Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”(Luke 8:5)
Becoming the Good Soil is a project to address climate change and increase food security initiated by Church of the Nativity. The rationale for the project and helpful resources are contained in a tri-fold brochure that can be printed and/or shared. Please visit our Carbon Farming Resources page for more information. Trifold_Becoming the Good Soil
This project is supported by a grant from the Advisory Council on the Stewardship of Creation, The Episcopal Church, and is part of the Sacred Foodscapes Program of North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light, a program of the NC Council of Churches.
ARTICLES
Climate and Food Security: Growing a Sustenance Garden
Carl Sigel The latest report from the U. N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate and Land released on August 8, 2019 “warns that climate change is exacerbating pressures on the global food supply, threatening millions more with hunger, and potentially raising food prices for …
RESTORING GOD’S EARTH: A YEAR OF PERSONAL ACTION
By: Carl Sigel Anglican theologian and biblical scholar, N. T. Wright, in his recent essay, Jesus is Coming – Plant a Tree! said that, “for early Christians, the resurrection of Jesus launched God’s new creation upon the world,” … and “God’s kingdom would come …
Learning to use the land so it produces fewer greenhouse gases
Eleanor Milne While most people are familiar with the link between fossil fuel burning and the release of greenhouse gases, not so many are aware of the role land use management can play in mitigating climate change. The full story can be found at: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/learning-use-land-so-it-produces-fewer-greenhouse-gases. (Posted …
Exotic Plants
by Bill Schlesinger It’s nearly August, and as I look out on the meadow that surrounds our house in Maine, I see a profusion of goldenrods and asters across the landscape. The meadow derives from abandoned pastures that were grazed by dairy cows until the …
Humus
by Bill Schlesinger Among my peers I am perhaps best known for developing one of the first estimates of the amount of carbon in the world’s soils. Soils contain organic matter, also known as humus, that has about 50% carbon content by weight. Added up …
Becoming the Good Soil: A Theological Understanding
By: Carl Sigel In the modern world, it behooves us take a broader and more practical view of God’s commandment to keep the garden. When humankind inherited the garden, the soil was “good” and furthermore, there was a natural process for maintaining the fertility. Now, …
Becoming the Good Soil: Supplementation of Cropland with Compost Increases Productivity
A review of the use of organic supplements to cropland indicated that application of long-lasting organic amendments increased organic carbon by up to 90% versus unfertilized soil, and up to 100% versus chemical fertilizer treatments. Furthermore, regular addition of organic residues, particularly composted ones, …
Becoming the Good Soil: Increasing Soil Carbon Will Increase Crop Yields
By: Carl Sigel Increasing soil carbon will increase total soil organic matter (SOM), which is the very foundation for healthy and productive soils (1). Organic farmers often judge and monitor soil health based on the amount of organic matter in each farm field. Active soil …
Consensus Grows: climate-smart agriculture key to Paris Agreement goals
By:Justin Catanoso, December 21, 2017 After the approval of the Paris Agreement in 2015, there was widespread recognition that the primary strategy for meeting the pact’s goals – reducing the burning of fossil fuels, while also preserving and restoring forests – would not be enough …
Becoming the Good Soil: Relationships between Food Production, Climate, and Soil
By Carl Sigel In the endeavor to produce more nutritious food, one of humanities greatest challenges is that many of the steps that might be taken to increase food productivity will have the opposite effect because of climate change. About 25% of the planet’s …
Becoming the Good Soil: Other Ways That Compost Helps Mitigate Climate Change
By Carl Sigel To make compost, organic materials are necessary, like yard waste, food waste, wastewater treatment plant residuals, animal manures, or others. Currently, some organic wastes are finding their way to the landfill, where they decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and methane is emitted—a greenhouse …
Becoming the Good Soil: Role of Soil in Carbon Sequestration
By Carl Sigel Soils constitute the largest terrestrial organic C pool (~1,500 petagrams* (Pg, 1015 grams ) C to a depth of 1 m; 2,400 Pg C to 2 m depth), which is three times the amount of CO2 currently in the atmosphere (~830 Pg …