Can Food Still Be Organic If It's Grown Without Soil?

 
'Dirt first' farmers have been fighting with supporters of soil-less agriculture over the ‘organics’ label. Climate and sustainability are central to the debate. (Georgina Gusten insideclimatenews.org Nov 2017) ​https://t.co/OROPuNYjdH

Why is climate central to the the "organic" label debate? Apples & oranges! Promoting dirt farming to sequester carbon is like promoting freeways to prevent erosion. Absurd. 

Farming (tilling) land is not necessary to sequester carbon. Plants, on their own, can only sequester so much carbon. And then they rot (or burn) and return carbon to the atmosphere.

By contrast, healthy soil (microbes and wee beasties metabolizing organic material beneath the surface) can sequester a huge volume of carbon underground compared to the volume of live plants on the surface.

But an even better solution -- better than a healthy soil biome -- is biochar. Adding biochar to soil not only sequesters carbon but can dramatically enhance the soil microbiome at the same time.

Forget about "dirt farming." Let's talk about improving soil around the world -- wetlands, forests, pastures, and parks -- to support more vegetation, more wildlife habitat, and tall old-growth forest.