Terra Preta Research Articles

New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

Anthropogenic climate change driven by increased carbon emissions is leading to more severe fire seasons and increasing the frequency of mega-fires in the Amazon. This has the potential to convert Amazon forests from net carbon sinks to net carbon sources. Although modern human influence over the Earth is substantial, debate remains over when humans began to dominate Earth’s natural systems. To date, little is known about the history of human land use in key regions like the Amazon. Here, we examine the history of human occupation from a ~8,500 year-old sediment core record from Lake Caranã (LC) in the eastern Amazon. The onset of pre-Columbian activity at LC (~4,500 cal yr B.P.) is associated with the beginning of fire management and crop cultivation, later followed by the formation of Amazonian Dark Earth soils (ADEs) ~2,000 cal yr B.P. Selective forest enrichment of edible plants and low-severity fire activity altered the composition and structure of forests growing on ADEs (ADE forests) making them more drought susceptible and fire-prone. Following European colonization (1661 A.D.), the Amazon rubber boom (mid-1800s to 1920 A.D.) is associated with record-low fire activity despite drier regional climate, indicating fire exclusion. The formation of FLONA Reserve in 1974 A.D. is accompanied by the relocation of traditional populations and a fire suppression policy. Despite suppression efforts, biomass burning and fire severity in the past decade is higher than any other period in the record. This is attributed to combined climate and human factors which create optimal conditions for mega-fires in ADE forests and threatens to transform the Amazon from a net carbon sink to a net carbon source. To help mitigate the occurrence of mega-fires, a fire management policy reducing fire-use and careful fire management for farming may help to reduce fuel loads and the occurrence of mega-fires in fire-prone ADE forests. As both natural and anthropogenic pressures are projected to increase in the Amazon, this study provides valuable insights into the legacy of past human land use on modern ADE forest composition, structure, and flammability that can inform ecological benchmarks and future management efforts in the eastern Amazon.

The legacy of 4,500 years of polyculture agroforestry in the eastern Amazon.

The legacy of pre-Columbian land use on modern Amazonian forests has stimulated considerable debate which, until now, has not been satisfactorily resolved due to the absence of integrated studies between pre-Columbian and modern land use. Here we show an abrupt enrichment of edible forest species combined with the cultivation of multiple annual crops in lake and terrestrial fossil records associated with pre-Columbian occupation in the eastern Amazon. Our results suggest that ~4,500 years ago, pre-Columbians adopted a polyculture agroforestry subsistence strategy that intensified with the development of Amazon Dark Earth soils after ~2,000 cal yr B.P. These millennial-scale polyculture agroforestry systems have left an enduring legacy on the modern enrichment of edible plants, demonstrating the important role of past indigenous land management in shaping modern forest ecosystems in the eastern Amazon.

Agronomic effectiveness of urban biochar aged through co-composting with food waste

Terra preta soils have been shown to develop after considerable modification of soil through char addition and over time natural ageing has led to increase in fertility of those soils. A co-composting experiment was conducted to accelerate the artificial ageing of urban biochar (UB) with the aim of achieving similar terra preta effect. UB was produced through the pyrolysis of 2:1 ratio of biosolids and green waste and then composted with food waste (10% v/v) until compost maturity at around 75 days. A portion of the UB was placed in litterbags within the composting biomass in order to examine the effects of co-composting more closely. Addition of 10% UB to food waste accelerated the composting process. As measured from the litter bags, co-composting UB with foodwaste increased CEC, pH, EC and nitrogen loading of composted UB relative to the un-composted UB. However, the composting process reduced BET surface area and porosity of UB most probably due to clogging of pores by the organics released during composting. The agronomic value of UB, UB co-composted with foodwaste and foodwaste compost was evaluated in a greenhouse pot experiment with sorghum plants on a sandy acidic topsoil. Results of the pot experiment showed higher plant growth, lower emissions of N2O and higher nitrogen use efficiency in soil amended with UB than the soil amended with compost and co-composted UB.

