<h5>How fertile is the Amazon River basin?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/amazon-basin-s-magical-dark-earth-soil%2FAmazon.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=622180ad-4ec1-4c44-9fce-0ae59369de88"><figcaption>Aerial view of Amazon Rainforest. Photo by Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0.</figcaption></figure><p>The Amazon River basin is covered with vast tropical rainforests, so people may think its land is extremely fertile for farming. However, that is not true. The soil, especially in the hilly regions, is infertile. In fact, much of the Amazon's soil is acidic and has low nutrients. This makes it very difficult to farm here.</p><p>However, researchers have discovered black and fertile areas of soil at many sites around the Amazon over the years. This "dark earth" has been discovered around human settlements dating back many years. Ancient farmers created this soil purposely to help their crops grow better.</p><h5>What do we know about the ‘dark earth’ soil?</h5><p>The “dark earth”, also called terra preta, was soil made by indigenous civilisations who have inhabited the region for centuries. This fact has been confirmed by the finds of charcoal, food remains (like animal and fish bones), and ancient artefacts (pottery pieces) in the terra preta. In fact, the people living there today are still creating this soil.</p><p>The terra preta is much darker (black or dark brown), more fertile, and contains far more organic carbon than most of the area’s soils. It's also rich in phosphate, nitrogen, and calcium, which makes it great for growing crops. Scientists consider it an important carbon reservoir that absorbs greenhouse gases due to its increased carbon concentration.</p><h5>How is terra preta created in modern times?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/amazon-basin-s-magical-dark-earth-soil%2Fdark_earth.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=50964216-3419-4390-92af-09f070d45a33"><figcaption>Researchers and tribes studying the soil. Photo by Science Advances.</figcaption></figure><p>The researchers observed locals collecting fish and cassava waste in rubbish heaps that grow up to a height of 60 centimetres. The nutrients from the decaying materials slowly soak into the soil. After a few years, the people use this soil to grow crops that would not grow in other soils of the region.</p><p>The researchers also observed that the farmers of the indigenous tribe scatter organic ash, charcoal, and cassava waste in fields to fertilise the land and produce dark earth (also called ‘eegepe’ by the local tribes) for cultivation.</p><h5>Can this dark earth be used for forest restoration?</h5><p>A study conducted a few months back showed that Amazonian dark earth can help restore trees in deforested areas. Thus, we can help reverse the effects of deforestation and save our environment by making use of ‘dark earth’ soil on a larger scale.</p>

The ‘dark soil’ can absorb greenhouse gases and restore trees in deforested areas.

Amazon Basin's Magical 'Dark Earth' Soil

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