*[Enwl-eng] SFB Weekly: Mexico devises revolutionary method to reverse land degradation

Sat Aug 28 02:25:45 MSK 2021

SFB Weekly: Mexico devises revolutionary method to reverse land degradationView this email in your browser  
                       
                 
                              A solutions-oriented weekly digest from Struggles From Below
                              20/08/21 
                       
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                              In our top read this week, Mongabay's Sue Branford examines a revolutionary method to reverse semiarid land degradation emerging in Guanajuato state in central Mexico.

                              Land degradation is impacting farmlands worldwide, affecting almost 40% of the world’s population. Reversing that process and restoring these croplands and pastures to full productivity is a huge challenge facing humanity – especially as climate change-induced drought takes greater hold on arid and semiarid lands.

                              In Mexico, a university-educated, small-scale peasant farmer came up with an untried innovative solution that not only restores degraded land to productivity, but also greatly enhances soil carbon storage, provides a valuable new crop, and even offers a hopeful diet for diabetics.

                              The process utilises two plants commonly found on semiarid lands that grow well under drought conditions: agave and mesquite. The two are intercropped and then the agave is fermented and mixed with the mesquite to produce an excellent, inexpensive, and very marketable fodder for grazing animals.

                              The new technique is achieving success in Mexico and could be applied to global degraded lands. It is, says one expert “among the most soil regenerative schemes on Earth … deployed on degraded land, basically overgrazed and unsuitable for growing crops, with no irrigation or chemical inputs required whatsoever.”
                             
                       
                              Read the article
                                
                       
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                              What we're reading:

                              The zero-power sewage plant inspired by cows
                              Untreated sewage leads to poor sanitation and disease around the world. Its effects are felt strongly in India, and Bangalore resident Tharun Kumar turned to cows for a solution. With help from the Biomimicry Institute, he has designed and built 50 sustainable sewage plants that work in a similar way to a cow’s stomach. The system has no moving parts, so doesn't require any power or people to operate it. BBC NEWS


                              Rewilding death: The plan to restore the necrobiome
                              In parts of Europe, plans to replenish the "necrobiome" may benefit wildlife from golden eagles and wolverines, to copious plants, fungi and insects. BBC FUTURE PLANET


                              Ancient farming techniques are climate-proofing today’s agriculture
                              In the Bolivian Andes, the low-water growing practices used by Mayans and Aztecs are making a comeback. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL


                              If you want to tackle climate change, start with methane
                              The landmark IPCC assessment was dire. But it shows that by slashing methane emissions, humanity can make rapid progress in fighting climate change. WIRED


                              Rewilding 5% of England could create 20,000 rural jobs
                              Rewilding on marginal land could bolster employment without halting traditional agricultural activities, data shows. THE GUARDIAN


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                              One to ponder:

                              Why are so many knowledge workers quitting?
                              During the pandemic, many knowledge workers have been embracing career downsizing, voluntarily reducing their work hours to emphasise other aspects of life. THE NEW YORKER
                                
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                              Quote of the week: 

                              "Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law." – Immanuel Kant
                                
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                              Song of the week: 

                              Overmono - Everything U Need  
                       
                                
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                              That's it for today, folks. If you're enjoying this newsletter, please do forward it on to any friends who might be into it.

                              All the best,

                              Ollie

                              Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Struggles From Below 
                       
                 
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      From: Struggles From Below 
      Sent: Friday, August 20, 2021 10:02 AM
      Subject: SFB Weekly: Mexico devises revolutionary method to reverse land degradation

     
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