Call now to speak with
our Student Support Team
Launch Your Lab+
The Permaculture Bundle
Learn the Foundations of Rapid Soil Regeneration
Generate an Income Assessing Soil Samples from Home
With Our In-Depth Online Programs &
Dedicated Study, You Can…
”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%."
Here are a few of the benefits for FARMERS:
Higher Yields
With the soil food web in place, plants are continually given access to the abundance of nutrients that are in the mineral particles of the soil itself. Learn how plants feed and multiply 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, anytime! The result: super-healthy plants and super-nutritious foods for us humans!
Reduced Costs
If the correct management practices are adopted and if it is not disturbed, the soil food web can remain in place indefinitely – ensuring a constant supply of nutrients to the crops. Farmers no longer need to continually apply fertilizers and other chemical inputs. Another area where costs are reduced is irrigation: water requirements are often slashed by 50% in year 1. This is because of the increased water holding capacity of a well-structured soil and the increase in organic matter.
Better Quality
Increasing the quality of the yield is an important factor that can have a significant impact on profits. We have worked with many producers who have reaped the rewards of improving quality e.g tomato growers in South Africa who increased the percentage of their Grade 1 Produce from 18% to 50% in just 1 year. Shelf life can also be significantly improved by the soil food web. It is not currently understood how this works, but the results have been demonstrated.
Disease & Weed Suppression
The army of microbes that comprise the soil food web not only nourishes plants and trees, it also protects them from diseases and pest organisms. By covering the surfaces (above and below ground) of the entire plant of tree, beneficial microorganisms form a protective layer that prevents diseases from attacking the plant. This is just one way in which plants and trees are protected from diseases and pests. The presence of a balanced soil food web also drastically reduces weed pressure by creating conditions that are not advantageous to weeds.
Restoring the Soil Food Web is the Essence of all Soil Restoration Practices.
Most soil-regeneration systems require a minimum of 5 years before the results start to dramatically improve.
Learn how to fast-track the process and regenerate soils in just a few months with Dr. Elaine’s™ Approach!
Here are some of the benefits to the ENVIRONMENT, of restoring the soil food web:
Carbon Sequestration
Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and they invest a substantial proportion of this into the soil (~40%), to the feed 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 could halt and even reverse climate change within 15-20 years!
Protecting Insects & Plants
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.
Clean Rivers & Oceans
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 holistic management practices, inorganic fertilizers are not required.
Prevent Soil Erosion
The earth’s topsoil’s are being eroded at an alarming rate – some recent estimates suggest that we only have between 30-60 years left before they are completely depleted. The soil food web is nature’s way of building the structure that prevents soils 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.
The Soil Food Web is Nature’s Operating System
There is no better way to grow plants than the way which nature herself has devised.
In the Foundation Courses you will learn the underpinning science of the soil food web, delivered in an easy to understand series of lectures, specially designed for those with no scientific/agricultural background.
Saved Client $1 Million While Eliminating Pesticides & GMO
“One of my clients out in the Midwest does soy and corn. In 3 years they completely eliminated Roundup… switched over to non GMO, and just that alone had saved them over $1M… What business can you go into, make money, and yet you’re giving back to society? You’re giving back to the environment and you’re giving back to your children.”
Todd Harrington, Harrington’s Organic Land Care
We Know These Are Uncertain Times
We also know that the demand for locally produced food is strong and that our planet’s food production systems will only be as healthy as our farmers’ soils.
Serious About a Career in Soil Regeneration?
Upon graduating from the Foundation Courses, you can immediately apply to our Soil Food Web Consultant Training Program, but why not become a Certified Lab-Tech first and start making a little money and a lot of contacts, who may one day become your clients?
Meet Some of the Soil Food Web Consultants
Money-Back Guarantee
You’ll get a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee on the total price paid ($3,750). The only condition is that you have watched 30 lectures or less of the Foundation Courses.
Not a Scientist? Not a Farmer? Not a problem.
Some of our students are farmers, or agricultural professionals, and some are people with no relevant background, who have a passion for the planet.
If you are looking for a new meaningful and impactful career, this could be for you!
Take a look at this video to meet some of the people who have trained at the Soil Food Web school.
The Soil Food Web Approach To Farming
There are so many reasons why conventional agriculture is not working. Farmers spend thousands of dollars each year to improve soil fertility and to protect their crops against pests and disease, but the results are frustratingly ineffective.
Many farmers are realizing that the chemical approach to agriculture is a never-ending story, which results in pollution of our rivers and oceans and the destruction of natural habitats.
