Recently, the proposal of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, to turn coca leaves into carbon-free fertilizer has attracted the attention of the media and those interested in agricultural transformation.
How feasible is this idea? Is it a clever solution to reduce the drug trade and synthetic fertilizer industry, while also contributing to environmental conservation and the de-escalation of armed conflict in the country?
Our Experience with the Idea of "Decarbonized" Fertilizers
Making fertilizers with zero carbon emissions was one of the goals we pursued for some time in our transition project at Casa el Ocobo.
The initial idea was to develop a family garden for self-consumption that would produce organic food, fertilized with "clean" fertilizers.
This way, we aimed to eat healthily, gain food security, and, importantly, rely less on food grown long distances from where we live.
To achieve this, we needed soil, water, sun, and clean fertilizers.
Producing carbon-free fertilizers implies, among other things, not using polluting energy during their manufacture. All to avoid the release of CO2 into the atmosphere that contributes to global warming and ecosystem degradation.
Since our garden is relatively small (100 m²), we thought that composting the pruning residues and other organic waste generated on our land (of 2,100 m²) would be enough.
Unfortunately, that proved very difficult for us because the production of biomass (the organic matter from which compost is made) was not very abundant on our land.
Over time we found fantastic ways to produce more biomass in very little space. Still, it was never enough to meet 100% of our needs.
So we were forced to resort to external sources of matter rich in carbon and nitrogen, which are the basic components for making excellent quality compost.And we got it, all within a radius of no more than six kilometers.
But here's the issue: moving large amounts of organic matter requires motorized transportation means that burn gasoline, releasing pollutants into the atmosphere and undermining the decarbonization concept.
This is a problem to deal with, not only for the collection of material, but also for the distribution of the finished product, in the case of the hypothetical decarbonized fertilizer factories proposed by Petro.
Carbon-free fertilizers are an illusion (for now).
So, neither on a small, nor on a medium, nor on a large scale is it possible to get away from the use of fossil fuel to manufacture organic fertilizers.
Sure, I could compost enough for fertilizing a couple of small pots or a mini herb garden, for example. But what I'm discussing here is something more substantial in terms of ensuring food security.
It is worth making it clear that this is not a specific problem of fertilizer, but, in general, of any product that pursues the same ideals.Which questions the idea of a supposed decarbonized economy.
Of course, one could sidestep this issue if they manage to transport piles of material using a wheelbarrow, mule, or vehicles powered by "clean energy" (solar, hydrogen, etc.)... But neither option is viable for us right now.
There is also the option of having a large plot of land and implementing agroforestry (also known as syntropic) or silvopastoral systems.
This last one is about creating integral systems that provide the necessary for soil fertilization, food production and animal breeding, all in one place. Shaping a type of circular economy, where there is no waste.
Even so, very few of these initiatives are able to completely detach themselves from the use of fossil fuels... There will always be a scythe, a tiller, a chainsaw, a shredder, a small tractor, a pickup truck. In short, a gasoline engine that moves a machine.
Moreover, neither agroforestry projects nor silvopastoral systems are fertilizer factories oriented toward producing and selling this product. If they were, there would be a linear process (rather than circular), ultimately leading to a deficit of nutrients required for their own ecosystem.
Not to mention the "industrial complexes" envisioned by Petro for organic fertilizer production. Those truly require significant amounts of fossil energy.
There are already many large organic fertilizer factories in different parts of the world. They're impressive, producing massive amounts of material each week, literally heaps of compost. All with the help of heavy machinery, of course.
For those curious, you can take a look at experiences like Earth Care Farm, Arizona Worm Farm, n the United States; Agro organicos gaia, in Mexico; y Biomezclas, Granja Somos Gente, in Colombia.
Where to move?
The dilemma is that while thinking about creating industrial complexes for organic fertilizer or a decarbonized economy is an illusion for now, sooner or later we'll have to face the fact that oil isn't an infinite resource.
Thus, we'll need to find a way to sustain food production to feed all the planet's inhabitants. This doesn't just depend on global political stability but also the survival of the nearly 10 billion inhabitants we'll have in the next three decades.
Those who have faith in science are quietly awaiting a "technological miracle" that will save us all at the last moment, much like in Hollywood movies.
Perhaps what should be done in the meantime would be to reduce our energy consumption as much as possible, decentralize the sources of key resources for subsistence (which includes organic fertilizer), stimulate the emergence of small productive units in each locality.
And finally, learning to live with the contradictions posed by the current moment, like desiring a post-carbon world while still relying on hydrocarbons to survive.
Anyway, these are just a few ideas.
Comentários