Eric Toensmeier

Last updated
Eric Toensmeier
OccupationAuthor
SubjectsClimate change, Biodiversity, and Nutrition
Website
www.perennialsolutions.org

Eric Toensmeier is an author of several books focused on climate change, biodiversity, and nutrition. [1] He is also a lecturer at Yale University [2] [1] and a Senior Biosequestration Fellow at Project Drawdown. [3] [2]

Contents

Previously, he managed a farm program for Nuestras Raices, a nonprofit organization that ran community gardens in Holyoke, Massachusetts; and ran a mail-order seed company with Jonathan Bates for plants that would improve the soil or attract beneficial insects. [4]

Career

Toensmeier's works include Paradise Lot, [5] [6] Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to ‘Zuiki’ Taro, a Gardener’s Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles, [6] Edible Forests Gardens: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture (co-authored), [6] [5] and Perennial Vegetables: A neglected resource for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and nutrition (co-authored). [7]

In Perennial Vegetables: A neglected resource, Toensmeier provides information on crops that could help address malnutrition issues, including trees with edible, nutritious leaves. [8] [2] Perennial plants are those that grow all-year-round and do not require replanting or reseeding. [2] They are used in regenerative and sustainable farming. [2]

In February 2020, Toensmeier's 2016 book, Carbon Farming: A Global Toolkit for Stabilizing the Climate with Tree Crops and Regenerative Agriculture Practices, was released as an ebook. [5] [9] In the book, Toensmeier argues that carbon farming has the potential to return carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, while also providing food for people and regenerating soil. [9] Carbon farming is defined as the use of agriculture to remove excess carbon from the air and soil by storing it in trees and plants. [10] Toensmeier practices carbon farming at his home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. [10]

Toensmeier is an adviser for Summersweet Gardens Nursery at Perennial Pleasures, whose owner was inspired by Toensmeier's book, Perennial Vegetables. [11]

More recently, Toensmeier became a senior fellow at the climate think tank, Project Drawdown, as well as lecturing at Yale. [12]

Publications

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Permaculture</span> Approach to agriculture and land management

Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principles in fields such as regenerative agriculture, town planning, rewilding, and community resilience. The term was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who formulated the concept in opposition to modern industrialized methods, instead adopting a more traditional or "natural" approach to agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Hart (horticulturist)</span> British gardener

Robert Adrian de Jauralde Hart was an English pioneer of forest gardening in temperate zones. He created a model forest garden from a 0.12 acre (500 m²) orchard on his farm. He credits the inspiration for his work to an article by James Sholto Douglas, which was in turn inspired by the work of Toyohiko Kagawa.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sustainable agriculture:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable agriculture</span> Farming approach that balances environmental, economic and social factors in the long term

Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem services. There are many methods to increase the sustainability of agriculture. When developing agriculture within sustainable food systems, it is important to develop flexible business processes and farming practices. Agriculture has an enormous environmental footprint, playing a significant role in causing climate change, water scarcity, water pollution, land degradation, deforestation and other processes; it is simultaneously causing environmental changes and being impacted by these changes. Sustainable agriculture consists of environment friendly methods of farming that allow the production of crops or livestock without causing damage to human or natural systems. It involves preventing adverse effects on soil, water, biodiversity, and surrounding or downstream resources, as well as to those working or living on the farm or in neighboring areas. Elements of sustainable agriculture can include permaculture, agroforestry, mixed farming, multiple cropping, and crop rotation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agroforestry</span> Land use management system

Agroforestry is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system can produce timber and wood products, fruits, nuts, other edible plant products, edible mushrooms, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, animals and animal products, and other products from both domesticated and wild species.

Plants For A Future (PFAF) is an online not for profit resource for those interested in edible and useful plants, with a focus on temperate regions. Named after the phrase "plans for a future" as wordplay, the organization's emphasis is on perennial plants.

<i>Brosimum alicastrum</i> Species of tree

Brosimum alicastrum, commonly known as breadnut, Maya nut or ramon, and many others, is a tree species in the family Moraceae of flowering plants, whose other genera include figs and mulberries. The plant is known by a range of names in indigenous Mesoamerican and other languages, including: ojoche, ojite, ojushte, ujushte, ujuxte, capomo, mojo, ox, iximche, masica in Honduras, uje in the state of Michoacan Mexico, mojote in Jalisco, chokogou in Haitian Creole and chataigne in Trinidadian Creole. In the Caribbean coast of Colombia it is called guaímaro or guaymaro.

<i>Alternanthera sessilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Alternanthera sessilis is a flowering plant known by several common names, including sissoo spinach, Brazilian spinach, sessile joyweed, dwarf copperleaf. It is cultivated as a vegetable worldwide.

Perennial vegetables are vegetables that can live for more than two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaweed</span> Macroscopic marine algae

Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of Rhodophyta (red), Phaeophyta (brown) and Chlorophyta (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as kelps provide essential nursery habitat for fisheries and other marine species and thus protect food sources; other species, such as planktonic algae, play a vital role in capturing carbon and producing at least 50% of Earth's oxygen.

