Food, fuel and income to sustain local communities

1. Costa Rica Agroforestry Project
Food, fuel and income to sustain local communities

2. Our Vision
“We are trying to design
an Earth-healing
economic landscape
with short and mid-
term economic value.
This will be followed by
a slower maturing, long-
term forest that will
eventually be capable of
supporting an economy
decades and even
centuries into the
future.”
-John Todd

3. Land History
• Located in the Guanacaste region of
Costa Rica
• Once covered in thick, lush forest
• 50 years ago the land was deforested
for cattle production
• Changes resulted in soil erosion,
displacement of native species,
and a hotter, drier landscape
• The land became exhausted, showed
diminished microbial activity, low
atmospheric carbon sequestration,
and produced little cattle
Deforested cattle land

4. Remineralization Overview
Remineralization can potentially
enhance the growth of tree and
agricultural crops as much as 2
to 4 times in places where there
are local sources of mineral fines
readily available.
Remineralization is based on an
economics of abundance, and
promotes healthier nutrient dense
foods, local food and economic
Remineralized Jatropha
produces a higher yield
security, based on a sustainable
of oil-bearing seeds community model.
Basalt rock dust used for remineralization

5. Agroforestry Project in Costa Rica
Partners
• Project sponsored by RTE
• Designed by John Todd of OAI, with project manager William
Turley
• Models ecologically sustainable production
• Bioremediates land damaged by development

6. John Todd
Buckminster Fuller Institute with RTE’s Greg Watson
and John Todd in the middle (Greg left; John right)
• Internationally recognized biologist and visionary leader in ecological design
• Named “Hero of the Planet” by Time magazine
• Teaches Ecological Design at University of Vermont
• Inventor of Living Machines for the treatment of wastes, production of
foods, generation of fuels and restoration of damaged aquatic
environments
• Winner of the $100,000 Buckminster Fuller Award for a design to recover
Appalachia

7. John Todd
on the Costa Rica
Agroforestry Project
• First off, I believe that remineralization is the basis of restoring soil
fertility.
• Secondly, that Costa Rica’s volcanic rock ground up has enormous
potential.
• Thirdly, that we have to increase organic matter in the soils and add
clay-based humic materials to finish off the mix.

8. Project Goals
• To demonstrate ecologically
sustainable production of food, fuel
and income Volcanic Rock Dust
• To demonstrate the potential and evaluate the effectiveness of soil
remineralization using finely ground rock dust to create fertile soils in
climates with pronounced wet and dry seasons
• To study the accumulation and long-term storage of organic carbon in
forest soils

9. Research Procedure
• 2 test plots encompassing 2 hectares
(5 acres)
• One hectare did not receive rock dust
(control plot)
• One hectare did receive rock dust
(experimental plot)
Jatropha seedlings in new plot
• Trees in both plots were given compost and
aged cow manure at time of planting
• Trees in both plots were not irrigated during dry
season unless under severe stress

10. Testing Protocol
• Comparing the growth and health of
trees and shrubs planted with and without
rock powders
• Local volcanic basalt rock dust containing
natural minerals and trace elements were
applied to nourish native species
• Quantity applied: 340 kg/hectare (750
lbs/hectare) distributed annually for 5
years
• The next planting preparation mix
consisted of +/- 6 lbs of rock dust per Chile Dulce sprouts
tree, which at 1,000 trees/acre (2 meter with and without rock dust
spacing) equals 3 tons/acre (amount
recommended by Joanna Campe of RTE)

11. Reforestation
• Approximately 1,600 trees/hectare were planted with 2.5 meter spacing
between each specimen
• Three different groups of trees were planted:
1. Native hardwoods of commercial
value
2. Fruit trees for local consumption
3. Oil-producing trees for biofuel use
(Jatropha)
Jatropha cuttings

