Turn Metal Stock Tanks Into Raised Beds!

Masanobu Fukuoka

how terra preta was made

Terra preta, also known as Amazonian dark earth or black soil, was an anthropogenic (human-made) soil created by pre-Columbian Amazonian populations over centuries. Here's how it was made: - The indigenous people intentionally enriched the naturally nutrient-poor Amazonian soils by adding a mixture of charcoal (biochar), bone, broken pottery shards, compost, and manure.[3] - Charcoal or biochar was a key ingredient, produced by smoldering agricultural and forest residues in a low-oxygen environment.[2][3] This created a stable form of carbon resistant to decomposition. - Food waste, animal feces, fish and animal bones were also incorporated, providing organic matter and nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and manganese.[3] - These ingredients were mixed into the soil, likely around living areas and kitchen middens, creating small plots of highly fertile terra preta soils.[3][5] - The charcoal content gave terra preta its characteristic dark color and helped retain nutrients, increase soil fertility, and support microbial life.[1][3] - Over time, this practice of amending soils with charcoal, organic wastes, and other materials created expansive areas of fertile terra preta soils, some up to 360 hectares in size.[3] So in essence, terra preta was an early form of sustainable agriculture, where indigenous Amazonians intentionally enriched and improved the soil's fertility and productivity by incorporating charcoal, organic matter, and nutrients over many generations.[2][3][5] Citations: [1]

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