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# Gbiota Wicking Beds | Community

Wicking Beds for Gut Health

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.gbiota.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://www.gbiota.com/blog/)
- [Personal Motives Behind the Gbiota Project](https://www.gbiota.com/personal-motives-behind-the-gbiota-project/) - Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes cause enormous personal suffering and place the greatest strain on modern health systems. This article explains the personal experiences that led to the development of the Gbiota project, why the standard approach to diabetes management fails many people, and how improving gut biology through honest food
- [The Gbiota Project: Rebalancing Diet, Soil, and Gut Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-project-rebalancing-diet-soil-and-gut-biology/) - The Gbiota project shares practical knowledge on growing “refurbishment food” that supports gut biology and long-term health. The core idea is simple: modern diets are high in energy (sugar, fats, fast carbs) but low in minerals, phytonutrients, fibre, and living biology. That imbalance drives cravings and chronic disease. Gbiota beds focus on biologically active soil
- [Principles of a Gbiota Bed: Building Living Soil for Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/principles-of-a-gbiota-bed-building-living-soil-for-gut-health/) - Healthy food starts with healthy soil biology. A Gbiota bed is designed to grow plants in a biologically active, mineral-rich root zone so the food supports better gut function, fewer cravings, and more stable energy. The practical method is simple: protect and mature the rhizosphere, avoid soil disturbance, and regularly flush the root zone with
- [Re-making My Gbiota Beds (Update)](https://www.gbiota.com/re-making-my-gbiota-beds-update/) - This update shares a practical rebuild of a Gbiota bed after I noticed uneven water spread between rows. The core lesson is simple: the liner shape matters more than expected. A “saucer” profile gives too little contact area for wicking when water is only trickling through the pipe. A flatter base with a small lip
- [Diabetes Updates: What Monitoring, Stress, and Exercise Teach Us](https://www.gbiota.com/diabetes-updates-what-monitoring-stress-and-exercise-teach-us/) - Two new diabetes articles are now available, covering both the scientific evidence for reversal and the practical steps to achieve it. Diabetes is used as a “canary in the coal mine” because continuous glucose monitoring gives fast, low-risk feedback on what works. Recent observations highlight how powerful exercise is for flattening blood sugar curves, and
- [The Sad Tale of Reversing Diabetes: Why the Message Still Isn’t Landing](https://www.gbiota.com/the-sad-tale-of-reversing-diabetes-why-the-message-still-isnt-landing/) - Diabetes does not have to be a one-way path to worsening health. The newer model is simple: fat build-up can block insulin action in muscles, liver, and even the pancreas itself, so blood sugar rises. Remove the fat pressure and the system can work again. The practical problem is not science—it is uptake. Many people
- [Soil vs Dirt: Why Soil Biology Matters for Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-vs-dirt-why-soil-biology-matters-for-wicking-beds/) - Older soil science focused on sand, silt, clay, and nutrients like NPK. Modern soil science adds the missing piece: biology. Biology is what turns dead dirt into living soil by building pores and channels that hold water, air, and nutrients. In wicking beds, living soil can store far more useful water than sterile stones. The
- [Honest Food for Metabolic Control and Preventing Diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/honest-food-for-metabolic-control-and-preventing-diabetes/) - Health advice is full of bold claims, but most of it cannot be tested in a clear way. Diabetes is different. Blood sugar, weight, and waist measurements provide real feedback, fast. That makes it possible to talk about food and health with scientific honesty instead of hype. The core idea is simple: modern food has
- [Gbiota Thinking: The Path to Restore Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-thinking-the-path-to-restore-gut-health/) - Modern nutrition advice keeps changing, yet obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and dementia keep rising. That tells us the problem is not just “chemicals in food” or “willpower”. Appetite is controlled by a highly intelligent gut–brain system that worked for hundreds of thousands of years. The working idea here is simple: this control system has
- [From Wicking Beds to Gbiota Beds: The Food Strategy](https://www.gbiota.com/from-wicking-beds-to-gbiota-beds-the-strategy/) - For many years, simple wicking beds helped people grow food during drought and hardship. Since then, the world has changed. We now face a global health crisis driven by poor food, damaged soils, and disrupted gut biology. This article explains how wicking beds evolved into Gbiota beds, why soil biology matters for human health, and
- [Reversing Diabetes and Gut Biota: A Practical Refuge Model](https://www.gbiota.com/reversing-diabetes-and-gut-biota-a-practical-refuge-model/) - Type 2 diabetes is no longer seen as a one-way decline. The core issue is not “burnt out” pancreas cells, but fat and metabolic stress driven by high-glycaemic food and damaged gut biology. Most people can improve, and many can reverse diabetes with diet, exercise, and lower stress—then maintain results with a sustainable routine. This
- [Fixing Diabetes: Food, Rights, and a Practical Community Plan](https://www.gbiota.com/fixing-diabetes-food-rights-and-a-practical-community-plan/) - Diabetes is driving a serious health crisis: unnecessary amputations, blindness, and early heart attacks. The scandal is not only medical—it is also about rights. People deserve honest information about food-based options and the freedom to choose how they are treated. Diabetes is largely driven by modern food that is high in sugar and fat but
- [Health From Food Using Modernised Traditional Agriculture](https://www.gbiota.com/health-from-food-using-modernised-traditional-agriculture/) - For thousands of years, people stayed healthy by eating food grown in living soil using traditional farming methods. While life was harder and infectious disease was common, those who survived often remained fit and active into old age. Modern agriculture produces more food than ever, yet chronic disease is now widespread. This article explains what
- [Phytonutrients: Why Living Soil Makes Food Taste Better](https://www.gbiota.com/phytonutrients-why-living-soil-makes-food-taste-better/) - Plants give us energy from sugars and fats, but health depends on more than calories. We also need phytonutrients: complex plant chemicals linked to taste, appetite control, and long-term wellbeing. Phytonutrients rely on a living ecological chain that starts in the soil, where microbes and fungi unlock minerals so plants can build these compounds. When
- [Joining the Gbiota Club: Purpose, Rules, and How It Works](https://www.gbiota.com/joining-the-gbiota-club-purpose-rules-and-how-it-works/) - The Gbiota club exists to improve health through nutritious food, with a focus on chronic disease such as diabetes and support for expectant and nursing mothers. Membership is open to anyone, but it relies on clear processes for sharing information responsibly. Most information can be shared under Creative Commons with source acknowledgment, but some material
- [How Sugar Blockers and Baby Greens Improve Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/how-sugar-blockers-and-baby-greens-improve-gut-health/) - Baby greens can help combat modern chronic disease by reducing sugar spikes and improving gut biology. They do not “remove” sugar, but slow digestion so sugar enters the blood more gradually. More importantly, Colin Austin argues that baby greens grown in biologically active, mineral-rich systems can help restore gut biota, which influences hunger-control hormones, mood,
- [New Food: Why Modern Diets Are Making Us Sick](https://www.gbiota.com/new-food-why-modern-diets-are-making-us-sick/) - Modern chronic disease is not an accident but the outcome of how we grow, process, and distribute food. Colin Austin argues that humans evolved to eat diverse, nutrient-rich foods grown in living soil, not extreme diets dominated by sugar, fat, and chemicals. He outlines why the health crisis is not a technical problem, how Gbiota
- [The Food Revolution: Rebuilding Soil, Food, and Health in Society](https://www.gbiota.com/the-food-revolution-rebuilding-soil-food-and-health-in-society/) - Modern society is experiencing a rapid rise in chronic disease, despite having more food and medical technology than ever before. Colin Austin argues that the root cause lies in degraded soils, nutrient-poor food, and broken food systems. Drawing on personal experience, traditional cultures, and engineering principles, he explains how gut–brain signalling, soil biology, and true
- [Gbiota Club Aims & Code of Conduct: Growing Food for Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-club-aims-code-of-conduct-growing-food-for-gut-health/) - The Gbiota Club exists to help people improve health through food by rebuilding gut biology with living, nutrient-dense plants. It is built on practical growing methods (flood-and-drain compost tea), regenerative soil improvement, and fair returns for growers. This page explains the gut–brain axis logic behind the project, the club’s aims, who can join, and a
- [Sugar Blockers and Baby Greens: Natural Control of Blood Sugar and Appetite](https://www.gbiota.com/sugar-blockers-and-baby-greens-natural-control-of-blood-sugar-and-appetite/) - Sugar blockers and baby greens offer a practical, food-based way to reduce sugar spikes, support healthy weight, and lower the risk of diabetes. Rather than eliminating carbohydrates, they slow digestion, giving the body time to process sugars safely. When combined with improved gut biology, baby greens grown in biologically active soils help restore appetite control,
- [Food for Health: Rebuilding Health Through Soil, Biology, and Community](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-health-rebuilding-health-through-soil-biology-and-community/) - Food for health is about more than gardening or diet. It is about how technology, farming, and community must work together to prevent chronic disease and restore human and environmental health. We already know how to grow food that supports gut biology and long-term wellbeing. The real challenge now is social: rebuilding trust between growers
- [Join the Gbiota Club](https://www.gbiota.com/join-the-gbiota-club-3/) - The Gbiota Club is a community-based response to the global decline in health caused by poor food quality. Chronic disease, obesity, and metabolic illness are driven by food that looks good but lacks nutrients and damages gut biology. The Gbiota Club exists to rebuild health by growing and distributing genuinely nutritious, toxin-free food through trust,
- [Questions and Answers: Practical Wicking Bed Advice](https://www.gbiota.com/questions-and-answers-practical-wicking-bed-advice/) - This question and answer article brings together real conversations between growers and Colin Austin, addressing the most common practical issues faced when using wicking beds. It covers greywater reuse, organic matrix choices, decomposition, nitrogen balance, pollination in shade houses, weed control, and water management across seasons. The answers are based on long-term hands-on experience and
- [The Simple Mechanics Behind Climate Change: Why Global Warming Is Not a Mystery](https://www.gbiota.com/the-simple-mechanics-behind-climate-change-why-global-warming-is-not-a-mystery/) - Climate change is often presented as complex and mysterious, yet the basic physics behind it has been understood for more than two centuries. Long before computers and satellites, scientists were able to describe how heat moves through the Earth system using simple observations and measurements. This article explains, in clear and practical terms, the core
- [Adapting to Climate Change Through Water, Soil, and Biological Systems](https://www.gbiota.com/adapting-to-climate-change-through-water-soil-and-biological-systems/) - Climate change and water scarcity are no longer future risks; they are present realities that demand practical, system-level responses. This article explores how soil regeneration, microbiology, and smarter water management can work together to create resilient food and water systems. Drawing on real-world concepts, it shows how decentralised water use, biological soil processes, and clear
- [WickiMix: Turning Organic Waste into Living Soil Through Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/wickimix-turning-organic-waste-into-living-soil-through-biology/) - WickiMix is a biologically active soil regeneration system designed to convert waste organic material into living, fertile soil. It works by combining diverse soil biology with essential minerals to support plant growth, soil structure, and long-term fertility. Used correctly, WickiMix helps recycle food scraps and weeds, improves seed establishment, and supports healthy root development. The
- [Queensland Water Restrictions: Why an Arid Climate Needs Arid Solutions](https://www.gbiota.com/queensland-water-restrictions-why-an-arid-climate-needs-arid-solutions/) - South East Queensland is often described as being in water crisis, yet the real issue is not a lack of rainfall but a failure to adopt water harvesting technologies suited to an arid climate. By copying systems from wetter regions, governments and communities have locked themselves into restrictive policies that create artificial shortages. With a
- [Climate Change, Drought and Water Supply](https://www.gbiota.com/climate-change-drought-and-water-supply/) - With dam levels falling and water security under threat, many people are asking whether current shortages are simply part of Australia’s natural drought cycle or the result of climate change. The answer is that both forces are at work. While droughts will always break eventually, climate change is shifting the baseline, making conditions progressively drier
- [An Independent Water Think Tank: Innovation, Creativity, and the Future of Water](https://www.gbiota.com/an-independent-water-think-tank-innovation-creativity-and-the-future-of-water/) - This page introduces an independent water “think tank” focused on innovation rather than politics or commercial interests. It explains why water management will change dramatically over the next century, why large bureaucracies struggle to innovate, and why creativity must be treated as a method, not luck. It outlines key themes on the site—speculative research, watropy,
- [Watropy: The Paradigm Shift in Water Thinking](https://www.gbiota.com/watropy-the-paradigm-shift-in-water-thinking/) - Watropy is a simple but powerful idea: water has value not only by volume, but by how long it stays useful. In hot, dry climates, most rain is absorbed before any runoff begins, so dams often rely on rare big storms. Watropy reframes the “water crisis” as a harvesting and storage problem, not just a
- [The Phantom Water Crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/the-phantom-water-crisis/) - “The Phantom Water Crisis” argues that the so-called water crisis is not mainly caused by a lack of rain, but by how we manage and harvest it. In dry climates, dams depend on rare, random storms, while smaller, more reliable coastal rains are often ignored. The paper explains how micro-harvesting—tanks, soil storage, underground ponds, and
- [BioPack: Rebuilding Living Soil Through Biology, Fungi, and Practical Regeneration](https://www.gbiota.com/biopack-rebuilding-living-soil-through-biology-fungi-and-practical-regeneration/) - BioPack is a simple, practical way to rebuild tired or degraded soils by reintroducing the biology that creates fertile structure. Each BioPack combines a living host plant inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi, supportive bacteria, selected minerals, and beneficial worms that help spread the fungi and open the soil. Used correctly—kept moist, gently fed, and minimally disturbed—BioPack
- [A Sustainable World: Why Pragmatic Climate Action Matters More Than Perfect Solutions](https://www.gbiota.com/a-sustainable-world-why-pragmatic-climate-action-matters-more-than-perfect-solutions/) - Building a sustainable world is not just about cutting emissions. It is also about feeding a growing and increasingly affluent global population without exhausting soil, water, and resources. This article explains why good intentions can still lead to poor outcomes, why public debate often stalls after climate conferences, and why engineers think differently to scientists
- [How Agriculture Can Capture Carbon and Help Resolve Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/how-agriculture-can-capture-carbon-and-help-resolve-climate-change/) - This research summary explains a practical, large-scale way to mitigate climate change by changing agriculture. The core idea is simple: plants already cycle enormous amounts of carbon, but most of it returns to the atmosphere when organic matter decomposes. If we divert a small fraction of that flow and embed it into soils as stable
- [Scaling Wicking Beds: Large-Scale Adoption for Food, Water, and Climate Resilience](https://www.gbiota.com/scaling-wicking-beds-large-scale-adoption-for-food-water-and-climate-resilience/) - Wicking beds are usually seen as a backyard method, but they can also be scaled up to deliver major public benefits: more reliable food production, lower water use, improved soils, and a practical way to store carbon and recycle organic waste. The challenge is not whether the idea works, but how to make it affordable
- [About This Site: Soil, Water, and the Search for Sustainable Solutions](https://www.gbiota.com/about-this-site-soil-water-and-the-search-for-sustainable-solutions/) - This article explains the origins and purpose of this site. Colin Austin outlines how severe soil loss in Australia led him to decades of research into soil regeneration, water management, and carbon capture. From early experiments on degraded land to the development of wicking beds and large-scale soil carbon strategies, the site exists to share
- [Why I Run This Site](https://www.gbiota.com/why-i-run-this-site/) - This article explains why this site exists and what it is trying to achieve. Colin Austin reflects on his personal motivations, his background in engineering and innovation, and his concern for future generations. The focus is on soil, water, food security, and soil carbon as practical tools to improve resilience in a world of growing
- [Carbon Capture in Soil: Why Humus Matters More Than Total Carbon](https://www.gbiota.com/carbon-capture-in-soil-why-humus-matters-more-than-total-carbon/) - Capturing carbon in soil is often described as a simple fix for climate change and poor soils, but it is not that simple. What matters most is not total soil carbon, but how much of that carbon becomes stable humus. Unstable carbon breaks down quickly and returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane.
