118 One essential factor is the production of compost to replace chemical fertilisers and make the soil fertile Depending on what s being cultivated other factors such as ground cover crop rotation and catch crops also play a key role Furthermore living soil that is rich in humus is especially good at storing wa ter and nutrients It delivers good harvest results even when periods of drought or other unexpected weather events give us a preview of what climate change has in store for us But as you might expect there is a catch The development and main tenance of fertile soil is a long term affair that is only econom ically feasible if organic farmers receive an appropriate price for their products Many consumers however are still hesi tant to pay this price So who can blame non organic farmers for hesitating as well when it comes to converting their farms to organic agriculture We are extremely lucky that contrary to economic logic and prevailing opinion some crazy people still practice organic farming today and above all continue to foster its develop ment And fortunately we can count some of the best of this fellowship of fools as our cultivation partners like the Am bootia Tea Group see p 112 f located in India s Darjeeling region whose premium teas frequently win awards and which even uses biodynamic farming methods see p 93 and 112 f And the Sekem Initiative in Egypt which using the same strin gent methods transforms desert into fertile land on a large scale and grows herbs for Lebensbaum there see p 110 f These projects can develop to their full potential because our customers don t baulk at buying their unconventional prod ucts They forge ahead consciously influencing the state of our world tomorrow through their purchasing decisions today 5 Quality has roots Unfortunately not enough people are aware that our soil is one of the most important carbon reservoirs It stores more car bon than all vegetation on the planet combined trees shrubs and grasses This means that maintaining fertile soil is a deci sive factor in the fight against climate change in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals And organic agriculture with its principle of keeping the soil alive and fertile has a key role to play as a trailblazer for the farming community which in this case will have to save the entire world in addition to its core business of feeding human kind Luckily food security and climate protection go hand in hand in organic farming The formation of carbon storing hu mus leads directly to healthy and robust plant growth Good soil Good climate

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