Plant fruit and nut producing trees. Plant understory brambles. Plant layers of edible plants. You don't need to be farming a hundred acres to replace a lawn and do something with your neighbours!
I own 5 acers here in eastern Tennessee. I know it is not much land but I want to help. I am planting clover to replace the grass. You don't have to mow as often and it is prettier. I am also thinning out the the woods on the property. I will remove trees that are badly twisted, broken or badly tilted. I plan to give the trees at least 10 ft. between each tree. Is this enough or should I leave more? The trees I drop are going to build retaing walls. I just stack them big on the bottom smaller on top. I want to grow mushrooms on the decaying wood. Where can I buy spores for the right kind of mushrooms? No hallucinogens; I an crazy enough straight and sober. Is there anything else I can do?
Gustav - actually the trees do sequester carbon in a secondary way - the uncountable numbers of microbes that live around the roots sequester and contribute to the carbon sink. Best regards Jim
Very good! Thank you for makeing this film! The indigenous also can help keeping soil alive. See the film: A MANIFEST FOR THE CLIMATE here on You Tube.
Love this (and our 3 home vermicomposting bins)! Any ideas for best practices for this soil solution and managing wildfire risk near homes (Sonoma Valley, CA)
Excellent video and very good explanation of this fascinating information - as noted in other comments we should all be embracing these changes in the way we farm and treat the earth
Great video - really informative about an incredibly important topic. However, backgrounf music should be in the background not so loud that you struggle to hear the narrator.
What would you say are some ways to increase total amount of photosynthesis without harming the productivity of our main economic crops? I am thinking weeding the soil alone takes away the majority of (potential) photosynthesis
Dear uploader, Can we use this video with subtitles to spread the word about regenerative agriculture, soil carbon increase, cover crops etc. We represent a small fraction of Hungary's regenerative agricultural system, we would appreciate if we could use your video to spread the knowledge amongst hungarian farmers, consumers etc. Thank you for your reply!
Its a lot more complicated that than. Most land is being used to farm crops to feed livestock. That only means one thing ultimately, people need to reduce their meat and dairy consumption. That way we can regenerate the land.
Actually, the video is showing that holistic grazing is important to regenerate soil. Reversing climate change must include eating meat from grass fed animals that are managed the way the grasslands and large herds (like bison) evolved together to reverse desertification and rebuild fertile soil, storing carbon through photosynthesis. The dung and activity of herds of ruminants that are bunched and moved the way they evolved with predators is important. See the TED talk by Allan Savory.
@@alicecolleenflynn What you said is only applicable for degraded ecosystems that have originally coevolved with herds of herbivores for millions of years. Not necessarily for every piece of farmland which a lot of them is converted from forest. We need to drastically cut meat (especially beef) consumption because we overeat so much right now, no doubt about it.
@@57auxmoines I live in Scotland where most of the countryside is overgrazed by sheep and deer. Consequently, huge areas are devoid of forest. What would you suggest to reduce the number of grazing animals?
I recall to sell our 8 plex, we had to get an environmental testing. 30K later we got the report that there is metals on our grounds. There is a small river running around our properties, perhaps it can be from there. In the report, it mentions that our soils is the same as in another town, whom many homes are built in this subdivision. It's been 5 years, and no banks will give anyone a mortgage due to the Environmental Testing, so we decided to keep it. The soils is not contaminated, just some flecks of metals here and there.
One of the giant steps we can take is to broadcast plant or plant all crops in ultra narrow rows.. We can capture far more carbon and nitrogen and make more efficient use of light and heat if we solid seed all crops. Water run off from the soil surface is greatly reduced, organic losses due to radiation exposure are reduced and input costs are lowered. We need to stop row cropping. The equipment exists and the only limiting factor is our own boxed in thinking. Best regards Jim
+Susie Wong No-till or reduced tillage is the basic way, but with only the no-till method itself, it's unlikely to achieve net carbon sequestration if not combining other methods to increase biodiversity. Additionally there're many farmers who're doing no-till while spraying agro-chemicals, which damage soil ecology and won't achieve the goal in the 0.4% initiative.
Great vidro. 75% CO2 sequestration is not enough. If we globally restore our soil and hydrological cycles we can remove 200% and allow the ocean to release the excess it has been storing and lower acid level and health to our ocean.
It's probably way more than that. We've been burning fossil fuels since the industrial revolution, thereby transferring gigatons of carbon from the lithosphere to the atmosphere, most of which has been absorbed by the oceans. We can't make coal directly, but we can increase soil carbon, especially if we get serious about turning marginal desert land into productive farmland, preferably no till mixed crop and animals.