Post-Materialist Integral Ecology

Abstract This essay is an example of a post-materialist science in the work of molecular biologist Candace Pert. Post-materialist science supersedes materialist-reductionist science and integrates spirituality with materiality. This discussion is motivated by the author’s experience as an academic in a New England institution. Integral ecology is entangled with post-material science as in the work of cosmologist Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry and Mary-Evelyn Tucker. The last part discusses the author’s creation of a non-profit organization in the Peruvian Upper Amazon. The work of her center is a response to requests by the local indigenous leadership for an alternative to their slash and burn form of agriculture. The alternative is the regeneration of a pre-Columbian anthropogenic Amazonian soil known as Terra Preta do Indio (black earth of the Indians) in Brazil, which integrates materiality and spirituality and offers the possibility of food security and sovereignty as well as climate mitigation.

The Diversity of the Modern in Amazonia

Previous articleNext article No AccessIntroduction to the Special IssueThe Diversity of the Modern in AmazoniaSuzanne Oakdale and Marnie WatsonSuzanne OakdaleDepartment of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. Email: [email protected] Search for more articles by this author and Marnie WatsonDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, Missouri State University Search for more articles by this author Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. Email: [email protected] of Sociology and Anthropology, Missouri State UniversityPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Anthropological Research Volume 74, Number 1Spring 2018Special Issue on the Diversity of the Modern in Amazonia Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/696236 Views: 206Total views on this site Citations: 3Citations are reported from Crossref HistorySubmitted June 16, 2017Accepted June 17, 2017Published online January 22, 2018 KeywordsAmazoniaBrazilModernity© 2018 by The University of New Mexico. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Evan Killick Rubber, Terra Preta, and Soy: A Study of Visible and Invisible Amazonian Modernities, Journal of Anthropological Research 74, no.11 (Jan 2018): 32–53.https://doi.org/10.1086/696163Suzanne Oakdale Brazil’s “March to the West”: Memories of an Indigenous Shaman and other “Moderns”, Journal of Anthropological Research 74, no.11 (Jan 2018): 54–73.https://doi.org/10.1086/696235

Ancient Amazonian populations left lasting impacts on forest structure

AbstractAmazonia contains a vast expanse of contiguous tropical forest and is influential in global carbon and hydrological cycles. Whether ancient Amazonia was highly disturbed or modestly impacted, and how ancient disturbances have shaped current forest ecosystem processes, is still under debate. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), which are anthropic soil types with enriched nutrient levels, are one of the primary lines of evidence for ancient human presence and landscape modifications in settings that mostly lack stone structures and which are today covered by vegetation. We assessed the potential of using moderate spatial resolution optical satellite imagery to predict ADEs across the Amazon Basin. Maximum entropy modeling was used to develop a predictive model using locations of ADEs across the basin and satellite‐derived remotely sensed indices. Amazonian Dark Earth sites were predicted to be primarily along the main rivers and in eastern Amazonia. Amazonian Dark Earth sites, when compared with randomly selected forested sites located within 50 km of ADE sites, were less green canopies (lower normalized difference vegetation index) and had lower canopy water content. This difference was accentuated in two drought years, 2005 and 2010. This is contrary to our expectation that ADE sites would have nutrient‐rich soils that support trees with greener canopies and forests on ADE soils being more resilient to drought. Biomass and tree height were lower on ADE sites in comparison with randomly selected adjacent sites. Our results suggested that ADE‐related ancient human impact on the forest is measurable across the entirety of the 6 million km2 of Amazon Basin using remotely sensed data.

The regeneratedchacraof the Kichwa-Lamistas: an alternative to permaculture?

This article compares Western permaculture theory and practice with the indigenous agricultural system of the Kichwa-Lamistas in the Department of San Martin in High Amazon Peru. It draws on indigenous theory and collaborations with the Kichwa-Lamistas to argue that the bioculture of the latter represents an alternative not only to modern, industrialized agriculture but also to permaculture. The article profiles the agroecological system used by the Kichwa-Lamistas, which employs agroforestry, the use of anthropogenic Terra Preta soils, and other sustainable practices. Although both the Kichwa-Lamista chacra (farm) and the permaculture farm or garden represent, in theory, two forms of closed-loop, polycultural, agroforestry-based subsistence farming, we argue that the enactments of reciprocity and other spiritual components of Kichwa-Lamista bioculture constitute an alternative to permaculture’s rootedness in scientific, materialist, and universalist traditions, which ultimately treat the natural world as other.

