34 results for tag: agriculture


Jon Frank and the Quest for Nutrient Dense Food

International AG Labs Farm in Fairmont, MN Recently, RTE’s Emily Schaefer conducted an interview with Jon Frank. He was excited to share his knowledge and experience with us. The following article is based on that interview.   As a four-year old, Jon Frank spent his days tending to his own garden. As a teen, he was an ardent student of soil-tending techniques and an avid reader of Acres U.S.A. magazine. Jon has always described himself as a man of the soil. Today, he is a co-owner of International AG Labs and the founder of Grow Your Own Nutrition, a project that helps gardeners mineralize their soil to grow nutrient dense foods. ...

Collaboration in the Caribbean – One Island’s Volcanic Ash Could Enrich Another Island’s Soil

Student and teacher John Mussington examining eggplant fruits to determine growth differences between plants grown in soil mixed with Monserrat volcanic ash vs the control.   A review of Chapter 19 from Geotherapy: Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase.   In the Caribbean, two islands face economic and agricultural challenges due to their unique geology. Montserrat suffered a major eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in 1995, which covered much of the island in ash and rendered the land unavailable. Two thirds of the population fled the island, and to this day over ...

An Inside Look at the III Brazilian Rochagem Congress – The Past, Present, and Future of Remineralization

Conference Organizers and Participants   V. Miranda Chase, the director of RTE’s online research database, gave a presentation and represented us at the III Brazilian Rochagem Congress that took place in November 2016. This is the first in a four-part series of articles about the conference.   “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” –Sir Isaac Newton, 1676   The good thing about working with leaders is that they can help us see ahead. They have a vision, and we get to witness it unfolding into reality. During the III Brazilian Rochagem Congress conference, I saw the future of ...

RTE Invited to Collaborative Between Growers in Cuba and the US – A New Chapter in Farmer to Farmer Networking

Organic farmland sits at the foot of Cuba’s mountainous landscape; about the size of New York State, Cuba is home to an array of diverse biomes and agricultural systems alike. (​Source: The Cuban-U.S. Agroecology Network) RTE Invited to Collaborative Between Growers in Cuba and the US A New Chapter in Farmer to Farmer Networking 24 June 2015 “To permanently end poverty and hunger by 2030, the world needs a food system that can feed every person, every day, everywhere; that can raise real incomes of the poorest people; that can provide safe food and adequate nutrition; and that can better steward the world’s natural resources.” Ending ...

Highlights from RELACCx in Puerto Rico

Remineralize the Earth was honored to be invited to present at the Renewable Energy Latin America & Caribbean Conference & Exhibition (RELACCx) in Puerto Rico November 19-21, 2014. RELACCx is the premier renewable energy finance and development event for Latin America and the Caribbean. The two-day conference took an in-depth look at political and financial landscapes, prominent and emerging markets, and existing energy infrastructure to provide the audience with the tools needed to accelerate renewable energy development in these regions. (more…)

Remineralization: Brazil Enacts Groundbreaking Legislation for Sustainable Agriculture

In a major forward stride for sustainable agriculture, the country of Brazil has enacted legislation that includes soil remineralization as part of its agricultural policy. Remineralization is the practice of adding rock dust to soils to restore vital nutrients crucial to the growing of crops, forests and any other plant-based ecosystem. Many of these soil nutrients are lost due to conventional agricultural practices, such as overuse of the land and application of synthetic chemicals. “This is a highly significant event,” Joanna Campe, founder and executive director of Remineralize the Earth (RTE), told Organic Connections. RTE is a US nonpro...

Spotlight on Agrogeologist Peter Van Straaten, PhD

At the II Brazilian “Rochagem” Conference, which took place in Poco de Caldas, Minas Gerais, in May 2013, Professor Peter van Straaten gave a series of talks on the use of rock dust to increase soil health for agriculture. As a pioneer in the practice of using rocks for soil remineralization, van Straaten shared his extensive knowledge with a broad spectrum of scientists and researchers who attended the conference. An expert in agrogeology, which Van Straaten defines as “geology in service of agriculture,” he has built an international network of projects that study remineralization and sustainable agriculture in Africa. His work has helped ...

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 ...

From the Canadian Arctic to the Niger Delta: Finely Ground Rock Dust to Bioremediate Oil Spills in Waterways and Farmlands

Environmental chemist Ugo Amadioha, a native Nigerian, born and raised in the Etekwuru-Egbema Kingdom in Imo State, Nigeria, recently expressed interest to Joanna Campe of Remineralize the Earth about creating a project that will adopt remineralization as a means to bioremediate degraded farmlands in the Niger Delta. He is currently Senior Chemist with Chemtech Consulting Group in New Jersey, USA and is seeking partnerships and funding for such a project. (more…)

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…)