The figure of 0.4% per year that the French have put forward appears to be added to the existing amount of carbon in soils which ranges from about 10% in rainforest soils to around only 1% in heavily cultivated agribusiness fields. Thus, if we took a soil with 2.5% carbon and sequestrated carbon at the proposed French rate, in 100 years we would have increased the soil carbon present by around 40% or to 3.5%. While this result would still be valuable, increasing the biological food web in the soil by changing agricultural practices and the application of cultured compost "teas" could increase total soil carbon much faster.
+Nicholas Palmer. It is not clear what is meant by an annual increase of 0.4%. It could mean that, in the example you use, the C content increases from 2.5 to 2.9% in one year, which is an extremely rapid rate and generally unattainable; or it could mean that the annual increase is 0.4% of 2.5%, which amounts to an absolute increase of 0.01% in soil C, in which case it would take 100 years to reach 3.5% as you suggest. I have not been able to find any clarification of this ambiguity in all the press releases etc.
+Robert White "I have not been able to find any clarification of this ambiguity in all the press releases etc" Yes. It does seem very ambiguous. I don't think the French initiative could expect to increase soil C by 0.4% in a year. If that was possible, then in only 10 years (if applied to all pasture/agricultural land world wide) it would be possible to not only nullify all our current greenhouse gas emissions but would also suck up ALL the C we have put up there and return us to preindustrial levels. Too good to be true!
+Nicholas Palmer The “4 per 1000” initiative is referring to the world's agricultural soil, which is very much in lack of soil carbon, with less than 1% soil carbon in the US and many parts of the world.
+Eva Qiu You haven't clarified matters. Robert White spotted the ambiguity in their terminology. BTW, I am associated with a soil lab which considers and estimates soil carbon.
If soil is biologically active, with lots of micro organismen, it emits co2 to the atmosphere. It's called "soil respiration", but it's actualy the respiration of all the heterotrophe organisms in the soil. All kind of critters, fungi, and bacteria which have a task in the decay of plant matter. They are emitting CO2 like all the heterotrophe organisms. Respiration.
But Photosynthesis adds carbon to the soil which can increase more and more with biodiversity of both flora and fauna. The opposite of monoculture cash crops 'assisted' with chemical input.
Great video, good information. Capturing carbon in soils and keeping it there is the trick. Use of broad elemental spectrum local or regional rock dust and biochar with good biological farming practice, including cover cropping, low till or no till, this can really help. Much appreciated. see rockdustlocal.com
What about industrial scale poisoning of soil microbes? For example, California dumps over 500 tons of pesticides per annum on its soils. I suspect that as a result of killing off the soil microbes, the soil carbon content is far lower than is ideal for soil health, and indeed carbon sequestration.
You are wrong blaming thousands years of ploughing. It is happening only when the chemicals are started being used in the soil and no cattle on the ground.
cattle generate methane while raising, and the food it eats ultimately comes from plants. You need total amount of photosynthesis to increase in order to have more carbon in soil that has a "genuine" climate effect
I teach about soils a lot and I love how this summarizes the importance of our carbon sink in the soil!
Superb overview of soil and how important it is for a healthy life.
Michael Pollan is a tireless custodian of natural common-sense.
Join the Movement to create a #Consciousplanet to reach out to 3.5 billion people and revitalize our soils!!!
Please lets make it happen. 🙏
wow, just finding this video. Will be using for a 101 presentation for my local Grange. Fantastic production quality!
Plant fruit and nut producing trees. Plant understory brambles. Plant layers of edible plants. You don't need to be farming a hundred acres to replace a lawn and do something with your neighbours!
Just perfect. I'll share this video with everyone I know. Simple science, nice understanding.
I own 5 acers here in eastern Tennessee. I know it is not much land but I want to help. I am planting clover to replace the grass. You don't have to mow as often and it is prettier. I am also thinning out the the woods on the property. I will remove trees that are badly twisted, broken or badly tilted. I plan to give the trees at least 10 ft. between each tree. Is this enough or should I leave more? The trees I drop are going to build retaing walls. I just stack them big on the bottom smaller on top. I want to grow mushrooms on the decaying wood. Where can I buy spores for the right kind of mushrooms? No hallucinogens; I an crazy enough straight and sober. Is there anything else I can do?
Appreciate soil!