- [Technology and Politics of Soil Carbon](https://www.gbiota.com/technology-and-politics-of-soil-carbon/) - This article explains why Kyoto-style carbon rules have struggled, and why soil carbon needs a different approach. Colin Austin argues that soil carbon (especially through wicking beds) can be one of the few practical “now” solutions while energy technology catches up. He outlines why additionality and permanence don’t fit dynamic soils, why aggregators and the
- [Resolving Climate Change III — How Science Can Fail Us](https://www.gbiota.com/resolving-climate-change-iii-how-science-can-fail-us/) - This article explains why climate change is real and urgent, yet so hard to solve. Colin Austin argues that modern “reductionist” science can miss practical answers when problems are complex, multi-variable, and political. He proposes a systems-and-innovation approach: use soil carbon sequestration as a near-term tool to buy time (about fifty years) while energy storage
- [Resolving Climate Change II — The Eco-Corporation Model](https://www.gbiota.com/resolving-climate-change-ii-the-eco-corporation-model/) - This article argues that climate change is not only an environmental issue but an organisational and economic one. Colin Austin proposes that the next generation of major global companies will be “eco corporations” that manage soil, water, waste, carbon, and food systems at scale. By embedding carbon into soil using approaches such as wicking beds,
- [Resolving Climate Change I — How Innovation Can Help](https://www.gbiota.com/resolving-climate-change-i-how-innovation-can-help/) - We are not winning the climate change war. Emissions continue to rise, targets have been shaped by politics rather than physics, and the real danger is already visible in the form of stronger floods and deeper droughts that damage soils and threaten food production. This chapter explains why resolving climate change requires more than emission
- [The Waterright Philosophy 4: From Subsurface Experiments to Microflood and Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/the-waterright-philosophy-4-from-subsurface-experiments-to-microflood-and-wicking-beds/) - In the mid-1990s, Colin Austin asked a simple question: are there better ways of applying water? Horticulture had become more efficient, but it used only a small fraction of irrigation water. The real opportunity lay in flood irrigation, the largest water user. This chapter follows a series of speculative experiments—subsurface pipes, a “froth machine”, improved
- [Irrigation Publications and Technical Guides](https://www.gbiota.com/irrigation-publications-and-technical-guides/) - This downloads page provides access to key Waterright resources on water, irrigation efficiency, and practical solutions for growing food with limited water. It includes video material linked to World Vision’s search for long-term hunger solutions, plus a set of manuals and papers designed to help irrigators measure soil water holding capacity, schedule irrigation more accurately,
- [How Microflood Improves Flood Irrigation Efficiency and Crop Yield](https://www.gbiota.com/how-microflood-improves-flood-irrigation-efficiency-and-crop-yield/) - Microflood is a practical irrigation upgrade that turns traditional flood irrigation into a far more efficient system. It was recognised internationally with an SPE Environmental Stewardship Award, presented to Colin Austin at the SPE Environmental Conference in Detroit in February 2002. Originally developed to help deliver low-cost sustenance irrigation during drought in Ethiopia, Microflood also
- [Solving the Water Crisis Video Series](https://www.gbiota.com/solving-the-water-crisis-video-series/) - The “Solving the Water Crisis” video series shares Colin Austin’s search for practical answers to the global water crisis. What began as a hunt for better water technology quickly revealed a deeper challenge: how humans make decisions inside organisations, and why good ideas often fail to be adopted. The series is available online as free
- [Water Wit and Wisdom: How Innovation Can Solve Australia’s Water Crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/water-wit-and-wisdom-how-innovation-can-solve-australias-water-crisis/) - Water Wit and Wisdom steps back from technical debates about water and instead examines how we think about water. It explores why water conflicts persist, how innovation can escape entrenched positions, and how Australia can use its water far more wisely. The book combines history, systems thinking, practical technology, and social adoption to show that
- [The Waterright Philosophy 1: Soil Regeneration Through Water and Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/the-waterright-philosophy-1-soil-regeneration-through-water-and-biology/) - The Waterright philosophy grew from practical experience rather than theory. Faced with severely degraded soil on an old goat farm, Colin Austin set out to regenerate soil faster than conventional thinking allowed. Years of failed experiments revealed that no single additive or method worked reliably. Instead, the breakthrough came from understanding water, soil moisture stability,
- [The Future of Food Growing: Water-Efficient Food Growing for a Changing Climate](https://www.gbiota.com/the-future-of-food-growing-water-efficient-food-growing-for-a-changing-climate/) - This presentation outlines why the future of agriculture must adapt to climate change and water shortages, and why co-operation is essential. It introduces wicking beds as a practical horticultural system designed to deliver water, air, nutrients, and microbes to plant roots with high efficiency. It also explains why water will become the critical resource for
- [The Wicking Bed Basket Scheme For Healthy Food](https://www.gbiota.com/the-wicking-bed-basket-scheme-for-healthy-food/) - The wicking bed basket scheme was designed to make truly nutritious, fresh food available to almost everyone, including people with limited space, time, or gardening experience. It combines soil biology, trace minerals, and controlled moisture to grow plants rich in phytochemicals, vitamins, and essential trace elements. The system supports healthy diets by reconnecting food production
- [Publications And Topics On Water, Soil, And Irrigation](https://www.gbiota.com/publications-and-topics-on-water-soil-and-irrigation/) - This page lists Colin Austin’s publications across water, irrigation scheduling, salinity, soil, climate change, and practical farm innovation. It includes books, manuals, training material, and a DVD series, covering both technical methods (like adaptive scheduling and micro-flood) and wider policy themes. Use the table to scan by year and topic, and to see how the
- [Regenerating Soil Using Improved Flood Irrigation](https://www.gbiota.com/regenerating-soil-using-improved-flood-irrigation/) - This article explores how improved flood irrigation and wicking-based systems can regenerate soil, reduce water loss, and restore soil biology under increasing environmental pressure. It traces the journey from degraded soils and salinity to practical, low-cost solutions that work with natural processes. By keeping soil moist—not saturated or dry—these systems rebuild carbon, support fungi, and
- [Water for Food: How Wicking Beds Build Climate-Resilient Agriculture With Less Water](https://www.gbiota.com/water-for-food-how-wicking-beds-build-climate-resilient-agriculture-with-less-water/) - Water for food is one of the defining challenges of a warming world. The wicking bed system appears simple, yet it represents a profound shift in how food can be grown with less water and more reliability. This article explains why wicking beds matter in a future of climate uncertainty, how they link water use,
- [Soil Carbon, Climate Change And Solutions For Australia: A Scalable Path Beyond Kyoto](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-carbon-climate-change-and-solutions-for-australia-a-scalable-path-beyond-kyoto/) - Kyoto is now decades old, yet atmospheric carbon continues to rise. This submission argues that the real issue is not talk, taxes, or trading schemes, but physical action that changes carbon flows in the real world. Plants already pull vast amounts of carbon from the air. The practical challenge is keeping more of that carbon
- [Water And Soil References: Books, Research Links, And Sources](https://www.gbiota.com/water-and-soil-references-books-research-links-and-sources/) - This page brings together key references that shaped the WaterRight and soil regeneration thinking, plus a large set of web links collected over time. The books focus on water systems, river decline, Australian water policy, and land repair. The links cover soil regeneration, mycorrhizal fungi, carbon, climate change, farming practice, and wicking bed examples. Some
- [Colin Austin Part 2: A Life Of Innovation In Water, Soil, And Sustainable Systems](https://www.gbiota.com/colin-austin-part-2-a-life-of-innovation-in-water-soil-and-sustainable-systems/) - Colin Austin is an engineer, inventor, and founder of Moldflow, a software company that helped shift plastics mould design from “gut feel” to science-based engineering. After building one of Australia’s most successful technical software exporters, his focus moved to fresh water, irrigation efficiency, and sustainable growing systems. His work includes micro-flood irrigation, scheduling software that
- [Colin Austin: A Life of Innovation in Water, Soil, and Sustainable Systems](https://www.gbiota.com/colin-austin-a-life-of-innovation-in-water-soil-and-sustainable-systems/) - This article tells the story of Colin Austin, an Australian engineer and innovator whose work spans advanced computer modelling, irrigation reform, soil regeneration, and water sustainability. From founding a world-leading software company to developing practical solutions for drought, irrigation efficiency, and food security, his journey shows how speculative thinking and real-world experience can reshape how
- [Wicking Beds: How Underground Water Storage Changed the Way We Grow Food](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-how-underground-water-storage-changed-the-way-we-grow-food/) - Wicking beds emerged from practical experiments aimed at growing food under drought conditions, first in Ethiopia and later elsewhere. The core problem was not the absolute lack of water, but unreliable rainfall and poor soils. By storing water underground and allowing it to move upward through the soil by capillary action, wicking beds created stable
- [Droughtproofing in Ethiopia: Low-Cost Irrigation Lessons for a Water-Scarce World](https://www.gbiota.com/droughtproofing-in-ethiopia-low-cost-irrigation-lessons-for-a-water-scarce-world/) - This article describes a practical droughtproofing project developed in Ethiopia to address food insecurity during severe drought. Invited by World Vision to find a way to grow sustenance food with very limited water, a simple but innovative irrigation system was created. Using gravity, recycled materials, and careful scheduling, the system aimed to feed over 54,000
- [Micro Flood Irrigation: A Low-Cost Manual For Using Water Better](https://www.gbiota.com/micro-flood-irrigation-a-low-cost-manual-for-using-water-better/) - Micro flood irrigation is a simple, low-cost way to deliver water to plants without chronic under-watering or over-watering. It was designed to meet practical horticultural needs, not just to “save water”, by applying water in a way that supports better root function, better soil aeration, and reduced environmental harm such as salinity and nutrient run-off.
- [Making the Most of Water: How Irrigation Scheduling Improves Crop Growth and Saves Water](https://www.gbiota.com/making-the-most-of-water-how-irrigation-scheduling-improves-crop-growth-and-saves-water/) - Making the most of water is not about applying more or less by guesswork. It is about understanding how plants respond to moisture, oxygen, and stress at different stages of growth. Too much water can slow growth just as badly as too little, while well-managed moisture levels can improve crop quality and water efficiency. This
- [Irrigation Scheduling: Measure Water Use, Control Irrigation Depth, Grow Better Crops](https://www.gbiota.com/irrigation-scheduling-measure-water-use-control-irrigation-depth-grow-better-crops/) - Irrigation scheduling is one of the cheapest ways to save water and improve plant growth. It is not just about avoiding wilt. It is about managing how a plant grows by controlling how much water is available, and where it is available in the root zone. This guide explains single (deep) cycle and dual cycle
- [WaterRight Irrigation Scheduling: Use Irrigation Depth and Evaporation to Save Water](https://www.gbiota.com/waterright-irrigation-scheduling-use-irrigation-depth-and-evaporation-to-save-water/) - WaterRight is a practical way to schedule irrigation using two simple measurements: how far water penetrates into the soil (irrigation depth) and how much evaporation has occurred since the last irrigation. With these, you can keep plants productive, avoid wasting water below the root zone, and adjust between shallow and deeper watering as conditions change.
- [Adaptive Irrigation Scheduling: An Easy Way to Stop Wasting Water](https://www.gbiota.com/adaptive-irrigation-scheduling-an-easy-way-to-stop-wasting-water/) - Poor irrigation scheduling is one of the biggest drivers of wasted water, and it can also cause environmental harm. Traditional “scientific” methods often fall short in the real world: evaporation scheduling relies on crop factors that don’t match field conditions, while soil moisture scheduling struggles because moisture is uneven and constantly changing through the soil
- [Anticipatory Irrigation Scheduling: Using Evaporation, Soil Depth, and Rainfall to Save Water](https://www.gbiota.com/anticipatory-irrigation-scheduling-using-evaporation-soil-depth-and-rainfall-to-save-water/) - Anticipatory irrigation is a practical and commonsense way to use water better by working with rainfall, evaporation, and soil behaviour rather than fighting them. This article explains how irrigation can be timed and measured so water is driven deep into the soil where it is protected from evaporation. By focusing on irrigation depth, learning from
- [The Gbiota Philosophy 2: Irrigation Scheduling That Saves Water](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-philosophy-2-irrigation-scheduling-that-saves-water/) - Poor irrigation scheduling is one of the biggest hidden causes of wasted water and reduced plant growth. Many growers apply too much or too little water, often at the wrong time, leading to stress, shallow roots, and water loss below the root zone. This chapter explains why common scheduling habits fail, how weather and soil
- [The Gbiota Philosophy 4: Local Water Harvesting in Australia](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-philosophy-4-local-water-harvesting-in-australia/) - Australia is often described as a dry continent facing inevitable water shortages, yet the reality is far more complex. On a per-person basis, Australia receives vast amounts of rainfall, much of which is lost through evaporation rather than use. This chapter explores the myths surrounding water scarcity, explains why we harvest so little of our
- [Irrigation Scheduling Using Crop Factors and Soil Water Holding Capacity](https://www.gbiota.com/irrigation-scheduling-using-crop-factors-and-soil-water-holding-capacity/) - Good irrigation is not guesswork. It is about matching water supply to what your plants actually use, and what your soil can safely hold. Published “average” values help, but every farm differs—slope, wind exposure, row spacing, canopy size, and soil type all change the result. This guide explains a practical, do-it-yourself method to measure crop
- [00 and the Soil Princess: A Story About Soil, Power, and Survival](https://www.gbiota.com/00-and-the-soil-princess-a-story-about-soil-power-and-survival/) - This story blends fiction, politics, soil science, and water management into a single narrative that challenges how the world values its most critical resource: soil. Through a fast-paced and sometimes confronting storyline, it explores how soil health underpins food, water security, human health, and climate resilience. Beneath the drama lies a serious message about regeneration,
- [Soil Maker: A Practical System for Rapid Soil Regeneration Using Biology and Water](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-maker-a-practical-system-for-rapid-soil-regeneration-using-biology-and-water/) - Healthy soil is the foundation of food, nutrition, and long-term resilience. Yet much of the world’s soil is being degraded faster than it can regenerate naturally. This article describes a practical soil-making system that accelerates natural soil formation by combining pioneer plants, mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial worms, and controlled moisture using wicking principles. It is not
- [Water Salinity Solutions For Australia: Flushing Salt, Smarter Irrigation, Better Policy](https://www.gbiota.com/water-salinity-solutions-for-australia-flushing-salt-smarter-irrigation-better-policy/) - Australia’s water debate is not only about drought. It is also about salt. Each year, millions of tonnes of salt are mobilised and many of those salts end up back in our rivers and then back onto our best irrigated farms. The practical solution is not slogans or quick fixes. It is disciplined flushing, timed
- [Micro-Flood Irrigation: A Low-Cost Way to Use Water Better](https://www.gbiota.com/micro-flood-irrigation-a-low-cost-way-to-use-water-better/) - Micro Flood looks like old-fashioned flood irrigation, yet it can behave very differently. By splitting a long bay into short “micro blocks” and feeding them in sequence with a simple mechanical valve, it becomes possible to wet the useful root zone more evenly, waste less water, and even irrigate soils as challenging as blown sand.
- [Water, Soil, and Irrigation Publications: Two Decades of Innovation and Research](https://www.gbiota.com/water-soil-and-irrigation-publications-two-decades-of-innovation-and-research/) - This page brings together a chronological overview of publications that document a long-term exploration of water, soil, irrigation, and sustainability. Spanning more than two decades, these works trace the development of practical ideas, experimental technologies, and policy critiques aimed at solving water scarcity, improving food production, and managing natural resources more intelligently. Together, they show
- [Solving the Water Crisis: Why Australia Has Plenty of Rain but Still Runs Out of Water](https://www.gbiota.com/solving-the-water-crisis-why-australia-has-plenty-of-rain-but-still-runs-out-of-water/) - This article introduces the Solving the Water Crisis DVD series, a practical and challenging exploration of how we think about water in Australia. Rather than focusing only on dams and restrictions, the series explains why Australia’s real problem is not a lack of rain, but excessive evaporation and poor harvesting of small, local rainfall. Through
- [Water, Salinity, and Irrigation Reform in Australia: Technology, Policy, and the Missing Link](https://www.gbiota.com/water-salinity-and-irrigation-reform-in-australia-technology-policy-and-the-missing-link/) - This article explains why Australia’s real water crisis is not only drought, but salinity and soil sodification caused by how irrigation water is used and managed. Drawing on lessons from Ethiopia and global irrigation history, it shows why efficiency alone can worsen river flows, why flushing salt is essential, and why governments must lead adoption.
- [Lessons for Australia: Rethinking Irrigation, Water Efficiency, and Basin Rehabilitation](https://www.gbiota.com/lessons-for-australia-rethinking-irrigation-water-efficiency-and-basin-rehabilitation/) - Australia faces many of the same water challenges seen in parts of Africa, including unreliable rainfall, water scarcity, and recurring drought. This article explores what Australia can learn from irrigation work in Ethiopia and how those lessons apply to the Murray–Darling Basin. It argues that real gains will come not from expensive infrastructure alone, but
- [Sustainable Irrigation and Salinity: How Water Management Can Secure Our Future](https://www.gbiota.com/sustainable-irrigation-and-salinity-how-water-management-can-secure-our-future/) - This summary draws on lessons from the long history of irrigation to explain why many irrigation societies have failed and what can be done differently today. It outlines how salinity quietly undermines irrigation systems, why modern water management often ignores flushing, and how innovation in irrigation depth control can save water without reducing production. The
- [Innovative Solutions to the Water Crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/innovative-solutions-to-the-water-crisis/) - This article explores a practical, innovation-led approach to solving water scarcity. It traces how unconventional research methods led from early engineering work into irrigation, soil regeneration, and water harvesting systems. By focusing on how water actually moves through soil, how long it remains useful, and how simple systems like wicking beds can extend water availability,
- [Solving Australia’s Water Crisis: Why Systems, Not Rainfall, Are Failing Us](https://www.gbiota.com/solving-australias-water-crisis-why-systems-not-rainfall-are-failing-us/) - Australia is often described as “the driest inhabited continent”, yet the raw facts point to a different problem: we receive substantial rainfall per person, but we harvest only a tiny fraction of it. This article explains why water shortages persist, not just through technical limits like evaporation and runoff, but through the way our water
- [Innovative Water-Saving Technologies: A Practical Path Beyond Dams and Drought](https://www.gbiota.com/innovative-water-saving-technologies-a-practical-path-beyond-dams-and-drought/) - This article summarises Colin Austin’s practical, innovation-driven approach to Australia’s water challenge. It explains why “competence research” often produces incremental gains, while real breakthroughs come from risk, trial, and many failed prototypes. It covers irrigation depth control, self-learning scheduling, micro-flood irrigation, and the unexpected invention pathway that led to wicking beds. The central message is
- [Micro Flood Irrigation: A Practical Way to Grow More With Less Water](https://www.gbiota.com/micro-flood-irrigation-a-practical-way-to-grow-more-with-less-water/) - Micro flood irrigation is a low-cost, high-efficiency way to water plants without the usual problems of under-watering, over-watering, salinity build-up, and nutrient run-off. It works by applying water quickly to a small area, then stopping so the water can soak in and the soil can “breathe” as fresh air is drawn down. The approach mimics
- [The Realities of Global Warming: Why Soil Carbon and Water-Smart Farming Matter](https://www.gbiota.com/the-realities-of-global-warming-why-soil-carbon-and-water-smart-farming-matter/) - Global warming is a risk we cannot afford to “wait and see” about. Even if we reduce emissions, fast-growing economies and a growing global appetite for energy make it unlikely we will win by emissions cuts alone. The overlooked lever is carbon absorption—especially storing plant carbon in soil. This article explains why plants are both
- [Global Warming: Are We Missing the Biggest Carbon Opportunity?](https://www.gbiota.com/global-warming-are-we-missing-the-biggest-carbon-opportunity/) - Global warming is usually framed as a problem of reducing human emissions, yet this overlooks the far larger natural carbon cycle. Man-made emissions account for only a small fraction of total carbon flows, while plant growth and decay dominate the system. This article explains why slowing the return of plant carbon to the atmosphere is
- [Global Warming and Soil Carbon: Practical Actions Communities Can Take Today](https://www.gbiota.com/global-warming-and-soil-carbon-practical-actions-communities-can-take-today/) - Global warming is no longer an abstract or distant issue. The real challenge is practical: what can individuals, communities, and farmers do that genuinely makes a difference? Beyond reducing emissions, there is a powerful opportunity to slow climate change by capturing carbon in soil. Plants already absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide, but most of
- [Wicking Bed – A New Technology for Adapting to Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-a-new-technology-for-adapting-to-climate-change/) - This article explains why global climate negotiations such as Copenhagen struggle to deliver real change, and why agriculture offers a practical path forward. It shows how wicking bed technology can both adapt food production to erratic rainfall and actively remove carbon from the atmosphere. By improving water efficiency, soil biology, and carbon capture, wicking beds
- [Plants Absorbing Carbon Dioxide](https://www.gbiota.com/plants-absorbing-carbon-dioxide/) - Plants already absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—around thirty times all human-made emissions. Yet atmospheric carbon levels continue to rise. This article explains why most plant carbon quickly returns to the air, how soil biology controls the balance, and why fungi, soil structure, and systems such as wicking beds are critical tools
- [Food Production and Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/food-production-and-climate-change/) - The global food system has been remarkably successful at producing large quantities of food, even as the world’s population continues to grow. However, this success has come at a hidden cost. Modern agricultural methods have placed increasing stress on soils, water, and ecological systems. This article explains why food abundance does not equal sustainability, how
- [Climate Change: The Real Obstacles to Global Agreement](https://www.gbiota.com/climate-change-the-real-obstacles-to-global-agreement/) - International climate agreements repeatedly stall, not because the science is unclear, but because economic structures, social realities, and political systems make coordinated action extremely difficult. This article explains why emissions reduction is so hard to achieve in both developed and developing nations, why hybrid economies complicate global negotiations, and why domestic political processes often block
- [Wicking Beds: A Practical Technology for Adapting to Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-a-practical-technology-for-adapting-to-climate-change/) - Climate change presents two linked challenges: reducing carbon in the atmosphere and protecting food production in a world of increasingly erratic rainfall. This article explains why cutting emissions alone is not enough, and why agriculture must become part of the solution. By using wicking bed technology to store carbon in soil and stabilise water use,
- [Innovation, Soil Carbon, And A Practical Plan To Tackle Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/innovation-soil-carbon-and-a-practical-plan-to-tackle-climate-change/) - This article explains why we are not winning the climate change fight, and why “just cutting emissions” is unlikely to be enough in time. It presents a practical alternative: remove carbon dioxide from the air by changing how we manage organic matter and soils, so more carbon stays locked in the ground. It also outlines
- [Resolving Climate Change With Wicking Beds: A Practical Plan for Carbon, Water, and Food Security](https://www.gbiota.com/resolving-climate-change-with-wicking-beds-a-practical-plan-for-carbon-water-and-food-security/) - This article explains why climate change is so hard to solve politically, and why soil and food security may be the most practical “entry point” for action. It outlines how wicking bed agriculture can grow more food with less water, reduce runoff, and lock meaningful carbon into soil by managing decomposition. It also proposes a
- [An Improved Agricultural System for Climate Change Resilience and Soil Carbon Capture](https://www.gbiota.com/an-improved-agricultural-system-for-climate-change-resilience-and-soil-carbon-capture/) - Climate change is already amplifying floods and droughts, placing growing pressure on global food production systems. This article explains a practical agricultural approach that improves resilience to extreme weather while capturing large amounts of atmospheric carbon in the soil. By shifting how organic matter decomposes, managing water more intelligently, and rewarding farmers for carbon capture,
- [Resolving Climate Change: Why Soil Carbon and Innovation Matter Now](https://www.gbiota.com/resolving-climate-change-why-soil-carbon-and-innovation-matter-now/) - Climate change can feel distant until extreme weather turns up at your door. After Queensland floods sent water under my house, I realised the real danger is not only rising average temperatures, but more floods and droughts happening now. This article summarises three short books that explore a practical path: use innovation and systems thinking
- [Reaping the Benefits of Water-Saving Irrigation Technology in Australia](https://www.gbiota.com/reaping-the-benefits-of-water-saving-irrigation-technology-in-australia/) - This article draws together long-term research into irrigation efficiency, salt balance, and soil water management to explain how Australia can grow food with less water while protecting rivers and landscapes. It focuses on practical, field-tested technologies rather than theory, and argues that the main barrier is no longer engineering but policy and implementation. By combining
- [The Doctor And The Water Crisis: Why Dams Fail And Decentralised Water Wins](https://www.gbiota.com/the-doctor-and-the-water-crisis-why-dams-fail-and-decentralised-water-wins/) - This story uses humour and a sci-fi lens to make a serious point: Australia does not mainly suffer from a lack of rain, but from high evaporation and outdated ways of capturing water. Big dams depend on rare “bus-32” rains that arrive in clumps, while smaller, regular rains are often wasted. The practical solution is
- [Make the Most of Water: Practical Irrigation Methods for Maximum Growth](https://www.gbiota.com/make-the-most-of-water-practical-irrigation-methods-for-maximum-growth/) - Water is often the limiting factor in growing food, especially in dry regions and disadvantaged communities. This article explains a simple, practical method for using water far more effectively. By putting water into the soil instead of on the surface, measuring how deep it travels, and matching irrigation to plant root depth, it is possible
- [Watropy: A New Way to Think About Water Scarcity in Australia](https://www.gbiota.com/watropy-a-new-way-to-think-about-water-scarcity-in-australia/) - Australia’s water problem is not simply “not enough rain”. It is that much of our rainfall has a very short useful life because it is lost to evaporation before it can do useful work. This article introduces “watropy” — a practical way to think about water in two dimensions: quantity (litres) and usefulness over time.
