Water shortage sounds familiar

CBC’s ‘Maritime Noon’ had a recent call-in show where the question was, “Should there be a sin tax on meat to help reduce carbon emissions?” Two cattle farmers from Nova Scotia called in and talked about traditional and industrial production systems and how each system affects the soil microbiome and human health.

Given as an example, the grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay have been plowed under and put into GMO soybean and grain production resulting in significant soil microbiome degradation caused by artificial fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, pesticides and wind/ water erosion.

Human gut bacteria, the largest part of the human microbiome, has DNA codes that exceeds their human host’s gene count by 150 times.

The human immune system is largely in the human gut with bidirectional communication with our brain. The human microbiome is largely derived from the soil microbiome. Microbiomes are ecosystems; biogeochemical ecosystems which have co-evolved.

Below the soil is the P.E.I. multilayered aquifer, now riddled with deep water wells. Aquifers have aquifer microbiomes, especially sandstone aquifers. Soil is more than just dirt and aquifers and aquitards are more than just groundwater. The soil is living, P.E.I.’s lower aquifers are stagnant but still living, the aquitards are dead and the ocean’s bubbling springs are dead.

With drip, sprinkler, and furrow irrigation there is a water shortage in Argentina and Uruguay. Other problems are loss of wildlife diversity, stream habitat destruction, poor soil water retention, fish kills, flooding, siltation, and anoxic waterways. Sound familiar?

Tony Lloyd,

Mount Stewart