Investigating soils and traditional land management

AEGIS works at the Teotônio archaeological site in Rondônia, Brazil — a place occupied by Indigenous peoples for nearly 10,000 years. We investigate the origins of Amazonian Dark Earths, exceptionally fertile, carbon-negative soils, and the traditional land management that supported the domestication of cassava, peanut, chili pepper, and peach palm. By revealing how these practices shaped productive, sustainable landscapes, we aim to inform agricultural models that unite yield with ecological regeneration — bridging ancestral knowledge and cutting-edge science to strengthen food security in a warming world.