- [Alternative Water Resources for Australia: Water-Harvesting for the Future](https://www.gbiota.com/alternative-water-resources-for-australia-water-harvesting-for-the-future/) - Australia receives vast amounts of rainfall each year, far more than our population actually needs. Yet chronic water shortages persist. This article explains why the problem is not a lack of rain but how we harvest and store it. By understanding evaporation, rainfall patterns, and the difference between large and small rain events, we can
- [The Gbiota Philosophy: Local Water Harvesting in a Dry Land](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-philosophy-local-water-harvesting-in-a-dry-land/) - Australia is often described as a country facing severe water shortages, yet the total volume of rainfall far exceeds what we actually use. The real problem is not how much rain falls, but how little of it we capture and how much is lost to evaporation. This article explains the myths and realities of water
- [The Coming Food Revolution: Living Plants, Better Soil, Better Health](https://www.gbiota.com/the-coming-food-revolution-living-plants-better-soil-better-health/) - Modern food is abundant, but it often pushes us toward excess sugar and fats while quietly leaving out minerals, vitamins, and the living biology that supports gut health. The coming food revolution is simple: make fresh, growing plants practical for everyday people. Wicking baskets can bring living food to doorsteps, so people can “graze” leaves
- [Combating “Fat Tummy” Disease by Changing Gut Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/combating-fat-tummy-disease-by-changing-gut-biology/) - Many modern chronic diseases share a common starting point: visceral “fat tummy” fat, often called metabolic syndrome. This condition can progress to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and faster cancer growth. Conventional advice based on calories and low-fat diets has failed. This article explains why hormones and gut biology matter more than willpower, how
- [Join the Revolution: the Fight for Human Health](https://www.gbiota.com/join-the-revolution-the-fight-for-human-health/) - This article introduces what I believe is the next major revolution shaping human health and survival: gut biology. While technology has transformed manufacturing, transport, and communication, it has also created deep social and environmental stress. At the same time, modern food systems have stripped food of minerals, phytonutrients, and living biology. By reconnecting soil, food,
- [The Survival of Our Species: Soil, Water, Food, and Gut Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/the-survival-of-our-species-soil-water-food-and-gut-biology/) - This article reflects on more than four decades of work exploring technology, soil, water, food systems, and health. It explains how early work in computer modelling led to irrigation innovation, wicking beds, and eventually a focus on diabetes and gut biology. The central idea is simple but profound: while we can produce enough food to
- [G-Biota and Reversing Type 2 Diabetes: Why Gut Biology Matters](https://www.gbiota.com/g-biota-and-reversing-type-2-diabetes-why-gut-biology-matters/) - This article explains why common approaches to type 2 diabetes—low fat, low carb, plant-based, or fasting—can help, yet often fail to “stick” for many people. The missing piece is gut biology. Our gut is not just for digestion; it is a control system that influences appetite, cravings, blood sugar stability, immunity, inflammation, and even mood.
- [GBiota Responses: Fermentation, Gut Health, and Diabetes FAQs](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-responses-fermentation-gut-health-and-diabetes-faqs/) - In this follow-up, I respond to the many replies to my article on gut bacteria and reversing diabetes. A clear theme emerged: people understand gut biology matters, but most prefer a reliable product rather than fermenting at home. I compare “pill thinking” with “food thinking”, explain why many commercial probiotics disappoint in practice, and describe
- [Pragging Diet and Diabetes: A Practical, Individual Path to Reversing Type 2 Diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/pragging-diet-and-diabetes-a-practical-individual-path-to-reversing-type-2-diabetes/) - This article explains why standard dietary advice has failed to stop the diabetes epidemic and why universal diet rules do not work. Using an engineering mindset, lived experience, and observation, it argues for a pragmatic, individual approach based on restoring gut biology, reducing insulin overload, and measuring personal responses. Instead of chasing perfect theories, it
- [Preventing Chronic Disease with the Gbiota System: Food, Gut Biology, and Better Habits](https://www.gbiota.com/preventing-chronic-disease-with-the-gbiota-system-food-gut-biology-and-better-habits/) - Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart attacks are rising fast, and medical treatment alone cannot stop the epidemic. This article explains a practical prevention approach: improve “refurbishing food” (minerals, phytonutrients, and living biology) so the gut can recover, then train our habits so we naturally eat the right amount of fuel food. Gbiota beds are
- [Dodging Diabesity: Practical Steps to Reverse Diet-Driven Disease](https://www.gbiota.com/dodging-diabesity-practical-steps-to-reverse-diet-driven-disease/) - Diabesity is an umbrella term for the chronic diseases linked to diet, including diabetes, obesity, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, and a range of gut problems. This article explains why the epidemic keeps growing even with massive medical spending. It reviews the main diet “camps” (low fat, low carb, and vegetarian/slow carb), then looks for a
- [Gbiota Adoption: Growing Food That Restores Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-adoption-growing-food-that-restores-gut-health/) - Chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and dementia have risen from affecting about 1 in 100 people to nearly 1 in 3. This article explains a practical reason for that change: our gut biology has been damaged by how modern food is grown and processed. Gbiota beds offer a low-cost way to grow
- [Gutivars Strike Back: A Spielberg-Style Story About Gut Health and Diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/gutivars-strike-back-a-spielberg-style-story-about-gut-health-and-diabetes/) - This article is written as a playful “screenplay for a film by Steven Spielberg,” but it carries a serious message. Diabetes and obesity are not just about willpower or one perfect diet. Our guts act like an intelligent control system, and modern science still does not fully understand how that system decides what to do
- [Reversing Diabetes by Health Farm Stays: The Future of Eco-Villages](https://www.gbiota.com/reversing-diabetes-by-health-farm-stays-the-future-of-eco-villages/) - Eco-villages can help reverse the epidemic of chronic diseases by doing what normal life often cannot: removing toxins, restoring gut biology, and supporting people to break addictive food patterns. The approach is practical. First rebuild the gut with a largely plant-based diet grown in biologically active, nutrient-rich soil and free of toxins. Then use continuous
- [The Choice Is Yours: Reversing Type 2 Diabetes with Food, Data, and Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/the-choice-is-yours-reversing-type-2-diabetes-with-food-data-and-gut-health/) - Many people are told Type 2 diabetes is for life and will only get worse, but that is only part of the truth. For most people, diabetes can be reversed, although not by a simple pill. This article explains why diabetes exploded so quickly, what research (including Roy Taylor’s work) reveals about fat in the
- [Shade Houses and Wicking Beds: An Easy Way to Grow Organic Vegetables](https://www.gbiota.com/shade-houses-and-wicking-beds-an-easy-way-to-grow-organic-vegetables/) - Growing vegetables through hot, wet Queensland summers is difficult because of heat, insects, weeds, disease, and heavy rain. This article explains a practical system that solves most of these problems: wicking beds built inside enclosed 6x4 m shade houses. Watering is from the bottom up, so plants get steady moisture with very little waste, while
- [Safeguarding Future Food Supply with Wicking Bed Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/safeguarding-future-food-supply-with-wicking-bed-technology/) - This report explains how wicking beds can help safeguard future food supply by saving water, improving soil quality, using nutrients more effectively, and embedding atmospheric carbon into soil. It also shows an unexpected benefit: linked wicking beds can act as drainage in flood conditions, helping crops survive long waterlogging. The main challenge has been cost
- [Vision for Food Security, Water Shortages, and Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/vision-for-food-security-water-shortages-and-climate-change/) - This vision outlines a practical way to improve food security, reduce water waste, and address climate change by capturing carbon from the atmosphere and embedding it into soil. It explains why most plant carbon normally returns to the air through decay, how soil biology can divert that carbon into stable topsoil, and why moisture control
- [The Next Great Change: Soil Carbon, Wicking Beds, and the Future of Food](https://www.gbiota.com/the-next-great-change-soil-carbon-wicking-beds-and-the-future-of-food/) - This article looks thirty years ahead and argues that the next major shift in society will be driven by environmental services rather than manufactured products. It explains why food, soil, carbon, and health problems are linked, why storing carbon in soil is more practical than storing it underground, and why trees alone cannot solve the
- [Why This Site Exists: Innovation for Future Generations](https://www.gbiota.com/why-this-site-exists-innovation-for-future-generations/) - This site exists because I believe we have a responsibility to future generations to rethink how we use soil, water, and food systems. Modern wealth has been built on short-term thinking that ignores long-term environmental costs. Through wicking beds, soil regeneration, and practical innovation, I aim to share ideas that improve nutrition, restore soil, and
- [Community Action on Water: Why Harvesting Small Rains Matters](https://www.gbiota.com/community-action-on-water-why-harvesting-small-rains-matters/) - Australia does not suffer from a lack of rainfall. What we suffer from is a failure to capture it. Most rain falls in small, frequent events that wet the soil and then evaporate, never reaching dams or rivers. Climate change is increasing evaporation and raising the rainfall threshold required for runoff. This article explains why
- [Harvesting Smaller Rains: Water Storage, Wicking Beds, and Anticipatory Irrigation](https://www.gbiota.com/harvesting-smaller-rains-water-storage-wicking-beds-and-anticipatory-irrigation/) - Droughts are part of Australia’s natural cycle, but we still waste the water that falls in the smaller rains. The volume is often enough—what we lack is a way to capture it and stop it evaporating. This article explains three practical approaches: roof tanks for clean water, percolation holes and micro-dams to soak runoff into
- [Anticipatory Irrigation: Using Timing to Save Water and Reduce Evaporation](https://www.gbiota.com/anticipatory-irrigation-using-timing-to-save-water-and-reduce-evaporation/) - Anticipatory irrigation is a practical, common-sense approach to watering crops more efficiently by working with rainfall, soil behaviour, and evaporation rather than against them. Instead of reacting too late or overwatering, this method focuses on getting water deep into the soil when conditions are right. The result is better use of small rainfalls, lower evaporation
- [The Origins of Wicking Beds: Lessons From Drought, Soil, and Water](https://www.gbiota.com/the-origins-of-wicking-beds-lessons-from-drought-soil-and-water/) - Wicking beds did not begin as a backyard gardening idea. They emerged from practical work on food security during drought, where the challenge was not just lack of water, but unreliable rainfall and poor soils. This article explains how wicking beds developed through trial, failure, and observation—from Ethiopia to controlled test boxes—and why soil quality,
- [The Vision for Wicking Beds: Origin, Purpose, and Soil Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/the-vision-for-wicking-beds-origin-purpose-and-soil-biology/) - Wicking beds are often described as a water-saving trick, but that misses the bigger point. Modern food systems are excellent at producing cheap energy food, yet many diets are short on the minerals, vitamins, and complex plant chemicals that help maintain long-term health. A simple wicking bed, filled with mineral-rich, biologically active soil, can help
- [From Dirt to Living Soil: The Science Behind Soil BioPacks](https://www.gbiota.com/from-dirt-to-living-soil-the-science-behind-soil-biopacks/) - Soil BioPacks were created to make soil biology practical for ordinary growers—so we can grow vegetables that are not just “big and green”, but genuinely nutrient-rich. This article tells the behind-the-scenes story: the delays, the lessons, and the hard realities of working with living systems. If you want tidy beds, chemical quick-fixes, and zero weeds,
- [Wicking Bed Liners Explained: Are Plastics Safe for Growing Food?](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-liners-explained-are-plastics-safe-for-growing-food/) - People often ask what lining materials are safe for wicking beds, especially when plastic films are involved. In this newsletter Colin Austin explains a practical, engineering-based answer: black polythene is generally fine, clear polythene can work if protected from sunlight, and flexible PVC films are best avoided unless you are confident they meet strict standards.
- [Wicking Beds and Nutrition: Why Soil Quality Matters More Than Water Saving](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-and-nutrition-why-soil-quality-matters-more-than-water-saving/) - Gardening Australia recently showed how to build self-watering containers and asked people to focus on water saving. Colin Austin agrees the design works, but says it risks missing the real benefit of wicking beds: improved nutrition. Modern farming produces cheap, good-looking food, yet often strips soils of minerals and trace elements essential for human health.
