An Introduction to Climate Farming
By Charles Goodin
What if the best way to grow delicious, nutritious produce was also a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change?
You might think the harmful environmental effects of agriculture were addressed by the organic food revolution of the late 90s and early 2000s. But although it succeeded in making pesticide-free food available to everyone, the organic movement fell short of eliminating all the damaging aspects of conventional agriculture.
Believe it or not, runoff from an organic fertilizer like cow manure has essentially the same impact on the environment as an artificial fertilizer. Plus, many organic farms still disturb the topsoil when they plant — just like conventional farms do. That means they’re still releasing the same greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere — and degrading topsoil quality, which the United Nations says could reduce worldwide yields by 10 percent over the next 30 years.
So, while organic food may be better for our health, growing it can still have harmful effects on the environment. The good news is there’s a better way — a form of agriculture that cares as much about enriching the environment as it does producing healthy food. And that’s exactly the way we farm at the Johnny Appleseed Organic Village.
We call our method Climate Farming. It combines the best aspects of syntropic farming, regenerative agriculture and permaculture to produce delicious, nutritious produce while improving topsoil health and empowering growers to sequester carbon and fix nitrogen in soil.
The five principles of Climate Farming are:
The integration of animals into growing operations,
The stratified, adjacent planting of multiple species,
Minimal topsoil disturbance,
Erosion and water management techniques like earthworks and appropriate irrigation,
Ongoing soil improvement through cover crops and composting.
We’ll cover each of these principles in-depth with later blog posts, but for now, let’s take a look at how these elements work together to create healthier people and a healthier planet.
Livestock Integration
Climate Farming is a two-part story that plays out both above and below ground. On the surface, Climate Farmers begin by harnessing the natural foraging instincts of animals to clear underbrush and small trees from the land that will eventually become their farm. And, of course, the animals are fertilizing the soil as they go.
As the farm matures, other animals, usually chickens, continue to aerate and fertilize the soil as they peck and scratch for food.
Cover Crops
When it’s time to plant, Climate Farmers begin with cover crops, which at this stage of the farm, are the primary drivers of carbon and nitrogen sequestration. As a bonus, some cover crops also secrete substances that discourage weed growth and ward off pests.
Next, the Climate Farmer plants production crops and support species. Ideally, crops are chosen that occupy each of the seven strata — root, ground cover, herbaceous, shrub, understory, canopy and climbing vine — while supporting each other’s growth. Planning a farm this way mimics the growing conditions of plants in the wild, each strengthening the other to help ensure healthy development. It also means one farm can produce a greater variety of nutrients with its available land — ultimately resulting in more income for the farmer.
Composting & Soil Improvement
The fourth principle of Climate Farming consists of soil improvement programs like composting, which mimic the natural creation of healthy soil through the accelerated breakdown of organic matter.
Minimal Tilling
Finally, the fifth principle of Climate Farming is something you won’t see — mechanized tillage. Although it’s sometimes unavoidable, it’s important to minimize soil disturbance whenever possible, since leaving organic matter like roots in the soil is what helps trap carbon and nitrogen there.
Now that we’ve covered what happens on the surface of a Climate Farm, let’s take a look at what’s going on underground.
All this work above ground means the soil is now alive with activity. The presence of bacteria, fungi and insects is an indication of healthy, fertile soil — and as those organisms carry out their lives below ground, they’ll enrich the soil even further.
Since the Climate Farmers have avoided disturbing the soil or removing any of the organic matter in it, nutrients from decaying root structures also contribute to improved soil quality. And since they’re left below ground, carbon and nitrogen they store stays there too.
Farming this way is a significant departure from current common practices, but the impact of converting more farms to this model has the potential to change the world. Based on existing research, climate scientists estimate that one acre of land farmed this way could sequester as much atmospheric carbon annually as a healthy forest of the same size. That means converting just one percent of existing cropland into Climate Farms would be like taking 5.4 million cars off the road each year.
At the same time, top soil quality on those farms would continue to improve, resulting in a higher yield of more nutritious, better-tasting produce.