Gustav - actually the trees do sequester carbon in a secondary way - the uncountable numbers of microbes that live around the roots sequester and contribute to the carbon sink.
Best regards
Jim
This should have ten times as many views and be "required watching" for all of the national representatives at COP23!
Thanks for your comment. The video is also on Facebook and Vimeo so the views count is a little spread out. But yes to more views!
RFK,Jr who is running for President of the US and for 40 years an environmental lawyer recommends regenerative Agriculture. He has my vote!
Great video, nicely explained benefits of no till food growing.
Under foot, out of mind? How about, this Thanksgiving, give a feast to the soils that fed us.
Very good! Thank you for makeing this film! The indigenous also can help keeping soil alive. See the film: A MANIFEST FOR THE CLIMATE here on You Tube.
Love this (and our 3 home vermicomposting bins)! Any ideas for best practices for this soil solution and managing wildfire risk near homes (Sonoma Valley, CA)
Great video,
I would like to spread the same, by translating this video into some local languages too.
Can I use this video and put our local language? Is it copy right video?
I love this video it perfectly simplifies what I’ve been trying to understand for a while
Excellent video and very good explanation of this fascinating information - as noted in other comments we should all be embracing these changes in the way we farm and treat the earth
Been saying for years, plant more trees.
Great video - really informative about an incredibly important topic. However, backgrounf music should be in the background not so loud that you struggle to hear the narrator.
What would you say are some ways to increase total amount of photosynthesis without harming the productivity of our main economic crops? I am thinking weeding the soil alone takes away the majority of (potential) photosynthesis
Dear uploader,
Can we use this video with subtitles to spread the word about regenerative agriculture, soil carbon increase, cover crops etc.
We represent a small fraction of Hungary's regenerative agricultural system, we would appreciate if we could use your video to spread the knowledge amongst hungarian farmers, consumers etc. Thank you for your reply!
Please go ahead and use them!
@@dianadonlon3792 thank you!
Its a lot more complicated that than. Most land is being used to farm crops to feed livestock. That only means one thing ultimately, people need to reduce their meat and dairy consumption. That way we can regenerate the land.
Actually, the video is showing that holistic grazing is important to regenerate soil. Reversing climate change must include eating meat from grass fed animals that are managed the way the grasslands and large herds (like bison) evolved together to reverse desertification and rebuild fertile soil, storing carbon through photosynthesis. The dung and activity of herds of ruminants that are bunched and moved the way they evolved with predators is important. See the TED talk by Allan Savory.
Yes Alice, no Yapper.
@@alicecolleenflynn What you said is only applicable for degraded ecosystems that have originally coevolved with herds of herbivores for millions of years. Not necessarily for every piece of farmland which a lot of them is converted from forest. We need to drastically cut meat (especially beef) consumption because we overeat so much right now, no doubt about it.
@@57auxmoines
I live in Scotland where most of the countryside is overgrazed by sheep and deer. Consequently, huge areas are devoid of forest. What would you suggest to reduce the number of grazing animals?
Superb. This goes to confirm what we have always known but ignored. Lets put carbon to where it belongs!
I recall to sell our 8 plex, we had to get an environmental testing. 30K later we got the report that there is metals on our grounds. There is a small river running around our properties, perhaps it can be from there. In the report, it mentions that our soils is the same as in another town, whom many homes are built in this subdivision. It's been 5 years, and no banks will give anyone a mortgage due to the Environmental Testing, so we decided to keep it. The soils is not contaminated, just some flecks of metals here and there.
One of the giant steps we can take is to broadcast plant or plant all crops in ultra narrow rows.. We can capture far more carbon and nitrogen and make more efficient use of light and heat if we solid seed all crops. Water run off from the soil surface is greatly reduced, organic losses due to radiation exposure are reduced and input costs are lowered. We need to stop row cropping. The equipment exists and the only limiting factor is our own boxed in thinking.
Best regards
Jim
save soil!
Excellent video and well explained.
this is a beautiful and important vid. thanks so much for sharing. keep up the great work!!
#save soil
Help and start with your own consumption: buy organic food to support the organic farmers, and help improving the soil!
No Tilling! No till farming is the way this gets done. How could you miss the most important point? Come on Mr. Pollan!
+Susie Wong No-till or reduced tillage is the basic way, but with only the no-till method itself, it's unlikely to achieve net carbon sequestration if not combining other methods to increase biodiversity. Additionally there're many farmers who're doing no-till while spraying agro-chemicals, which damage soil ecology and won't achieve the goal in the 0.4% initiative.