- [Wicking Beds and Modern Diets: A Practical Path to Nutrient-Dense Food](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-and-modern-diets-a-practical-path-to-nutrient-dense-food/) - Wicking beds are often promoted as a convenient way to save water and reduce the effort required to grow vegetables. While this is true, it only scratches the surface. In this Shanghai talk, Colin Austin explains how modern wicking bed technology can help address a much deeper problem: diets that deliver abundant energy but lack
- [Ying Yang Food Explained: Nutrient-Dense Growing for Better Health](https://www.gbiota.com/ying-yang-food-explained-nutrient-dense-growing-for-better-health/) - Modern diets often deliver plenty of energy—fats, sugars, and refined carbohydrates—yet fall short on minerals, trace elements, vitamins, omega-3, and plant-based phytochemicals. When these deficits build up, the body can drive cravings for more food, even if that food is still nutrient-poor. The answer is not “a few pills”, but fresh plants grown in mineral-rich
- [Preventing Chronic Diseases with the Gbiota System](https://www.gbiota.com/preventing-chronic-diseases-with-the-gbiota-system-2/) - Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart attacks are not just medical problems – they are the end result of how we grow, process, and eat our food. Why Gbiota Is About More Than Gardening At first glance, Gbiota beds look like something for keen home gardeners – an extension of Wicking Beds, designed to grow
- [Ying Yang System for Optimal Nutrition: Fresh Plants in Wicking Baskets](https://www.gbiota.com/ying-yang-system-for-optimal-nutrition-fresh-plants-in-wicking-baskets/) - This month’s newsletter focuses on wicking baskets, also called the Ying Yang system. While the concept is simple, understanding why and how it works takes much longer. After spending several months in China investigating the rise of diabetes and exploring health-giving plants, I have developed ideas I am eager to share. This system is designed
- [The Truth about Diet and Health: Insights from Colin Austin](https://www.gbiota.com/the-truth-about-diet-and-health-insights-from-colin-austin/) - This August 2014 newsletter explores how to separate reliable science from hype in nutrition and health. It highlights the importance of neurotransmitters, fibre, phytochemicals, and personal observation. Colin Austin shares his personal experiments with diet, including vegan and largely vegetarian approaches, and draws lessons from Chinese cuisine, aiming to create a practical, enjoyable, and nutrient-rich
- [Fresh Vegetables Made Easy: Wicking Baskets for Health and Nutrition](https://www.gbiota.com/fresh-vegetables-made-easy-wicking-baskets-for-health-and-nutrition/) - The wicking basket system is revolutionising access to nutrient-rich, home-grown food. By providing a simple, low-maintenance way to grow fresh vegetables packed with essential phytonutrients, this system helps combat diabetes, heart disease, and other diet-related illnesses. Starting with a trial in the Wide Bay area, the initiative aims to expand to cities and beyond, making
- [Grow Fresh Vegetables with Wicking Baskets and Beat Processed Foods](https://www.gbiota.com/grow-fresh-vegetables-with-wicking-baskets-and-beat-processed-foods/) - The Healthy Food Association is transforming access to nutrient-rich, home-grown food through the innovative wicking basket system. By simplifying cultivation and delivery, even those without gardening experience or space can enjoy fresh vegetables with maximum nutritional value. This social business model empowers growers, supports communities, and promotes healthier diets while challenging the dominance of processed
- [Taming the Hungry Beast: Understanding Sugar Addiction and Diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/taming-the-hungry-beast-understanding-sugar-addiction-and-diabetes/) - High-fructose sweeteners and ultra-processed foods have created a powerful, addictive drive in many people — a “hungry beast” that drives overconsumption and fuels diabetes and related illnesses. While medical advice to eat more vegetables is sound, real-world barriers — taste, food quality, addictive food design, and social factors — make change difficult. This article examines
- [The Rise of the Hungry Beast: How Processed Foods Drive Diabetes and Illness](https://www.gbiota.com/the-rise-of-the-hungry-beast-how-processed-foods-drive-diabetes-and-illness/) - Modern technology has transformed the world by boosting productivity, lowering costs, and giving us access to more food and products than ever before. But this same progress has also created powerful global systems that influence how food is made, sold, and consumed. Hidden sugars, addictive processed foods, and declining nutrition are feeding a “hungry beast”
- [How Home-grown Vegetables and Wicking Beds Can Help Prevent Diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/how-home-grown-vegetables-and-wicking-beds-can-help-prevent-diabetes/) - This newsletter reflects on the human cost of modern diets, particularly diabetes, and the importance of growing fresh vegetables in nutrient-rich soil. It connects this health concern with wicking bed technology — a simple, low-cost way to grow vegetables using water-efficient systems. The author calls for community engagement, better public understanding of diet, and wider
- [How Wicking Worm Beds Maximise Water Efficiency and Boost Plant Growth](https://www.gbiota.com/how-wicking-worm-beds-maximise-water-efficiency-and-boost-plant-growth/) - This article explores the practical and biological principles behind wicking worm beds—a sustainable and water-efficient growing system. By creating an underground water reservoir and fostering a healthy soil ecosystem with worms and microorganisms, these beds deliver water and nutrients directly to plant roots. They maximise productivity, reduce water loss, recycle organic waste, and are suitable
- [Wicking Beds Under Construction: Beginner’s Guide to Reservoir Gardening](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-under-construction-beginners-guide-to-reservoir-gardening/) - This practical guide walks you through building a wicking bed from groundworks to planting. It explains site choice, excavation, liners, reservoir construction, compost/feeder pipes, soil mixes, and establishing soil biology with compost and worms. Emphasis is on simple, low-cost materials, good drainage, and creating a moist root zone that reduces watering and builds fertility. Clear
- [Open vs Closed Wicking Beds: How to Build the Right System](https://www.gbiota.com/open-vs-closed-wicking-beds-how-to-build-the-right-system/) - This article draws on practical instructions for building efficient wicking beds — whether open-in-ground or closed container types. It outlines how to design, construct and maintain these beds to ensure steady moisture, support soil biology, and reduce water waste. With the right liner, soil mix, drainage and reservoir setup, gardens can thrive even in dry
- [Stones vs Organic Materials: Optimising Wicking Bed Performance](https://www.gbiota.com/stones-vs-organic-materials-optimising-wicking-bed-performance/) - This article explores the development and functioning of wicking beds, comparing the use of stones and organic materials. Colin Austin explains the evolution from simple water storage systems to sophisticated microbiological beds, highlighting nutrient cycling, soil health, and climate resilience. Wicking beds combine low-tech engineering with natural processes to enhance plant growth, improve water efficiency,
- [New Developments in Wicking Bed Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/new-developments-in-wicking-bed-technology/) - This article explores the latest developments in wicking bed technology, highlighting design innovations, soil improvements, and water management strategies. Modern wicking beds combine sustainable materials, efficient water use, and healthy soil biology to create resilient, productive gardens. From urban balconies to community gardens, these systems allow gardeners to grow food with less water while regenerating
- [Weather and Wicking Beds: How Climate Impacts Gardening and Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/weather-and-wicking-beds-how-climate-impacts-gardening-and-soil/) - This article explores how weather influences the performance of wicking beds. Drawing from Colin Austin’s research and field observations, it explains how rainfall, drought, temperature extremes, and soil biology impact plant growth. Practical guidance is provided for designing, maintaining, and protecting wicking beds in a range of climates, from home gardens to larger agricultural applications.
- [The Complete Guide to Operating Modern Wicking Worm Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/the-complete-guide-to-operating-modern-wicking-worm-beds/) - This article provides a detailed guide on operating modern wicking systems, from small garden boxes to large-scale beds. It explains setup, soil preparation, compost management, worm and microbial care, water techniques, and ongoing maintenance. Following these guidelines ensures water efficiency, healthy plants, and biologically rich soil. Suitable for beginners and experienced gardeners, it helps grow
- [Soil BioPacks: Building Living Soil for Healthier Crops](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-biopacks-building-living-soil-for-healthier-crops/) - This article introduces the Soil BioPack, a living ecosystem of plants, fungi, bacteria, worms, and minerals designed to regenerate soil and improve the health of food crops. By combining synergistic plants with beneficial soil organisms, BioPacks create fertile, biologically active soil. This guide explains how BioPacks are prepared, the roles of plants, fungi, and worms,
- [The Evolution of the Modern Wicking Worm Bed System](https://www.gbiota.com/the-evolution-of-the-modern-wicking-worm-bed-system/) - This article traces how the wicking worm bed developed from simple subsurface watering ideas into a practical, highly productive horticultural system. It covers design improvements, the role of worms and microbes, materials and construction techniques, and how the system conserves water while building soil. Clear, low-tech adaptations make the method suitable for home gardeners, schools
- [Wicking Bed Support: Coaches, Services, and Local Guidance](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-support-coaches-services-and-local-guidance/) - This article gathers experienced gardeners, designers, and permaculture practitioners around Australia (and beyond) who offer advice, design, and construction services for wicking beds. If you want practical guidance on building or managing a wicking bed — from small home gardens to larger systems — these “coaches” may help. Their services include design advice, full-service construction,
- [Sustainable Food Security Strategies for Local Communities](https://www.gbiota.com/sustainable-food-security-strategies-for-local-communities/) - Food security is a critical challenge as climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity threaten global food production. This article explores practical solutions to improve soil health, water efficiency, and sustainable agriculture, emphasizing the importance of community-based approaches. By integrating soil regeneration, wicking bed technology, and carbon capture, farmers and communities can ensure long-term food
- [Solving the Food Crisis with Soil, Water, and Community Action](https://www.gbiota.com/solving-the-food-crisis-with-soil-water-and-community-action/) - This article explores the global food system, highlighting the importance of healthy soils, sustainable water use, and the role of technology in ensuring food security. It examines the challenges of soil degradation, inefficient water management, and socio-economic issues in food distribution. By understanding the science behind soil biology and nutrient cycles, communities can work together
- [Diabetes and Phytochemicals for Healthy Blood Sugar](https://www.gbiota.com/diabetes-and-phytochemicals-for-healthy-blood-sugar/) - Diabetes is a complex and potentially life-altering condition, but our diet — especially fresh, nutrient-rich vegetables and herbs — can play a crucial role in managing it. By understanding the importance of phytochemicals, trace minerals, and biologically active soil, we can make better food choices that support blood sugar control and overall health. Growing your
- [The Science of Nutrition: Why Soil and Trace Minerals Matter](https://www.gbiota.com/the-science-of-nutrition-why-soil-and-trace-minerals-matter/) - This article explores why many popular “health foods” and diet products — often promoted with flashy adverts and “scientific” claims — are misleading. I will explain how true science works (with rigorous experiments, peer review, and real data) and contrast this with marketing hype. I believe diet advice should be based on soil‑biology, trace minerals
- [The Biology Revolution: How Living Soils Transform Food Production](https://www.gbiota.com/the-biology-revolution-how-living-soils-transform-food-production/) - 'The Biology Revolution' explains how working with living soils can transform food production. Healthy, biologically active soil improves nutrient availability, water retention, and plant resilience. The article offers practical guidance for gardens and wicking beds, helping people grow nutrient-rich, sustainable food. By focusing on soil ecosystems instead of chemicals, gardeners can produce healthier crops, reduce
- [Homegrown Nutrition: Wicking Beds for Healthy Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/homegrown-nutrition-wicking-beds-for-healthy-soil/) - Jung Chang, the author of "Wild Swans," highlighted health, belief, and belonging as keys to a good life. This article explains why home food production matters for personal wellbeing and community resilience, showing simple, low-cost wicking bed methods that conserve water, support soil biology, and grow nutrient-rich vegetables. Wild Swans — health, belief and belonging
- [How Soil, Food Quality, and Lifestyle Shape Modern Health](https://www.gbiota.com/how-soil-food-quality-and-lifestyle-shape-modern-health/) - This newsletter explains why some wicking beds fail, why they may smell, and how soil biology, water balance, and nutrients affect plant health. It shares the story behind the development of wicking beds, the mistakes early users made, and the importance of living soil. It also highlights global food quality issues and introduces new plans
- [Why Aeration Matters in Wicking Beds (and How to Improve It)](https://www.gbiota.com/why-aeration-matters-in-wicking-beds-and-how-to-improve-it/) - Healthy plant roots need both water and air. In wicking beds, water rises from a reservoir into the soil, but if the soil becomes too wet, roots can suffocate and the bed can become smelly or unhealthy. This article explains why good aeration — the movement of air through the soil — is essential for
- [Understanding the Core Principles of Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/understanding-the-core-principles-of-wicking-beds/) - Wicking beds work by keeping soil at a consistently moist level through capillary action, using an underground water reservoir instead of frequent surface watering. This improves the water-holding capacity of the soil, supports soil biology (especially fungi), and can help regenerate degraded soils. By widening the volume of soil accessible to plant roots and maintaining
- [Why Fine Soil Outperforms Stones in Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/why-fine-soil-outperforms-stones-in-wicking-beds/) - Using stones or coarse materials in wicking beds is often counterproductive. This guide explains why fine, organic-rich soils perform better, how proper soil structure and biology improve water distribution, nutrient availability, and root health, and how gardeners can optimise their beds for consistent moisture, fertility, and vigorous plant growth. Understanding the limits of stone-based designs
- [Wicking Bed Soil vs Stones: Maximise Water, Nutrients, and Plant Growth](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-soil-vs-stones-maximise-water-nutrients-and-plant-growth/) - This article explains why using stones (or coarse sand) and cloth at the base of wicking beds — a common practice — often undermines their effectiveness. It argues that stones are too coarse to wick water properly, can lead to stagnant, smelly reservoirs, and reduce nutrient availability. Instead, the author recommends using biologically active soil
- [Changing the Diabetes Paradigm](https://www.gbiota.com/changing-the-diabetes-paradigm/) - Colin argues that diabetes is not caused by genetics or fate, but by a modern food system that overwhelms our intelligent control system — our “head brain”, our “gut brain”, and the trillions of microbes that run our internal fuel management. The Real Problem Behind the Diabetes Explosion Fifty years ago, type 2 diabetes was
- [Wicking Bed Technology Explained: Grow Nutrient-Dense Vegetables with Less Water](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-technology-explained-grow-nutrient-dense-vegetables-with-less-water/) - Wicking bed technology is a sustainable gardening method that saves water, improves soil fertility, and promotes healthy plant growth. Using an underground reservoir, water moves up to plant roots through capillary action, reducing waste and enhancing nutrient uptake. Wicking beds support soil biology, beneficial microbes, and fungi, allowing gardeners to grow nutrient-rich vegetables with less
- [Dodging Diabesity](https://www.gbiota.com/dodging-diabesity/) - “Diabesity” is Colin’s word for the modern epidemic of diet-related disease – diabetes, obesity, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, leaky gut and more – driven by the way we grow and process food, and how that food changes our gut biology. What Is Diabesity – And Why Is It Exploding? In just a few decades, “diabesity”
- [Soil Regeneration for Healthy and Sustainable Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-regeneration-for-healthy-and-sustainable-wicking-beds/) - This article argues that human health and soil health are intimately linked: modern food often lacks essential minerals and phytochemicals because soils are depleted. By growing our own food using biologically active soils — for example in wicking beds — we can restore missing nutrients, support soil ecology, and produce food that helps regenerate our
- [How to Build Water‑Retaining Soil with Sponge and Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/sponge-and-wicking-beds-how-to-build-fertile-water-retaining-soil/) - This article explores the principles of regenerating soil for vegetable growing using wicking bed baskets. It highlights how soil biology, water management, and mineral balance are crucial for producing nutrient-dense food. Drawing from global observations, from equatorial forests to desert and savannah soils, it explains how to work with natural processes to restore degraded land.
