oceans, causing major damage to those ecosystems and to the world’s oceans. With the Soil Food Web in place and the use of regenerative practices, inorganic fertilizers are not required.
The Earth’s topsoils are being eroded at an alarming rate. The UN has estimated that we only have 60 years left before they are completely depleted. The Soil Food Web is nature’s way of building the structure that prevents soils from being washed away by heavy rain or blown away by the wind. Intensive plowing and the use of chemicals destroys this structure, leaving the soil vulnerable to erosion.
Tap the boxes below to see more!
In this series of 63 lectures, you’ll learn all the theory behind the Soil Food Web, including how to make, assess, and apply BioComplete™ Compost and liquid inocula.
You’ll put all the theory into practice and measure the results yourself! You will be guided by one of our mentors every step of the way through the program.
Demand is growing rapidly for consultants and people with the skills to produce BioComplete™ amendments. Some Soil Food Web Consultant Graduates are able to charge around $150 per hour.
In the Soil Food Web Foundation Courses, you’ll learn:
These are all great skills to have at your disposal, whether you’re working on regenerating farmland or the soils in your garden, as repairing the soil biome will dramatically accelerate the regeneration process, so you can start to see the results as soon as in the first growing season.
You’ll get to attend monthly webinars with Dr. Elaine’s team (and guest speakers) and you’ll get access to a dedicated forum where you can connect with other students and ask questions that will be answered by the faculty.
The Introduction to Permaculture is a series of 18 lectures, delivered by former chair of the Permaculture Association, Scotland and world renowned educator, Graham Bell. Permaculture is a regenerative design system that can be applied to just about anything, from water management, growing systems, dwellings and much more. This is a very powerful tool to have in your box!
Get ready! This workshop on whole-systems landscape function will give you an entirely new view of climate, soils, water, and economics. You will meet people from around the world, and come away feeling inspired by a new understanding of how we can address many of our major challenges through simple changes in land management. You will learn why the living matrix of a healthy “soil sponge” is fundamental infrastructure that makes life on land possible, and how the work of other species creates our climate and weather and underlies all successful economies.
If you sign up, be prepared to get into deep discussions with other participants, and to reflect on your own experiences. The class includes small group discussions, large group discussions, journaling, the use of living systems frameworks, as well as short informational lectures and powerpoints.
Completion of the course also serves to fulfill the prerequisite requirement for those who want to join the international Land and Leadership Development Community.
FC1: Introduction to the Soil Food Web
FC2: Making BioCompleteTM Compost
FC3: Making BioCompleteTM Liquids
FC4: Microscopy
– Introduction to Permaculture Course
– Soil Sponge Workshop
Attend monthly webinars, where you can ask questions that will be answered by Dr. Elaine’s team. We also have featured speakers who talk on specialist subjects.
You’ll get access to the Foundation Courses Forum where you can ask questions and interact with members of the faculty and other students from around the world.
You can download the FC Course Manual, Glossary and all of the Lecture Slide Decks.
You’ll get a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee on the total price paid. The only condition is that you have watched fewer than 32 lectures of the Foundation Courses.
*With the SpringBoard 2025 Offer you are registering for the Foundation Courses at the price of $2,499 (that’s $2,501 off the regular price of $5,000) and you are receiving the Introduction to Permaculture (regular price $299) and the Soil Sponge Workshop (regular price $300) for free.
**Rates from 0% APR or 10-36% APR. Payment options through Affirm are subject to an eligibility check and are provided by these lending partners: http://affirm.com/lenders. See http://affirm.com/licenses for important info on state licenses and notifications.
Dr. Elaine’s teaching style is accessible to anyone and,
remember, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee!
After a successful career as a program manager in IT, Brian decided to follow his passion for the environment and healthy food. He now runs a successful consultancy, Sprouting Soils. His clients include vineyards, orchards, and cannabis growers.
Todd was one of the first to ever train with Dr. Elaine Ingham. He’s built a successful business, producing Biological Soil Amendments and providing consultancy services. Todd’s company, Harrington’s Organics, employs 7 people and has numerous clients around the US and beyond.