The Soil Food Web Approach offers farmers a way out. Working in harmony with nature can be far more cost effective and rewarding than you might imagine. This 3-step process enables farmers to reduce their expenses and to increase their yields. Take a look at the video for more information.
Together, We Can Heal Our Planet
As you complete Dr. Elaine’s™ Foundation Courses, you’ll join our global Soil Food Web community, comprised of people who are out there making a difference. As part of our community, you’ll get access to the Foundation Courses Forum and to regular live Q&A webinars with Dr. Elaine and her team.
Completing and passing the Foundation Courses with a 90% average grade will ensure that you are automatically eligible to join our Consultant Training Program. Our Consultants are equipped to implement Dr. Elaine’s™ Soil Food Web Approach and turn their knowledge and skills into a meaningful and profitable career. Qualified consultants are in high demand!
Student Reviews
The Launch Your Lab+ Curriculum
Upon registration, you’ll get access to the following online programs.
Foundation Course 1
Introduction to the Soil Food Web
- Understanding soil
- The benefits of the Soil Food Web
- Soil Food Web microorganisms
- Working with the Soil Food Web
- Case studies
Foundation Course 2
Making BioComplete™ Compost
- The history of Compost
- BioComplete™ Compost
- Making BioComplete™ Compost
- Large scale production
- Application methods
Foundation Course 3
Making BioComplete™ Extracts & Teas
- Producing BioComplete™ extracts
- Producing and balancing BioComplete™ teas
- Application methods
Foundation Course 4
Microscopy
- Using the compound microscope
- Biological morphology
- Interpreting data
Certified Lab-Tech Program
Setting Up & Operating Your Lab
- One-on-one microscopy training with our expert mentors (virtual sessions)
- Formal assessment for certification (2 attempts)
- How to Launch Your Lab Guidebook
Introduction to Permaculture
Designing a Sustainable Future
- Permaculture Principles
- Design Sequences
- Cycles of Intervention
- Zones, Sectors and Throughputs
- Ecological Principles
- Understanding Plants
Student Success Stories
Keisha Wheeler & Casey Ernst
Keisha & Casey came from a permaculture background and they now run a successful commercial composting business in California – Catalyst BioAmendments.
Nick Tomassini
Nick Tomasini is founder and operator of Humankind Oregon. He is a Certified Soil Foodweb Consultant and Independent Organic Farm Inspector. Nick specializes in consulting with organic farms and large-scale compost producers.
Brian Vagg
Used to Work in IT, Pivoted to His True Passion “Becoming a Soil Food Web Consultant was a life-transforming event for me. My clients see the results so quickly… I feel really good about doing something so positive.”
Discounted Registration
If you’ve been considering this training bundle, now is the time to take advantage.
Launch Your Lab+
Permaculture Bundle
$6,250
$3,750
-
Foundation Courses $1,250 OFF
-
Certified Lab-Tech Program FREE
-
Introduction to Permaculture FREE
Total Saving $2,500
Click on the coupon to copy it!
Money-Back Guarantee
You’ll get a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee on the total price paid ($3,750). The only condition is that you have watched 30 lectures or less of the Foundation Courses.
Here’s Everything you’ll get in this Amazing Offer
FOUNDATION COURSES
All 4 Online Foundation Courses
63 lectures containing the science and theory behind the Soil Food Web Approach.
Downloadable Materials
The FC Course Manuals, Glossary and all of the Lecture Slide Decks.
Contact with Dr. Elaine
Enjoy regular LIVE Q&A webinars with
Dr. Elaine and members of the faculty.
Access to the FC Forum
Post questions for
Dr. Elaine and her team to answer and interact with other students.
CERTIFIED LAB-TECH PROGRAM
1-on-1 Microscopy Training
Up to 8 hours of virtual contact time with your Microscopy Mentor.
Certification Assessment
Pass the test within 2 attempts to become a Certified Soil Food Web Lab-Tech.
How to Launch Your Lab Guidebook
Discover practical ways to find new clients and offer your soil assessment services.
Referral Network
You’ll get a free Certified Lab-Tech listing on the Soil Food Web School website.
BONUS: INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE COURSE
18 Online Lectures
Each lecture is followed by a quiz to help you assess your progress.
Downloadable Materials
You’ll be able to download the slides from each lecture and other reading materials.
Completion Certification
Once you successfully complete all 18 lectures and quizzes you will receive a digital certificate.
