Dr. Elaine Ingham: Building Soil Health for Healthy Plants

7 Responses

1. Soil Biology is our only way to rapidly and massively draw down CO2 from the air to offset our ongoing and past carbon emissions, It Can safely and naturally restore the hydrological cycles by increasing biogenic aerosols and cloud albedo that can readily cool the planet by the 3 watts/m2 needed to offset the now locked in greenhouse warming effects and avoid the Storms of Our Grandchildren.

   The French have lead the way recognizing Soil Carbons’ value and committing to build Soil Carbon by 0.40% annually. Putting them on the road to Carbon Negativity before any industrialized country. 25 nations have signed on to 4p1000. 100 of the 196 countries in Paris submitted plans to reduce CO2 via agriculture, forestry and replacing soil carbon into their programmes.
   http://4p1000.org/understand

   Carbon Sequestration Cascade;
   Each Black Carbon gram (biochar & humus) can increase Water Retention by 8 grams, and can support 10 grams of Green Carbon, which each can feed up to 10 more grams of fungal mycelium White Carbon growth

   Carbon has been fundamental to life since the birth of our planet. It’s the source of all wealth and the conduit of all joy. Carbon cycles among and between billions of interconnected earthlings, whose fates teeter on the element’s return trip to the soil. Only the generous reciprocity inherent to life macrocycles can restore abundance and harmony to the planet of the living. May we celebrate a happy Intended Anthropocene, anointed in water & Soil rather than Oil and Blood.

   Clean Biomass cooking is no small thing.

   The World Bank Study;
   Biochar Systems for Smallholders in Developing Countries:
   Leveraging Current Knowledge and Exploring Future Potential for Climate-Smart Agriculture
   http://fb.me/38njVu2qz

   has very exacting analysis of biomass usage & sources, energy & emissions.
   Also for Onion farmers in Senegal and Peanut farmers in Vietnam.

   A simple extrapolation made from the Kenya cook stove study, assuming 250M
   TLUDs, (Top-Lite Up Draft) Cook Stoves for the roughly 1 billion folks world wide now using open burning.
   A TLUD per Household of 4, producing 0.52 tons char/Household/yr, X 250M = 130 Mt Char/yr
   Showing sequestration of 130 Million tons of Biochar per year, could be achieved just from cooking.
   In terms of CO2e, these 250M Households reduce 825M Tons of CO2e annually.

   The cascading pulmonary health benefits for woman & children is the very thick icing on this nearly 1/2 GtC Soil Carbon Cake.

   Reply

   1. Hi Erich
      Simply by practising biological farming keeping 100% ground cover and minimal soil disturbance
      and allowing biodiversity of species will do the job.
      Thank you for your addition to the conversation – every piece is part of the solution

      Reply

   2. The value of storing carbon in the soil which increases the water holding capacity should be sufficient incentive for any farmer to learn how to do this.

      Reply

2. Dear Helen,
   Thank you very much for the very interesting presentation of Dr. Elaine.
   Because my english is not so good, is it possible to get the presentation written?
   Thank you very much
   Manos from Greece

   Reply

   1. Manos I’d love to say yes but best is to see if youtube will give you their transcript. Please let me know if it works.

      Reply

3. How many hours of content are in each of the courses? I’m a student and I’m very interested in the material. I feel like I know a fair amount about soil and soil science because of my studies and I have also been practicing organic and biodynamic gardening for several years.

   Thank you

   Reply

   1. Hi David
      All up there are 12 hours of classes and many,many hours of Q&As from 18 conference calls.
      Email me if you want to know more or reply here 🙂 helen

      Reply