Vanishing topsoil foreshadows impending food crisis. A study presented by Professor John Crawford at the recent Carbon Farming Conference held in New South Wales, Australia, focused on the dangerous loss of topsoil throughout the world.
Some 75 billion tons are being eroded annually through a combination of agricultural mismanagement and climate change effects, with livestock grazing also causing significant losses.
In the United States alone, 54% of pasture land is overgrazed, with more than 100 tons of topsoil being lost per hectare per year. At the current rates, experts say that recent events such as the major dust storms in Australia will become more and more frequent, with a vanishing of the resource within decades.
Saying that restorative actions are needed now, Professor Crawford recommended a combination of practices, including organic farming methods to help rebuild and replace carbon in the soil.
Dr. Crawford and associates, we are grateful for your research that highlights the value of this imperiled natural resource. May such information motivate more and more people to adopt lifestyles that protect the Earth for ourselves and future generations.
Supreme Master Ching Hai, who frequently reminds of humanity’s crucial role in environmental conservation, spoke of the benefits of organic vegan farming during an interview for the September 2009 edition of The House Magazine.
Supreme Master Ching Hai: There are so many benefits from organic vegan farming, as well as many benefiting parties. First, for the farmers, organic vegan farming is productive, saving 37% more energy and even more water than conventional farming methods.
Next, there are environmental benefits, like the topsoil stays and proves better at withstanding floods and hurricanes. Furthermore, organic vegan farming will halt the runoff of chemical fertilizers that have created monstrous dead zones in the ocean.
Organic soil matter also absorbs CO2 so effectively that the Rodale Institute calls organic vegan farming a powerful strategy to reduce global warming, by up to 40% of all CO2 emissions now in the atmosphere.
Finally, we all benefit from better health because it’s free of toxins and abundant in nutrients, without the genetic modification and cancer-causing pesticides.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/6828878/Britain-facing-food-crisis-as-worlds-soil-vanishes-in-60-years.htmlhttp://carbonfarming.blogspot.com/http://cspinet.org/EatingGreen/pdf/arguments3.pdfhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/24/topsoil-farming-defraExtra NewsCoinciding with the Year of the Tiger, World Wildlife Fund India launches a campaign, aided by advocate groups and celebrities, that highlights the need for increased protection of the majestic national animal, whose numbers have dropped to just 3,200 across the globe.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100209-wildlife-group-stars-urge-indians-save-tiger http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/02/10/tigers.gone/index.htmlIran presents an electric model of the Samand car, which can reach speeds of 140 kilometers-per-hour and recharge within 15 minutes.
http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/1636280.htmlFourteen Dutch NGOs, including Greenpeace Nederland and Oxfam Novib, call on lawmakers to implement a food tax that would help reduce greenhouse gases through decreased consumption of meat, dairy and eggs.
http://www.sigwatch.com/index.php?id=130&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=417&tx_ttnews[backPid]=26&cHash=feba25107c http://www.milieudefensie.nl/landbouw/nieuws/maatschappelijke-organisaties-vragen-overconsumptie-vlees-zuivel-en-vis-aan-te-pakkenAlong with increased forest fires, a 50% decline in hydropower-generated energy and millions who are without drinking water, China’s Yunnan province also anticipates a 40% decline in summer grain harvest as the region endures its worst drought in 60 years.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/local//2010-02/09/content_12959242.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-02/09/content_9447073.htm
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