The role of fertile anthropogenic soils in the conservation of native and exotic agrobiodiversity in Amazonian homegardens

Amazonian dark earths (ADE) are anthropogenic soils mostly created between 500 and 2500 years ago by pre-Columbian populations. ADE are currently used by local people for different agricultural and agroforestry systems. Because of their high fertility they may play an important role in the conservation of non-native agrobiodiversity. This study aimed to investigate the variation in richness and abundance of exotic and native species in homegardens along the ADE-background soil continuum. We conducted floristic inventories in 70 homegardens located in 7 riverside communities along the lower and middle Madeira River, Central Amazonia. Each species sampled was classified according to its origin: native Amazonian, American (from outside Amazonia) and non-American, and each individual was classified according to its form of establishment: cultivated or spontaneous. The floristic diversity was significantly related to soil fertility, texture and homegarden size. We found a positive relationship between soil fertility and richness of species and landraces. Homegardens on more fertile soils tended to have a higher richness and abundance of cultivated non-American species, as well as a higher richness and abundance of spontaneously established American species. Homegardens at the fertile end of the fertility gradient provided conditions for the establishment and growth of many species, especially exotic species, that are generally more nutrient-demanding than Amazonian species. Our results show that homegarden agroecosystems on ADE favour experimentation with the introduction of a wide range of species from various regions of the globe.

Terras pretas: Approaches to formation processes in a new paradigm

AbstractTerras pretas (Amazonian Dark Earths) are a remarkable kind of archaeological site found in the Amazon region. Rich in cultural artifacts and other occupational debris, these dark anthropogenic soil matrices are very fertile, presenting high levels of organic carbon, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. Their high nutrient levels come from decomposed organic matter, including remains of fish, shellfish, game, and other refuse, while their dark color has been linked to residual charcoal from intentional fires associated with daily activities and landscape management. Studies of anthropogenic earths in the Amazon have a deep history, as much in the geosciences as in archaeology and other historical sciences. Terras pretas have been studied as evidence of a major shift in human–environment relations, but also within the lens of environmental resiliency and sustainability. We review representative studies from various disciplinary fields and trace the development of knowledge about terra preta. We present a growing consensus with regard to the origin and significance of anthropogenic soils, concomitant with increased efforts toward interdisciplinary study. We argue that terras pretas constitute a genuinely interdisciplinary research topic that bridges scientific and traditional knowledge and applied contexts.

Amazonian Dark Earth and Its Black Carbon Particles Harbor Different Fungal Abundance and Diversity

AbstractAmazonian Dark Earth (ADE) is a highly fertile soil of anthropogenic origin characterized by high levels of charred black carbon (BC). It is considered a model of fertility; however, knowledge on the fungal community structure and diversity inhabiting ADE and its BC particles is scarce. Fungal community structure and diversity of ADE and its BC from four sites under different land uses (three agricultural systems and a secondary pristine forest) in the Brazilian Central Amazon were evaluated by 18S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Fungal communities in ADE and BC were dissimilar and showed differential abundances of fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Estimated fungal species richness (abundance-based coverage estimate and Chao-1 index) and diversity estimators (Shannon and Simpson's reciprocal indices) were higher in ADE than in BC in all agricultural areas. No differences were observed in those parameters in ADE and BC samples from the secondary forest. Pezizomycotina fungi and OTUs assigned to Cordyceps confragosa, Acremonium vitellinum, Camarops microspora, and Hirsutella rhossiliensis were more abundant in BC particles than in ADE. These findings represent a breakthrough in our understanding of fungal communities in BC particles from ADE, and will be valuable in future studies considering biochar application in soil.

Hydrochars as peat substitute in growing media for organically grown potted herbs

Due to extensive media coverage of the “Terra Preta” soils found in the Amazon basin and the role of charcoal for their high fertility, carbonization of biomass is of increasing interest. In this context “biochar” made by pyrolysis and made by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) have to be distinguished. The main advantage of the HTC process is the broader range of suitable raw materials because in addition to dry, also wet or water rich organic material can be used. Up to now research has focused on hydrochars as soil improvers at relative low application rates. In contrast, the aim of the current research was the use of hydrochars from woody landscaping material as well as from a mixture of woody landscaping material and grass as peat substitutes in growing media at 20-100% by volume. At 30% by volume, hydrochar significantly reduced growth of potted basil. At a higher percentage, growth after germination almost ceased. Subsequent experiments with chinese cabbage, lettuce and barley as well as an incubation test revealed that a strong immobilization of nitrogen is the main reason for reduced growth, but additionally both hydrochars seem to contain some phytotoxic substances. During co-composting of hydrochars with mature green waste compost nitrogen immobilization is reduced and phytotoxic substances are degraded within a few weeks. The results are in accordance with findings for the use of hydrochars as soil improvers, where often a loss of growth was caused directly after application of hydrochars, but some time later yield was increased. Risks and opportunities of hydrochars as peat substitutes in growing media are discussed.

