Farm In A Natural Environment

What is carbon farming?

I heard the news on the radio that some farmers set a goal to become carbon neutral and move on to carbon farming. 

I am curious about the topic because the name carbon sounds bad already… Maybe they are going to use carbon in the air to grow vegetables somehow?  We have carbon problems all over the world. I cannot imagine what carbon farming is. 

So I researched. Carbon farming, also known as regenerative agriculture, is the collection of farming practices that result in increased storage of atmospheric carbon in the soil which will lower greenhouse gas emissions and increase a soil's organic matter. That produces rich soil which will also protect from drought or floods. These practices can cut the use of chemical fertilizers, too. Chemical fertilizer can cause soil acidification, increase the air pollution, destruction of microorganisms and many other problems. 

Agriculture is the second largest source of climate change pollution and manufacturing - and fertilizer use is causing the most of the pollution. Farms are affected by natural disasters in recent years - but some farmers have started to consider new ways of farming. 

While I was researching, I found a key person who seems be involved in a lot of U.S carbon farming. 

Mr. Gabe Brown, the owner of Brown’s Ranch, is a pioneer of carbon farming. He is also the author of Dirt to Soil which teaches 5 principles of soil health for carbon farming. Thousands of farmers come to visit Brown every year to learn the system of regenerative agriculture. 

His 5 principles of soil health are: 1. no-till or minimal tillage 2. keep the ground covered 3. diversity in plant and animal species 4. keep living roots in the soil as much as possible 5. the importance of integrating animals.   

One of the ideas which amazed me the most was not to disturb the soil by tilling. Organically, soil has the ability to store carbon. But when humans till the field - it not only releases carbon dioxide in the air but also destroys the residences of creatures living underground.  This tillage also destroys nature’s drain system which the ecosystem creates. A natural drain system which could otherwise help to prevent flooding.

Soil naturally stores carbon but conventional farming is burdening the soil. That causes the soil to become unhealthy and can no longer do it's job. 

Soil contains 1500 Billion tons of carbon. That's twice as much carbon as air. Human activities such as farming and deforestation are now releasing carbon from the soil into the air. But carbon farming works in harmony with nature to grow food without harming the soil or the air. What can we learn from this carbon farming story? Our behavior and activities are coexisting with nature? Or conflicting with nature? We need to coexist with nature because nature is what keeps us alive.