Healthy soils naturally contain freshwater. However, the drastic increase in climatic variations (global warming, droughts, decrease in precipitations) and unsustainable human activities (unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, deforestation) are primary responsible for land degradation.
Every year, an area corresponding to half that of the European Union (4.18 million km² of land) degrades. This means that by 2050, soil degradation combined with climate change will be responsible for 10% reduction in world food crops.
[Water]: Agriculture and particularly irrigation is the single largest producer of wastewater, by volume.
[Mediterranean Foodscape]: Trends of progressive diets homogenization are the major consequence of increasing simplification of the number of food crops and animal breeds.
[Nutrition for All]: Intensification of livestock production has more than tripled since 1970, leading to massive use of antibiotics, vaccines, and growth hormones to make animals bigger and faster while preventing them from getting ill. These pollutants end up accumulating in soils and biomass, and eventually also in the water sources.
[Climate & Earth Regeneration]: While the degradation of the world’s soils has released roughly 78 giga-tons of carbon into the atmosphere, the rehabilitation of agricultural and degraded soils can remove up to 51 giga-tons of carbon from the atmosphere. However, since 1960 the use of fertilizer has grown ten times, while global sales of pesticides have increased from $ 1 billion to $ 35 billion a year. This phenomenon is particularly acute in developing countries that account for 25 percent of world pesticide use in farming.
Participants will learn the dynamic and comprehensive approach of regenerative agriculture and other sustainable practices that starting from a deep respect for nature and its resources also generates economic and social benefits. They will also investigate aeroponics, drainage techniques to control fertilizer discharge, crop rotation, pest-resistant crop varieties, and other restoration practices.