Unit 2
Ecosystems as a Whole
Regenerative agriculture strives to work sensitively and productively with natural systems. Understanding the complexity, power, and interrelatedness of elements of ecosystems like the carbon cycle, water cycle, and biodiversity is the foundation of developing agricultural systems that can restore or even enhance the health of these elements.
The Water Cycle
Water is fundamental for all life. Understanding how it moves through a landscape, is stored in the soils, and is used by vegetation (the Water Cycle) is critical to understanding how regenerative agriculture can improve water quality and quantity.
Videos:
TED-Ed
Are we running out of clean water? - Balsher Singh Sidhu
National Science Foundation
Animation, graphics, and video clips illustrating and explaining each of the "flow" and "storage" processes in the Hydrologic Cycle.
CrashCourse
“The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, driven by energy supplied by the sun and wind.”
Articles:
Books:
Judith Schwartz
Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield
The Mineral Cycle
Complete minerals are essential for healthy foods. Learn how the mineral cycle can be improved by working with regenerative goals in mind.
Books:
Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield
Carbon Cycle
Carbon is the building block of life. Learn how it moves through Earth’s systems.
Videos:
NASAeClips
Learn how carbon is converted through slow- and fast-moving cycles.
CrashCourse
Crash Course Chemistry takes you on a tour of the The Global Carbon Cycle and how it all works.
CrashCourse
“The hydrologic cycle moves water above and below the surface of the Earth, driven by energy supplied by the sun and wind. The carbon cycle does the same... for carbon!”
Articles:
The Carbon Cycle
Learn how carbon moves through Earth's ecosystems and how human activities are altering the carbon cycle.
Source: Khan Academy
Energy Flow
Videos:
“Joshua M. Sneideman examines the many ways in which energy cycles through our planet, from the sun to our food chain to electricity and beyond.”
Books:
Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield
Community Dynamics
Videos:
“Plants Use An Internet Made of Fungus - It's called the ‘Wood Wide Web.’”
Peter Martinelli of Fresh Run Farm has a deep love of the landscape and its inhabitants and understands the importance of protecting the wild.
Explore what makes trees a vital part of cities, and how urban spaces throughout history have embraced the importance of trees.
The amazing ways plants defend themselves - Valentin Hammoudi
What is the tragedy of the commons? - Nicholas Amendolare
Learn how trees are able to communicate with each other through a vast root system and symbiotic fungi, called mycorrhizae.
Books:
Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield
Biodiversity
Videos:
Four billion years of evolution in six minutes - Prosanta Chakrabarty.
One word sums up the incredible variety of animals and plants on Earth - Biodiversity.
Biodiversity is the name we give to the variety and amount of all life on Earth. All living things exist within their own communities, or ecosystems - oceans, forests, deserts, ice caps and even cities.
Our planet’s diverse, thriving ecosystems may seem like permanent fixtures, but they’re actually vulnerable to collapse.
A video showing how to address biodiversity through Education for Sustainable Development and mobilise thought-leaders and decision-makers to reflect on biodiversity.
How long will human impacts last? - David Biello
