Become a Carbon Farmer

In 2015, I took an online Climate Change course with the Wilmette Institute. The course was informative but left me feeling helpless. My Prius, recycling efforts and raised bed vegetable patch seemed so insignificant in the big scheme of things.

In 2016, I listened to an Audible book called The Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Olsen. It filled me with hope that healing the soil could go a long way towards reversing climate change. Prior to this book, I had listened to Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, so I was primed for thinking globally and backwards through time. Suddenly it all made sense, the proverbial light bulb went off. and my optimism soared.

Other inspiring books I have read since are:

I am reminded of a quotation from the Baha'i Writings that took on a whole new meaning.

Fifth: Special regard must be paid to agriculture. Although it hath been mentioned in the fifth place, unquestionably it precedeth the others. - Baha'u'allah, Lawḥ-i-Dunyá (Tablet of the World)

Below is an oversimplified list of insights that inspired me:

  • CO2 buildup started when man entered the Agricultural Age and began to till the soil using plows. Tilling exposes the soil and destroys the soil microbiome and root network beneath the surface.

  • Mechanized tilling exacerbated the problem further, hence the Great Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

  • Within 3-4 years, the topsoil on fields where there is adequate rainfall or irrigation, can be restored to a foot depth.

  • Plant roots use sugars to attract microorganisms that in turn benefit the plant by supplying minerals. Each sugar molecule contains 6 carbon atoms. When soil is tilled, that carbon is lost.

  • A variety of plants of different root depths is needed to maximize water absorption and retention.

  • New No Till agriculture planting machines are gaining popularity in the Mid West and Canada. They insert seeds and customized nutrients directly into the soil.

  • Carbon Farmers use a cocktail of Cover Crops to replenish the nutrients in the soil, eliminating the need for fertilizers. Think about legumes and add clover to your lawn! We need to put an end to monoculture.

  • Ideally, these crops could be trampled by livestock using managed grazing, that flattens the crop, adds manure and improves water retention.

  • Trees (especially nut trees) further heal the soil. Imagine how much more money a nut farmer would make if he could also produce a ground crop, pasture raised chicken and eggs, while eliminating the cost of fertilizers.

  • Homes in California do not have to save precious water by resorting to drought tolerant grasses and cacti. Desertification can be stopped and gradually reversed with more trees.