Groundbreaking

Every now and then a book comes along that is full of basic common sense, but that is supported by solid science and easily understood explanations... Whether home gardener, farmer, consumer, scientist or policy decision-maker, this straight-forward book is a must read.' - Charles MassyZero carbon emissions alone won't stop global warming. Agricultural land use is turning the world's breadbaskets into deserts. But the depleted soil that feeds us all today might yet save our civilisation.In Western Australia, the rabbit-proof fence presents the world's largest study of contrasting land management within the same vast region. The 'Bunny Fence Experiment' is strong evidence that clearing and cropping is a major reason rainfall dropped by 20% in the Wheat Belt between 1976 and 2002, and continues to drop.Ground Breaking explains how modern farming methods deplete the soil and influence our climate: exporting heat waves, dust, and fire south-eastward in Eastern Australia and north-westward in Western Australia. It presents solutions too: managing land use to reduce bare ground, restore the small water cycle and sequester carbon in the soil.