The answer lies in the soil as they say, and as thoughts turn to the Christmas dinner menu, here's a novel suggestion of something you could consider adding to the table: a small dish of soil.
Science Strategy Manager with the fertiliser co-operative, Ballance Agri-Nutrients Warwick Catto said it was a reminder that all the food we eat and just about everything else associated with the meal, started with the soil and it was the vital resource we needed to look after.
"If you think about things as far removed as wood, wool, the china plates that we might put on the table and the food, obviously, all this ultimately comes from things that are extracted and derived from the soil.
"So the soil provides the water, the nutrients, they all go through into biomass, to plants and animals into agricultural products.
"But it starts at the soil and to me that's a really important message for people to remember."
Mr Catto said a little dish of soil on the Christmas table was a good reminder of that and he would be doing that at his home, as well.
"So a bit of soil there, on the table in a wee saucer, might bring the discussion about where our food comes from.
"At the end of the day, that soil also provides the income that pays for the food that's on the table, so it might be a nice reminder for the kids about the importance of soil as well."
