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Farming technologies tackle climate-change threats
- Proven 3y ago[dead]
- scns 3y agoFirst time i really want to RTFA but run into the paywall. Reader didnct help. Help very welcome, thanks in advance.
- Pepe1vo 3y agoIf you go to archive.ph and paste in the link, it will usually already have a snapshot saved for most popular publications: https://archive.is/sP6AR https://archive.is/sP6AR
- dvh 3y agoCan different style of cow farming be carbon negative? I've seen one YouTube farmer claiming so but I have hard time believing it. He says bacteria takes carbon from manure and take it back to the soil but that cannot be more than was present in the grass that the cow ate right? It can put some small amount of carbon back but it will be net positive, not negative.
- 11235813213455 3y ago> Can different style of cow farming be carbon negative? Maybe, but with much less animals and a mix of animals (not just cows, but ducks, chicken, ..) and mostly vegetable, that's how it's meant to be in nature Currently animal farms are disastrous: https://www.google.com/search?q=why+is+animal+farm+impact+on+environment%3F https://www.google.com/search?q=why+is+animal+farm+impact+on... total weight of farm animals is 10 times the one of wild animals, which itself is about the same as pets, this is nonsensical
- ch4s3 3y agoThere isn’t a way “farming is meant to be in nature”. There are all domesticated animals and plants.
- hinkley 3y agoThis is how farming is meant to be in nature: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/797805.Tending_the_Wild https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/797805.Tending_the_Wi...
- ch4s3 3y agoThis is just the noble savage myth. There is no “meant to be”.
- hinkley 3y agoNo, it really isn’t. They had their own stuff going on but they clearly had low input farming dialed in. I think you should read the book. Or, you know, stay flippant. It’s your circus not mine.
- ch4s3 3y agoThere is no singular they. I’ve read a few books on the topic. You’re ultimately drawing from at best a snapshot of when the Spanish arrived or otherwise when English settlers or their American descendants were encountering populations wrecked by successive waves of disease. So it’s hard to know what things looked like prior and whether there was a stable equilibrium. We certainly know the Yucatán had at one point been basically stripped of trees for slash and burn agriculture. The forest agronomy that may have been practiced in the eastern woodlands probably relied heavily on both burning vast swaths of the land periodically and low population density. I’m not sure what that really does for us. Supporting really small numbers of people with vast swaths of highly fertile land has never really been a big problem.
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- enkid 3y agoSounds like BS to me. Cows would have an environmental impact both by their release of methane when they digest the food they eat, and the hydrocarbons it takes to transport them/their food etc. And the electric power it takes to support them. There's also the issue of opportunity cost, i.e. that farm land could be carbon trapping forest instead. Considering eating beef is much more energy intensive then eating the equivalent vegetarian diet, there's simply no way cattle farm is energy negative just from bacteria taking carbon from the manure.
- msandford 3y agoThe great plains in the US were legendary for having multiple feet of deep, rich topsoil for farming. Rich topsoil is that which has lots of organic matter in it, i.e. carbon. There are people who say the great plains were built by roaming buffalo herds, grazing on the grasses growing there. So if that natural system was able to sequester carbon it stands to reason that humans could mimic it and in doing so also sequester carbon.
- adrianN 3y agoWe should also figure out how many millennia it took the bison to do this and whether other uses for the land could sequester more carbon.
- goda90 3y agoSome regenerative agriculture advocates say soil can build up pretty fast with the right techniques that include animals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPjoh9YJMk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPjoh9YJMk
- beebeepka 3y agoSoil builds up real fast. A few leaves here and there, some dust, a little water and boom: grass, bushes, flowers. All this in several weeks to months. I've seen it happen so many times because our streets aren't well maintained. 5cm soil on concrete, asphalt, rooftops, etc.
- KaiserPro 3y agoIt depends on the land they are farming. A decent well managed meadow will be carbon negative. but turning forest into meadow isn't normally carbon negative.
- KaiserPro 3y agoOne of the "answers" is vertical farming, which as the article notes, eats a shittone of electricity. Its a bit disappointing that the article doesn't mention landscape management, mixed use arable or general tree coverage for water retention
- gabereiser 3y agoIt’s coming down drastically too with LED full spectrum grow lights. You can now run a row on 100Wh. Way better than the 1.2kWh before.
- Faaak 3y agoDon't take it wrong, but it's hard to be credible when you mix power and energy
- gabereiser 3y agoIndeed I only specified energy consumption, not power.
- fellowmartian 3y agoUltimately, you cannot make it use less energy than the amount of calories you want to put in. It’s a viable technology but only if you have cheap energy or if transportation costs go ballistic, there’s no way to beat thermodynamics on this.
- BariumBlue 3y agoQuick math: where I live, a kilowatt-hour costs 12 cents. A kilowatt-hour has 860,421 calories. Even with inefficiencies, seems pretty doable to me.
- sp332 3y agoThat helps, but the losses in solar panels means it’s never going to be close to just putting the plants outside.
- canadiantim 3y agoMycorrhizal fungi could dramatically help sequester carbon while at same time increasing yield and decreasing amount of fertilizer required.
- dave333 3y agoWhy is it so expensive?
