Regenerating our soil is a real tool in fight against climate change

The more I learn about regenerative agriculture, the more confident I feel that humanity can avert the worst of the climate crisis that is unfolding. Yes, we need to reduce our use of fossil fuels, massively and immediately, and we need to rethink the way we build our communities. But our soil — whether in our backyards or on farms or on our open spaces — has a broad capacity to absorb carbon from our atmosphere.

As we shift to green energy and electrified transport and homes, we can also shift to healthier ways of treating our soils, thus making them more productive and carbon-holding. Understanding the importance of soil is key to understanding how best to address climate change and ecosystem health.

What has happened to our soils? Worldwide, much of our land has been degraded. Deforestation, overgrazing, industrial agriculture, fossil fuel extraction, habitat loss to urban and suburban construction — this is just a partial list of the factors that have damaged our soils, and this has been a huge loss. Soil appears to be just sitting there, lifeless, but healthy soils are active communities of worms, other tiny creatures, bacteria, fungi and more. As plants and organisms die, healthy soil takes in their carbon.

Industrial agriculture has reduced the carbon-holding capacity of our soils, all over the world, including here in Boulder County. But we can regenerate them, and farmers are doing this right here along the Front Range. Their stories of transformation are inspiring and instructive.

So what does regenerative farming involve? Many things and different farmers define “regeneration” in different ways.

But here’s an introductory definition, based on conversations with several of Boulder’s regenerative farmers and after attending a number of events and webinars: Regenerative farmers think of soil as a partner, a living thing that needs attention and respect. So they don’t throw toxic chemicals on it, they don’t beat it down with overgrazing. They embrace farming practices that rebuild the good stuff in the soil — its organic matter, its community of microorganisms and tiny critters. They work to bring back biodiversity in the soil, among the plants, among the pollinators. As they do this, the plants and soils can absorb more carbon and can take in water more easily.

Any piece of land can help us reverse climate change by taking in carbon dioxide. If any one of us plants trees, shrubs and other perennials, we are helping to pull carbon from the air.

Want to learn more? CU Boulder’s Program for Writing and Rhetoric is hosting a panel on regenerative agriculture where experts on the topic will share what they are doing here in Boulder County to rejuvenate our soils and improve our ecosystems. Our panelists: Nick Didomenico, regenerative farmer and co-founder of Drylands Agroecology

Research; Brett Kencairn, senior policy advisor for Climate and Resilience with the City of Boulder; Jennifer Rileychetwynd, director of marketing and social responsibility, Denver Botanic Gardens; Ashley Stolzmann, Boulder County Commissioner; and Damien Thompson, PHD, regenerative farmer and director of the Center for Healthy Communities. The event is free and open to the public, in person, no registration required, and will be taking place today, Wednesday, March 8, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on CU campus at Kittredge Central Hall (2480 Kittredge Loop Drive, room N114, the building south of the Fiske Planetarium). Guest parking is available — or better yet, walk, bike or bus.

Want to do something more direct to help regenerate our soils? Trees are our most trustworthy partners in carbon sequestration, so this spring the city of Boulder, the county, and regenerative farmers are planting a lot of trees. Drylands Agroecology Research will plant thousands of them. Check out their plantings at https://www.dar. eco/upcoming-events. And don’t be afraid of breaking your back. The “trees” are saplings. They don’t require digging for hours to get one large root ball into the ground.

Here in Boulder County, check out Yellow Barn Farm, Ollin Farms and others that are working to replenish topsoil while growing healthful food. Boulder.earth’s climate action portal has more information and links on healthy agriculture in our county.

Climate change has already happened, is happening, and like many others in our community, I feel this deeply. But the doomsday scenarios we all dread are not inevitable. Regenerative approaches to our soils are a way we can help heal the damage that’s been done. Let’s learn more about how to replenish our Earth.