soil errosion

[saint-spoon]

I have just been reading an article about the state of the worlds soil and how modern farming methods have caused an area the size of North America (globally) to become virtually worthless for agriculture due to nutrient depletion and erosion. Seemingly the African famines during the seventies and eighties are in part due to the systematic replacement of traditional subsistence farming methods by more industrial one designed to give a marketable excess. I don’t for one minute think that there are many of you who didn’t either know or suspect this and to be honest I wasn’t at al surprised myself. On the whole the problem seems to be the depth (or lack of it) of the nutrient rich topsoil layers and the microbiological life therein. By opening up vast corn fields the protection offered by hedges and copses is negated and the wind is therefore at liberty to whisk away moisture and valuable organic matter. Heavy machinery also compacts the soil rending it impenetrable to rainfall and plant roots. The resultant wasteland is prime desert waiting to happen.
But all is not lost; the selfsame article goes on to report on a gent living in Niger who has reversed his fortune and that of his family by reverting to old wisdoms passed form his grandparents. To build a line of fist sized stones causes a disruption of the air flow and minuscule particles of soil are deposited. Within weeks seeds germinate in this new microsystem. They become grasses and shrubs which add valuable organic matter allowing trees to grow etc etc. Thus a small line of stones can apparently create a field. Additionally the same chap dug thousands of holes in his land and filled them with manure. Termites were attracted to the manure which then burrowed into the parched ground spreading the nutrients and loosening the soil. By this means the gentleman has created his own private forest in which he can selectively clear and cultivate his own crops.
It also appears that native South American Indians have in the distant past dug pits in which they dumped their refuse (charcoal, food waste etc). These pits are now seen as some of the most productive and nutrient rich places on earth; a tremendous feat considering that the tropics have notoriously thin soil which quickly erodes when cleared for agriculture. The charcoal is an ideal microbe housing estate in which they thrive; in turn they recycle the food waste into based nutrients. Maybe this is the way forward although it seems that the west is still obsessed with profit rather than sustainability.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/ ... /mann-text

[taff]

I think the trouble with the west is that well-meaning people like to try and impose methods that work in the west, without taking into consideration it may not work everywhere, or anywhere else.

[ged]

Hi,
Very timely post S-S,I am at present reading 'Far From Paradise' by John Seymour and Herbert Girardet.This book was published in 1986!It chronicles mans impact on the soil.This book makes disturbing reading,even moreso that it was written all those years ago!
We have just seen a week of financial turmoil,I contend that we are going to witness food shortage that has never been experienced by the west or indeed the planet in its history,all due to soil erosion and long term damage of chemical usage.We have to return to smallscale husbandry or there is no future for man,no soil,the planet will die!I do not think that we will see our governments taking the lead,it is up to us to take the lead and provide for ourselves.It is not just GM crops it is the hidden agenda of Monsanto that scares me.Their seeds are designed to grow within chemical boundaries pre set and determined to produce a crop.Why do large scale tomato growers in the USA grow a seperate crop for their own personal use?Worms and microbes etc are the mainstay of the fertility of the soil,they are fast disappearing!The Kansas dustbowl has taught governments nothing!
An excellent article S-S,thanx for posting!
atb
ged

[wendy]

Very interesting, thanks for that
Wendy

[vyxxn]

If we reach the point where theres a massive food shortage the human population will dwindle due to famine and disease. The natural cycle will then repair the damage - I have a feeling this has already started

[leckyman]

Very interesting s-s!

I think the time of self suffiency for everybody is coming around.

Myself included, think all of humanity must take their blinkers of and open their eyes to what is going on around them. Science is good but for the right reasons. Plants and animals should be aloud to grow as nature intended, naturally by organic means. IMHO it could be the only way to save our planet from dying, leaving our future generations with what ?

Dave

[lancashire lass]

Water shortage is the other main problem - too much demand in areas of little rain. Interesting I was recently watching a (repeat) documentary about ancient mega disasters such as the droughts (in said areas of the 1930s dust storms) where underground sources are being tapped into at a rate far greater than they can be filled to supply urban areas like Las Vegas etc. These areas are always subjected to a drought on a scale never seen in our life-time and responsible for the disappearance of once successful civilisations, and it will happen again.

The subject of current world wide food shortage is actually quite vast, and is being accelerated by the replacement of crops for biofuels or animal feed. The prophesised recession is also going to play a significant role, as well as changing weather patterns (possibly due to global warming and also removing large areas of rainforest - the latter is probably going to have a much bigger impact than you can imagine and actually scares me the most - it is total madness what is happening here)

The other main thing is a population growth on a scale that can never be sustained - too many mouths to feed. Current thinking in western societies relying heavily on a financial structure depends on population growth to prop up the aged which has been prolonged due to great strides in medicine and technology. 100 years ago the average age (don't quote me here as I'm guessing) would have averaged 55-65 years (?) but nowadays over 70 is not unusual (hence changing the age of retirement is high on the cards - the idea is you are worked to death and don't feel the benefit of your pension!)

Back to the original topic of soil erosion: modern farming methods involves ploughing large areas, chemical feeding and irrigation, hence a slight weather shift will have disastrous consequences. However, attempting organic farming on this scale to feed the world's population could not be done. The 2 definitely go hand in hand. vyxxn has a point that the food shortage and a crash in human population is (cruel as it may seem) needed to restore some balance. Self sufficiency may sound idyllic but is not for everyone ... surprisingly we rely on each other for trade (and oh - back to square one - banks, commercialism etc)

I would agree that some global acknowledgement of the current state of affairs is done (like the topic of global warming) and think tanks set up immediately to point out these problems which must be remedied immediately. If the global warming targets are anything to go by, some countries are just plain greedy (trying to offset their selfish CO2 levels instead of dealing with them) so we can only sit back and sad as it may sound, watch the whole catastrophe unfold before our eyes.

[ged]

Hi There!
Interesting snippet on the BBC news page yesterday about looking at plants that will grow in sea water!There are already some firms who do this on a commercial basis in Holland and there is a form of 'hydraponic cultivation that uses a mix of sea and freshwater to raise edible plants....,with the latest revelations about pork from NI and EIRE,what is coming next in the 'food related chain?BACK TO THE LAND FOLKS1
atb
ged