Effective microorganisms and the environment | Márcio Miranda | TEDxParqueResidencialAquarius

In this practical and transformative talk, Márcio Miranda tells us how he discovered effective microorganisms, not only as a life project but as a sustainable and balanced way to take care of the environment. Márcio is a teacher, farmer, and mathematician, and his passion is to seek environmental solutions that involve a more balanced relationship between man and nature.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

I'm a mathematics teacher
and principal of a school.

I live on a farm in the country.

Some seven years ago,
going out to the playground,

a nine-year-old boy crashed into my belly.

He looked me over,

very articulately pointed upwards,

and said, "You're somebody's dad!"

I raised my eyebrows,
and then he changed it,

"Grandpa?"

It was such a shock,
and it got me to thinking,

"Could it be that I'm getting old?"

I asked myself what
was happening to my joviality.

I was crazy to retire,

disappointed with
the farm's milk production,

and my head was getting old.

So I decided to start
developing new intelligences.

I began doing pilates
to work on my physical intelligence.

I improved my diet,

stopped wasting time on my cellphone,

and began reading to make
better use of my time.

Then I came upon Ana Primavesi,
a worldwide expert in agroecology

and a quote of hers: "Imitate nature."

I didn't understand -
how could I imitate nature?

I continued researching and reading,
and I found "effective microorganisms,"

which are responsible for the balance
of life in every environment.

Let's think about the soil.

In the soil, we have
three types of microorganisms:

10% are the good microorganisms
that we call "regenerative,"

10% are the bad microorganisms
that we call "degenerative,"

and 80% are neutral -

that is, they go to the side
that's winning.

If we have a place with a bad smell,

it's a sign that bad microorganisms
are located there.

So when the neutral microorganisms
go with the bad ones,

the smell gets worse

because together
they produce toxic substances

that cause environmental impact

and produce gases that aggravate
the greenhouse effect,

such as methane,

and that leads to climate change.

When the environment is balanced,

the 80% neutral microorganisms
combine with the good ones,

making 90% good ones

and just 10% bad ones.

This makes the environment
very rich and balanced.

These regenerative microorganisms
produce antioxidants,

enzymes, vitamins, antibiotics,
hormones, and bioactive substances,

and they liberate minerals
that make the soil porous and soft,

minimizing the environmental impact.

They're called effective microorganisms

for the speed that they can process

and metabolize organic material
in the environment,

be it of animal or vegetable origin.

They are divided into groups

which include actinomycetes, yeasts,

photosynthesizing bacteria,
and lactobacillus.

These microorganisms are found
in large quantities in virgin woodlands

where they've not had
interference from man -

natural woodlands.

When we observe a virgin woodland,

we can see that little sunlight
penetrates there,

and the ground is covered with leaves,

branches, and trunks
that fall from the trees.

In this balanced environment,

the neutral microorganisms get together
with the regenerative microorganisms

to process all this organic matter

and reproduce,

leaving all those nutrients
in the environment.

It's a perfect environment,

rich in the good microorganisms

that are on top of the woodland floor.

Collecting these microorganisms
is a very simple process:

in the woods, we leave
rice cooked in water, as bait,

on top of a canvas that we cover
with organic plant litter,

that is, a mixture
of dry leaves and black soil.

We leave it from 10 to 15 days
there in the woods.

Later, we dilute and feed this colony

with raw brown sugar,
sugar cane juice, or sugar,

so these microorganisms can reproduce.

When this mixture stabilizes itself
and stops forming gases,

we keep it in a dark and cool environment,

so it can be conserved for up to a year.

Later, we take these microorganisms

to environments that we can control.

I do what Ana Primavesi said:

instead of killing, I imitate nature
using microorganisms

and promoting the balance

between the good, bad,
and neutral microorganisms.

The first environment
where I use the microorganisms

is in my vegetable garden.

We cover all the beds
with straw and crushed grass

to protect both the soil
and the microorganisms from the direct sun

because the sun kills
a percentage of them.

We can note that the ground stays hard

when there aren't enough
good microorganisms.

Then I spray the beds using a percentage

of a liter of the product
with 1000 liters of unchlorinated water.

We can use a hand sprayer
or an irrigation system.

The spraying is always done
before the sun rises

or after the sun sets.

The good bacteria will feed
from the organic compost;

they'll multiply to produce enzymes,

antioxidants, vitamins, hormones,
amino acids, and bioactive substances;

and they will make minerals available
to make the soil porous.

Then the water penetrates more easily,

and the plants absorb these components,

becoming more resistant to pests,

aphids, and bad microorganisms.

The food that's produced is tastier,

lasts longer,

and, with this practice,
we have more environmental diversity.

In the corrals, we spray everything
with this product,

and we cure even the umbilical issues
of the newborn calves.

The microorganisms
digest the organic matter

that can be degenerative.

We don't have ticks, flies,
or unpleasant smells

in the corrals, the pigsty,
the kennels, or the chicken coop.

Inside my house, I spray the bathroom,

the bedrooms, drains, septic tanks,
and in the grease trap.

The regenerative bacteria
feed on the wastes,

food remains, carbohydrates, and fats.

They act very quickly,

so there's no leftover food
for ants, cockroaches, and mites.

We don't need to use
industrialized products.

And this is how I imitate nature:

filling our vegetable garden,
our corral, and our house

with effective microorganisms

so that we can live together

in a healthy, sustainable,
and balanced environment.

The idea is to never kill
and just live together.

And it was in this balanced environment
that I started to think

about that little boy
and the effective microorganisms

that woke me up to life.

Grandpa?

What a transformative word,

said by an effective child!

Thank you.