Challenging Current Knowledge on Amazonian Dark Earths: Indigenous Manioc Cultivation on Different Soils of the Colombian Amazon

AbstractAmazonian indigenous people grow manioc in landscapes of different agricultural potential, yet studies on indigenous manioc production on fertile soils are scarce. Non‐indigenous communities grow specific manioc landraces on fertile Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), but it is unknown whether indigenous farmers also do so. During 2 years, we studied manioc cultivation by five indigenous groups on different Amazonian soils using quantitative and qualitative methods. We found that environmental conditions, including soil quality, are less important in determining manioc diversity and agricultural strategies than socioeconomic and socio‐cultural factors such as labor availability, labor organization, and culinary preferences.

Pedogenetic processes in anthrosols with pretic horizon (Amazonian Dark Earth) in Central Amazon, Brazil.

Anthrosols known as Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) have borne witness to the intensification of sedentary patterns and the demographic increase in Central Amazon. As a result, a recurring pattern has been observed of mounds with ADE arising from domestic activities and the disposal of waste. The objective of this research was to demonstrate the relationship of these anthropic activities with pedogenetic formation processes of ADE in the municipality of Iranduba, Brazil. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were taken from two areas of ADE (pretic horizon) and from a non-anthropic pedon. Physical, chemical, micromorphological and SEM-EDS analyses were performed. The coarse material of the pretic horizons consisted predominantly of quartz, iron nodules, ceramics and charcoal fragments, and the fine material is organo-mineral. There was a direct relationship between the color of pretic horizons and the number of charcoal fragments. The thickness of the ADE results from the redistribution of charcoal at depth through bioturbation, transforming subsurface horizons into anthropic horizons. ADE presents granular microaggregates of geochemical and zoogenetic origin. Degradation of iron nodules is intensified in pretic horizons, promoting a reverse pedogenic process contributing to the xanthization process. Surprisingly the anthropic activities also favor clay dispersion and argilluviation; clay coatings on the ceramic fragments and in the pores demonstrate that this is a current process. Processes identified as contributing to ADE genesis included: i) addition of organic residues and ceramic artifacts (cumulization) with the use of fire; ii) mechanical action of humans, roots and macrofauna (bioturbation); iii) melanization of deeper horizons as a result of bioturbation; iv) argilluviation and degradation of iron nodules. This study offers new support to archaeological research in respect to ADE formation processes in Central Amazon and confirmed the hypothesis that ancient anthropic activities may trigger and/or accelerate pedogenetic processes previously credited only to natural causes.

Atributos físicos e estoque de carbono do solo em áreas de Terra Preta Arqueológica da Amazônia

Para se avaliar a qualidade do solo e a sustentabilidade em ambientes de Terra Preta Arqueológica da Amazônia, é importante a caracterização dos impactos de uso de solo dos diferentes tipos de cobertura. Sendo assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os atributos físicos e o carbono orgânico em áreas de Terra Preta Arqueológica, no município de Novo Aripuanã, AM, sob os cultivos feijão guandu (Cajanus cajan) e pastagem, em comparação com a cobertura de floresta, com base em técnicas de estatística tradicional univariada e multivariada e de geoestatística. Para isso foram delimitadas malhas com espaçamentos regulares e 88 pontos amostrais georreferenciados por malha. Foram coletadas amostras em blocos de solo com estrutura preservada e anéis volumétricos, para a determinação das propriedades físicas e do carbono orgânico do solo. O feijão guandu e pastagem diferem estatisticamente da floresta, que apresentaram características de estabilidade dos agregados acima da média, mas características texturais e carbono orgânico abaixo da média. O modelo exponencial, pelo semivariograma escalonado, mostrou que atributos físicos do solo apresentaram predominância, com grau de dependência de forte a moderado, sendo a área sob feijão guandu com maior variabilidade dos atributos do solo.

