Think of it. What would be better for us and the planet? This?
OR
‘De-risking’, so insurers take on toxic fossil fuel like gas-fired power!
When you can have real carbon capture in agriculture by not clearing land!
And not importing and using petrochemical fertilizers.
New Zealand born Nicole Masters is an independent agroecologist, systems thinker, author and educator. She has a formal background in ecology, soil science and organizational learning studies in New Zealand. Nicole is recognized as a knowledgeable and dynamic speaker on the topic of soil health.
See it in WA in Australia, the South Island in NZ, in Nevada in USA. and Canada.
‘Masters unveils a flawed food production system that is in desperate need of review,” says Graeme Sait, director of Australia-based Nutritech Solutions. “She chronicles the heroic work of the farmers and ranchers who have accepted that challenge and she provides a pragmatic and inspiring game plan for those contemplating that journey.”
Nicole’s book breaks down the complex, technical know-how of soil into more digestible terms. She combines this with case studies from her travels working with farmers and ranchers across Australasia and North America to explain what inspires and enables these innovative land managers to embrace a new land ethic and build “soil capital” on their agricultural operations. Together, they present a compelling testament to the global, rapidly growing soil health movement.
The producers Nicole works alongside are based in some of the most extraordinary and breathtaking landscapes in Australasia and North America. She takes us on a journey to meet farmers and ranchers from the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island, to the wilds of Western Australia, the desert landscapes of Nevada and to the edge of grain production areas in Canada. What led them to change their practices, how do they achieve their goals and what results are they seeing?
“For years, many of us involved in regenerative agriculture have been touting the soil health – plant health – animal health – human health connection but no one has tied them all together as Nicole does,” says farmer and soil health advocate, Gabe Brown. “She shows us through her own personal experiences and those of farmers, ranchers, researchers and medical professionals all over the world that the answers lie in the soil.”
In spite of the challenges food producers face, Masters’ book shows even incredibly degraded landscapes can be regenerated through mimicking natural systems and focusing on the soil first.
“Our global agricultural production systems are frequently at war with ecosystem health and Mother Nature,” notes Terry McCosker of Resource Consulting Services in Australia. “In this book, Nicole is declaring peace with nature and provides us with the science and guidelines to join the regenerative agriculture movement while increasing profits.”
These stories can offer inspiration to those who love quality food and the environment. We can all support producers, selflessly providing ecosystem services well beyond the farm gate. . . . Now more than ever we all need to catch the soil bug and regenerate our landscapes!’
In Australia, as in USA, we have Federal governments that refuse to commit to zero emissions by 2050. Both of our Federal governments still listen to the lobbyists for fossil fuels to the extent that here, ‘de-risking’ will mean Australian tax payers taking on the risk of stranded assets to satisfy the group, including gas with its fracking, calling themselves ‘low emissions’.
Information from the Australian Conservation Foundation. ‘On Tuesday the Morrison government announced $52.9 million in public funding for the gas industry. And then the Coalition revealed a plan to weaken our brightest renewable funds – the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) – to let them splash cash into fossil fuels.’ Because business is wary of such investment.
Australia’s Prime Minister has offered us zero emissions some time in the second half of the 21st century. For him, jobs equal gas, not other avenues in health and teaching.
Regeneration in land and landscape must mean much less logging of our old forests.
Once more thank you to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National Science Show presented by Robyn Williams.
How to eliminate CO2 emissions from agriculture? The answer lies in the soil!
New Zealand is committed to zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Sciences and Humanities 