The canton of Geneva launched the “Résulterre” program on Tuesday. This project aims to improve the quality of cultivated soil. It also has the advantage of allowing the sequestration of a greater quantity of CO2 in the earth. To date, 43 farmers are participating.
Intensive agriculture, with the use of powerful plowing machines and inputs of all kinds, has transformed the land. Over the years, it has become compact and poor in organic matter. This mud is an obstacle for the roots. It is also the enemy of earthworms. Water cannot enter it.
The “Résulterre” project provides financial assistance to farmers who take measures to regenerate their soils, to make the earth more granular. The program’s budget is just under 6 million francs, 80% of which is covered by the Federal Office of Agriculture (FOAG).
Farmers will be paid for results. Samples will be used to determine the quantity of organic matter in the soil or the quantity of farm fertilizer used.
No more plowing
The main point is to never leave land bare, explained to the media Patricia Bidaux, president of the Geneva Chamber of Agriculture (AgriGenève). For example, we can carry out sowing in a plant cover, add value to the land with manure, or plant seeds without plowing.
The goal is to bring biomass into the earth. In addition to enriching the soil, the technique also sequesters organic carbon in the soil. Indeed, during the degradation of a dead plant, part of the CO2 it contains is released into the atmosphere, another is trapped in the soil in the form of organic matter.
By improving the quality of the soil in this way, it will be possible, by 2030, to sequester 15,000 tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, noted State Councilor Antonio Hodgers. This policy is therefore a means of combating climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2.
Improving soil quality takes time. Some Geneva farmers adopted the precepts of conservative agriculture several years ago. After a decade of this regime, the earth becomes more airy again and retains water better, but it has not yet completely regained its natural appearance.