- [Personal Motives](https://www.gbiota.com/personal-motives/) - This project is not an abstract health theory for me – it began with watching my wife battle diabetes, face possible amputation, and being told there was no hope of reversing it. Why Diabetes Became Personal We are all aware of the damage caused by non-infectious diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes. They
- [Principles of a Gbiota Bed](https://www.gbiota.com/principles-of-a-gbiota-bed/) - The Gbiota bed is designed with a single purpose: to grow food in biologically rich soil so we can restore our gut biology and improve our health. Aims and Ambitions The long-term goal of the Gbiota project is ambitious—to help shift our food system so everyone can access genuinely healthy food. In the shorter term,
- [Mk 11 Wicking Beds: Efficient Gardening for Vegetables](https://www.gbiota.com/mk-11-wicking-beds-efficient-gardening-for-vegetables/) - This newsletter explains the principles and practical use of Mk 11 wicking beds, a system designed to save water, recycle nutrients, and grow healthy vegetables efficiently. It covers water management, soil preparation, plant selection, and common misconceptions about stagnant water and reservoir designs. By understanding wicking bed function and biology, gardeners can produce nutrient-rich food
- [The Gbiota Project](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-project-2/) - The Gbiota project is about one simple idea: growing food in biologically active soil to improve our gut biology, restore essential nutrients, and help prevent the chronic diseases now dominating global health. The aim of the Gbiota Club is to share practical knowledge about how to grow food that actually makes us healthier. Anyone can
- [Preventing Chronic Diseases with the Gbiota System](https://www.gbiota.com/preventing-chronic-diseases-with-the-gbiota-system/) - Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart attacks are not just medical problems – they are the end result of how we grow, process, and eat our food. Why Gbiota Is About More Than Gardening At first glance, Gbiota beds look like something for keen home gardeners – an extension of Wicking Beds, designed to grow
- [Mk 11 Wicking Beds for Nutrient-Rich Gardening](https://www.gbiota.com/mk-11-wicking-beds-for-nutrient-rich-gardening/) - Wicking beds Mk 11 provide a practical, low-cost solution for growing nutrient-rich vegetables at home. By carefully separating air and water layers, supporting healthy roots, and adding essential minerals, these beds enable small-scale urban gardening that improves diet quality, supports soil biology, and encourages sustainable food production. Introduction Wicking beds have become a popular method
- [The Gbiota Club](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-club/) - Why changing how we grow food may be the key to changing our gut biology — and our health. This is an invitation to join the Gbiota Club. Why form a club at all? Because if we want to improve our health by improving our gut biology, we need a practical system — a top-down
- [Sponge Beds for Gardening: Create Fertile, Water-Retaining Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/sponge-beds-for-gardening-create-fertile-water-retaining-soil/) - Sponge beds are a low-cost method for building biologically active, mineral-rich soil from poor parent material. They use recycled organic waste, staged composting, targeted mineral additions (especially calcium and trace elements), and plant selection to create porous, water-retaining soils that support mycorrhizae and diverse soil life. Sponge beds are designed to produce nutrient-dense food for
- [How to Grow (or Buy) Healthy Food](https://www.gbiota.com/how-to-grow-or-buy-healthy-food/) - Why our modern diet is failing us—and how real health begins in the soil. A Personal Story: Why Diet Matters When Xiulan first came to Australia, she was fit, slim, and healthy. Three years later she was diagnosed with diabetes. What followed was a mess of conflicting dietary advice, hunger swings, failing eyesight, and eventually
- [Tips for Preventing Stinky Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/tips-for-preventing-stinky-wicking-beds/) - This article explains why some wicking beds can smell bad and, more importantly, how to prevent or fix that problem. Stinky wicking beds usually happen when water becomes stagnant and has no air, causing bad bacteria to grow. The solutions are based on understanding how wicking beds work — how water moves, how plant roots
- [Soils to Supply Essential Nutrients](https://www.gbiota.com/soils-to-supply-essential-nutrients/) - This newsletter explains why healthy soil is fundamental to healthy food and healthy people. It shows how modern processed food is full of sugar, fat and salt but often lacks the minerals that our bodies — especially our bones, organs and DNA — need. The article describes how soil enriched with minerals and living biology
- [WickiMix Manual: Practical Guide to Soil and Bed Management](https://www.gbiota.com/wickimix-manual-practical-guide-to-soil-and-bed-management/) - The WickiMix system is a practical soil management method designed for wicking beds, sponge beds, and conventional garden beds. By combining living soil inoculants, organic waste, and mineral amendments, gardeners can create fertile, biologically active soils that retain water and nutrients efficiently. This guide explains the components, preparation, and use of WickiMix-R and WickiMix-M, plus
- [Soil Biology — The Key to Healthy Soil and Nutrition](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-biology-the-key-to-healthy-soil-and-nutrition/) - This article explains why soil biology is the foundation of healthy, fertile soil — not just chemistry or texture. Living soil, alive with microbes, fungi, roots and organic matter, unlocks minerals, retains water, forms proper structure, and supports plants that nourish us. By understanding how soil biology works and how it interacts with soil chemistry
- [Real Soil — Why Soil Life Matters for Our Health](https://www.gbiota.com/real-soil-why-soil-life-matters-for-our-health/) - This article argues that true human health begins with living soil. It explains how modern processed‑food systems, intensive farming and sterile soils undermine nutrient density and gut biology. Real soil is alive — a complex ecosystem of microbes, fungi, minerals and organic matter. By restoring soil biology and growing our own food in living soil
- [WickiMix: A Practical Approach to Living Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/wickimix-a-practical-approach-to-living-soil/) - This article presents the principles of “WickiMix” soil preparation for wicking beds in a clear and memorable way. It explains how combining minerals, compost, organic matter, and biological activity creates fertile, water-retentive soils that support healthy plant growth. By understanding these steps and how soil biology, mineral availability, and soil structure interact, gardeners can transform
- [Soils, Minerals and Biological Health](https://www.gbiota.com/soils-minerals-and-biological-health/) - This article explains why truly “living soil” is essential to good health. It describes how trace minerals, soil biology and proper soil structure work together to convert raw earth into nutrient‑rich soil that feeds plants — and ultimately us. By building soils that hold water, minerals, and life, you can grow food which supports gut
- [The Gbiota Club — Growing Soil, Food, and Human Health](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-club-growing-soil-food-and-human-health/) - The Gbiota Club helps people grow nutrient-rich food using living soils. Members learn practical gardening and wicking bed techniques, improve soil biology, and support human health. The Club offers guidance, resources, and a community to produce sustainable, nutrient-dense food while highlighting the link between soil, plants, and wellbeing. Invitation & Purpose The Gbiota Club brings
- [Transforming Parent Soils for Healthy Growing](https://www.gbiota.com/transforming-parent-soils-for-healthy-growing/) - This article explains how to turn basic soils — like clay, sand, or potting mix — into fertile, living soils for gardens or wicking beds. By adding organic matter, minerals, and encouraging soil biology, you can create soil that holds water, releases nutrients effectively, and supports healthy plant growth. Understanding how soil works helps gardeners
- [How Nature Creates Soil: Understanding the Journey of Soil Formation Across the Earth](https://www.gbiota.com/how-nature-creates-soil-understanding-the-journey-of-soil-formation-across-the-earth/) - Soil is the foundation of life, yet often overlooked. Modern agriculture treats it as inert, managed by chemicals rather than understood as a living system. In reality, soil forms through complex interactions of water, minerals, climate and biology. Understanding these processes is essential for sustainable food production and human health. A Global Perspective on Soil
- [Growing for Health: A Community Guide to Nutrient-Dense Food Production](https://www.gbiota.com/growing-for-health-a-community-guide-to-nutrient-dense-food-production/) - Growing for Health: A Community Guide to Nutrient-Dense Food ProductionThis document is a condensed and reorganised version of the “Xiulan” material: a practical, chapter-based account that links diet, soil, plants and health. It explains why modern food systems have undermined nutrient density, how mechanistic understanding (not just statistics) clarifies the problems, and outlines pragmatic steps
- [The Development of Wicking Beds through Soil and Water Systems](https://www.gbiota.com/the-development-of-wicking-beds-through-soil-and-water-systems/) - The Development of Wicking Beds through Soil and Water Systems This blog explains how wicking beds were developed and why they work so well for growing healthy plants. It breaks down the science of soil, water movement, and plant roots in simple terms so anyone can understand it. You will learn how good soil helps
- [Gut Biology from Food](https://www.gbiota.com/gut-biology-from-food/) - Gut Biology from FoodThis article explores how healthy soils and biologically active plants support human gut health. The GBiota system combines minerals, compost tea, and organic matter in wicking beds to grow nutrient-rich vegetables that enhance beneficial gut microbes. By understanding and managing soil biology, we can improve the nutritional quality of food naturally. A
- [Soils to Grow Food That Will Make Us Healthy](https://www.gbiota.com/soils-to-grow-food-that-will-make-us-healthy/) - This article explains how healthy soil supports plants that provide essential nutrients and phytonutrients for human health. By understanding and enhancing natural soil processes, we can grow nutrient-rich plants and create resilient, biologically active ecosystems. Part 1: Any Road Won’t Do The goal of this series is to explore how to create soils that support
- [Living Soils, Fungal Composting and Health](https://www.gbiota.com/living-soils-fungal-composting-and-health/) - The food we eat has a dramatic effect on our health. In the modern food system,mega corporations heavily promote highly processed foods that are loaded withsugars, fats, and salt yet low in essential vitamins and minerals. This is aserious issue that contributes to the world’s most widespread health crisis —a metabolic epidemic resulting in overweight,
- [Phytonutrients](https://www.gbiota.com/phytonutrients/) - When I was about 5, I was a naughty boy. We were told that we were not allowed to pick apples from the Coxes’ Orange tree in our garden because they were ‘keepers’, which we needed to save for winter. One day, my parents were out so I picked one and had never tasted anything
- [How I Grow Wickimix](https://www.gbiota.com/how-i-grow-wickimix/) - WickiMix is grown based on the practical observation that good soil is formed in the root zone of specific plants. My aim is therefore to select plants which will help form soil. We understand that soil is formed by the synergistic relationship between plants and soils – but it is not a simple question of selecting
- [Why WickiMix?](https://www.gbiota.com/why-wickimix/) - Modern humans are the end result of millions of years of evolution. Our food was generally low in energy, high in fibre and rich in minerals and trace elements. Our bodies are adapted to this diet. A wide range of plants grew together in soil, developing synergistic relations – for example some plants being good
- [Soils for Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/soils-for-wicking-beds/) - Many people think wicking beds are just to save water; the most important feature however is creating a mini ecology with a complex soil biology which can release nutrients and trace elements in the soil so the plants are rich in phytochemicals to improve health. This article shows how even poor soil can be regenerated
- [Health Starts in the Soil & Community Supported Agriculture](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-community-supported-agriculture/) - Human health begins in the soil that feeds our food and ultimately our gut microbes. Healthy, biologically rich soil creates healthy plants, which support a healthy gut, which supports a healthy intelligent control system. Community-supported models help reconnect people with genuinely fresh, living food. Health starts in the soil Cold hard fact. If you want
- [Intelligent Control System & Blue Zones](https://www.gbiota.com/19733-2/) - Our intelligent control system, shaped by evolution and supported by gut biology, regulates appetite, fat storage, cravings and long-term health. Blue Zone communities — where people live active lives into their 90s and 100s — reveal how feeding this system with nutrient-rich, microbe-rich foods supports lifelong wellbeing. Feed our brains, our head brain and our
- [Food for Health & Growing](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-health-growing/) - The intelligent control system that manages appetite, fat storage and overall health depends on nutrients and soil-based microbes found in genuinely fresh, biologically active food. Understanding how food works — and how to grow it — is the foundation of long-term health. Food for Health Food is the key to health. Junk food is tasty,
- [Breed Beneficial Gut Microbes at Home](https://www.gbiota.com/breed-beneficial-gut-microbes-at-home/) - Our intelligent control system depends on living microbes that originate in healthy soil. By learning how to breed and maintain these beneficial microbes at home, anyone — even in an apartment — can restore the gut biology that regulates appetite, immunity and long-term health. A healthy gut is essential for health as it manufactures the
- [Gbiota Technology: Gut–Brain Food and Eco-Balance](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-technology-gut-brain-food-and-eco-balance/) - Our intelligent control system relies on the biology of living soil — the microbes, minerals and ecosystem cycles that humans evolved alongside. When modern food breaks this relationship, health declines, but Gbiota methods restore the natural gut–soil connection our bodies depend on. Gbiota what? The essence The microbes in our gut have swarm intelligence, which
- [The Essence of Life and Our Intelligent Control System](https://www.gbiota.com/the-essence-of-life/) - Our bodies are regulated by an intelligent control system that evolved over millions of years. This system manages appetite, fat storage, immunity, energy, and long-term health — but it only functions properly when we feed it the biology and nutrients it expects from natural food grown in living soil. Everyone has an intelligent control system,
- [The Wicking – Gbiota Bed Story](https://www.gbiota.com/the-wicking-gbiota-bed-story/) - For the past twenty years I have been working to change how we grow and think about food. I pioneered Wicking beds, gave them their name, and watched them spread around the world — often with technical misinformation that I now hope to correct. I am writing a book about how we need to change
- [Health Starts in the Soil Part 3](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-3-gbiota/) - The trillions of cells in our guts do more than digest food. They form part of an intelligent control system that manages how our bodies store fat. We need to store fat; this is natural. But if the control system is not working correctly, fat is stored in the wrong places — in vital organs
- [Bed Depths for Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/bed-depths-for-wicking-beds/) - Many people have asked about the depths of the beds. The rules are pretty simple. The reservoir zone should always be less than the maximum wicking height of water in that medium. If you make it deeper then the water will never be pulled out of the bed and you will be left with a stinking
- [How Water Moves in Soil: Gravity, Flow & Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/how-water-moves-in-soil-gravity-flow-biology/) - While the physical construction of the bed may not be so important it is essential to follow certain rules to ensure the water moves in the desired way. This can easily be achieved by following the advice later but it does help to understand the mechanics of how water moves through the soil. This may
- [Food, health and sustainability](https://www.gbiota.com/eco-education-in-our-lives-we-can-change-the-future/) - Our food should keep us healthy and be produced in a sustainable way. A couple of hundred thousand years ago, when we were hunter-gatherers with a population of just a few thousand, there was an abundance of land and natural resources. Now, as our population approaches ten billion, we need a new technology. We simply
- [Soil for Wicking Beds: Biology, Minerals and Health](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-for-wicking-beds-biology-minerals-and-health/) - Healthy Plants vs Plants That Make Us Healthy The most common question I am asked is about soils for wicking beds. That’s as it should be, because soil is the most important factor in ensuring wicking beds work properly. Let me start by saying that I am not interested in growing healthy plants. I am interested
- [Soil Biology: The Key to Healthy Wicking Soils](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-biology-the-key-to-healthy-wicking-soils/) - Soil biology is the key — my aim with WickiMix is to provide a concentrate and inoculant where people can create their own healthy soil from what would otherwise be waste. It is only needed in small quantities to avoid excessive transport costs. The three key elements of soil are the chemistry, the physics and
- [Soil Journey: How Nature Creates Fertile Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-journey-how-nature-creates-fertile-soil/) - Where to start regenerating soil? Well nature has been making soil for a few billion years so let us see what we can learn by taking a trip from the equator to the poles. The equatorial zone Despite the fact that equatorial soil gives the impression of being rich they are really very poor. The
- [Real Soil: Growing Healthy Food in Living Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/real-soil-growing-healthy-food-in-living-soil/) - I am a great believer in science, however I am concerned about the way science is used (or abused). Antibiotics must be one of the great achievements of science, saving countless lives, yet we feed antibiotics to animals simply because it makes them grow fatter and faster, which makes more profit. Next time you or
- [Transforming Parent Soils for Healthy Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/transforming-parent-soils-for-healthy-wicking-beds/) - Parent soils, such as clay, sands and potting mixes can be transformed into soils suitable for wicking beds. Here we start by looking at what characteristics we should aim for. The importance of biology Most people understand that the current system of factory farming and processing food is unhealthy - too much fat, sugars and
- [Types of Wicking Beds for Healthy Soil & Plants](https://www.gbiota.com/types-of-wicking-beds-for-healthy-soil-plants/) - Wicking systems rely on the attraction between soil and water so water (and nutrients) will rise up from a water storage to the soil where the plant is growing. Here we review the various systems and conclude that the soil is the most important factor. Wicking Flower Pots A flower pot sitting in a saucer
- [Why We Need to Change the Modern Food System](https://www.gbiota.com/why-do-we-need-to-change-the-food-system/) - For the first few billion years the earth was just a barren rock. Then microbes appeared, they broke down the rocks and made soil which led to plants flourishing. Next came animals that ate the plants which were full of microbes so some microbes ended up in the guts of these animals. These microbes digested
- [Energy and Regeneration in Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/energy-and-regeneration-in-wicking-beds/) - Food gives us energy and regenerates our bodies. Most commercial foods now contain a lot of energy or calories based on simple hydrocarbons but lack the complex chemicals needed to regenerate our bodies are much more complex. Our bodies are in a continuous state of regeneration, we may not realise this is happening as there
- [How to Replenish Your Gut Microbes](https://www.gbiota.com/replenishing-our-gut-microbes/) - The microbes in our gut are critical for our health but in an effort to feed the ever increasing population and avoid infectious diseases we have adopted a food system which no longer breeds the beneficial microbes we need. But we can modify the traditional way we bred microbes by carefully controlling the conditions so the beneficial microbes out compete the harmful microbes. This is a powerful tool in combating the current epidemic of chronic diseases.
- [The Gbiota Mission](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-mission/) - The Gbiota technology breeds beneficial microbes in the soil. Plants are grown in the soil which when eaten, transports the microbes from the soil into our guts. The microbes in our gut have intelligence and regulate our appetite, how much and where we store fat, much of our immune system and our physiological well-being. It is a simple and inexpensive process, but microbes have a short life, so the plants must be harvested and eaten straight away, which in practice means people growing their own plants at home.
- [Breeding your own gut microbes](https://www.gbiota.com/breeding-your-gut-microbes/) - We may live in our cities of concrete and steel, but we are totally dependent on the Earth’s Ecosystem to survive. photosynthesisOur energy comes from the sun captured by photosynthesis from the plants, plankton or algae. Our nutrients come from rocks, broken down by fungi, while the system of digestion and natural replacement is powered by the microbes. But the microbes do more than that, they communicate with each other in our gut, creating natural intelligence which regulates our appetite, how much and where we store fat. Sustained life is not possible without microbes.
- [Extinction or survive and thrive](https://www.gbiota.com/extinction-or-survive-and-thrive/) - The wrong fat in the wrong place is at the core of the modern epidemic of chronic diseases. Three out of four people now die from a chronic disease, which is crippling our health system, leading to 8 million people a year suffering from an unnecessary diabetic amputation, and is a direct result of misapplication of modern technology. colin austinThere are some who say that modern technology will lead to the extinction of our species. Most people dismiss this as alarmist, green woke talk. But who is right?
- [The Gbiota Story](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-story/) - The Gbiota Story
- [Weekly meeting in companies Think Room](https://www.gbiota.com/weekly-meeting-in-companies-think-room/) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. In enim justo,
- [We are optimist who love to work together](https://www.gbiota.com/we-are-optimist-who-love-to-work-together/) - Adipiscing elit commodo ligula eget dolor Morlem ipsum dolor sit amet nec, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes. Morlem ipsum dolor sit amet nec penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes. Morlem ipsum dolor sit amet nec, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor.
- [Key Principles of Professional English](https://www.gbiota.com/key-principles-of-professional-english/) - Professional English, whether written or spoken, prioritizes clarity, conciseness, respect, and accuracy. It's about communicating effectively and building credibility. Here are some core principles: Clarity: Is your message easy to understand? Avoid jargon, complex sentence structures, and ambiguity. Conciseness: Can you say it in fewer words without losing meaning? Get straight to the point. Accuracy:
- [Will it work?](https://www.gbiota.com/will-it-work/) - I may be a woke greenie concerned about the communities well being but I read a lot. One morning I was having my after breakfast read, this time “I’m So effing hungry” by Dr. Amy Shah when I was hit by a bomb shell if you are a pessimist or a light bulb moment if your are an optimist. You see for years I have been working on the problem of chronic disease, or more specifically why eight million people a year have a limb chopped off from diabetes.
- [Changing the system](https://www.gbiota.com/changing-the-system/) - We all want to live a long and healthy life, free of disease. That depends very much on the food we eat. We need food for energy. Our modern food system provides us with abundant energy food. We need to build and replace our body parts as they age and wear. This requires many complex chemicals which need a broad spectrum of nutrients and vitamins. Our modern food system barely scrapes a pass. Gut-brain food We need food to feed and replenish the microbes in our gut. Our modern system fails here.
- [What does Gbiota do?](https://www.gbiota.com/what-does-gbiota-do/) - Gbiota enables people to breed beneficial microbes at home under controlled conditions so the beneficial microbes out-breed any harmful microbes. To live a long and healthy life you need beneficial gut microbes. It is easy, beneficial gut microbes breed incredibly fast, doubling every twenty minutes 1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128……….. 4722366482869645213696 at the end of just one day. This is not something weird or new. While you have been reading this, you will have grown a few thousand beneficial microbes in your gut without even thinking, or even knowing that you have been growing beneficial microbes.
- [How to make a statement in a session](https://www.gbiota.com/how-to-make-a-statement-in-a-session/) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. In enim justo,
- [Gbiota Overview](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-overview-may-25/) - Necessity is the mother of invention In my case, necessity came from my wife, a medical doctor, who developed diabetes. It got progressively worse to the point where her foot was turning black, and our medical advisers were saying that she needed to have her foot amputated. Having a foot chopped off is not something you want to make a hobby of, so that created the necessity - how to stop people from having a leg chopped off from diabetes. This was not just a personal issue; eight million people a year suffer from a diabetic amputation,
- [The quiet conflict](https://www.gbiota.com/17551-2/) - The world is in a state of quiet conflict between those who care about their fellow humans and their future and the anti-woke destructors. The battleground is food that keeps us healthy. We have an abundance of food, modern technology has increased, (and continues to increase), the production of energy food faster than the increase in population but it is failing to produce the food that sustains our gut microbes which control our bodies, particularly our appetite. Without a functioning control system, we are like a high performance car with a drunk at the wheel.
- [A compassionate society](https://www.gbiota.com/17373-2/) - Life is good, we are living longer and the supermarkets are full of healthy food. Sounds great but is it true? My daughter, when she was about seven taught me a valuable lesson. She said she believed in Father Christmas because if she stopped believing she may not get any presents. But the other kids around her told her that Father Christmas was not real and it was mum and dad that bought the presents so she stopped believing. There is a very real problem with our food.
- [Understanding your gut-brain](https://www.gbiota.com/understanding-yuor-gut-brain/) - We show the process of - breeding beneficial microbes in organic - growing plants in this soil using the flood and flush system so the soil breathes and soil blood (like our blood) is regularly circulated - the microbes enter the plants which we eat to form our gut biome - the microbes sense if the available food is deficient, when it will send our hormones to make us crave the missing food, and if there is sufficient send out other hormones so we feel satisfied and stop eating. It worked well until we changed our food system to produce hygienic but inert foods.
