As we all know, the changing climate has created a wide variety of problems for planet Earth and its inhabitants. But not everyone understands that climate change can and will lead to extreme food scarcity in the very near future.
However, scientists believe they may have found the answer to the food scarcity problem in the depths of the Amazon Rainforest. It’s called “dark earth,” and it could save millions of people from starvation.
Climate Change Could Lead to Food Scarcity
Several horrific side effects of climate change are already affecting our daily lives. From heat waves to extreme weather, rising sea levels, increased wildfires, and decreased rainfall, the world is quite literally falling apart around us.
However, experts estimate that there is yet another problem looming: Food scarcity. As the soil continues to degrade, crops burn in the sun, and water becomes less readily available, our species may very well run out of food.
Soil Is an Essential Part of Successful Agriculture
While there is little we can do in the immediate future to curb the heatwaves and increase rainfall, experts agree that there is one way humans can at least postpone food scarcity. And that is to improve the soil used on the world’s farms.
Deforestation, erosion, intensive cultivation, and wildfires have all caused soil degradation, which means the soil has fewer nutrients and cannot successfully grow ample, nutrient-rich crops. By fixing the soil, we could save the world from food scarcity.
The Solution Lies in the Soil of the Amazon
Humans cannot turn back time or even reverse the effects of climate change overnight. However, scientists now believe that they may be able to improve farming soil all over the world with just one simple tactic.
They found the answer to the problem deep in the Amazon Rainforest of South America: It’s an ancient recipe for dark earth, a substance that has eluded scientists for decades.
What Is Dark Earth?
Dark earth, otherwise known as terra preta, is an incredibly fertile soil found throughout the Amazon floor. While scientists have known of its existence for some time, they didn’t fully understand why it occurred in some places and not others… until now.
In 2023, a group of scientists published their study on the dark earth in the Amazon and found that it had been intentionally created by the indigenous groups who lived there.
Dark Earth Substantially Increased Crop Yield
Although most people think of Amazonian tribes as nomadic hunters and gatherers, they actually have a fantastic agricultural system.
They don’t clear large swaths of land as we do in the Western world, but instead, plant their favorite foods on the rainforest floor between the naturally growing trees. And to help ensure these crops provide ample nutrition and proliferate, they add a unique ingredient to the soil.
The Secret to Dark Earth Is Carbon
After analyzing the dark earth, scientists found it was full of carbon, a chemical element found in rocks, sediments, and charcoal.
They interviewed the Amazonians and discovered that the indigenous tribes were “[intentionally] spreading charcoal around the base of the tree” to increase crop yield.
How Does Carbon Increase Crop Growth?
When added to soil, carbon “provides a source of nutrients through mineralization, helps to aggregate soil particles (structure) to provide resilience to physical degradation, increases microbial activity, increases water storage and availability to plants, and protects soil from erosion.”
In other words, it drastically improves the nutrition of the crops and helps them thrive, ensuring that the food grows successfully and provides the necessary nutrients to consumers.
Amazonian Tribes Also Used Ash to Create Dark Earth
While charcoal was the main ingredient in dark earth, scientists also noted that the rainforest’s indigenous people would often add ash, combined with vegetable and fruit compost to the soil where they planned to plant their crops.
This combination of ash and compost added other essential nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. These nutrients not only improve human health but also reduce toxicity in the soil, allowing it to stay healthier longer.
The Kuikuro People Have Been Using These Tactics for Centuries
All this information was discovered within the Kuikuro Indigenous Territory located in the Upper Xingu River Basin. Researchers were able to not only analyze the soil there, but also speak directly to the people to understand precisely how they created the dark earth they found.
The study’s authors explained that the Kuikuro people told them that their ancestors had been adding charcoal, ash, and compost to their soil for centuries and that they continue to do so today. As Samuel Golberg said, “These practices that we can observe and ask people about today were also happening in the past.”
How Can the Recipe for Dark Soil Save the World?
As previously noted, the world’s soil is suffering, and food scarcity is fast approaching. But, the authors of this study believe that this recipe could change everything; it could save the world from starvation.
Goldberg explained, “The ancient Amazonians put a lot of carbon in the soil, and a lot of that is still there today. That’s exactly what we want for climate change mitigation efforts.”
Finding Ways to Save Our Planet and Ourselves Is More Important Than Ever
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that humans find ways to save both the planet and ourselves. And as Goldberg said, “Maybe we could adopt some of their indigenous strategies.”
Human beings have lived on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years, and it’s only in the last century that we have done enough damage to cause irreparable harm. It’s time to make changes, and returning to how we used to do things may just be the answer.
