Solar, wind, flowing water, and other sources of renewable energy are ready, both technically and economically, to supplant fossil fuels. The speed of replacement will soar as the storage of energy from these sources becomes more reliable and affordable. Shifting to clean energy is necessary, but it is not enough. Ways to remove excess carbon already in the atmosphere also need to become mainstream. Ending deforestation, replanting trees, and recharging our farm, ranch, and garden soils with carbon offer some of the best strategies for pulling carbon emissions back into earth’s storage systems.
Humans have known for a long time that soil is alive and teeming with bacteria, fungi, algae, mites, nematodes, earthworms, and the roots of plants. Most of our agricultural history over the past 10,000 years has been a steady depletion of soil health. The development, however, of large-scale, industrial farms and their shift to monocultures, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides has accelerated this degradation in the past century — turning soil into sterile dirt.
Agroecologists around the world are promoting polyculture farming, using regenerative practices. Based on extensive research, they have documented that one acre of polyculture farming produces as much food as one and a half acres that employ monoculture practices. In many ways, regenerative farming mimics natural ecosystems.