12. Trees Planted in 2008
•
Tree Species Planted in February
Spanish Name English Name Latin Name
Aguacate Avocado Persea americana
Cedro Amargo Spanish Cedar Cedrela odorata
Cenizaro Rain Tree Albizia samam
Espavel Wild Cashew Anacardium excelsum
Guanabana Soursop Annona muricata
Guayaba Guava Psidium guajava
Jacote Spanish Plum Spandius purpurea
Jatropha Jatropha Jatropha curcas
Limon Lemon/Lime Citrus spp
Madero Negro Quick Stick Tree Gliricidia sepium
Malinga Horseradish Tree Moringa oleifera
Malinche Flamboyant Tree Delanix regia
Mango Mango Mangifera indica
Nance Shoemaker’s Tree Byrsonima crassifolia
Naranja Orange Citrus aurantium
Nispero Chicle Manilkara chicle
Noni Indian Mulberry Morinda citrifolia
Papaya Papaya Carica papaya
Pomelo Grapefruit Citrus x paradisi
Suncoya Suncoya Annona purpurea
Zapote Sapote Pouteria sapota
We have also planted the giant bamboo from Indonesia and Guadua
from Brazil. Cedro Amargo seedlings

13. Native Hardwoods
• Contribute material for commercial
products to help sustain the regional
economy
• Slow growing; benefits in decades to
come
• Ecological restoration of native forest
species
• Candidate species included:
Guanacaste tree, Cocobol, Ron Ron, Cedro Amargo
Guapinol, Cenizara, Cortez Amarillo,
and the Ceiba tree.

14. Agriculture
Food Producing Trees
• Agricultural component
fulfilled by planting fruit and
nut trees for local
consumption
• Quicker benefits through
planting of: avocado, wild
cashew, guava, Spanish plum,
lemon, lime, mango, orange,
papaya, and grapefruit
Avocado trees

15. Producing food
Two-year old papaya... Wild cashew
(Anacardium excelsum) seedling

16. Jatropha
Promising Sustainable Biofuel
• The Jatropha, a small tree well known
for its oil production and its soil
building properties
• Yields around 1,590 kg/hectare/year
(3,500 lbs/ha/yr) of oil highly
suitable as a biodiesel fuel, to be used
as a local source of energy
• This particular species promises to be
cutting-edge in its ability to both
produce fuel and enhance soil fertility,
distinguishing it from other
commonly used sources of biofuel
which are highly unsustainable Jatropha seeds and hulls

17. Growth Stages
Jatropha buds...
...and blossoms

18. Jatropha Seed Pods
Project manager William Turley showing off
bounty of Jatropha Seeds

19. A Biodiesel Fuel that Builds Soils
and Sequesters Carbon
• It will be innovative and promising to show that a
biodiesel fuel can be produced that simultaneously
builds soils and sequesters carbon
• We look forward to demonstrating the potential to
rebuild and regenerate soils and produce energy
and food at the same time.
• This would be a breakthrough development that
could lead to larger scale sustainable practices in
the future.
• This will shift us into environmentally successful
and responsible policies, good news for Lester
Brown of the Worldwatch Institute as well as peak
oil experts such as Richard Heinberg.
The remineralized group also exhibited a
larger root mass and greater leaf density

20. Increased Growth of Jatropha
• Jatropha trees receiving
the rock dust produced
larger and more
abundant seeds and grew
more vigorously than
their counterparts in the
control plot
Jatropha capsules

21. Seedling growth comparison
Jatropha seedlings treated with rock minerals Jatropha seedlings not treated with rock minerals

22. After 6 Months
Control without rock dust
Remineralized

23. Jatropha Growth After 1 Year
Project manager William Turley
with remineralized jatropha

24. Full-sized Jatropha bush

25. Ecosystem Health
and more...
Mushroom from the tree planting zone Gringo the goat
occasional field assistant

26. The benefits of replicating
sustainably intercropped Jatropha
in Cameroon and Africa
• Replace firewood harvesting
• Reduce importation of expensive kerosene in rural areas
• Provide sustainable livelihoods in areas now severely damaged by
drought, desertification and hunger
• Restore exhausted soils which fuel climate change into agricultural food
production in just a few years
• Create an economic model based on community self-reliance

27. An Economics of Abundance
Rocks are the most abundant resource on
earth. We can move from an economics based
on scarcity using fossil fuels to an economics
of abundance through remineralization.
Remineralization and local food systems are a
key strategy to transition us to a low energy
based economy.
Low energy input + nutrient dense =
sustainability and healthy food for all!