Turning to Renewables and Earth’s Microbes to Combat the Effects of Climate Change – Global Issues
URBANA, Illinois, US, Dec 04 (IPS) – Recently, at the UN climate conference COP29, countries agreed to do everything necessary to invest in climate solutions to protect lives and livelihoods from the impacts of increasing climate change and build the world. successful. This is necessary. Indeed, every effort must be made by our leaders to protect lives and livelihoods.
One of the best ways to invest in agricultural climate solutions. In particular, investing in solutions that seek to protect the soil and agricultural crops we rely on to meet food security.
In addition, these soils and plants are vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the form of droughts, floods, insect outbreaks, and high temperatures.
Although it is a difficult task, protecting health and agricultural crops from the harmful effects of climate change is possible.
Preventing crop failure and negative impacts including food insecurity, hunger, and famine can be achieved by implementing and implementing many climate-resolving strategies from the use of microbial solutions and beneficial soil microbes and the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices and integrated pest control strategies.
Microbial solutions, which include microbial soil injections, increase the beneficial bacteria in the soil and the capabilities of the natural soil microbiome to create a fertile and resistant environment for agricultural plants, including processes such as soil microbial suppression, soil nitrogen fixation and other plant nutrients important as phosphorus have been found.
Accumulating evidence has shown that beneficial bacteria can bring many benefits including improving the growth and yield of agricultural crops such as maize, tomato and wheat which are important for meeting food security needs.
Additionally, these insects have been shown to protect agricultural crops from drought and improve the plants’ ability to tolerate high temperatures, salinity, insects and many other stressors associated with climate change. Beneficial bacteria in the soil are important in mitigating the effects of the stresses associated with climate change.
Regenerative agriculture practices are a set of regenerative farming practices and sustainable agriculture that seek to increase soil health, water resources, soil organic carbon uptake and soil biological diversity.
These sustainable practices include cover cropping, crop rotation, intercropping, reducing soil disturbance, using less fertilizers, agricultural inputs and chemical pesticides and stocking.
Adopting regenerative practices has been documented to bring many benefits including building soil health and quality, improving biodiversity, all while helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. For example, research has revealed that cover crops can improve soil health and increase the abundance of beneficial insects.
Integrated pest management is a method that does not prohibit the use of pesticides, but uses them as little as possible and only for strong reasons.
It promotes the use of safer alternatives, such as biocontrol, which uses natural enemies to control pests, and cultural control practices that change the growing environment to reduce unwanted pests.
Integrated pest management methods include the use of resistant plant species bred to resist insect damage, and crop rotation that changes crops every year or year, interrupting the pest’s life cycle and preventing pests from occupying the farm. .
In the end, the strategies that are released to help deal with the climate problem must pay more attention to improving the soil and its health. Soil is the basis of healthy and nutritious food, income and economy.
Efforts to build soil health must be scientifically based and adhere to science-based soil health building principles and practices including mulching, conservation tillage, reduced tillage and cover cropping.
A smart investment in soil must be based on a scientific assessment of soil conditions, making soil testing programs a good place to start. Knowing what the soil needs allows precise interventions and is a win for climate resistance and environmental protection.
Building soil health will restore life-giving soil nutrients, diverse microbial communities and organic soil. Soil organic matter is associated with other benefits, such as improved plant health and yield; increased water retention in the soil, which increases the ability of plants to tolerate drought; and increased soil biological diversity.
Biodiversity in dynamic soil plays an important role in the soil ecosystem, including decomposition, breakdown of air pollutants, and cycling of essential plant nutrients, life-giving nutrients, and diverse communities of soil microbes, and that improves climate resilience.
Importantly, as we introduce these programs, we must remember that the ability of communities and citizens of different countries to adapt and implement these strategies will vary greatly, depending on their financial capabilities.
Investments to support the implementation of these solutions and ways to improve the state of agriculture can be channeled through government departments and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Protecting lives, livelihoods, and agricultural crops from the catastrophic effects of climate change is an urgent task that will require the implementation of many initiatives—from regenerative agriculture to the use of vaccines and integrated pest management strategies. We must continue to encourage countries to invest in these programs. It’s a win.
Esther Ngumbi, PhD is an Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, Department of African Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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