Nick has focused extensively on soil health since his time as an undergraduate at Oregon State where he discovered the work of Dr. Ingham. Now he spends his time sharing his exploration and implementation of soil health principles and techniques with clients in the Western US and beyond.
Dr. Elaine has used the Soil Food Web Approach to regenerate soils on 6 continents. We now have students in over 100 countries and so far we haven’t found anywhere in the world where the soil ecosystem cannot be restored. (Antarctica is the obvious exception since the soil isn’t accessible there!)
All plants form symbiotic relationships with microorganisms in the soil. That’s because when plants first evolved on the land, around 500 million years ago, the world’s soils were already populated with microbes. So these relationships have been there from the beginning. Our persistent disturbance of the soil, with the plow and more recently with chemicals, has destroyed the balance that existed in the soil ecosystem. Fortunately, we can put that right very rapidly with the Soil Food Web Approach, which is all about harvesting microbes from the local area, multiplying the aerobic microbes using Dr. Elaine’s close-control composting system, and then re-introducing them to the soil. With regenerative agricultural techniques like no-till, the soil biome is protected and so repeated treatments may not be necessary.
The short answer is ‘yes’. Dr. Elaine has worked on large scale projects that cover thousands of acres. She has also worked on some smaller projects too. BioComplete™ Compost and liquid amendments can be produced at large scale, using industrial equipment and also at very small scale, using hand tools and home-made brewing kits. Of course, application at large scale is very different than it would be in someone’s garden, but the good news is that conventional spraying equipment and irrigation systems can be used to deliver BioComplete™ Liquid Amendments to the soil, with some very minor modifications.
Our training programs are designed for people with no scientific or agricultural background. Dr. Elaine has an informal teaching style that makes the lectures easy to follow. You’ll have access to the Student Forum and monthly live Q&A sessions where your questions will be answered.
This is a flexible online program, so you can work at your own pace. The Foundation Courses can be completed in as little as 4 weeks or in as long as 12 months. The Mentoring Program is also designed to be very flexible. You can book sessions with your mentor when you feel you need support, and your mentor will be on hand to answer your emails. The program is designed for people with busy schedules.
Dr. Elaine Ingham has spent decades collaborating with farmers in different parts of the world, working on a variety of different crop types, to develop the Soil Food Web Approach.
One of her primary goals was to ensure that farmers could provide their crops with sufficient nutrients and with protection against pests and diseases, without the need to use expensive chemical inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides. Please take a look at the Case Studies videos on this page where you can hear directly from Farmers and Consultants who are reporting great results and financial benefits when using Dr. Elaine’s techniques as part of their process.
In the Testimonial videos on this page, you will hear from some of the folks who have trained with Dr. Elaine and who have followed in her footsteps to establish themselves as Soil Food Web Professionals. Each of them works independently and they run their own businesses, but they are all part of the Soil Food Web community. Some of them had no background in Farming or Biology. Careers in this space include: Soil Food Web Consultants, Lab-Techs and Compost Producers.
In Foundation Course 1 you will learn:
In Foundation Course 2 you will learn:
In Foundation Course 3 you will learn:
In Foundation Course 4 you will learn:
Yes, the Foundation Courses are 100% online, theory-based courses. You will watch a series of lectures and take a short quiz after each one. You’ll also get access to the dedicated FC Forum, where you can ask questions and interact with members of the faculty and other students from around the world. And you can attend monthly webinars, where you can ask questions that will be answered by Dr. Elaine’s team and featured speakers who talk on specialist subjects.
Yes, they are. You’ll be able to login at any time, watch a lecture as many times as you like, then prepare for the short multiple-choice quiz that follows each lecture.
You can start as soon as you sign up.
There are 63 lectures total in all four Foundation Courses. To see the full breakdown of the Foundation Courses and the lecture titles, please click here.
The regular price for the 4 courses is $5,000. With the SpringBoard 2025 offer you pay $2,499 and you get lots more FREE!
Students typically require about 150 hours in order to complete the FC at a reasonable pace.
