“The regenerative qualities identified in prehistoric, anthropogenic Amazonian dark earths suggest that notoriously infertile tropical soils can be greatly improved. Soil enhancement practices by ancient Amerindians allowed them to intensively cultivate the land, without needing to continually clear new fields from forest. As increasing populations place ever greater pressure on tropical forests, this legacy of rich, ‘living’ soils warrants further study in the search for high-yield, land intensive, yet sustainable forms of management.” — From Amazonian Dark Earths: Explorations in Space and Time.
These project posts and updates from the summer 2008 section of HU2506 — Humanities, Technology & Society—are authored by participants in our Biochar @ MTU Project. The course and the project explore the concept of sustainability in its economic, social, cultural, and environmental forms before turning our attention to one scientific process in particular: creating biochar, a process that results in a carbon negative nutrient-rich soil amendment for community gardeners and farmers.
Biochar has a 5,000-year history as terra preta, or Indian black earths (terra preta de indio) in Amazonian South America and thus involves us right away in history, culture, geography, biology, and soil science. We explore those contexts while trying to create biochar and assess the longer-term feasibility of a community Keweenaw Biochar Project.
Contextualizing 880%
The number that tends to attract attention, inspire both optimism and skepticism, and send us all to our libraries, labs, and greenhouses is the preliminary data provided by Christoph Steiner:
That research is reported in Amazonian Dark Earths: Explorations in Space and Time (2004; p. 191) and more recently, in Slash and Char as Alternative to Slash and Burn (2007 ; p. 61). If you’re on or near the Michigan Tech campus, a copy of Slash and Char is available for review in 112 Walker Arts & Humanities.
As the Terra Preta @ MTU Working Group uses the fall semester to develop a mission and a research scope, and to build local community alliances, we focus on data and hypothesis such as Steiner’s to help frame a series of questions and projects:
- How should we contextualize that research for local and regional community members, farmers, and gardeners?
- How should we contextualize it as a way to learn about soil characteristics in the Upper Peninsula, regionally, and globally?
- How should we contextualize it for Michigan Tech faculty and graduate students in soil science, chemistry, environmental engineering, forestry, and humanities as a way to develop collective expertise?
- How should we contextualize it for possible fundraising and grant opportunities?
- What role can the working group play in local and regional efforts to understand terra preta (broadly) and biochar (specifically)?
- Where does terra preta fit in environmental, social, cultural, and manufacturing notions of “sustainability”?
- And on particularly reflective and socially aware days: what is the relationship between hip-hop culture, sustainability, and the environment?
We currently think of terra preta, or terra preta de indio as a framework for exploring the historical, archeological, anthropological, scientific, and indigenous aspects of “dark earth.” We think of biochar as a process and product that may be used as a soil amendment; that it may help increase soil fertility dramatically; and that it may help mitigate climate change via its carbon-negative sequestration qualities.
