Well written blog.
In the photo, note the depth of the soil and the pottery sticking out of the soil.
Quote:
Amazonian societies did something no other culture has ever done in world history: they created good soil. These groups cleared plots in the forest, yes, but instead of burning them they charred them slowly.
The charcoal was then mixed with the soil where it not only added carbon, but hosted microbes, and increased the soil’s capacity to hold nutrients even during a downpour. Instead of planting rows of maize in their new soil, they planted hundreds of varieties of domesticated trees. Among these trees they planted their staple crop, manioc root.
Not content merely with plentiful fertile soils, they used pottery to build these soils up out of the floodplain (similar to the Beni people mentioned discussed in the link at the beginning). This process required continued investment of resources over hundreds of years. Millions of pots were smashed in order to raise their fields and dwellings and reclaim the land.
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Anthonares » Blog Archive » Terra Preta de Indio: An Amazonian Lesson in Sustainability
