Desertification to Regeneration..!
According to Regeneration International, 95% of our earth’s food is grown using topsoil. This topsoil is as delicate as the rainforests and it takes a decade to build a few inches of soil while it only takes a few moments for its destruction.
Our vision always sees the top surface of anything while it ignores what lies beneath it. Likewise, the hidden landscape under the soil is made of tunnels, micro organisms and its organic decaying matter. This dark and moist world beneath our feet gives away the nutrients to the plants and this in turn creates the most amazing food that we consume all around the world. The natural cycle of the soil creates an environment for many species to live in while these species keep the soil healthy. Soil seeps the carbon from the atmosphere and stores in it while the stored carbon returns as nutrients to the plants and then to us. These shared benefits between the soil, the microorganisms and humans is what creates our complex food webs.
Agricultural farming takes up half of our planet’s fertile land and it accounts for almost 10% of global emissions. Soil has been exploited in many ways through agriculture by feeding pesticides and chemicals disrupting the natural balance of the soil. Over farming or over use of the top soil is one of the major concerns leading to soil erosion, desertification and even water contamination.
Large scale monocrops without diversification and the conversion of vast habitable lands for livestock, pastures and crops have critical implications on the ecosystems and biodiversity. Farming has become a factory of mass producing food which is cost efficient yet harmful for the environment. All these actions lead to a consequence of carbon loss in the soil. While carbon is the main source for soil fertility, 50–70% of carbon is lost from the habitable lands of our planet.
With the increasing populations and decreasing soil stability, can we meet the needs of our future generations?
VISION: Regenerative Agriculture
We need to find ways to induce carbon back to the soils. This can only be done by understanding the functionality of our soil and working with it. For example: Using diversified crops replacing the mono crops can be one of the ways. Another way is to prevent the use of pesticides and chemicals and start using compost from the food waste to re-fertile our soils. Rather than having a series of mass livestock lands , it is important to combine these livestocks with trees and crops. Building carbon in our soils and replenishing it with the needed nutrients is how we give back to nature. These regenerative strategies can cut down the carbon from the atmosphere, build food security for all our planet’s species and create resilience with the changing climate.
What we need is a regenerative revolution that can inform the farmers and can influence business models to take up these new restorative strategies.