First let's start step by step, then we can get involved with all the other countries!
Being very excellent👍explanation and video too
Is there any limitations with keeping CO2 in the soils? (Any limitations of this method)
Great vidro. 75% CO2 sequestration is not enough. If we globally restore our soil and hydrological cycles we can remove 200% and allow the ocean to release the excess it has been storing and lower acid level and health to our ocean.
It's probably way more than that. We've been burning fossil fuels since the industrial revolution, thereby transferring gigatons of carbon from the lithosphere to the atmosphere, most of which has been absorbed by the oceans. We can't make coal directly, but we can increase soil carbon, especially if we get serious about turning marginal desert land into productive farmland, preferably no till mixed crop and animals.
#savesoil
The figure of 0.4% per year that the French have put forward appears to be added to the existing amount of carbon in soils which ranges from about 10% in rainforest soils to around only 1% in heavily cultivated agribusiness fields. Thus, if we took a soil with 2.5% carbon and sequestrated carbon at the proposed French rate, in 100 years we would have increased the soil carbon present by around 40% or to 3.5%. While this result would still be valuable, increasing the biological food web in the soil by changing agricultural practices and the application of cultured compost "teas" could increase total soil carbon much faster.
+Nicholas Palmer. It is not clear what is meant by an annual increase of 0.4%. It could mean that, in the example you use, the C content increases from 2.5 to 2.9% in one year, which is an extremely rapid rate and generally unattainable; or it could mean that the annual increase is 0.4% of 2.5%, which amounts to an absolute increase of 0.01% in soil C, in which case it would take 100 years to reach 3.5% as you suggest. I have not been able to find any clarification of this ambiguity in all the press releases etc.
+Robert White "I have not been able to find any clarification of this ambiguity in all the press releases etc"
Yes. It does seem very ambiguous. I don't think the French initiative could expect to increase soil C by 0.4% in a year. If that was possible, then in only 10 years (if applied to all pasture/agricultural land world wide) it would be possible to not only nullify all our current greenhouse gas emissions but would also suck up ALL the C we have put up there and return us to preindustrial levels. Too good to be true!
+Nicholas Palmer The “4 per 1000” initiative is referring to the world's agricultural soil, which is very much in lack of soil carbon, with less than 1% soil carbon in the US and many parts of the world.
+Eva Qiu You haven't clarified matters. Robert White spotted the ambiguity in their terminology. BTW, I am associated with a soil lab which considers and estimates soil carbon.
The 4 per 1000 initiative: To increase in average the soil carbon in global agricultural soil by 0.4% per year.
If soil is biologically active, with lots of micro organismen, it emits co2 to the atmosphere. It's called "soil respiration", but it's actualy the respiration of all the heterotrophe organisms in the soil. All kind of critters, fungi, and bacteria which have a task in the decay of plant matter. They are emitting CO2 like all the heterotrophe organisms. Respiration.
But Photosynthesis adds carbon to the soil which can increase more and more with biodiversity of both flora and fauna. The opposite of monoculture cash crops 'assisted' with chemical input.
1:50
i love dirt
Dirt is dead, soil is alive (full of living things).
Great video, good information. Capturing carbon in soils and keeping it there is the trick. Use of broad elemental spectrum local or regional rock dust and biochar with good biological farming practice, including cover cropping, low till or no till, this can really help. Much appreciated. see rockdustlocal.com
FARM HEMP
What about industrial scale poisoning of soil microbes? For example, California dumps over 500 tons of pesticides per annum on its soils. I suspect that as a result of killing off the soil microbes, the soil carbon content is far lower than is ideal for soil health, and indeed carbon sequestration.
YEAH BABY! You don't know how damn long I been preaching this. Also go vegan it's much better for the environment.
We NOW know? people knew better 3000 years ago
Soil respires aswell releasing carbon as CO2
That is what tends to happen when ploughing and adding artificial fertilizers and herbicides.
You are wrong blaming thousands years of ploughing. It is happening only when the chemicals are started being used in the soil and no cattle on the ground.
cattle generate methane while raising, and the food it eats ultimately comes from plants. You need total amount of photosynthesis to increase in order to have more carbon in soil that has a "genuine" climate effect
Bad ploughing practice goes all the way back. Adding artificial fertilisers and herbicides only makes it worse
lmao so basically...... the natural state of the soil is the *right* way for it to be?? groundbreaking. we forgot so much, got so disconnected.
Bs
#savesoil