Humus - the essential ingredient: Graeme Sait at TEDxNoosa

Learn all about Humus, the layer of soil essential for healthy food production which is being gradually depleted by unsustainable farming practices. Graeme Sait a lifelong human and soil health educator explains how 467 billion tonnes of carbon has been released from the soil into the atmosphere, and that we urgently need to return that carbon to the soil, and start replenishing the humus in order to reverse the impact.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[suneetsalvi]

This was a video that has greatly shaped the way we farm. We do not use any synthetic fertilisers, pesticides etc. We only focus on mulching our soil with biomass and increasing the microbial variety and count in our soil. This has made a tremendous difference to soil fertility and water percolation and water holding capacity.

[Imwright]

I’ve done my share from composting all my food scraps, worms and a backyard garden. I plant all my vegetables with fungi to build the soil. I create my own biochar. It’s time for everybody else to get with the program.

[catherinewissner]

I've been teaching this, Humus and Microorganisms, in my soils portion of my Master Gardener class for the last 18 years.

[FindingecoAu]

Great to see awareness on soil health and its importance is being spread! Growing up on a certified organic farm I saw the impact first hand of how soil health affected plants, animals and improved my health. Great talk I will be sharing this!!

[ashoakwillow]

TED at it’s best; essential information delivered with inspiring passion.

[trackin]

Love this. Learning all about permaculture currently and I suggest you each read a book on the subject. Very eye opening.

[jamesspry]

Brilliant! Everyone in the world (or at least the western world) should be made to watch this video.Just one more thing I would add - Get to know your farmer, look him or her in the eye when you buy your food. Ask him or her how they grow their food, and what they are doing to regenerate their patch of the earth. If they can't look you in the eye when they answer, then find someone who can.Use your power as a consumer to support and create the world that you want to live in.

[Tom.Livanos]

The etymology of the words human, humus and humility is 'of and for the Earth'.

Actions which will improve the conditions we live in:
1. Buying food from those who practise regenerative farming e.g. from farmers' markets;
2. Paying carbon credits to primary producers for increases in soil humus;
3. Composting becomes the mantra for everyone - particularly local councils;
4. Inoculating our soils with humus building organisms - the most important of these is mycorrhizal fungi;
5. Legislating to protect the existence of humus building organisms in soil;
6. Banning the burning of crop residues. This is carbon which ought to be returned to the soil rather than adding to the problem i.e. released into the atmosphere;
7. Including a carbon source with every nitrogen-based fertiliser; and
8. Extracting humates from brown coal to build humus in soil.

[rineric]

This is still the best and most important speech I have ever heard. This is true politics. Thank you Graeme!

[ruedaricardo]

I have 40% more carbon in my soil than what I had 9 years ago. It can be done!

[Mrgruffy]

I built my home in 1972 which had a large yard.  That was the thing--a big yard.  I sowed it with rye and blue grass.  But the soil had been abused for many years that crab grass, crowsfoot, and buckhorn was what grew best.  About 20 years later, and after reading a book on soil, I decided to plow it under, then ran a garden tiller over it. When the old soil drys out in summer, it gets hard as a rock.  But before I tilled it, I contacted a lawn service, and asked him to dump all of his leaves and grass clippings on my plowed and spaded up lawn.  Then in the autumn, I drove over town begging people for their leaves.  The more, the better.  Finally, I tilled all the leaves and grass into the soil.  I let it winter over. Then I sowed blue grass the next spring.  The best blue grass I had ever seen.  Though I prefer to sow grass seed in late Sept. as the cooler weather and the angle of the sun's rays promote blue grass growth while the junk grass and weeds die out.

[ceilao]

Thank you, Graeme, for your utter dedication and invaluable insights that we or direly need. God bless. Gail, Fred and the rest of us.

[healingfoundations]

Food with forgotten flavors! Love the way he put that.

[pietrad]

Thank you Graeme for a great presentation which exposed the causes of soil degeneration and offered real methods for renewal. I sure hope this message gets widely heard.

[cindyhollings]

Excellent presentation! As a home gardener I have searched for micorhyzzal fungi to add to my soil as an amendment, but can’t find anything affordable, unlike the USA which seems to stock in every garden centre. It would be great to source backyard quantities here. I am an avid composter and vermicomposter with a side line in leaf humus!

[Ray_Renew]

“Human initiative knows no boundaries if it’s well funded” exactly! If we show enough interest in renewable energy, big companies will start investing in it too

[SoilsforLife]

An excellent presentation. Healthy Soils = Healthy Landscapes = Healthy People.

[xuyahfish]

I was looking to grow alfalfa on my soil as a perennial for adding to my compost & add as a mulch. I wonder if growing it (with it's deep roots) will improve my well water?

[bennielamb]

Well done. Schools don't teach this. I had to live 37 years and going for my only learn a lot of this stuff. It's a shame!

[rjmsilverback]

Excellent video! I resonate with this idea and love it!

Namasté.