The Big Idea: Grow Biointensive (a variant of organic farming) produces more food per square foot while also building soil, using less water, using less fertilizer, and requiring less fossil fuel.

• Industrial agriculture depletes 6 pounds of soil for every 1 pound of food produced.
• Organic agriculture also depletes soil as it produces food.
• Grow Biointensive and permaculture builds soils as it produces food.
• Grow Biointensive farming builds soil, uses less water, uses less fertilizer, requires less energy, and increases food production per square foot.
• Grow Biointensive relies on human labor instead of external inputs.
• Similar to Grow Biointensive: agroforestry, no-till Fukuoka farming, Asian blue-green algal wet rice farming, natural rainfall arid farming, and indigenous farming.
• Build compost (using earthworm) for soil fertility.
• Deep soil preparation (double digging) sets a foundation for building good soil.
• Companion planting enhances growth and plant health.
• Carbon-efficient crops produces carbon for compost.
• Calorie-efficient crops produces lots of calories.
• Open-pollinated seeds preserves genetic diversity.
• A holistic farming system minimizes waste and required inputs.
• Start small and build from there.