We expect that a student can complete the FC in 4 weeks, if studying full-time. The maximum time allowed to complete the FC is 12 months. You can apply for an extension if you need it.
The courses are designed for people with no background in the field.
Students wishing to pursue a career as a Soil Food Web Consultant will need to progress from the FC to the Consultant Training Program.
Some become Soil Food Web Consultants who help farmers, ranchers, and growers to transition away from using chemicals to a biological/regenerative farming technique. Others focus on producing great compost, which they then can sell to soil consultants or direct to farmers. And others become Soil Food Web Lab-Technicians who perform biological assessments for farmers and growers, or for Soil Food Web Consultants.
Graham Bell, who sadly passed away in March 2023, was an internationally respected teacher, author and lecturer in Permaculture and other aligned disciplines over the last thirty years. He was the first person in Britain to be awarded the Diploma in Permaculture by Bill Mollison personally in 1990. His home in the Scottish Borders with his wife Nancy boasts the longest-standing intentional food forest garden in Britain. Over a thousand visitors a year (in previous times) attest to the amazing productivity of this space.
Course Themes
What’s Included
Yes, the course includes 18 pre-recorded lectures and quizzes delivered entirely online. You can login any time you like, watch the lectures as many times as you wish and then take the short, multiple-choice quiz.
Yes, you can access and view the lectures and take the quizzes at your own pace. Students typically require about 40 hours in order to complete the IPC at a reasonable pace. We expect that a student can complete the IPC in 1 week, if studying full-time. You will have access to the IPC content for as long as we maintain the program.
You can start as soon as you sign up.
There are 18 lectures. Each lesson is a lecture delivered by Graham Bell with a PowerPoint presentation, with interspersed contributions from other Permaculturalists from various parts of the world. The PowerPoints will be available to download as PDFs. Each lesson is followed by a short quiz to help you track your comprehension.
You can submit your questions in the student forum, where the course training team will answer them.
$299 as a free-standing course, but it’s free with the SpringBoard 2025 offer.
The courses are designed for people with no background in the field.
Didi Pershouse is the author of The Ecology of Care: Medicine, Agriculture, Money, and the Quiet Power of Human and Microbial Communities and Understanding Soil Health and Watershed Function. She teaches participatory workshops both in person and online, helping to show the nested relationships between soil health, human health, water cycles, and climate resiliency. She is the founder of the Land and Leadership Initiative and the Center for Sustainable Medicine, and a co-founder of the “Can we Rehydrate California?” Initiative. She is an independent trainer and curriculum developer for the UN-FAO Farmer Field School Program and the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming Initiative in India. She was one of five speakers at the United Nations-FAO World Soil Day in 2017.
Healthy soil is the fundamental infrastructure that makes life on land possible, but only when it is alive and functions like a sponge. A living “soil sponge” can soak up rain, store and filter water; and provide health, resilience, and thriving economies for the communities that grow from it.
Farmers and communities that create conditions for a soil sponge to grow experience interrelated benefits such as:
Topics Covered:
Participants will gain:
Participants will also have:
What you’ll get with this workshop:
No. This is a five-part, live discussion workshop.
No. This is a five-part, live discussion workshop.
Whether you are a farmer, a policymaker, a journalist, or an investor trying to make a change in the world, after taking this course you will see the potential of simple strategic land-management decisions to create the conditions for land to naturally regenerate its water-absorbing sponge-like structure and function. Click here to download a full class description.
There are 5 sessions, each 2.5 hours long.
$300 as a standalone workshop, but it’s free with SpringBoard 2025 offer.
The courses are designed for people with no background in the field.
Whether you are a farmer, a policymaker, a journalist, or an investor trying to make a change in the world, after taking this course you will see the potential of simple strategic land-management decisions to create the conditions for land to naturally regenerate its water-absorbing sponge-like structure and function.
Dr. Elaine has spent several decades researching soil biology and has worked with farmers on several continents to develop the Soil Food Web Approach, enabling farmers to rapidly regenerate their soils and to transition smoothly to Regenerative Agriculture, without jeopardizing the viability of their farms.