The environmental impact of agriculture is the effect that different farming practices have on the ecosystems around them, and how those effects can be traced back to those practices. The environmental impact of agriculture varies widely based on practices employed by farmers and by the scale of practice. Farming communities that try to reduce environmental impacts through modifying their practices will adopt sustainable agriculture practices. The negative impact of agriculture is an old issue that remains a concern even as experts design innovative means to reduce destruction and enhance eco-efficiency. Animal agriculture practices tend to be more environmentally destructive than agricultural practices focused on fruits, vegetables and other biomass. The emissions of ammonia from cattle waste continue to raise concerns over environmental pollution.

John D. Hamaker (1914–1994), was an American mechanical engineer, ecologist, agronomist and science writer in the fields of soil regeneration, rock dusting, mineral cycles, climate cycles and glaciology.

Soil management is the application of operations, practices, and treatments to protect soil and enhance its performance. It includes soil conservation, soil amendment, and optimal soil health. In agriculture, some amount of soil management is needed both in nonorganic and organic types to prevent agricultural land from becoming poorly productive over decades. Organic farming in particular emphasizes optimal soil management, because it uses soil health as the exclusive or nearly exclusive source of its fertilization and pest control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaweed farming</span> Farming of aquatic seaweed

Seaweed farming or kelp farming is the practice of cultivating and harvesting seaweed. In its simplest form farmers gather from natural beds, while at the other extreme farmers fully control the crop's life cycle.

Perennial crops are a perennial plant species that are cultivated and live longer than two years without the need of being replanted each year. Naturally perennial crops include many fruit and nut crops; some herbs and vegetables also qualify as perennial. Perennial crops have been cultivated for thousands of years; their cultivation differs from the mainstream annual agriculture because regular tilling is not required and this results in decreased soil erosion and increased soil health. Some perennial plants that are not cultivated as perennial crops are tomatoes, whose vines can live for several years but often freeze and die in winters outside of temperate climates, and potatoes which can live for more than two years but are usually harvested yearly. Despite making up 94% of plants on earth, perennials take up only 13% of global cropland. In contrast, grain crops take up about 70% of global cropland and global caloric consumption and are largely annual plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate-friendly gardening</span> Low greenhouse gases gardening

Climate-friendly gardening is a form of gardening that can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from gardens and encourage the absorption of carbon dioxide by soils and plants in order to aid the reduction of global warming. To be a climate-friendly gardener means considering both what happens in a garden and the materials brought into it as well as the impact they have on land use and climate. It can also include garden features or activities in the garden that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through processes not directly related to gardening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regenerative agriculture</span> Conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems

Regenerative agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon farming</span> Agricultural methods that capture carbon

Carbon farming is a set of agricultural methods that aim to store carbon in the soil, crop roots, wood and leaves. The technical term for this is carbon sequestration. The overall goal of carbon farming is to create a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere. This is done by increasing the rate at which carbon is sequestered into soil and plant material. One option is to increase the soil's organic matter content. This can also aid plant growth, improve soil water retention capacity and reduce fertilizer use. Sustainable forest management is another tool that is used in carbon farming. Carbon farming is one component of climate-smart agriculture. It is also one way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Brosimum parinarioides, also called leite de amapá, is an evergreen tree which grows in the semi-arid to humid tropical lowlands of South America. It can reach a height of up to 32 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine permaculture</span>

Marine Permaculture is a form of mariculture that reflects the principles of permaculture by recreating seaweed forest habitat and other ecosystems in nearshore and offshore ocean environments. Doing so enables a sustainable long-term harvest of seaweeds and seafood, while regenerating life in the ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 "Perennial Vegetables Are a Solution in the Fight Against Hunger and Climate Change". Civil Eats. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Can Perennial Vegetables Help Fight Hunger and Climate Change?". LIVEKINDLY. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  3. "Carbon Farming: A Solution to Climate Change?". JIA SIPA. 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  4. Raver, Anne (2013-02-13). "Their Trip to Bountiful". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Flynn, Anne-Gerard (2020-02-23). "Spring Bulb Show opens March 7 at Smith College". masslive. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raver, Anne (2013-02-13). "Their Trip to Bountiful". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  7. 1 2 Toensmeier, Eric; Ferguson, Rafter; Mehra, Mamta (2020-07-10). "Perennial vegetables: A neglected resource for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and nutrition". PLOS ONE. 15 (7): e0234611. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1534611T. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234611 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   7351156 . PMID   32649667.
  8. "Perennial Vegetables Are a Solution in the Fight Against Hunger and Climate Change". Civil Eats. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  9. 1 2 "How Carbon Farming Could Reverse Climate Change". Civil Eats. 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  10. 1 2 "Some advice for starting your own backyard 'carbon farm'". The World from PRX. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  11. Pasanen, Melissa. "Vermont Farmer-Researchers Explore the Potential of Perennial Vegetables". Seven Days VT.
  12. Philpott, Tom. "To save the Corn Belt, plant trees". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2021-12-01.