One of our most powerful global warming solutions is: “If we take care of healthy soil, Mother Earth will take care of us.”

The methods to get healthy soil are called regenerative agriculture.   Essentially, we want to put more organic material into our soils.  This, in turn, means less carbon pollution enters the air.

And that fights global warming, while at the same time making soils more productive – an urgent advantage in a world where human population keeps growing.

There are many subtle tricks master farmers use in regenerative agriculture:

According to the researchers at Project Drawdown, “practices include:

• no tillage,
• diverse cover crops,
• in-farm fertility (no external nutrients),
• no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and
• multiple crop rotations.

“Together, these practices increase carbon-rich soil organic matter. The result: vital microbes proliferate, roots go deeper, nutrient uptake improves, water retention increases, plants are more pest resistant, and soil fertility compounds.”

As a longtime backyard gardener I would add my primitive version:  Make lots and lots of home compost.  Capture all kitchen waste, and organic debris like leaves or grass clippings and simply make a layered pile.  In about six weeks it has turned into a lovely, clean and light soil – “compost.”  Use it throughout the garden.

Long a movement among organic farmers and home gardeners, regenerative agriculture is now used by mainstream farmers who are worried about soil depletion.  (Good business people that they are, mainstream farmers know how to protect their long-term prospects.)

To learn more, visit David Roseboro’s piece in EcoWatch showing how “farmers worldwide can help preserve the world’s soils, feed a growing global population, mitigate climate change and protect the environment.”

Ask yourself, “In my region, how can I use my foodbuying power to cast a vote?”

Demand food produced using sustainable soils practices.