84 results for tag: rock dust

Teaching Bold New Methods: Arina Duvenhage and the Garden of Eden Garden School

Mineral malnutrition is a serious global issue affecting hundreds of millions of people. It is estimated that worldwide, 60% of people are deficient in iron, 30% are deficient in zinc, and approximately 15% are deficient in selenium. Calcium, magnesium, and copper deficiencies are also common in both developed and developing nations. These nutritional deficits result in widespread healthcare problems and diminish the quality of life and community resilience. Arina teaching at the Garden of Eden Garden School How do we fight global mineral malnutrition? The answer is one farm at a time. As experts such as Arina Duvenhage of the Garden of Eden ...

OpenAir CDR on Enhanced Rock Weathering: Scaling up climate solutions globally

Dirk Praessler, CEO of Carbon Drawdown Initiative One of the biggest challenges we face today is climate change. Scientists have long-since warned of the inevitable effects of a warming planet, yet despite this urgency, today’s economy continues to run primarily on fossil fuels. Decarbonization – the active capture and storage of CO2 from the atmosphere – is one possible solution. However, as Dirk Paessler, founder and CEO of Carbon Drawdown Initiative explained in a recent “Open Air This is CDR” episode, Decarbonization is “pointless without 90% emissions reduction.” We need to decarbonize the economy while simultaneously pulling ...

Rockmin Composts Provides Local Solutions to the Global Soil Crisis

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:  Soils are fundamental to life on Earth but human pressures on soil resources are reaching critical limits. Careful soil management is one essential element of sustainable agriculture and also provides a valuable lever for climate regulation and a pathway for safeguarding ecosystem services and biodiversity Chris Cameron and his daughter Catriona Dale  In other words, soil degradation is one of humanity's greatest threats. Fortunately, there are experts like the father-daughter team behind Rockmin Composts who are on a mission to do something about it. The ...

Rock dust can remediate harmful nickel contamination

Researcher from EMBRAPA in Brazil checking on plots testing effects of nickel in soils. Nickel contamination impacts our crops By the year 2050, we need to grow 56% more food to feed the projected global population while simultaneously preserving our forests instead of turning them into fields for agriculture. The World Resources Institute has identified five solutions to this problem, one of which is to increase the production capabilities of our existing farmland (Ranganathan et al. 2018). This could be difficult due to nickel, which causes problems in soils around the world. Although nickel occurs naturally in soil, when it is above benefi...

Getting Real: Munson’s New Book Calls For A ‘Positive Solution To Climate Change’

Remineralizing the planet increases soils’ ability to produce flora capable of absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, thus combating global climate change without resorting to the elimination of hydrocarbons from the energy mix — that is a central theme from David Munson’s Get Real: A Positive Solution to Climate Change.  In his new book, this entrepreneur and inventor also calls for more biochar production and implementation of holistic and regenerative agricultural practices en masse, along with somewhat unorthodox methods for spreading crushed rock dust to all corners of the world. Further, he invites readers to ...

RevivaSoil Test Run: UK Farmer Trials Remineralization Against Synthetic Fertilizer

From Left to Right: Andy Carp from Agrimagined, Geologist; Mark Mitchelmore, Technical Manager of Breedon Quarries Ltd; David Lomas, Dairy Farmer; Prof. Suzi Huff Theodoro; Andrew Ollier, Mixed Farmer; Bryan Ollier of Agrimagined, Agricultural Engineer; John Morris, Organic Farmer The right hand potato plant was treated with RevivaSoil only and the left hand plant with synthetic fertilisers only. (Click to enlarge) In England, Pickmere-area farmer Andrew Ollier has been running trials of experimental potato varieties alongside a separate trial with RevivaSoil rock dust supplied by Agrimagined Ltd. on potatoes to compare with his normal usage of ...

Dennis Amoroso has a plan to end the world’s fertilizer crisis

When Dennis Amoroso made it his job to turn the world's mining byproducts into carbon-sinking fertilizer, he envisioned a future when his grandchildren could eat well beyond the safety of his organic orchards. A future full of flavorful, nutrient-dense fruit plucked straight off the tree — grown without toxic, carbon-emitting chemicals used in conventional farming. Dennis Amoroso of Plant Nutrition Technologies, Inc. As the world contends with record high food prices and looming threats from climate change, a fertilizer crisis propelled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine is putting the world's crops on hold. While the United Nations rushes to ...

Silicate Rock Power: Why it’s so important and why the world should care

Agriculture puts a high demand on soil nutrients, with subsequent soil depletion driving the fertilizer industry. Fortunately, silicate rock powder provides a sustainable macronutrient and micronutrient replacement, as explained in a recent literature review by Philipp Swoboda, Thomas F. Döring and Martin Hamer (Swoboda et al. 2022). Philipp Swoboda, PhD For example, silicate rock powders contain most of the nutrients — potassium specifically — that plants require (Deer et al. 2013). This is particularly important in tropical climates due to high depletion of soil nutrients and the economic inaccessibility to fertilizers in those regions, ...

The Future Forest Company on OpenAir CDR: Natural approaches to CO2 removal

The Future Forest Company project in Brisbane Mains, Scotland The Future Forest Company featured on OpenAir CDR When it comes to national and international discussions of the climate crisis, so much of the focus has been on decarbonization methods: What can countries and corporations do to reduce track and reduce their carbon footprint? Experts agree that this is a necessary step in reducing future warming – and the inevitable consequences that come with a 2°C temperature increase – but this approach is inherently limited, circumventing the very real problems of the here and now. Decarbonization offers only half a solution; the other half ...

Rock Dust as a Sustainable Amendment in Northwestern European Agriculture

Glacial deposit in Greenland Introduction The EU is the world’s leading exporter of agri-food, supplying 20% of world food and drink (Matthews, 2021; EEA, 2020). In 2020, more than 40% of Europe’s acreage was used for agriculture. 61% of this agricultural area was operated by high to medium intensity farms in terms of fertilizer and pesticide cost. The considerable growth in crop and livestock has caused environmental impacts that call for sustainable solutions. Northwestern Europe There are several initiatives currently focused on sustainable agricultural practices in Northwestern Europe. The European Commission has announced several ...