Discovery Ramblings - May 14, 2021
Discovery Ramblings - May 14, 2021
Randy Hooper - Discovery Organics
When was the last time you read an article or a headline touting carbon capture technology?
Personally, I just don’t get it. Oh I get fierce initiative and entrepreneurial spirit and long term investment and future profit. That’s easy. What I don’t get is that removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with human engineered technology seems awkward – considering that nature has been doing this since the first day an ocean plant somehow found its way way to land. I can guarantee that you’ve seen these little drawings. They have them in high school textbooks. There are hundreds of images that look just like this one.
So here we have a completely perfect, closed loop natural system that does exactly what we need to do to fix our current mess. It isn’t just the carbon cycle though – it’s the natural water cycle, and I expect what we will hear more and more about that in the near future because water vapour in the atmosphere is by far and away the biggest contributor to the greenhouse effect - as it always has been, except a warmer atmosphere holds more water, which radiates more solar energy back to the surface, which creates an even warmer atmosphere, which holds even more water vapour which radi… you get the drift.
Every year, the land areas of the planet lose more water than they receive because of deforestation and poor quality topsoil, where runoff is much more prevalent. So, very simply, in the process of improving soil quality and re-foresting more land we are going to slowly change that deficit back to equilibrium – at least that’s the plan.
And no matter whether you believe that global warming is caused by increased carbon dioxide from our global increase in emissions, or you believe that climate change and global warming are caused by an increased level of water vapour in the atmosphere, moving to regenerative organic farming techniques, slowing deforestation, and replanting forests around the world will hold more water on land AND capture vast amounts of carbon from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We all win.
I know I’ve talked a lot about this in the past, and for those of you who ramble with me, I apologize and I’ll try to focus on more agricultural issues going forward. But if you are in the produce industry, be fore warned that as the public becomes increasingly aware, they are going to start reaching out for food that isn’t necessarily organic, but produced in some natural carbon capturing system. We saw that same move with organics, and with Fair Trade, and carbon farming will creep into the retail produce and grocery sector.
Regenerative farming practices can help restore the Earth : PepsiCo discusses its Positive Agriculture Programme
PepsiCo controls 7 million acres of production. No, they just don’t make Pepsi – they own a vast range of brands, from Quaker Oats, Cheetos, Rice-a-Roni, Lay’s Chips, Tostitos – you can read the full list here:
And when a massive multi-national food producer makes a commitment to regenerative agriculture – well, we know where this is going to go! I was actually shocked when I saw this story – in a good way.
Regenerative farming and global re-forestation weren’t really discussed up until the last few years, and now it is impossible to not stumble over article after article – and all fascinating, at least to me. Here are some great ones that I saw and read in just the last couple of weeks. I’ve pasted in the headline, and the link. Some of those may need to be copy/pasted into your browser:
The US Farm Sector is Gearing Up to Cash In on Climate Action
Carbon market and Soil Sequestration-mania is set to funnel big financial gains from carbon-emitting industries to farmland owners. But what does it really mean farmers?
14 Ways Fair Trade Enterprises are Cultivating Environmental Stewardship
The effects on agriculture of more frequent and intense natural disasters could overwhelm lenders, destabilize the food supply and disrupt the global economy.
Agroforestry: Boost Food Production And Reduce Climate Change
Combining agriculture with forestry promises myriad economic and environmental benefits for those who take it up.
‘Regenerative Agriculture’: World-Saving Idea or Food Marketing Ploy?
The Solution to Halt Climate Change for 20 Years is Available
A Devastating Omission (A Grazier’s Manifesto)
Ignorance of the ecology of soil has led us to some destructive conclusions for environmental activism.
Our Natural Climate Solutions Moon Shot
The Climate Stewardship Act proposes ramping up natural climate solutions — from farms to forests to wetlands — to their full potential.
In honor of Earth Day, a look at the earth beneath our feet
New Soil Study Shows Pesticides 'Destroying the Very Foundations of Web of Life'
"These troubling findings add to the urgency of reining in pesticide use to save biodiversity."