- [Innovation is a funny business](https://www.gbiota.com/innovation-is-a-funny-business/) - Let us look at the story of food and health. In the past, and that means going back a million years to the first humanoids there was no epidemic of chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart attack and dementia. These are all caused by the wrong fat in the wrong place and we had evolved a very effective system in which our gut would sense if there were any deficiencies in our diet and send out a hormone complex so we craved the needed food. When satisfied it would send out other hormones saying stop eating you are full.
- [Good microbes](https://www.gbiota.com/good-microbes/) - You can grow the good gut-bugs at home in containers, gbiota baskets – even if you live in an apartment with no garden and no growing experience. You grow plants which lead to a healthy gut-biome. You change your gut biota by diet – eating plants grown in soil teaming with beneficial microbes and eaten shortly after picking while fresh. We show you how. If you are a grower we can help you set up a good business supplying gbiota baskets to customers wanting to grow their own gut-bugs and be fit and healthy.
- [Food Change](https://www.gbiota.com/food-change/) - For the first few billion years the earth was just a barren rock. Then microbes appeared, they broke down the rocks and made soil which led to plants flourishing. Next came animals that ate the plants which were full of microbes so some microbes ended up in the guts of these animals These microbes digested the animal’s food, manufacturing the spectrum of complex chemicals the animals needed and regulating appetite, sending out specific hormones to make the animals hungry f when they were low in a particular food and yet other hormones so they would stop eating when full.
- [Managing Change](https://www.gbiota.com/managing-change/) - The third mega-change If you think the world is going through a difficult period you are right. We are going through our third mega-change and managing this change is not going to be easy. But we can learn from looking at the two previous mega changes. Mega change no 1 - Fire and cooking The biggest change was the use of fire for cooking over a million years ago. The results were dramatic - more nutrients led to bigger brains and smaller guts. Fire changed us humans creating a new, very different creature. Humans became the dominant creature.
- [hormones](https://www.gbiota.com/hormones/) - Hormones that control our appetite
- [Superclinics](https://www.gbiota.com/superclinics/) - We are facing an epidemic of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. In the real world people just carry on with their normal life until their health deteriorates to the point where they need to go to a doctor who tries to cure them. This is at great personal burden to the individual and financial cost to our health system. Prevention is better than cure. I am suggesting setting up a network of prevention super clinics. The basic cause of chronic disease is deficiencies in our diet, specifically beneficial gut microbes and trace minerals.
- [Integration trials](https://www.gbiota.com/integration-trials/) - Surely the aim for any community is for its members to live a long and healthy life. Yet we are not doing that well with well over half the population suffering from some form of chronic disease, maybe just a bit podgy, maybe in fear of having a limb amputated from diabetes or worse of all dementia, sitting in a chair, covered with blanket to hide that you have just peed your pants and wondering who those pesky kids are who keep on calling you granddad.
- [Ignobels](https://www.gbiota.com/ignobels/) - I have created this section for health professionals. This may seem a little odd as I have no medical qualifications apart from being married to a medical doctor, who became diabetic, her foot turned black and our medical advisers were talking about amputation, but we changed her diet and she still has both feet. But I am not a drongo, I am an engineer I was selected by the Institute of Engineers as one of Australia’s leading innovators for my pioneering work in Computer Aided Engineering.
- [Health Professionals](https://www.gbiota.com/health-professionals/) - Why is it that some people are fit and healthy, enjoy a long health span with hardly a visit to the doctor while despite the sophistication of modern medical research does the epidemic of chronic diseases continues to increase causing a great deal of personal grief and costing health systems trillions of dollars? Why is it that some people are slim, fit and healthy and others are fat and sick? Maybe it is time to take a moment out of the rush of modern living and have a deep think.
- [Health span or Epidemic](https://www.gbiota.com/health-span-or-epidemic/) - Why is it that some people are fit and healthy, enjoy a long health span with hardly a visit to the doctor while despite the sophistication of modern medical research does the epidemic of chronic diseases continues to increase causing a great deal of personal grief and costing health systems trillions of dollars? Why is it that some people are slim, fit and healthy and others are fat and sick? Maybe it is time to take a moment out of the rush of modern living and have a deep think.
- [Change for the better](https://www.gbiota.com/change-for-the-better/) - Gbiota, at its core, is still about paradigm shifting but the scale of the battle is just so much bigger. Chronic diseases are the biggest health problem across the globe. Being overweight is everywhere, don’t bother about statistics just go to the local shopping centre. Diabetes is the most rapidly expanding disease with eight million people a year suffering from a limb amputation, heart attacks are the most common cause of death and at eighty-five
- [Intelligence](https://www.gbiota.com/intelligence/) - Our gut-brain comprises trillions of cells which communicate with their neighbours to create swarm or group intelligence which regulates our bodies - our intelligent control system. If our gut brain feels satisfied it will send out hormones which make us feel satisfied. GLP-1 is the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic, Seaglitude and Wegovy. This is a naturally occurring hormone which our body produces automatically to tell us we are full and should stop eating. Our bodies, specifically our gut, normally produce this for free. But our modern diet, dominated by ultra-processed food is deficient in the foods to feed.
- [Taste, hunger and healthspan](https://www.gbiota.com/taste-hunger-and-healthspan/) - Is humanity in danger of extinction? Probably not. Is our modern comfortable lifestyle in danger of extinction? Definitely yes and it is happening right now. Can we do anything to avoid this? Yes - but it takes a bit of effort to understand the problem and do something about it. What is the biggest problem? Food - there is plenty of food - that is not the problem - modern food is making us fat and sick. We need food that will lead to a long and healthy life. Is this a technical problem? No - we know how to by growing food.
- [Gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/gut-health-5/) - There are trillions of microbes of thousands of species in your gut. Each cell can communicate with its neighbour to create swarm intelligence which controls our bodies, including our appetite. If we have a healthy gut we can look forward to a long and healthy life. Gut bugs are easy to breed, they breed like crazy So why isn’t everyone breeding their own gut bugs? Because there are bad bugs which also breed easily and make us fat and sick. So how can we breed the good bugs without breeding the bad bugs?
- [The Health Myth](https://www.gbiota.com/the-health-myth/) - Across the globe people are getting fat leading to an epidemic of chronic diseases. Here is why and what we can so about it. In our gut, we have trillions of microbes of thousands of different species. We know about swarm or crowd intelligence from studying swarms in nature, in birds, bees, and insects - particularly ants and bees and of course that freak of nature slime moulds. Each insignificant microbes or cell can communicate with its neighbours, our head brain, and an array of sensors throughout our body to form our intelligent control system which regulates our bodies.
- [Fake food](https://www.gbiota.com/fake-food/) - An Introduction to the Gbiota Movement for a Healthier Future With eight billion people on Earth, food production has dramatically increased, yet humanity now faces two significant threats: climate change and the degradation of soil due to industrial farming practices. His has led to an epidemic of of chronic diseases linked to poor nutrition. The key to combating both lies in an often-overlooked factor—microbes. This article dives into the intricate world of gut biota and its influence on health, weight, and disease prevention. It highlights Gbiota technology, a sustainable system aimed at breeding beneficial microbes
- [Health Challenge](https://www.gbiota.com/health-challenge/) - Ask around “What is the biggest health challenge?” no not dinosaurs, you are likely to get the very short answer “fat” for the simple reason that the wrong fat in the wrong place is the underlying cause of chronic diseases – obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. This is a problem across the globe affecting billions of people and costing Government trillions of dollars in health care costs. So how are we going to fix this – for a start Governments should stop telling people to eat less, that has never worked and never will, is technically wrong.
- [Your choice](https://www.gbiota.com/your-choice/) - We are at a crossroads and have two options. In option one we can live in a society dominated by marketing hype, where we buy health bars full of sugars and fats because they are promoted as healthy, where we spend a thousand dollars a month to take drugs like Ozemic in an attempt to get slim but find that after a year our bodies have acclimatised so they no longer work. It takes little effort but costs a lot of money and we destroy the natural resources of the Earth. In option 2 we live in a circular economy where we respect the Earth.
- [Gbiota introduction](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-introduction/) - What is Gbiota? Gbiota is a social movement that aims to create a thriving, sustainable society with a food system designed for long, healthy lives. It emphasizes recycling over depleting Earth's resources and prioritizes community well-being over corporate profits. In essence, it envisions a society that is equitable and enjoyable to live in—both now and for future generations.
- [Organics save us](https://www.gbiota.com/organics-save-us/) - Modern food is that it may be hygienic, triple wrapped in plastics, but it is inert lacking the microbes which form our gut-brain which regulates our appetite so we overeat and get fat and sick from chronic diseases - overweight, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia caused by the wrong fat in the wrong place stemming from overeating. Why we overeat Why do we overeat​? Because of the lack of beneficial microbes in our gut. That regulate our appetite. Modern food may be hygienic but it is deficient in the essential beneficial microbes.
- [Introducing the Gbiota technology](https://www.gbiota.com/introducing-the-gbiota-technology/) - The Gbiota technology breeds beneficial microbes in "Wickimix," a specially enriched soil, for growing nutrient-packed plants that enhance your gut biota that supports natural appetite regulation, combats chronic diseases, and fosters overall well-being. We want to make this as widely available as possible to all people and here is our plan. We train and license skilled growers. They load a mix of organic waste, minerals, and inoculants into raised garden beds together with open mesh Gbiota baskets, like supermarket baskets, and plant with a spectrum of plants.
- [Welcome](https://www.gbiota.com/welcome-2/) - Thrive and survive The microbes in our gut form an integral part of the intelligent control system which regulates our bodies and is vital for health. In the past, these came naturally from the soil and the guts of creatures in the soil via the plants we ate. Our modern food system may be hygienic but is inert and does not feed or replace these essential microbes. This deficiency is the underlying cause of all modern diseases – overweight, diabetes, heart attack and dementia – the big killers of our modern era.
- [Changing the Health Paradigm](https://www.gbiota.com/changing-the-health-paradigm/) - We are living longer, thanks to major advances in medical science. In the past people died, often when young, from infectious diseases now we die predominantly from chronic or non-infectious diseases with three out of four people dying from a chronic disease. We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic diseases - overweight, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and dementia. Medical science may keep us alive for a long time but far worse is that we may live for a long time with poor health. Our life span may be increasing but our health span is not.
- [Mind and body](https://www.gbiota.com/mind-and-body/) - We are living longer, thanks to major advances in medical science. In the past people died, often when young, from infectious diseases now we die predominantly from chronic or non-infectious diseases with three out of four people dying from a chronic disease. We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic diseases overweight, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and dementia. Medical science may keep us alive for a long time but far worse is that we may live for a long time with poor health. Our life span may be increasing but our health span is not.
- [Game changer](https://www.gbiota.com/game-changer/) - As a celebrated engineer recognized for his groundbreaking work in Computer Aided Engineering, Colin’s expertise in adaptive systems sparked a revolutionary idea: What if chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and dementia stem from a malfunctioning intelligent control system within our bodies? Drawing inspiration from swarm intelligence in nature—like the collective behaviour of birds, insects, and even slime moulds – Colin realised the key wasn’t about fully understanding this intricate system. Instead, it was about nurturing it, much like feeding and training a loyal puppy.
- [Summary](https://www.gbiota.com/summary/) - Food is the key to health. Junk food is tasty, convenient, inexpensive but not healthy. Genuine organic food may be healthy but is very expensive. But there is a third type of food which is both healthy and inexpensive, cheaper than junk food and healthier than organic food. How can that possibly be? What is the catch? It takes a little effort to understand how food works in our bodies and to grow, or buy, this food takes a little effort, that is the cost of health. This web is in two main sections.
- [Essence](https://www.gbiota.com/essence/) - Chronic diseases, overweight, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia are the major health issue of our time. They are caused by the wrong fat in the wrong place. Conventional thinking is that this is caused by eating more than we use, the calorie balance theory. This theory I almost universally promoted and is the accepted norm. It does explain how we get fat and sick but does not explain why. Why is because we have an intelligent controls system which regulates our bodies. If it senses any deficiencies it will send out hunger signals so we eat more.
- [The Trial](https://www.gbiota.com/the-trial/) - We know that the world’s biggest health issue is the epidemic of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia and that these are caused by the wrong fat in the wrong place. We think we know how to fix it, eat less and exercise more but we have been trying that for decades and we know for sure that it has not worked, people are getting fatter and diabetes is the fastest-growing disease on the planet. We live in an age of hyper-activity. Everyone is heads down with busy work but maybe it is time to take a break and have a bit of a think.
- [Healthy food - intro](https://www.gbiota.com/healthy-food-intro/) - Junk food is tasty, convenient, inexpensive but not healthy. Genuine organic food may be healthy but is very expensive. But there is a third type of food which is both health and inexpensive, cheaper than junk food and healthier then organic food. How can that possibly be? What is the catch?
- [Community Benefit](https://www.gbiota.com/community-benefit-2/) - My wife Xiulan, a medical doctor and surgeon became diabetic, the professional medical advice given to us was that diabetes is an irreversible chronic disease, it will steadily get worse, we will put you on progressively stronger medicines but eventually, you are likely to end up with insulin injections and you will probably die young from some complications arising from diabetes. We accepted that advice as an honest attempt to make us aware of the harsh reality. But when her foot started to turn black we were advised that she would probably need to have her foot amputated.
- [Ecosystems](https://www.gbiota.com/ecosystems/) - We must create an ecosystem, a food ecosystem in which humans can thrive. Charles Darwin taught us that creatures evolve to thrive in their local environment. Humans now have the technology to change our environment, we must use our technology to create an environment where humans can thrive. Sure our immediate focus is combating the current epidemic, but we won’t do that with some-short term fix. We have to create the ecosystem, the food ecosystem in which humans can thrive. Join us in this community benefit movement putting people ahead of profits.
- [Chronic disease](https://www.gbiota.com/chronic-disease/) - Gbiota is a community benefit organisation aiming to prevent the current epidemic of chronic diseases, overweight, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. These are all caused by the wrong fat in the wrong place. We all have a highly sophisticated intelligent control system, our gut-brain, which regulates our appetite so we don’t overeat and get fat. It works incredibly well but we need to feed it gut-brain food – plants eaten while fresh, grown in soil teaming with beneficial microbes.gbiotabox Gbiota shows you how to either grow or buy gut brain-food.
- [Health paradox](https://www.gbiota.com/health-paradox/) - Chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia cause a great deal of personal distress and cost Governments billions of dollars. They are very difficult to cure but can be prevented relatively easily and at low cost. But that requires a change in the way our Governments, our health systems, and society operate to one with a focus on prevention rather than cure. The underlying cause of all chronic diseases is the wrong fat in the wrong place. So how does the fat get in the wrong place? The wrong fat in the wrong place is the underlying cause of all chronic diseases.
- [Prevention better than cure](https://www.gbiota.com/prevention-better-than-cure-2/) - Two-thirds of the population are overweight, the wrong fat in the wrong place is the root cause of all chronic diseases. Diabetes is the fastest-growing disease with half a billion sufferers and eight million people a year suffering a limb amputation. Heart attacks are the most common cause of death while dementia must be one of the most distressing diseases. Health systems are creaking at the joints with not enough doctors and health workers. A shortage of beds leads to Ambulance ramping.
- [Health - prevention first](https://www.gbiota.com/health-prevention-first/) - Across the globe, we are suffering from an epidemic of chronic or non-infectious diseases. We know that these chronic diseases are caused by the wrong fat in the wrong place and it is widely assumed that this is because we are eating too much sugary fatty foods. While it is true that we do have to consume an excess of sugary fatty foods this is not the cause. How much and where we store fat is decided by our intelligent control system which regulates our bodies.
- [Society](https://www.gbiota.com/society/) - Two-thirds of the population are overweight, the wrong fat in the wrong place is the root cause of all chronic diseases. Health systems are creaking at the joints with not enough doctors and health workers. A shortage of beds leads to Ambulance ramping. Governments struggle to maintain an overstretched health system. The costs to our health system are measured in billions of dollars - one of the highest costs to Governments worldwide. Welcome as it may be spending more money on health is not the solution so what is the solution? In one word prevention.
- [Food - we love it](https://www.gbiota.com/food-we-love-it/) - Food - we love it. But it is making us fat and sick and growing it is destroying the soils and planet on which we all depend. What has gone wrong and what do we do about it? Some experts say it is because we eat too much so we should eat less and exercise more. Other experts say it is our modern food with too much fat and sugar. The truth is so simple that no one believes it. Our bodies have evolved to have an intelligent control system which says stop eating when you are full.
- [Prevention](https://www.gbiota.com/prevention/) - Across the globe we are suffering from an epidemic of chronic or non infectious diseases. Three out of four people die prematurely from a chronic disease. The social and economic costs are massive stretching our medical resources to the limit and at high cost. We know that these chronic diseases are caused but the wrong fat in the wrong place and it is widely assumed that this is because we are eating too much sugary fatty foods – the calorie balance theory. While it is true that we do have to consume an excess of sugary fatty foods this is not the cause. How much and where we store fat is decided by our intelligent control system which regulates our bodies. The microbes in our gut are an integral part of out intelligent control system regulating our appetite and immune system.
- [Friendly bugs](https://www.gbiota.com/friendly-bugs/) - Our bodies have an intelligent control system which regulates our bodies, particularly our appetite and immune system. Our gut is an integral part of this control system. If we have the right blend of species in our gut we can expect a long and healthy life, if we have a poor blend of species we get fat and sick.
- [Welcome to Gbiota](https://www.gbiota.com/welcome-to-gbiota/) - We teach how to grow plants as pre and pro-biotics. That is the easy bit, understanding and applying the science of breeding beneficial microbes in a special soil, Wickimix largely made from organic and rock dust, and using the principle of Eco balance to create the condition so the beneficial microbes out-breed the harmful microbes.
- [Community Health](https://www.gbiota.com/community-health/) - We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic diseases, overweight, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. They say eat less exercise more but that does not work. Our gut-brain is part of our intelligent control system which regulates our appetite. Our modern food system no longer feeds our gut-brain so we have to switch from the calorie balance paradigm to the intelligent control paradigm. Changing paradigms is always a bloody affair with vested interest this will be particularly bloody. The article ‘Community Health’ tells the story of this particularly bloody battle.
- [Jenny](https://www.gbiota.com/jenny/) - Jenny, one of our Gbiota members asked a simple question. I am told that my answer is one of the most important articles on how to sustainably grow healthy food and combat the epidemic of chronic disease so I have made this available for public viewing under the creative Commons system - it can be copied and reproduced without further permission, just acknowledgement of source www.gbiota.com
- [The plan](https://www.gbiota.com/the-plan-2/) - There are two problems. The short-term problem is that our current food system is deficient in the microbes which form our gut biome and essential minerals which have led to an epidemic of chronic or non-infectious diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. The longer-term problem is our current food system relies on the exploitation of finite resources, particularly water, which is aggravated by climate change and shortages of key minerals which are being exhausted. Phosphorous is the most urgent.