- canadiantim 3y agoBecause current production methods generally either sacrifice quality or quantity due to the need for a plant host when mass producing mycorrhizal fungi. So there's many production methods. You can grow en masse with e.g. something like sorghum grass roots, but these mycorrhizal products have a greater likelihood of contamination and also most likely lesser quality (less infectious propagules and just generally contain filler). Then you've got mycorhhizal products made more cleanly typically using something like a genetically modified hairy carrot root such that the carrot root doesn't have a stem or leaves and is only the root system. This production method still has complications in that you are still growing 2 organisms (the fungi and the carrot root), but is an easier production system overall. Still, this method also has downfalls in that it can only be used to culture certain species of mycorrhizal fungi and frankly it's still expensive and tedious. That being said, I am working on a new production method that grows the fungi only (axenically) and hope to be mass producing within a couple years. Benefit of this new method is it's simpler and cheaper (only 1 organism growing), there's very minimal likelyhood of contamination and there's no use of any genetically modified organisms in the production process (this may only matter for e.g. organic farmers, etc.). So that's all to say that cheaper mycorrhizal products are coming down the line and will be in the market soon. Price is definitely one of the things that's been holding the mycorrhizal market back for sure. That being said, there's so much potential it's wild. E.g. you can breed mycorrhizal fungi (they're very genetically diverse so really amazing opportunity for a breeding program) and that's where we're going.
- dave333 3y agoI wouldn't mind paying $10 for a starter innoculant amount (small bag) if that would grow in my soil over time so need to figure out the right conditions to keep it growing and maybe how to grow one's own for further propagation. Here is what Chat GPT says: what are good ways to propagate Mycorrhizal fungi and to keep it multiplying in your soil ChatGPT Propagating and maintaining mycorrhizal fungi in your soil can have numerous benefits for plant health and nutrient uptake. Here are some good ways to propagate and sustain mycorrhizal fungi: Minimize disturbance: Mycorrhizal fungi establish and spread through their extensive networks of hyphae. Minimizing soil disturbance, such as avoiding excessive tilling or compacting the soil, can help maintain the fungal network and prevent disruption. Maintain soil organic matter: Mycorrhizal fungi thrive in soils with high organic matter content. Adding organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure, provides a favorable environment for their growth and proliferation. Avoid overuse of synthetic fertilizers: High levels of synthetic fertilizers, especially phosphorus, can inhibit mycorrhizal colonization. It's advisable to use fertilizers sparingly and opt for slow-release organic fertilizers whenever possible. Introduce mycorrhizal inoculants: Mycorrhizal inoculants are commercially available products that contain beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. These inoculants can be applied during planting to introduce or supplement the existing fungal populations in the soil. Promote plant diversity: Different species of mycorrhizal fungi have varying symbiotic relationships with different plant species. Promoting plant diversity in your garden or landscape can support a diverse mycorrhizal community. Avoid fungicides: Fungicides can harm mycorrhizal fungi, so it's best to minimize or avoid their use. If fungicides are necessary, opt for those that have minimal impact on beneficial soil organisms. Maintain proper soil moisture: Mycorrhizal fungi require adequate soil moisture to thrive. Avoid waterlogging or excessive dryness, as both can negatively impact their growth. Maintain consistent soil moisture levels appropriate for the specific plant and fungal species. Practice crop rotation: Rotating crops can help diversify the types of mycorrhizal fungi in your soil. Different plants associate with different species of mycorrhizal fungi, so rotating crops can foster a broader range of beneficial fungal symbionts. Remember that the presence and abundance of mycorrhizal fungi in your soil can depend on various factors, including soil type, climate, and plant species. It may take time for mycorrhizal populations to establish and expand. Patience and consistent practices that support soil health are key to promoting and maintaining mycorrhizal fungi in your soil.
- baremetal 3y agoConverting single family lawns into small gardens would do more to help with climate change than these ideas. So much pollution is generated by industrial farming and transportation of the food to city folk. Everyone who is _serious_ about helping with climate change should be willing to put in a little sweat equity. Sadly I do not see that as the case. Much easier to talk about it, and insist other people make changes or sacrifices than to make them oneself.
- uxp100 3y agoMost people don’t have very much of a yard, and even a relatively large garden, say a fifth of an acre is not going to replace much industrial farming. I’m not saying it’s valueless (I think many home grown veggies are more delicious than anything available at a store. tomatoes of course, but also consider celery, so strong in flavor from the home garden) but I think it’s a relatively small part of the climate change equation. As a side note, contractors for my neighbor just dumped a shitload of old asphalt and cement shingles on my 80 sqft garden, thick black dust over every plant. So idk, I’m just talking from the sidelines here, fucking demoralized.
- baremetal 3y ago> contractors for my neighbor just dumped a shitload of old asphalt and cement shingles on my 80 sqft garden You should go talk to the contractor. He needs to clean that up. >but I think it’s a relatively small part of the climate change equation. No one wants to discuss Chinese and Indian emissions. Instead we are resigned to demonizing cow farts.
- aero-glide2 3y agoPer capita emmisions from India is 10x lower than Usa
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- hansc 3y agoI would add biocyclic vegan farming: Vegatable farming without use of manure or artificial fertilizer. https://www.biocyclic-vegan.org/ https://www.biocyclic-vegan.org/
- neonate 3y agohttps://archive.md/vvGP1 https://archive.md/vvGP1
- bilsbie 3y agoI’m actually more worried about soil depletion and pesticides than climate effects. (Does that make me a bad person?)
- dave333 3y agoPermaculture can adapt to almost any climate and convert land into food forest. Basic idea is to conserve moisture by creating swales on contour and planting a wide variety of plants and fruit trees mostly on the ridges. At the moment it is initially labor intensive to get started but is very low maintenance once established. In the future AI robots can tend and harvest it in a way that does not require huge fields of monoculture.