9 results for tag: South America


Remineralization’s Success in Brazil Draws Ire

At the moment there is a very strong clash within Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, which recently released a policy clarification memo saying that there was no proof of the effectiveness of the use of rock powders. The use of remineralizers is growing rapidly among medium and large farmers. The fact that more and more people are using remineralizers, including conventional farmers who produce thousands of hectares, has put the chemical fertilizer producers on alert. This is particularly true because Brazil is not included in the global elite who control the production of fertilizers despite being the fourth biggest consumer ...

Restoring Forests to Avoid Catastrophe: Remineralization is crucial

Recently screens across the globe wracked viewers with destruction-torn images of the Amazon Rainforest on fire. It’s no secret that our forests are in trouble. Over-development and slash-and-burn agriculture practices clear areas that were once forested, and acidic rain, invasive disease, and pollution contribute to the declining health of remaining trees. The first response to forest destruction is the obvious: plant more trees. Some organizations sponsor tree planting events where locals can help plant hundreds of trees in a matter of days, and cities across the globe are addressing environmental and urban challenges by creating more green ...

Life from Rock: EcoStone Changing the Landscape of Farming

Guido A. López Cárdenas with a crop of table grapes in Spain grown with EcoStone. (Disponible en español.) EcoStone is a mineral fertilizer that not only meets the strictest criteria of organic agriculture, but also promises to significantly boost crop productivity and nutrient density to feed a growing population’s growing appetite. With 92 natural elements that return key nutrients to the soil, EcoStone composition rapidly dissolves in water for fast soil enrichment. Further, the rock dust fertilizer contains a magnetic field, which helps with small pest control. By contrast, more conventional industrial methods of crop interve...

Geotherapy: Can the Anthropocene Have a Second Restorative Phase?

  As proponents of remineralization since the  mid 1980s, we at Remineralize the Earth include ourselves as pioneers of regenerative agriculture. Dr. Tom Goreau always advocates on behalf of a combination of biochar and remineralization as part of a geotherapy strategy to sequester carbon and stabilize the climate. Joanna Campe   Super stable in terms of temperatures, the holocene era has allowed human civilizations to thrive for the last 10,000 years. But humanity’s massive greenhouse gas emissions, due in large part to agriculture and the industrial revolution, are threatening our own survival. Since the nineteen fifties, ...

Highlights from the 2013 II Brazilian “Rochagem” Conference

From May 12-17, 2013 the Second Brazilian “Rochagem” Conference convened an impressive assembly of scientists, researchers and technicians from Brazil and around the world. Joanna Campe, Executive Director of Remineralize the Earth, was invited to speak at the conference and was given the honor of presenting second on the opening day of the event. Joanna's presentation entitled “The Potential of Remineralization as a Global Movement” covered the historical context and current developments relating to ecological and social challenges that are being faced regionally and globally. Joanna helped open the conference to the long list of detailed ...

VIDEO: Remineralizing Brazil: A Visit to EMBRAPA

Interview with Eder de Souza Martins, and a sneak-peak into the heart of Brazilian remineralization research. (more…)

Watch the Documentary on Remineralization in Rural Brazil

RTE has released a documentary about a research project proving remineralization to be an effective and sustainable strategy for producing higher yields and nutrient dense crops in remote Brazilian communities. Click "Read more" to watch the video in Portuguese with English subtitles. (more…)

Remineralization In Rural Brazil

A research project in Bahia proves remineralization to be an effective adjunct strategy for remote impoverished communities to produce higher yields of quality crops while remaining independent from chemical fertilizers and government subsidies. (more…)

Soil scientist Jairo Restrepo Rivera of COAS has books and a video available in Spanish on remineralization

"It is lamentable that as soil scientists coming from the university classroom we are not acquainted with the natural solubility of the minerals found in rocks. What would Julius Hensel say!" "What we need to discuss is, what gives life to plants? What animates the minerals so that they can be transformed into biodiversity? For this we have to make a great effort as scientists to understand that agriculture and plants aren't the arbitrary sum of minerals: plants are harmony, a symphony, a miracle of nature. For me, is enough to respect the miracle, feel that life is beautiful and that we have to defend it and live it intensely." (more…)