Nutrient Amendments: The Secret Ingredient for Thriving Farms
In recent years, we have seen leaps and bounds in adopting and successfully implementing regenerative agriculture, proving itself a viable solution for food security and a restored climate.
Healthy soil is at the root of a thriving ecosystem, and our Restore Fund Grantees have found one practice particularly effective – nutrient amendments.
So what are nutrient amendments?
Nutrient amendment is an umbrella term for a bioactive plant nutrient liquid that boosts plant health and soil organic matter for better carbon sequestration (in the case of Hong Kong). Like humans, the ecosystem can survive on basic nourishment, but to thrive, people and plants require an abundance of nutrients.
You might recall us mentioning things our farmers have been applying to the soil, like compost tea, fish hydrolysate, and nut pulp ferments – these are all nutrient amendments!
The liquids combine different types of organic matter, providing the soil with various vitamins and minerals. Ingredients used include Epsom salt – a source of Magnesium that helps build chlorophyll, and Sulphur, which is vital to protein formation; fish - a great source of fat and protein; and Zinc – an essential element for chlorophyll formation and enzyme activity. Think of the process as nature’s version of a defibrillator - these nourishing inputs revitalise soil by feeding the microorganisms that promote below-ground biodiversity and increase plant absorption of healthy nutrients.
And what are the challenges?
Understanding each crop’s unique needs, the correct proportions of organic input, and the fundamentals of nutritional science are all prerequisites to success. Combined with external factors that could jeopardise efforts like extreme weather, it has been a steep learning curve for our Grantees.
Happily, our regenerative community recognises the value of collective wisdom. During capacity-building sessions hosted by our consultants, farmers have shared their successes and failures, providing recommendations not limited to nutrient management but also other practices that prevent runoff and assist implementation.
Where did nutrient amendments come from?
As far back as the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, there is evidence of applying animal manure and organic matter to crops. Fish hydrolysate, for example, could be traced back to ancient Egyptians using excess fish caught in the Nile River as fertiliser.
Thanks to today’s science, we better understand the physiology of plants, allowing us to support their nutritional integrity more precisely. However, while the USDA has published numerous guidelines on nutrient management, none specify what inputs to use or how to apply them.
With relatively little guidance from the industry and academics, we are thankful for our expert soil consultant, who is blazing a trail by recommending nutrient amendment recipes and techniques to our Grantees.
Rebuilding soil microbiology takes time and considered effort. By carefully selecting suitable amendments for their farms, our Grantees can create and perpetuate the chain reaction of healthy soil, plants, people, and a healthy planet.
