Piece of Dirt

By 2030, 8.3 billion people will walk the Earth and farmers will need to grow some 40 percent more grain than they do today to feed them. There are two problems: The Earth may be running out of soil, and the quality of what we have is gradually diminishing. For the cover story of the September issue of National Geographic, Charles Mann writes of this crisis on the horizon. He reports on what farmers and scientists are doing figuring out how to save soil and transform deserts into fertile land. He’s our guest along with a soil expert at Case Western Reserve University. We’ll also learn what’s at stake for Ohio’s rich agricultural land and for the world. Join the conversation Wednesday at 9 a.m.