Nature contains disturbance. Wild boar root. Animals graze. Trees fall. Floods move soil. Fire transforms vegetation. The problem is not disturbance itself. The problem is disturbance that is excessive, repetitive or leaves insufficient opportunity for recovery.
Mechanical cultivation can break aggregates, disturb fungal networks, expose organic matter and leave soil vulnerable to erosion and temperature extremes. We therefore minimise disturbance wherever practical. But we are not dogmatic about it.
Machinery may be necessary to restore abandoned terraces, repair erosion, create safe access, install water infrastructure, remove invasive vegetation, plant trees or address severe compaction.
“The important question is not: "Did we disturb the soil?" It is: "Was the disturbance necessary, proportionate and likely to improve the long-term functioning of the system?"”