Terra preta : how the world's most fertile soil can help reverse climate change and reduce world hunger : with instructions on how to make this soil at home

Terra preta is the Portuguese name of a type of soil which is thought to have almost miraculous properties. The newspapers are flooded with reports about “black gold,” scientists believe that two of the greatest problems facing the world – climate change and the hunger crisis — can be solved by it. The beauty of it is that everyone can do something about it because since 2005 the secret of producing this black soil has been revealed — and it is a secret that seemed to have been lost forever with the downfall of the once thriving Indian culture of the Amazon basin. The recipe is astonishingly simple as all you need are kitchen or garden wastes, charcoal and earthworms, so it can be produced on every balcony or on the smallest of garden plots. The authors set off on a treasure hunt and condensed all the knowledge about the world’s most fertile soil into a convenient guidebook. In addition to a sound instruction manual on producing terra preta and organic charcoal (biochar), the handbook covers fundamental principles from climate farming to closed-loop economy. It makes a passionate plea against synthetic fertilizers and genetic technology Terra preta is the Portuguese name of a type of soil which is thought to have almost miraculous properties. The newspapers are flooded with reports about “black gold,” scientists believe that two of the greatest problems facing the world – climate change and the hunger crisis — can be solved by it. The beauty of it is that everyone can do something about it because since 2005 the secret of producing this black soil has been revealed — and it is a secret that seemed to have been lost forever with the downfall of the once thriving Indian culture of the Amazon basin. The recipe is astonishingly simple as all you need are kitchen or garden wastes, charcoal and earthworms, so it can be produced on every balcony or on the smallest of garden plots.The trio of authors Scheub, Pieplow and Schmidt, set off on a treasure hunt and condensed all the knowledge about the world's most fertile soil into a convenient guidebook. In addition to a sound instruction manual on producing terra preta and organic charcoal (biochar), the handbook covers fundamental principles from climate farming to closed-loop economy. It makes a passionate plea against synthetic fertilizers and genetic technology and offers indispensable advice to all those who feel strongly about healthy food.Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute. "Terra preta, meaning "black earth" in Portuguese, is a very dark, fertile soil first made by the original inhabitants of the Amazon Basin at least 2,500 years ago. According to a growing community of international scientists, this ancient soil, sometimes referred to as biochar, could solve two of the greatest problems facing the world: climate change and the hunger crisis. This comprehensive book condenses everything we know about terra preta and provides instructions for how to make it. Both passionate and practical, the book offers indispensable advice for how to create a better world from the ground up."-- Provided by publisher Contents Foreword Preface: Create Your Own Paradise Part I: The Groundwork Chapter 1: The Mistakes of Fossil Agriculture Chapter 2: Cultures Need Fertile Ground-The Secret of Black Gold Part II: The Handbook Chapter 3: Climate Gardening-The Basic Principles and Materials Chapter 4: Ways of Producing Terra Preta Chapter 5: Biological and Horticultural Diversity Chapter 6: Old and New Sanitary Systems Summary & Prospects: A Handful of Black Earth as Symbol Acknowledgments Index