The Miracle of The Loess Plateau.

The Loess Plateau, located in China, was once a barren landscape. The soil was eroded so no crops could thrive. The income to the people farming the Loess Plateau was steadily decreasing and hunger levels were rising. They needed a solution and they needed it fast. The people started to create terraces, plant trees atop the plateau, and build dams. This hard work paid off because a couple years later the plateau is thriving. The income of the people have doubled, hunger is decreasing, and the plateau is the greenest it has ever been. There are greenhouses full of crops and the terraces are blooming with lettuce, root vegetables, and many more. This goes to show that with a little elbow grease even the most arid climates can become viable again. We have seen this happen in Ethiopia as well. The farmers were not getting the same yields out of their crops as they once had been. This was because the soil was completely depleted of nutrients. This happens a lot with monoculture. The key nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium need diversity to stick around in the soil. So the people of Ethiopia created terraces, added biodiversity, and restored the hills. The results were amazing. The hills grew green again and there were crops to harvest. This can happen everywhere. We can turn our monoculture society to a diverse and plentiful one. Not only is this sustainable but it produces higher yields, gets rid of pests, and prevents the use of GMO's. This is the next step for the US and we need to take it.