this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2025
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Plantbased
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My understanding is that manure, and the crop rotation (three field system) both rely on animals; Does composting provide enough to replenish the soil sustainably?
The Three Sisters method, https://www.nal.usda.gov/collections/stories/three-sisters, has a ruminant cycle in it as well I believe.
I'm not sure, are ruminants acceptable as part of a plant based ecosystem?
No animal exploitation necessary. Humanure can return fertility to the soil, and syntropic agriculture takes a successional approach to crop rotation, building fertility over time.
That looks really cool. Thanks for the great references.
I watched a couple videos about it, and I think I understand the major themes. Where does the biomass come from that's being referenced? Is external fertilizer needed after the food for us to set up? Is it self-sustaining, or does it need external inputs?
Referenced where exactly? Biomass in humanure comes from... well, your rear end. Biomass in syntropic agriculture is formed through photosynthesis, either in the plants deliberately grown on the farm or in native species used for chop-and-drop.
Unless the soil is severely depleted of micronutrients (e.g. calcium, magnesium, trace minerals), no external fertiliser should be required. Carbon comes from photosynthesis, nitrogen comes from microbial fixation, and phosphorus and potassium are usually not the limiting nutrients, but even in areas where they are, the only fertiliser needed to replenish them is ash. All of the people destroying the forest for fuelwood and charcoal are making plenty of fertiliser for you to use! (I'm not familiar with Malta specifically, but there seems to be some of this happening there as well.)
Ideally, a syntropic farm should cycle nutrients similarly to natural forest. Is a forest ecosystem self-sustaining, or does it need external inputs?