Parched land in China has prompted Cornell environmental experts to come up with a simple solution to restore soils in arid areas, using wood chips and compost.
Led by Rebecca Schneider, associate professor of natural resources, researchers have shown that a method they developed to restore agricultural land by adding components into the upper soil layer, and collecting and retaining water to make the most of meager rainfall supplies can also contribute to soil fertility and carbon sequestration.
…Joined by crop and soil science professor Harold van Es, natural resources professor James Lassoie and senior research associates Stephen Morreale and Ruth Sherman, Schneider has made several trips to Ningxia in the past two years. Natural resources professor Karim-Ali Kassam and crop and soil sciences professor Peter Hobbs also contributed to a related International Watershed Workshop held at Beijing Normal University in August 2011.
Read the full article in the Cornell Chronicle.