KEY FINDINGS

soil measuring BIO-AGRICULTURE SOIL CARBON SEQUESTRATION PROJECT.               Our company is carrying out important research work, taking detailed soil carbon measurments from a large cross-section of bio-agricultural farms around Australia. We will be remeasuring the farms after a period of 3 years - to demonstrate the ability of bio-agricultural farming to store carbon in the soil.          For more information or to donate to the project - click here

soilOngoing research has developed viable, high accuracy, on farm soil carbon measuring techniques which replaces  emission estimations with emission sequestration measurements for the farm sector.

  • beans A conversion to bio-agricultural farming can realise over 40% reduction of agricultural emissions by abandoning industrially produced nitrogen fertilisers. (Stern 2006), (FIA 2008).

    wheatSoil carbon sequestration is a win-win strategy. It mitigates climate change by offsetting anthropogenic emissions; improves the environment, especially the quality of natural waters; enhances soil quality; improves agronomic productivity; and advances food security. It is the low-hanging fruit and a bridge to the future, until carbon-neutral fuel sources and low-carbon economy take effect 144
 

 Results of Long Term Research

 

PART 1.

Grains Research and Development Corporation - Australia

Potential improvement in crop yields and reduced greenhouse gas emissions were among the benefits of increased soil organic matter throughput, according to the findings of a project funded by growers and the Australian Government through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

 

bd graphBiodyanamic Research Institute - Sweden

A study by The Biodyanamic Research Institute in Sweden showed an increase of 1.8 tonnes CO2-e/hectare/year over 9 years

.

MORE DETAILS

 

PART 2.

DOKThe DOK trial - Switzerland

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL) was founded in 1973. It is one of the world’s leading information and documentation centres for organic agriculture.

One of their projects is the long-term DOK trial which started in 1978 and is still in progress. It compares biodynamic and organic agriculture with conventional systems.

 

Nordic Research Circle for Biodynamic Farming - Sweden

In 1958, Bo D. Pettersson of the Nordic Research Circle for Biodynamic Farming in Sweden, began an agricultural field experiment that lasted until 1990. The field experiment included eight different fertilizer treatments, each with a four-year crop rotation. A comparison was made between biodynamic and conventional farming,

 

MORE DETAILS

             

PART 3.

The Rodale Institute has been running comparative farming system trials for over 27-rodale instituteyears in the United States.
Side-by-side comparison studies of bio-agricultural and conventional corn and soybean production have shown that bio-agricultural systems consistently sequester over 1,000kg/ha/year of carbon/ha/year into the soil. This is equivalent to 3.67 tonnes of CO2-e/ha/year.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

PART 4.

More information from the DOK trial and the Nordic Research Circle for Biodynamic Farming.

 

rootsMichael Fields Agricultural Institute - Wisconsin USA

Crop yields and root growth were studied in a 6 year trial comparing conventional, organic and biodynamic methods of fertilization.

 

Perennial grasses & carbon sequestration

The longer roots of perennial and native grasses have higher carbon sequestration rates than annuals.

 

MORE DETAILS

 

PART 5.

100 year old trials at the Morrow Plots - University of Illinois

morrow plotsUsing results from over a hundred years of continuous field trials at the Morrow Plots as well as from other published research from around the world, researchers at the University have found that excessive application of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers stimulates soil microbes which feed on organic matter. Over time, this enhanced microbial activity consumes any excess carbon in the soil from crop residues - the result, a reduction in soil carbon.

MORE DETAILS