Terra preta de índio: Commodification and Mythification of the Amazonian Dark Earths

Terra preta is a “hot” topic in the environmental sciences. From an anthropogenic soil type of local relevance, terra preta has been transformed by soil scientists into a techno-scientific object that helps to escape the global ecological crisis. The commodification goes along with a mythification that does not spare the scientific sphere.This paper contributes to the history of terra preta research. It traces not only the history of science of Amazonian Dark Earths (terra preta de índio) but the history of knowledge of terra preta taking explicitly into account indigenous contributions. Five major phases are distinguished. In the beginning knowledge on terra preta was local indigenous knowledge. The scientific object “terra preta” was created in the context of archaeological research and has then been reframed as a carbon-sequestering soil in the context of the rising global warming debate in the early 1990s. This development led to a de-contextualization of terra preta and to commodification, giving rise to the biochar industry. Commodification included mythification of terra preta, stressing its ancient, prehistoric roots. Both processes ‐ commodification and mythification ‐ can also be found within the scientific sphere. This seems to indicate that not only terra preta has become a commodity, but that also research on terra preta shows signs of commodification.

High genetic diversity among and within bitter manioc varieties cultivated in different soil types in Central Amazonia

Although manioc is well adapted to nutrient-poor Oxisols of Amazonia, ethnobotanical observations show that bitter manioc is also frequently cultivated in the highly fertile soils of the floodplains and Amazonian dark earths (ADE) along the middle Madeira River. Because different sets of varieties are grown in each soil type, and there are agronomic similarities between ADE and floodplain varieties, it was hypothesized that varieties grown in ADE and floodplain were more closely related to each other than either is to varieties grown in Oxisols. We tested this hypothesis evaluating the intra-varietal genetic diversity and the genetic relationships among manioc varieties commonly cultivated in Oxisols, ADE and floodplain soils. Genetic results did not agree with ethnobotanical expectation, since the relationships between varieties were variable and most individuals of varieties with the same vernacular name, but grown in ADE and floodplain, were distinct. Although the same vernacular name could not always be associated with genetic similarities, there is still a great amount of variation among the varieties. Many ecological and genetic processes may explain the high genetic diversity and differentiation found for bitter manioc varieties, but all contribute to the maintenance and amplification of genetic diversity within the manioc in Central Amazonia.

Evaluation of the Impact of Citrus Cultivation on Carbon and Nitrogen Stocks of Light Organic Matter Fractions of Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) and Surrounding Soils (Oxisoil) from Central Amazonia

As Terras Pretas de Indio (TPI) sao solos eficientes em reter grande quantidade de materia orgânica, mas ainda sao pouco conhecidas quanto aos efeitos sobre as fracoes fisicas do solo nestes ambientes tropicais. Diante disso, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar as distribuicoes espaciais e em profundidade das fracoes orgânicas leves e o estoque de carbono e nitrogenio em Latossolo Amarelo com A antropico (TPI) comparado a um Latossolo Amarelo distrofico tipico (LA), sob o mesmo cultivo de laranja Pera Rio (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) na Costa do Laranjal, Manacapuru – AM. O fracionamento fisico foi determinado pelo metodo densimetrico, onde foram extraidas as fracoes leves livres e intra-agregadas em solucao de iodeto de sodio. Foram realizadas analises de granulometria, fertilidade e carbono orgânico total (C) dos solos. Os resultados demonstraram que o carbono, ao se comparar TPI e LA, foi maior na TPI, tendo sido expresso tambem nos estoques de carbono. Finalmente, as concentracoes de carbono da Fracao Leve Livre foram maiores que os teores de carbono da Fracao Leve Intra-agregada na TPI e no LA.