- [Riddle](https://www.gbiota.com/riddle/) - Look around the world and back over time and you will see the great riddle of three communities. We see low tech communities with a poor food system, lack of hygiene and medical support where people die before their natural life from infectious diseases. This is clearly bad We see rich high tech communities with a sophisticated food system, good hygiene and medical support and where people die before their natural life from non-infectious or chronic diseases.
- [Gbiota: Breeding Beneficial Microbes in Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/invite/) - The Gbiota process of breeding beneficial gut microbes starts in the soil where the conditions are controlled so the beneficial microbes out-breed and out-compete the harmful microbes. This is called Eco-balance which is how the world has worked for billions of years. This is why you don’t find polar bears in the Sahara desert or antelopes in the Arctic. They each require their specific conditions to breed, if those conditions are met they successfully breed and become the dominant creature and if those conditions are not met they are out-bred.
- [Applying technology](https://www.gbiota.com/applying-technology/) - With all our modern technology and automated production capacity, we should only need to work a couple of days a week to have everything we need and live a healthy life right to the end of our natural life. But we are not so what went wrong? There is nothing wrong with the technology – we just don’t know how to apply it for the benefit of the community.
- [Applying Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/disease/) - With all our modern technology and automated production capacity, we should only need to work a couple of days a week to have everything we need and live a healthy life right to the end of our natural life. But we are not so what went wrong? There is nothing wrong with the technology - we just don’t know how to apply it for the benefit of the community.
- [Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/technology-2/) - I do hold this belief that technology should work for the benefit of the community and it is not. It may be making a handful of people rich beyond imagination but are the benefits of this technology flowing through to the community – I think not. Is it good that we develop technology so military people can sit in armchair comfort to kill women and children with remote-controlled drones?
- [Become a Healthy Food Ambassador](https://www.gbiota.com/recycle/) - The global food crisis is not some threat for the future, it is here right now, it is not just about poor people starving in some remote country it is about people in rich countries suffering from chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. It is man-man made, if you face having a leg amputated it is a direct result of the food crisis – the wrong sort of food from our modern food system.
- [Serious think about food](https://www.gbiota.com/serious-think-about-food/) - Has the world gone mad? We have mega companies spending billions of dollars on advertising so we buy food that makes us fat and sick and die before our time. Then we have other big companies that spend billions of dollars on advertising so we buy pills that are supposed to stop us getting fat and sick and dying before our time. So I wrote a hip-hop E-book called ‘A serious think about food’. This hip-hop E-book is like
- [Think smarter](https://www.gbiota.com/think-smarter/) - I want to sell you a concept. It is free you don’t have to pay me anything but you do have to think seriously about it for five minutes and getting anyone to devote five minutes to thinking is a challenge in these modern times. There are a number of steps to this thinking, the first one is the difference between conscious and subconscious thinking.
- [Thrive and survive](https://www.gbiota.com/thrive-and-survive-2/) - At the start, the earth was just a dead inert rock. Then the microbiota appeared, we don’t know from where, but they broke down the rocks making the nutrients in the rocks bio-available creating soil. Plants grew capturing energy from the sun, then animals and life on earth exploded. Humanoid creatures appeared but they were small and puny. They developed a gut, full of trillions of biota which communicated with each other to provide intelligence, just like a modern computer, which regulated what and how much they wanted to eat and also taught their immune system.
- [Smart young girl](https://www.gbiota.com/smart-young-girl/) - There is a nice story about a smart young lady who stalled her ageing car on a busy road. Try as she might she could not get the car started and soon there was a monster traffic jam. The man in the car behind started to blow his horn in a furious rage, she did not know what to do so she went to the car behind and said very politely “Excuse me, sir, would you like to try and start my car while I sit in your car and blow the horn”.
- [Gbiota Soil Blood, Flood-and-Flush Irrigation, and Foliar Spray](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-blood/) - Last updated 8th August with section on foliar irrigation Our basic inputs are organic waste, manure and volcanic rock dust. All cheap, readily available and sustainable. The microbes, particularly the fungi, break down the rock dust making a whole spectrum of minerals bio-available while also enhancing our gut health. This is all embedded in the soil blood which is full of a broad spectrum of both minerals and living creatures. If allowed to become stagnant this would soon become a stinking mess full of harmful pathogens.
- [Breeding Wickimix](https://www.gbiota.com/breeding-wickimix/) - Last updated 8th August with section on making Wickimix in Gbiota boxes Wickimix is simply a growing medium, soil teaming with life and nutrients and is central to the Gbiota system. It has been produced in Wicking beds by a technology which is now well-matured and stable and is described in the numerous articles listed below. But while straightforward it does involve pumps and various irrigation technologies which are well suited to an experienced grower who could supply Wickimix as a growing medium, in clean skin boxes ready for planting or even better .....
- [Tim Spector](https://www.gbiota.com/tim-spector/) - It is well known that our gut biota plays a major roles in our health. Many researchers, such as Tim Spector, Professor at Imperial College, London explains this in his book Food for Life. Microbes breed and die incredibly fast. Within twenty minutes a new microbe will start to breed but will die after maybe seventy hours. The population continues but the individual microbes die.
- [Enhancing gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/enhancing-gut-health/) - This was made as a page by a professional graphics designer, I am republishing as a post as I like the graphics
- [Food not pills](https://www.gbiota.com/food-not-pills/) - A million years ago the first humanoids appeared, they had a food Eco-system based on eating plants from living soils. These microbes bred in the soil, protected them and they thrived and became us. Then we changed our food Eco-system, started eating sterile food, we felt unsatisfied, overfed but undernourished, stressed and angry.
- [Library](https://www.gbiota.com/library/) - List of all articles
- [Real food](https://www.gbiota.com/real-food/) - Ever think about what food is doing to your body? There are foods for energy, replace parts as they age and wear and to feed our gut. There is more than enough energy food in our modern diet, replacement food is marginal but gut food is seriously lacking yet is the most important. Let me tell you a story.Ever think about what food is doing to your body? There are foods for energy, replace parts as they age and wear and to feed our gut.
- [Making a Gbiota box July 24](https://www.gbiota.com/making-a-gbiota-box-july-24/) - Update on how to make Gbota boxes July 24
- [Gbiota overview](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-overview/) - Pick and eat plants grown in living soil - that is the way to feed your gut-brain which controls your appetite and how much fat your body stores. The wrong fat in the wrong place is the underlying cause of the modern epidemic of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. This article is an overview of how the Gbiota system works.
- [The essence](https://www.gbiota.com/the-essence-2/) - Describes the underlying principles of the Gbiota movement
- [My teddy](https://www.gbiota.com/my-teddy/) - The heartless massacre of ordinary people by powerful militia and the possibility of World War 3 cannot go unnoticed. Neither can the waves of hungry refugees moving across the globe looking for a safe place to live. We could say that is just ‘The News’ but look at one of the wealthiest countries in the world, good old Australia. Homeless people sleeping under bridges because there are not enough houses while we have plenty of land while the builders who could build more houses are going bankrupt.
- [The Great Food War](https://www.gbiota.com/the-great-food-war/) - Will the power of mega-corporations that control our food system reign supreme leaving the community fat and sick and destroying civilisation as we know it as the supply of essential minerals is exhausted or will the community rise up and unite so common sense prevails? Let me start with the story of the mouse and the elephant.
- [Growers wanted](https://www.gbiota.com/growers-wanted/) - Growers wanted At this moment Gbiota is used by a pretty determined bunch who are prepared to the bother of making their own Gbiota beds and boxes. However, it is now clear that while there are many people who want to have the health benefits of eating Gbiota food the majority of people just want to have a box delivered to their home.
- [Feed your gut brain](https://www.gbiota.com/feed-your-gut-brain-2/) - We need the right sort of microbes in our gut to be healthy. The microbes in our gut communicate with each other to form our intelligent control system which regulates our bodies, particularly how much and what sort of food we want to eat.
- [Community benefit](https://www.gbiota.com/community-benefit/) - My wife Xiulan, a medical doctor and surgeon became diabetic, the professional medical given to us was that diabetes is an irreversible chronic disease, that will steadily get worse, we will put you on progressively stronger medicines but eventually, you are likely to end up with insulin injections and you will probably die young from some complications from diabetes.
- [Does it work](https://www.gbiota.com/does-it-work/) - Overweight, diabetes, heart attacks, and dementia all have a common underlying cause - the wrong fat in the wrong place. This is not because we have turned into little piggies and overeat, it is because our modern chemical industrial food system is deficient in phytonutrients and beneficial microbes.
- [Getting started](https://www.gbiota.com/getting-started-2/) - How to grow gut brain food and live a long and healthy life
- [Making a Gbiota box](https://www.gbiota.com/making-a-gbiota-box/) - Here I extract the key points from the many previous points and collect into one spost
- [Save 100,000 legs from diabetic amputation](https://www.gbiota.com/save-100000-legs-from-diabetic-amputation/) - I have set myself the target of saving 100,000 people from a diabetic leg amputation before the end of 2025. I know how to do this, I am an engineer and engineers take the best available science and turn this into a practical solution. But that is not enough, I am also an entrepreneur and entrepreneurs ensure that this practical solution is adopted. I have a track record I was a pioneer of computer-aided engineering and built up a multi-million dollar company from my back bedroom which ensured that my pioneering technology was adopted globally.
- [Food crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/food-crisis/) - Food is one of the major threats to humanity, not an absolute lack of food - we produce more than enough energy food, carbs, fats and sugars, to feed the entire world now and well into the future. Right now our food is deficient in essential minerals but even more important is food to feed out gut-brain which regulates our appetite and hosts much of our immune system. Across the globe people are getting fat and sick, and it is not simply because we overeat. The real reason is that our gut-brain senses these deficiencies, decides we need to store more fat and sends out signals so we overeat.
- [Your turn](https://www.gbiota.com/newsletter-15-april-24/) - How to reduce 8 million amputation
- [User posts](https://www.gbiota.com/user-posts/) - Enables users to make posts
- [Why we get fat](https://www.gbiota.com/why-we-get-fat/) - We get fat because our gut-brain says so
- [Not little piggies](https://www.gbiota.com/not-little-piggies/) - We don’t get fat and sick because we are little piggies and stuff ourselves with chicken wings, chips and ultra-processed foods. We get fat because we have deficiencies in our diet, this is sensed by our intelligent control system, our gut-brain, which regulates our bodies. Sensing problems it hits that big red alarm bell sending out messages - hormones and electrical signals - saying we have an emergency, eat more food and store it wherever possible.
- [Eco-balance](https://www.gbiota.com/eco-balance/) - Humans have evolved to be naturally not fat - it is not good in the survival stakes. Our bodies naturally sense when we are full and our gut manufactures hormones which make us feel full and stop eating. So-called obesity drugs, like Ozempic, are humans attempt to simulate the actions of our natural hormones. But modern food is deficient in both certain trace minerals and more importantly the microbes that form our gut-brain.
- [Compost - Bin or Bury?](https://www.gbiota.com/compost-bin-or-bury/) - It is just a sad fact of life that our modern food system is not working the way it should, which means reduced health span (the length of time we are fit and healthy – not the same as life span) and is the underlying cause of the modern epidemic of chronic of non-infectious diseases. The underlying cause is the wrong fat in the wrong place which raises the question of why our bodies should store fat in the wrong places – or simply, why do we get fat? The common answer, from both the lay public and experts in the field, would be that we eat too much and that is simply not consistent with the facts.
- [Food, health and wealth for all](https://www.gbiota.com/food-health-and-wealth-for-all/) - I present a plan that will lead to a better life so we and our grandkids can live a happier and healthier life - the plan is about future food which affects us both physically and physiologically. Right now we are facing a health crisis, both physical and psychological, from deficiencies in our food system. In the future we face an even greater crisis from climate change, degradation of our soils, and exploitation of nutrients.
- [Why we need to act](https://www.gbiota.com/why-we-need-to-act/) - People across the globe are suffering an epidemic of chronic diseases, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and dementia. It is the biggest health threat facing humanity (See Survival). The underlying reason for this epidemic of chronic diseases is the wrong fat in the wrong place. Everybody has an intelligent control system that regulates our bodies. It is a combination of our head and gut brains. We cannot change our head brain, but we can train it and may change how it is expressed (Epigenetics) essentially we are stuck with it. But we can change our gut brain, simply by what what we eat.
- [Gbiota boxes - made easy](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-boxes-made-easy/) - Developing a simple Gbiota box for people living in apartments has been the focus of my development work - Why? The world is very different to when I was born. Back then infectious diseases were the biggest health issue. We were obsessed with germs, they had to be eliminated at all costs and adopting a chemical approach, swapping manure with chemical fertilisers, toxic sprays and antibiotics we have been successful in killing them.
- [Survival](https://www.gbiota.com/survival-2/) - Humans are the great survivors. We are the dominant species on Earth, spreading across the globe to every corner of the Earth that is vaguely habitable. Now we are under threat, what could possibly be a threat to this great survivor species? To answer that we have to ask what makes us so good at surviving. We are not naturally well equipped, we don’t have big teeth or claws like a tiger, we cannot run fast like an antelope and we don’t even have the reaction time of a fly.
- [Map](https://www.gbiota.com/map/) - This is a map of the site to direct you to the most appropriate posts
- [Newsletter 11 March 2024](https://www.gbiota.com/newsletter-11-march-2024/) - “Colin, we know you are trying to persuade people of the benefits of eating healthy food full of living beneficial microbes, but we already know that, and what we want is more detailed information on how to set up Gbiota beds and boxes. You have a lot of good stuff on your web but there are so many articles that it is almost impossible to find what we are looking for and things keep on changing.”
- [Innovation and managing ignorance](https://www.gbiota.com/innovation-and-managing-ignorance/) - I recently wrote an article rethinking food and diabetes that described a simple and inexpensive technology which could dramatically reduce the eight million amputations that occur every year. You may think that this would be met with great enthusiasm by both diabetics themselves, those professionals responsible for managing diabetes, and the Governments who spend trillions of dollars in their health care budgets on diabetes.
- [Learning plan](https://www.gbiota.com/learning-plan/) - There are hundreds of posts and videos on this site. This post arranges the key posts into a convenient learning schedule
- [Rethinking food and diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/rethinking-food-and-diabetes/) - We have known for at least twenty years that Diabetes gets serious when fat levels in the Pancreas increase preventing the Pancreas from making insulin. All the experts say the solution is to go on a diet and reduce food input. This is so instinctively obvious, you are fat so eat less, and is the accepted view of the experts in the field so how could it possibly be wrong?
- [Support our gut health movement](https://www.gbiota.com/support-our-gut-health-movement/)
- [The Gbiota project](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-project/) - Overview of the Gbiota strategy
- [Growers and gut biota](https://www.gbiota.com/growers-and-gut-biota/) - Microbes breed in the soil, enter plants which act as natural pre and pro biotics which we eat to form our gut biota. This process is the result of millions of years of evolution so we know it works but there are also harmful microbes, pathogens which lead to infectious diseases and can make us sick or kill us. Beneficial microbes form our gut brain which regulates our bodies, specifically ensuring we store the right amount of fat in the right places leading to a long and healthy life span.
- [Recycle to survive](https://www.gbiota.com/recycle-to-survive/) - Round and round it goes For some million years humanoid creatures have survived on this planet by eating fresh plants grown in living soil. The way it worked is simple. Plants capture energy from the sun, they die and an army of recyclers worms, ants, beetles, insects, maggots, and creepy crawlies break down this organic matter. Like us they have guts full of microbes that pass into the soil, then the plants we eat, and finally into our gut. This is our control system which regulates our bodies, in particular regulating the amount of fat we store.
- [Learning experience](https://www.gbiota.com/learning-experience/) - Homeostasis Many of my readers know that I am a bit OCDish about how our food system is compromising community health. The medical facts are simple, everyone has an inbuilt control system which regulates our bodies (homeostasis). This is our gut brain - a combination of our gut and head brains. A healthy gut brain is the core to living a long and healthy life while a poor gut brain is the underlying cause of the modern epidemic of overweight, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. Our gut brain really matters.
- [Become a Gbiota supplier](https://www.gbiota.com/become-a-gbiota-supplier/) - The modern chemical industrial food system is highly productive producing large quantities of standardised energy food at economic prices. But the food is inert lacking the essential microbes to feed our gut brain so our control system, which regulates our bodies, does not work as it should. The Gbiota aim is not to replace the existing food system but to supplement by growing gut brain food to feed out gut brain - our control system. It is just a fact of life that there are beneficial microbes that power our gut brain but there are also harmful microbes that make us sick or even kill us.
- [Help wanted with digital marketing](https://www.gbiota.com/help-wanted-with-digital-marketing/) - Help wanted with digital marketing Gbiota interest is how to grow gut brain food. Few people are going to Google ‘how to grow gut brain food’ and if they do they will be exposed to a plethora of adverts for pills of dubious benefit. Our gut brain is the control system for our bodies, every machine has some form of control system, even if it is just a simple on/off switch.
- [Creating change](https://www.gbiota.com/creating-change/) - Every machine has a control system, even if it is a simple on /off switch. The human body is no different except our control system in incredibly sophisticated and to be honest we have no real understanding of how it works, but work it does. Our gut is an important part of that control system, it is a real brain powered by trillions of cell communicating with each other, just like some super computer. We just have no idea of the code.
- [Prevention better than cure](https://www.gbiota.com/prevention-better-than-cure/) - The gut is a highly sophisticated organ that does much more than digest food. It forms part of a real brain which controls our bodies, particularly our appetite, what and how much we eat, how much and where we store fat and helps to train our immune system.
- [Support](https://www.gbiota.com/support/) - I often say that the process of growing gut brain food is easy and that is pretty much true but not as easy as tossing things from the shelves into a Supermarket trolley. But the process of developing the Gbiota system has been far from easy involving over fifty years of experimentation with many failures - that is the cost of innovation.
- [Solving the food crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/solving-the-food-crisis/) - The world is suffering a food crisis, not in quantity - we are actually producing more food than the world needs - but in the quality that will lead us to expect a long and healthy life free of the modern diseases obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, dementia, etc. This is not going to be solved by the Mega Corporations that control our food system or even the Governments we elect to safeguard our interests. It is going to be solved by people saying I want to live a long and healthy life and not have my leg chopped off from diabetes.
