Glaciers are melting, forests are burning, and crops are becoming increasingly scarce due to floods and droughts. We are in a climate emergency that threatens our very survival and, frankly, is incredibly depressing. But in this episode, we discuss one of the most exciting and seemingly feasible approaches to reducing atmospheric carbon: storing it in soil. The solution includes refreshing beer, crunchy bread, sweet and crunchy broccoli, and a complete reinvention of modern agriculture, including the domestication of entirely new crops. And the impact could be significant. A third of Earth’s ice-free surface is agricultural land, so scientists believe that storing just a little more carbon beneath fields could remove billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. He states that he is deaf. Join us for this episode to learn how switching to no-till, regenerative agriculture and breeding brand-new perennial crops can replenish soil carbon, produce delicious grains and vegetables, and possibly save the world. Discover what you can do.
Asmeret Asafaw Bahe
Dr. Barhe is a soil biogeochemist at the University of California, Merced. To learn more about her research, check out her 2019 TED talk, “Climate change solutions at our feet.”
Asawaga Farm
Yoko Takemura and Alex Carpenter grow delicious, organic, no-till vegetables on three-quarters of an acre of land in Connecticut. You can read more about Asawaga Farms on their website and purchase their produce at Boston-area farmers markets.
Asawaga Farm, October 2019. Photography: Nicola Twilley.
Kernza and the Land Institute
The Land Institute is a nonprofit agricultural research organization based in Salina, Kansas. We visited Tim Crews, Principal Investigator, and Lee DeHaan, Chief Scientist of the Kernza Domestication Program. You can read more about their perennial crop research and Kernza on their website, and try Kernza for yourself in Patagonia Provisions Long Root Pale Ale.
Kernza Bread and Kernza Plants, October 2019. Photo by Nicola Twilley.
4 initiatives per 1000
Learn more about the 4 per 1000 initiative, including the science behind the goals and our network of international partners and programs.
Gastropod Summer 2020 Fellowship
Learn more about our Summer 2020 Fellowship Program and apply here.
transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show. Please note that the transcript is provided as a courtesy and may contain errors.
