And other improbable ways of restoring soil health to heal the earth.
Author Judith D. Schwartz | First published 2013 | Chelsea Green Publishing | £13.99
Livestock, ruminants in particular, have been demonised in many discussions about climate change. This book, Cows Save The Planet by author Judith D. Schwartz, challenges this popular rhetoric. It takes us on a journey as Schwartz travels extensively to meet experts in a variety of farming, research and environmental fields to figure out how cows fit into the equation when it comes to improving soil health.
Schwartz explains that many of the issues we face today overlap and link back to our treatment of soil – climate change, desertification, biodiversity loss, droughts, floods, wildfires, rural poverty, malnutrition and obesity. There is no doubt that humans have wronged the planet in years gone by, but this book provides hope that we can heal the earth and agriculture has an important role to play.
Holistic grazing is a key vocal point in the book, providing evidence as to how well managed grazing, with cattle eating, trampling and fertilising land, contributes to soil health. It enables the soil to lock in more carbon which leads to benefits such as improved soil fertility and water infiltration. Schwartz also draws attention to the fact that cattle have an essential role in a carbon cycle which is often overlooked. Yes, cows emit carbon in the form of methane, but the plants that cows eat also absorb carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.
Focusing on improving soil health seems like a sensible solution to our social and economic problems, after all, soils underpin life on earth. And Schwartz has presented an extremely strong argument that agriculture, cows and all, have a vital role to play in restoring the planet.