Money-Back Guarantee
You’ll get a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee on the total price paid ($3,750). The only condition is that you have watched 30 lectures or less of the Foundation Courses.
Launch Your Lab+
Learn the Theory + Master the Microscope + Explore Permaculture
Step 1: Foundation Courses
ALL ABOUT SOIL BIOLOGY
You'll get to know the beneficial microbes that were once found in soils all over the world, and how they can be rapidly restored to your soil.
COMPOST, TEAS & LIQUIDS
How to make compost and liquids amendments containing the 4 major groups of microbes required to get your soil working in harmony with nature again.
APPLICATION AT SCALE
You will review a number of case-studies on large-scale projects that Dr Ingham and some of the Soil Food Web Professionals have worked on.
Step 2: Certified Lab-Tech Program
MASTER THE MICROSCOPE
Develop your skills with the microscope to the high standard required for certification. You will work online 1-on-1 with a dedicated microscopy mentor.
DEMONSTRATE YOUR SKILL
The Microscopy Proficiency Assessment (MPA) is designed to ensure that you can perform soil assessments with confidence, helping farmers to really see what’s in their soil.
BECOME CERTIFIED
As a Certified Soil Food Web Lab Technician, you will be listed on our website, where farmers from your region will be able to find your information and contact you directly for help.
Bonus Course: Introduction to Permaculture
What’s included
Eighteen lectures, each followed by a short quiz to help you track your progress; A Course Manual containing supplemental information; Downloadable slides and other written materials.
About Permaculture
Permaculture is all about being in balance with the planet and is an ideal tool to have in your bag whenever you are considering making a change.
About the instructor
This introduction to Permaculture has been produced by Graham Bell, Chair of Permaculture Scotland and longest serving Permaculture Teacher in UK with over thirty years’ experience teaching on six continents.
Meet our Founder:
Dr. Elaine
Dr. Elaine Ingham discovered The Soil Food Web nearly 4 decades ago and has been pioneering research ever since. Widely recognized as the world’s foremost soil biologist, she’s passionate about empowering ordinary people to bring the soils in their community back to life.
Dr. Elaine’s™ Soil Food Web Approach has been used to successfully restore the ecological functions of soils on six continents.
Your Instructor in Permaculture
Graham Bell
This introduction to Permaculture has been produced by Graham Bell. Graham is Chair of Permaculture Scotland, Chair of Permaculture Association Britain Education Working Group, and the longest-serving Permaculture Teacher in the UK with thirty-one years’ experience teaching on six continents. He is the author of The Permaculture Way and The Permaculture Garden. He is a registered Certified Teacher with PAB and Permaculture Institute of Australia. He is the first holder of the Elders Award in the UK and Honorary Elder in Australia.
Graham is an internationally respected teacher, author, and lecturer in Permaculture and other allied 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.
Introduction to Permaculture
Permaculture is all about being in balance with the planet and is an ideal tool to have in your bag whenever you are considering making a change.
In this series of 18 lectures and quizzes, we learn about Permaculture, a design system where we consciously design to meet all human needs whilst caring for all living things and respecting human justice.
This will be suitable for people who want to take charge of their own lives, for personal benefit, for that of their family and colleagues or to go on and become teachers or designers for their community. In the process, we will all get better at caring for the natural world and our fellow human beings.
Program FAQs
FOUNDATION COURSES
Are all the courses online?
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.
Are the courses self-paced?
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.
When can I start?
You can start as soon as you sign up.
What will I learn?
- About the various groups of microorganisms that make up a fully-functional soil ecosystem, and how their interactions result in a constant flow of nutrients being made available to plants and trees.
- How plants and trees control the army of microorganisms in their root zones. Plants feed specific groups of microorganisms in order to harvest the particular nutrients required at any given moment. This results in vibrant, healthy plants and in super-nutritious fruits and vegetables.
- That there is an abundance of nutrients locked-away in the crystalline structure of the mineral particles that make-up all of the wold’s soils – from the desert sands to prairies and forests, there is no soil on earth that is incapable of providing all the nutrients that plants require. The missing-link is the army of soil microorganisms that can access these nutrients and make them available to plants.
- How beneficial soil microorganisms prevent diseases and pests from attacking plants. By occupying infection sites all over the roots and all of the above-ground parts of the plant, beneficial microorganisms make it impossible for the ‘bad-guys’ to get access to the plant. In addition to this, beneficial microorganisms create aerobic conditions in which the ‘bad-guys’ (which are mostly anaerobes) cannot survive.
