Terra preta, meaning \"black earth\" in Portuguese, is a very dark, fertile soil first made by the original inhabitants of the Amazon Basin at least 2,500 years ago. This ancient soil, or biochar, could solve two of the greatest problems facing the world: climate change and the hunger crisis. The secret of producing black earth has now been redis- covered, and this convenient guidebook condenses all the knowledge about the world\'s most fertile soil and provides easy-to-follow instructions on how to make it. Both passionate and practical, Terra Preta offers indispen- sable advice for how to create a better world - and a greener garden - from the ground up.