Farms and Carbon

[boxy]

Land management change urgently needed: Jeffery
COLIN BETTLES
25 Feb, 2011 04:00 AM
AN urgent imperative exists to change how the Australian landscape is managed, for food security and climate change reasons, especially farmland, according to former Governor General, Major-General Michael Jeffery.

But in that transition, farmers must be viewed not only as food growers but as the primary custodians of the Australian landscape and “rewarded accordingly”.

Major-General Jeffery outlined his thoughts on agriculture’s critical importance to climate change adaptation, during the opening address of a high level land use forum organised by Independent MP Rob Oakeshott, in Canberra last week.

Major-General Jeffery said the challenges confronting Australia in dealing with a changing climate, land degradation, food and water security and the needs of increasing global populations were “unprecedented”.

In casting that warning, he said governments needed to take the issue far more seriously by handing the responsibility for managing the various interlocking tasks attached to a positive and sustainable outcome, to the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Premiers or their equivalents.

“Water is fundamental to life but it can only do its job properly through the aegis of healthy soils,” he said.

“If we save our soil we save our planet.

“The common thread is carbon and its key role in building soil health and thus naturally regulating the water cycle through the photosynthetic and evapotranspiration action of trees, plants and a regenerated soil structure.

“But to do this, effective and coordinated change is essential now.

“Effective practical policies and actions are needed now.

“The good news is that effective, safe solutions are available, funded on improved management of the Australian landscape.

“However, we need to support land managers with sound policy, research and incentives to ensure that Australia can play a leading role in providing these solutions both regionally and globally.

“A Net Emissions Reduction Inventive based on an escalating carbon levy can potentially handle our whole carbon emission reduction challenge, whilst improving soil fertility and enhancing farmer prosperity.

[IQS.RLOW]

Yay!
Way to export our food production as well! Make it more viable to NOT grow food and import cheaper product from those that don't have a great big tax around their necks

[Outlaw Yogi]

Rising Carbon Dioxide Is Causing Plants to Have Fewer Pores, Releasing Less Water to the Atmosphere
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 111624.htm

"The increase in carbon dioxide by about 100 parts per million has had a profound effect on the number of stomata and, to a lesser extent, the size of the stomata," said Research Scientist in Biology and Professor Emeritus in Geology David Dilcher, the two papers' sole American coauthor. "Our analysis of that structural change shows there's been a huge reduction in the release of water to the atmosphere."

If there are fewer stomata, or the stomata are closed more of the day, gas exchange will be limited -- transpiration included

[boxy]

Increasing soil carbon (organic matter), rather than "mining" it (which is what we are encouraged to do, atm), may put us at an advantage.

[IQS.RLOW]

Increasing soil carbon (organic matter), rather than "mining" it (which is what we are encouraged to do, atm), may put us at an advantage.

Only if the leftwing loonies get their way and decide that a tonne of carbon has the same intrinsic value as a tonne of minerals

[boxy]

I wasn't talking about mining minerals. I was alluding to current farming practices, which encourage the depletion of soil organic matter in the persuit of short/medium term profit.

[IQS.RLOW]

The same principle applies.

You are basically putting a value on something that has been valueless before in an effort to discourage production

[boxy]

The same principle applies.

You are basically putting a value on something that has been valueless before in an effort to discourage production

To encourage long term, sustainable, production, at the cost of short term, unsustainable, production.

[IQS.RLOW]

To encourage expensive production at the expense of inexpensive production

Fucking idiocy at it's finest

[Outlaw Yogi]

No ground cover resulting from 'inexpensive production' means poor if any production from degraded land and is known to create deserts.
Reputedly the best soil ever is South America's Terra Preta, made by Myans and mined by modern day South Americans. Turns out it full of charcoal.
A few years ago CSIRO ran an experiment where they cooked (wood from memory) to obtain Syngas. A mix of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which would theoretically be used as a fuel. The solid waste charcoal was found to be a brilliant fertiliser/soil enhancer.
When I plant trees n'things I put charcoal in the soil mix and/or in the hole, helps water retention.
Anecdotally, it seems white ants/termites don't like wood ash.