- That beneficial microorganisms build structure in the soil, thus preventing soil erosion whilst simultaneously improving water holding capacity, infiltration and oxygenation. Having structure in the soil enables roots to go much deeper into the ground, where they can access greater quantities of water and nutrients.
- About the way in which the presence of beneficial fungi results in diminished weed pressure. Have you ever noticed how there are very few weed to be found in a forest?
- How introducing the Soil Food Web can drastically increase the ability of a soil to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.
- The history of agriculture and how certain practices have resulted in the destruction of the soil food web in so many of the world’s soils.
- Basic plant physiology and biochemistry. The course covers the basics that are required in order for you to be able to fully understand the processes that are taking place in a living, functional soil.
- About how the soil food web has been reintroduced to over 5 Million acres worldwide. You will review a number of case-studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of the soil food web and how it can be implemented on projects of any scale, any crop and in any climate.
- How to make and apply BioComplete™ compost and liquids.
- About the different kinds of equipment you can use to make and apply the amendments you make.
- The farming practices that are harmful to soil biology and what farmers can do to avoid them.
- How to quantify the different organism groups in a soil, compost or liquid sample, using the compound microscope. This will enable you to measure results as they happen underground and before they happen above ground.
How many lectures are in the Foundation Courses?
There are 63 lectures total in all four Foundation Courses. To see the full break down of the Foundation Courses and the lecture titles, please click here.
How much do they cost?
The regular price is $5,000 for the 4 Foundation Courses and $1,000 for the Certified Lab-Tech Program.
How long will it take me to complete them?
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.
Do I need any qualifications to start the courses?
The courses are designed for people with no background in the field. Basic chemistry and/or biology is an advantage.
Will this course enable me to find employment as a Soil Food Web Consultant?
Students wishing to pursue a career as a Soil Food Web Consultant will need to progress from the FC to the Consultant Training Program. By completing the Certified Lab-Tech Program, you will be eligible to perform Soil Food Web assessments for farmers in your area.
What do graduates do when they have completed their training?
Some become consultants and help farmers to transition away from using chemicals, to using biology instead. Others focus on producing great compost, which they then can sell to soil consultants or direct to farmers.
Find out more by watching the video on this page.
CERTIFIED LAB-TECH PROGRAM
What kind of equipment will I need to buy in order to take the CLP and run a lab? How much will it cost?
You will need to buy a suitable microscope and microscope camera, as well as some ancillary equipment such as test-tubes and slides, etc. Please take a look at this pdf for more information. You can buy a perfectly adequate microscope and camera for $500-$600.
How much money can I expect to earn?
That depends on you and how much effort you put into attracting new clients. You will need to identify and approach local farmers, growers, and compost producers. We will provide you with information on how to do that and some tips from other Certified Lab-Tech’s that have been successful.
How much time do I get to complete the CLP?
You’ll get a maximum of 3 months to complete the CLP training program and the Microscopy Proficiency Assessment. During this time you will get 8 hours of 1-on-1 mentoring time.
You’ll need to complete the Foundation Courses (FC) first, but that can be done in just 4 weeks, working full-time. We advise students that they need between 120-150 hours to complete the FC, so 4 weeks is plenty of time if you are focused. You’ll have up-to 12 months to complete the FC if required.
What if I fail the assessment?
You’ll get 2 attempts at taking the assessment. If you fail both times, then you will need to book some additional time with your mentor in order to work on whatever is going wrong. Once you have ironed-out the problems, you’ll be able to retake the assessment. Additional fees apply.
Where will I be featured on the website?
Your information including name, address (optional), email, and phone number will be featured on this page, once you have been certified as a Soil Food Web Lab-Tech. You can opt-out if you don’t want to be listed.
Can I charge whatever price I want for assessments?
The short answer is yes. Some Certified Soil Food Web Lab-Techs tell us they charge between $120 and $150 per sample, but there are no restrictions. Remember it will take you about an hour to complete the assessment and the report.
Will you recommend me to farmers?
We do receive inquiries from farmers, growers and compost producers who want to have an analysis performed. Some just go straight to the website and find a lab-tech by themselves. We make recommendations based on proximity, so if someone in your region contacts us, we’d recommend them to you.
How can I find or attract new clients?
We will provide you with information on how to do that and some tips from other Certified Lab-Techs who have been successful.
You will be listed on this page where farmers in your region can find you and contact you direct.
What if I have never used a microscope before?
That’s not a problem. This program is designed for beginners.