FarmLab 🌱

🏭 Soil pollution is an urgent issue. Heavy metals pose a significant risk in India and Bangladesh, where rice will absorb contaminants. With rising interest in Rare Earth mining near ag zones, managing contamination is more critical than ever for food safety and human health. /8

📊The role of tropical forests and peaty soils in locking in carbon was a recurring theme. Preventing deforestation is seen as a priority for both climate and soil preservation. /7

🔴 Verra's REDD+ method came up a few times as a useful financial mechanism to encourage reforestation (despite it’s critics it plays an important role in providing landholders with an economic incentive not available through their existing government). /6

🌲 Preserving native forests is high on the agenda for many. As agriculture puts more pressure on land conversion, there’s a big focus on the retention of native rainforests across Asia (Native Rainforest covers 54% of Malaysia). /5

🤔 Soil carbon is gaining serious attention across Asia. Not just for emissions reduction, but for improving soil health and reducing input costs. In Malaysia, improving soil health is seen as essential to reducing disease pressure in palm plantations, a $50BN industry. /4

🗾Countries like Japan, India, Bangladesh, China, and much of Asia account for <20% of global agricultural land, they produce food for nearly 45% of the world’s population. That means even a 1% drop in output due to climate change would affect 35 million people. /3

🌡️ Climate change is here and already impacting global agriculture. Talks covered everything from the effects of 1.7–2.6°C warming in the Himalayas, to the rise of plant diseases and pests in tropical regions. /2

🌏 This week I’ve been at the International Union of Soil Science conference in Malaysia, representing @getFarmLab and meeting with some amazing scientists and researchers. Here are some of my key takeaways on all things impacting soils and agriculture 🤔 /1