Agroforestry - growing crops or pasturing food animals near or among trees - has lots of advantages. Trees give protection from wind, help hold soil in place, help reduce runoff water loss, and their roots help enrich the soil with microorganisms. Deep tree roots capture leached nutrients. Tree leaf litter decays & enriches the soil. Trees offer habitat for birds & other natural predators of food crop insect pests, thus reducing the need for artificial insect control. Agroforestry has been used for centuries in many countries around the world. One source of more information: http://www.worldagroforestry.org/about/agroforestry-our-role
Soil---the thin layer of organic matter where life occurs, full of microorganisms & different from deeper, nonliving mineral layers---has been called “the living skin of the Earth.” In the rhizosphere (the root zone), millions of microorganisms (microbes) feed on carbon---think of it---carbon. Plants take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, and via photosynthesis, make food (sugars & carbs) that go down to the roots and into the soil where they feed the microbes. In return, the microbes produce the nutrients the plants need. A marvelous symbiosis!
Hmmm......so what? Well, this process is sequestering carbon, by removing CO2 from the atmosphere, helping to offset global warming. Also, as the microbes make more food for the plants, the plants get bigger and healthier, and make more food for the microbes, ad infinitum. So the healthier soil, the richer in healthy, happy microbes, the bigger & healthier the plants above ground.
Cutting edge thinking in sustainable agriculture says that caring for the soil, not poisoning it with herbicides, pesticides, and artificial fertilizers, is our solution to feeding our Planet’s people.
To learn more about these provocative facts & ideas, and the fascinating potentials of maintaining healthy soil, go here: http://www.w-edigest.org/soil-stewardship/
