Terra Preta.....Super Soil

[Ive Fargottin]

The ancient Amazonian Indians knew how to do it!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...es-amazon.html

ingeniously engineered soil

If recreated, the engineered soil could feed the hungry and may even help fight global warming, experts suggest.

"As a result you get social stratification, hierarchy, intertwined settlement systems, very large scale,"

Because the soil would apparently remain fertile for centuries, "they don't have to cut down the forest constantly and send it up into the atmosphere," he said.

[Michaelangelica]

It is amazing
See also the many posts here on biochar

[Pakanohida]

Well, I was just thinking of the new book out called, "1491" and how it goes into how the Americas were a giant food forest already that was destroyed... ..this kind of goes hand in hand with that book.

[Ludi]

Apparently the terra preta soils took hundreds of years to create and do not just contain charcoal, but bones, pottery, and other debris, piled up or buried for generations. In other words, biochar is not the same as terra preta and the two should probably not be conflated.

One of many articles on the website: http://permaculture.org.au/2010/11/2...-soil-quality/

[Michaelangelica]

Well, I was just thinking of the new book out called, "1491" and how it goes into how the Americas were a giant food forest already that was destroyed... ..this kind of goes hand in hand with that book.

1491 is one of the best history books I have read.

[Michaelangelica]

Was going to post this as a separate news item but it seems to belong here
Permaculture: a path toward a more sustainable Amazon?
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0503-p...w-eco-ola.html