Spatial variability of aggregates and organic carbon under three different uses of indian black earth in southern Amazonas

Spatial variability of aggregates and organic carbon under three different uses of indian black earth in southern Amazonas

Amazonia in the Anthropocene: People, Soils, Plants, Forests by Nicholas C. Kawa

Reviewed by: Amazonia in the Anthropocene: People, Soils, Plants, Forests by Nicholas C. Kawa Antoinette WinklerPrins Amazonia in the Anthropocene: People, Soils, Plants, Forests. Nicholas C. Kawa. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016. xiii + 186 pp. Photos, maps, tables, notes, references, appendix, and index. $75.00 cloth (ISBN 978-1-4773-0799-1); $24.95 paper (978-1-4773-0844-8). Nicolas Kawa has crafted a refreshing and quite evocative ethnography of rural life in Amazonia in the era of the Anthropocene. As I read the pages I found myself back in the Amazon doing fieldwork, on the floodplain, talking with farmers about their livelihoods, hanging in my hammock, and dealing with the assorted travails that are fieldwork in the region (WinklerPrins, Between the floods: Soils and agriculture on the lower Amazon flood-plain, Brazil, 1999). Kawa’s attention to details of the luta de vida (fight for life) that locals endure and his own vie quotidienne while doing research, bring a humanity to a place the popular media often wraps up in overgeneralizations and supersized pronouncements. This attention to detail brings Kawa’s discussion about the Anthropocene—what it is, and how we might envision and engage with it—down to the local, personal, and tangible, thereby making it accessible to many more readers than much of the existing literature. Most importantly his book helps us (re)conceptualize the Anthropocene as something longer and deeper than its start at the Industrial Revolution that many attach to it. To have the reader understand that the Anthropocene is something much longer than commonly envisioned, Kawa guides us through the ways in which people have long been subtly altering the soils, plants, and forests of the Amazon rainforest. His work is focused on the human-environmental relationships in the municipality of Borda, in Amazonas State, along the Madeira River, Brazil. Based on his dissertation in anthropology at the University of Florida as well as other related research in the region, Kawa has produced a succinct volume with a refreshingly accessible prose that will likely find use as a text is a variety of courses about Amazonia, Latin America, rural livelihoods, and the Anthropocene. It is a short book, with 133 pages of narrative, making it a relatively quick read and thereby attractive as assigned reading even for freshman and sophomore courses. Except for the first and last of the six chapters, the crisp chapter titles—”People,” “Soils,” “Plants,” and “Forests”—make them easy to assign and then build on, depending on the course. The author frames his perspective in the first chapter, taking the Anthropocene as a given but pointing to its inherent Eurocentrism and a need to unpack and disentangle the term and its application. He follows with a chapter on the history and livelihoods of the people who currently embody the Amazon as a humanized space, the caboclos, the region’s indigenous peasantry, a people of mixed heritage yet long-time occupancy and engagement with its resources. In the next chapter Kawa discusses the fertile terra preta do índio (TPI: black soil of the Indians) found in patches throughout the region and how locals use [End Page 203] these in agricultural practice. In the fourth chapter the focus is on the region’s plants, especially ones found around human inhabitation, used for their magical and healing powers. Next is a chapter on forests in which Kawa confronts the debate about the nature-culture divide. Although TPI soils clearly signal greater human agency in the Amazon than many have thought, the debate about the degree to which humans have manipulated forest composition is really where the differences in ideas about human agency in the “natural” world reach a crescendo. Kawa lays out the terms of the debate and infuses his discussion with post-human agency and local folklore. Last is a chapter that considers the future of the region, especially as linked to global environmental change. I like this book for its accessibility, but I wish Kawa had engaged more fully with research by non-anthropologists, including geographers, who have long worked on similar topics. It is clear this book is derived from his dissertation in anthropology, but it could have...

The promises of the Amazonian soil: shifts in discourses of Terra Preta and biochar

ABSTRACTBiochar – a carbon-rich product used as a soil conditioner – is among the more recent technologies in environmental governance. In the spirit of ecological modernisation, biochar is claimed to deliver multiple benefits for soil fertility and climate change mitigation. However, biochar has a long history. It was inspired by Terra Preta, a highly fertile soil of anthropogenic and pre-Columbian origin found in the Amazon. This article uses discourse analysis to explore how the Terra Preta and biochar concepts have been articulated over time and what environmental discourses they resonate with. Our analysis shows that over time, the concept of biochar has slowly become disconnected from Terra Preta. While the concept of Terra Preta continued to be closely connected with Amazonian nature, archaeology and indigenous culture, biochar gained international traction and became embedded in ecological modernisation discourse. The different articulations of these concepts in fact represent different conceptualisations of human–nature relationships. We suggest the rich and intricate history of biochar and its connection with Terra Preta is key to understanding how the concept changed throughout the years, how it was influenced by international environmental discourses and how its underlying assumptions will determine who might benefit the most from biochar.