- [The best pro-biotic ever](https://www.gbiota.com/the-best-pro-biotic-ever/) - What is the best pro-biotic ever, in fact the only one that really works for sure? Answer human breast milk. Puzzled scientists For many ears scientist were puzzled about some weird stuff in breast milk that was indigestible by the baby - then it clicked that this was to feed the babies microbes.
- [Food matters](https://www.gbiota.com/11396-2/) - It is well known that our gut biota plays a major roles in our health. Many researchers, such as Tim Spector, Professor at Imperial College, London explains this in his book Food for Life. Microbes breed and die incredibly fast. Within twenty minutes a new microbe will start to breed but will die after maybe seventy hours. The population continues but the individual microbes die.Gbiota overview
- [Hello](https://www.gbiota.com/hello/) - Gbiota Hello Many people know that chemical industrial agriculture and highly processes foods are not good for us. People react in different ways. Some people see this as their mission to change the world for the better for their grand kids.
- [Gbiota 101](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-101/) - Gbiota basics - collecting organic waste to make labile compost - starting a new box - regenerating an old box
- [Gbiota overview 2024](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-overview-2024/) - Gbiota is an evolving technology and when some new bit of technology comes along I write a new article to describe what is new. This has led to hundreds of articles which for a person new to the Gbiota movement is a bit overwhelming so I am writing this article Gbiota overview 2024 as a review article to overview the Gbiota technology.
- [Join help](https://www.gbiota.com/join-help/) - Explains the various membership levels and how to join
- [Try it](https://www.gbiota.com/try-it-2/) - Just try it - it is neither expensive or difficult I am proposing that you make your own soil from food and organic waste, add mineral and microbes to create a soil teaming with beneficial microbes and nutrients and grow plants and eat them while fresh. This will increase your chances of a long and healthy life.
- [True Brain](https://www.gbiota.com/true-brain/) - Our gut is a true brain with intelligence. All those trillions of cells are communicating with each other like some super computer. Unfortunately we have no idea of the code but we know for sure that it is regulating where and how much fat we store and to do that is has to regulate our appetite.
- [Fire and food](https://www.gbiota.com/fire-and-food/) - Homo eructus, our ancient ancestor was a puny little creature that barely survived. But it discovered fire and learned to cook and the extra nutrients led to a bigger brain and the combination of intelligence and cooperation led to humans becoming the dominant creature on earth. We have the technology to produce goods on such a scale that we should all be enjoying a wonderful life - yet we are not.
- [Conflict and aggression](https://www.gbiota.com/conflict-and-aggression/) - Conflict and aggression or peaceful coexistence - these are the options facing humanity. Just look at what is happening in the world - people killing other people on every continent. Aggression over peaceful coexistance - why? Have we all gone crazy? Why? People are hangry - food that does not satisfy plays a big part.
- [Modern Epidemic](https://www.gbiota.com/modern-epidemic/) - Modern epidemic Food is the root cause of the modern epidemics of diabetes, heart attacks, dementia and feeling hangry. Hangry - angry because we feel hungry and not satisfied.
- [Help me help you](https://www.gbiota.com/help-me-help-you/) - Help me help you My wife, Xiulan, is a medical doctor. She became diabetic and her foot started to turn black and our medical advisers told us they may have to amputate her foot. I am not a medical doctor, but I am an engineer recognised as a leading innovator by the Institute of Engineers. I wanted to understand what was the root cause of diabetes so I read everything I could find about diabetes.
- [Fire, water and technology](https://www.gbiota.com/fire-water-and-technology/) - Fire, water and technology There is an old saying that fire and water are good servants but bad masters, we must now add technology.
- [Fat and sick](https://www.gbiota.com/fat-and-sick/) - Across the globe people are getting fat a sick from an epidemic of diseases like diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. Why? Our gut brain has trillions of cells which communicate with each other to create our gut brain which evolved over millions of years to regulate our appetite, emitting hormones to tell us when we need to eat and when to stop eating because we are full.
- [Health starts in the soil](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-4/) - Health starts in the soil
- [Food and our nature](https://www.gbiota.com/food-and-our-nature/) - We know for sure that the food we eat can make us fat and sick, but what if it can affect our very nature, our DNA and make us a less aggressive and more cooperative creature. In this article I put forward the arguments for this idea. Internet marketing experts tell me that my web has too much text and that people just want a few cute sayings and lots of graphics and videos.
- [Try it](https://www.gbiota.com/try-it/) - I am proposing that you make your own soil from food and organic waste, add mineral and microbes to create a soil teaming with beneficial microbes and nutrients and grow plants and eat them while fresh. This will increase your chances of a long and healthy life. But why should you believe me? We live in the age of the hype machine. Read more
- [Inoculants](https://www.gbiota.com/inoculants/) - It is easy when growing Gbiota plants to become focused on the plants, which you can see, and forget that the real aim is to enhance the gut biota, which you cannot see. Engineering problem The key to the Gbiota system is the ‘engineering’ problems of creating the right conditions to favour the beneficial microbes and out breed the harmful microbes.
- [What science tells us](https://www.gbiota.com/what-science-tells-us/) - Let us look at what science can tell us about life as though our lives depend on it - as they do. Back to the start The earth is some four billion years old, which is a very long time. Just dead inert rock the only living life was microscopic organism we call microbes, we don’t know whether they came as the earth was formed of shortly after. Very slowly they started to break down the rocks to form soil but that was a very slow process without energy to power the breakdown
- [Gbiota soil](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-soil/) - Creating soil is the number two challenge facing humanity, after climate change. We know exactly how to do it, it has been happening for billions of years naturally covering much of the earth in a layer of fertile soil. Then mankind had this idea that the only purpose of soil was to hold the plants upright and we could supply all the nutrients the plants needed. This idea is not just wrong, it is one of the biggest goofs mankind has ever made,
- [Tribox story](https://www.gbiota.com/tribox-story/) - The Tribox is the grandfather of the latest Gbiota boxes. The top box is essentially a normal growing box just like the millions of pots that are used across the globe. It is filled with soil or if no soil is available commercial potting mix, and then seeded and watered on a regular basis. It has holes in the base to drain any excess water away. The difference between a regular growing pot and the top Tribox is that a conventional pot is watered with fresh clean water while the top Tribox is watered with a brown liquid full of nutrients and living microbes which we call soil blood as it does the same job as our blood - circulates nutrients and living cells around the system.
- [Survival](https://www.gbiota.com/survival/) - I like to know what is going on in the world so I am a bit of an avid news watcher but when I see all the horror that is happening - wars across the globe, the Middle East, Africa, Myanmar and the one we have forgotten about Ukraine I get real upset. I see young mums being killed, their children being crippled - how can people do that to other people? Do regular people in Israel really hate the Palestinians that much, do the regular people in Russia really hate the Ukrainians that much? I think not. Just look at my home country Australia - it is a total mix of people from all over the world yet we all seem to get along - true we do terrible things to some people but that is not the people it is prejudices in small cavities within our Governments.
- [Gbiota meaning](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-meaning/) - Ask me what Gbiota is all about and I would reply the survival of our species. You may think that I would be talking about climate change, the degradation of our soils or even some new plague. And certainly I will talk about those – but later. First I have to talk about what Gbiota is really about. Charles Darwin and the survival of the fittest And to start I will talk about Charles Darwin – one of the worlds great lateral thinkers.
- [Gbiota intro](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-intro/) - Welcome to gbiota.com the technical web for the Gbiota movement which is focused on improving gut health by growing plants in biologically active, nutrient rich soils. We have tried to make the actual growing of the plants as simple and inexpensive as possible so virtually everyone has ready access which you can do by following the practical guide lines on this web.
- [Gbiota Biobox - practise](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-biobox-practise/) - The Gbiota Biobox system is about breeding beneficial microbes in organic waste to grow plants as powerful pre and probiotics for your gut–brain. People will have different organic waste streams and also different food needs. This means I cannot write this post as a hard-and-fast instructional manual, so I am going to describe what I
- [Gbiota Biobox Theory](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-biobox-theory/) - The Gbiota Biobox is designed to do one simple but powerful thing: turn cheap, everyday organic waste into living soil that feeds your gut brain, not just your stomach. In this post I want to show just how easy it is to grow gut–brain food. But before I start, let me explain why it
- [What to Grow (and Eat)](https://www.gbiota.com/what-plants-to-grow/) - What should I grow? Sounds so simple but it is not. Gbiota is about correcting deficiencies in our modern diet Gbiota is not about total self sufficiency - I have tried that and it is not easy, actually it is just plain hard work and boring. Gbiota is about filling in the holes left by our modern food system. This is dominated by shelf life. We get food from all over the world by a highly complex distribution system which may be effective but takes time from harvest to table. Microbes deficiencies - they breed and die fast
- [Why we need to change](https://www.gbiota.com/why-we-need-to-change/) - Humans are an intelligent, innovative and naturally cooperative creature. Our very first innovation was when a ferocious beast was eyeing us up for it’s dinner but we found that if we all worked together and threw stones at the beast it would just nick off and chase some less smart creature. Innovation is good, if we had not made that first innovation you and I would not be here. But there is an other side to human nature, there are a few humans who put their short term benefits over the long term benefits of the community.
- [Our choice](https://www.gbiota.com/our-choice/) - We live in the Anthropocene which is just a flash way of saying that we now have the technology to choose how we live and die. We all have to eat and the food system we choose is one of the most important we will make, amplified by the impact of climate change. In some aspect we have made dramatic changes. The bulk of the food we eat is just used for energy and we now have an amazing technology of producing energy food, sugars, fats and carbs on a grand scale. Our supermarkets are just full of food (at least when there are no floods or droughts) which provide us with food that is full of energy, taste really good and at a price which is dramatically lower than a generation ago.
- [Ecobox - how to](https://www.gbiota.com/tribox-how-to/) - In this post I show how to build and maintain a Gbiota Tribox Growing soil is the key to the Gbiota technology so may I explain how it works. Plants absorb energy from the sun. They use this energy to break down the bonds between carbon and oxygen from the carbon dioxide which the plants absorb from the atmosphere and hydrogen and oxygen from the water which they absorb from the soil.
- [Gbiota Tri Box - background](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-tri-box-intro/) - Modern food is full of energy but is low in the nutrients which feed our gut brain which acts as our intelligent control system which regulates, among many things, our appetite and how much and where we store fat. Scientist have know this for over seventy years. When people in Holland were starved in the war, this trained their intelligent control system to store every bit of fat it could, so they became fat, when the war was over.
- [Future of food](https://www.gbiota.com/future-of-food/) - We are the first generation in history which decides whether we are a healthy people living on a healthy planet or let short term greed lead to our destruction. Here we show how we can recycle organic waste to grow soil to grow plants which will feed our gut brain which regulates our appetite - what we want to eat and how much and where we store fat.
- [Making a Gbiota tribox](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-easy-2/) - The flower pot method, using 40 cents flower pots, I described in an earlier post how-to-gpots is the cheapest way I know of applying this method, the stacked boxes I describe here is even easier to use but does need $10 boxes rather than 40cent flower pots (but you only need half as many).
- [Good men](https://www.gbiota.com/good-men/) - I full understand that there are many problems with our current food system, lack of critical mineral like magnesium, iron for women, zinc for men, B12 for vegetarians etc. But there is nothing more important than feeding our control system, our gut brain, which regulates our bodies. This dwarfs the other issues however important they may seem.
- [Homeostasis](https://www.gbiota.com/homeostasis/)
- [Gbiota food for health](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-food-for-health/)
- [The How too](https://www.gbiota.com/how-to-gpots/) - I have written a lot about the theoretical aspect of growing gut food - it is time to get down to the nitty gritties of setting up a Gbiota system. In developing the Gbiota growing system I have had to consider ease of use and have often had to strike a balance between what it the best technically and what people may be willing to do in today's high pressure living. Let us be clear on what we are trying to do - prevent non-infectious diseases. To do that we must breed the beneficial microbes which will end up in our gut and also ensure there is a good supply of minerals - like zinc which powers our immune system.
- [Misinformation](https://www.gbiota.com/missinformation/)
- [Diabetes gut food project](https://www.gbiota.com/diabetes-gut-food-project/) - We are experiencing a dramatic increase in diabetes. Fifty years ago just 1% of the population were diabetic but this has increased to 14% and is steadily increasing. We think the fundamental reason is poor gut health. Our gut is not just another organ it contains trillions of cells which communicate with each other, like in a computer, to provide genuine intelligence. It controls our appetite and where and how much fat we store in our bodies.
- [Growing Gut food](https://www.gbiota.com/growing-gut-food-2/) - ou can read latest newletter under new posts (free) The new industry of growing natural pre and pro biotics Background We know that there are trillions of cells in our gut which communicate with each other to create a real brain, which working with our head brain, creates an intelligent control system regulating our bodies. In particular our appetite and how much fat we store, and whether we clog up our arteries, brain and pancreas which leads to the most rapidly expanding disease of our era – diabetes where every eight seconds some unfortunate soul has a limb amputated.
- [The Gut Brain Revolution: Growing to Prevent Modern Disease](https://www.gbiota.com/newsletter-19th-june-23/) - Growing food to feed your gut brain Colin Austin 19th June 23 Technology - benefiting the community The difference between humans and the Dodo is that humans are a bit better at adapting to change. But since James Watt developed a functioning steam engine right up to the latest in artificial intelligence or quantum computing we seemed to have been a bit overwhelmed. It would seem to me axiomatic that all those great advanced in technology should work for the benefit of humans overall rather than make a handful of mega corporations, and those who own or control them excessively rich.
- [Fat Wrong](https://www.gbiota.com/fat-wrong/) - How we got fat wrong Every eight seconds some sad soul has a limb amputated from diabetes. What makes this so terrible is that this largely avoidable if the latest medical thinking were widely applied.
- [Food waste](https://www.gbiota.com/food-waste/) - ‘I will just give these to the chickens.’ How can such a simple phrase lead to a major rethink of how we stay fit and healthy. You see I was standing at Community Lifestyle Support’s nursery on one their market days when I heard that phrase and it really got me thinking about the supply system for fresh vegetables.
- [People over profits](https://www.gbiota.com/people-over-profits/) - We know that the dominant cause of sickness and death in 1900 was infections disease and now it is non infectious diseases like diabetes, heart attacks strokes and dementia. The reason is simple, back in 1900 our food was full of beneficial microbes which was fine for gut health but also full of pathogens which made us sick.
- [Real and fantasy](https://www.gbiota.com/real-and-fantasy/) - Gbiota is not simply about growing plants. We breed a wide spectrum of microbes in a growing medium calledGbiotamix and then grow plants so the microbes are packaged in the plant so when people eat the plants they act as pre and pro biotics to enhance gut health. Take a pill, become slim fit and healthy and live to 100 without ever getting sick. Scientific breakthrough or adverting BS? Whatever else it is an intriguing story.
- [Invite to medical research](https://www.gbiota.com/invite-to-medical-research/) - Excess storage of fat was largely blamed on our modern diet which could, it was optimistically thought, simply be resolved by diet, particularly the restriction of calories. The harsh reality is that this simply has not worked and populations across the globe continue to get fatter and suffer from the related diseases. This is probably the biggest health issue facing modern humans.
- [Lamborghini and our gut](https://www.gbiota.com/lamborghini-and-our-gut/) - A dumb drunken driver in control of a Lamborghini is a dangerous combination. Our gut brain is the controller for our appetite. A gut biome which send out hormones to make us crave sugars and fats is equally dangerous and has led to the modern epidemic of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, dementia etc.
- [The Wickimix story](https://www.gbiota.com/the-wickimix-story/) - Chop my foot off - no way My wife Xiulan is a medical doctor, a gynaecologist and surgeon, so I was a bit surprised when she was diagnosed as diabetic. At that time I knew nothing about diabetes but when her foot started to turn black and the doctors started talking about amputation I knew I had to do something. I am an engineer, not a doctor but I have been in the innovation business for a long time and was selected as one of the top one hundred Australian innovators by the Institute of Engineers for my pioneering work on computer simulation and knew how the process of science and technology actually worked, so I felt I should at least try.
- [Feed your brains](https://www.gbiota.com/feed-your-brains/) - Our health span is set by our intelligent control system, our gut and head brains and these must be fed real food which is genuinely fresh before the beneficial microbes die. In this, and the many articles I write I show how people, ordinary people like you and me can take our food into our own hands to have food which will extend our health span so we are fit and healthy into old age. But this means people must stop thinking that there will be some magic saviour coming along and solving all the problems of the world for them.
- [Unks and Ununks](https://www.gbiota.com/unks-and-ununks/) - John is still claiming that the modern supermarket food system is providing a reliable and abundant food supply with hygienic and energy packed food from all over the world regardless of season. Sue is arguing that the food is just packed with sugars and fats and lacking key nutrients and minerals and is deliberately made addictive and is the cause of the modern epidemic of non-infectious diseases. But they have reached common ground that the food is inert lacking the life which supports our gut brain, which among other functions controls our appetite.
- [Upgraded beds Introduction](https://www.gbiota.com/upgraded-beds-introduction/) - The world is changing at an incredible rate, climate change, the virus and the polarisation of the political system are immense problems, new technologies like artificial intelligence may seem beneficial but whatever the benefits increase inequality between the haves and have nots. Innovators, like me, ask how can we develop technologies to help mitigate these problems and often that it is the easy bit, a bigger problems in how to make that technology widely available with the relevant documentation.
- [Upgraded Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/upgraded-beds/) - It is approaching thirty years since I was invited to go to Ethiopia to see if there was anything I could do to help feed people in one of those terrible droughts. I could see the two issues were lack of water and nutrients. Nutrients were the easy bit, weeds may be a pain but they are incredibly effective at extracting the last bit of nutrients from the soil and they can then be used as fertiliser.
- [Welcome](https://www.gbiota.com/welcome/) - Look at the news - fires, floods, draughts, refugees, political extremes, deliberate misinformation, the world is changing really fast - all sounds terrible so what to do? The biggest problem we face, long term, is food - how are we going to feed the eight billion, and growing, people with food that will not just keep them alive but keep them healthy. That means food that will feed our intelligent control system that manages our bodies, our gut and head brain.
- [Food for Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-gut-health/) - The Gbiota club is a community of people that wants to enhance their gut micro-biome by eating plants grown in soil teaming with beneficial microbes, minerals and nutrients. Members can be either growers or consumers (biofoodies). The biofoodies use Gbiota Wicking boxes which enable them to grow plants with minimal effort even if they live is apartments. These Wicking boxes have two compartments – one for water and the other for the growing medium -a type of soil called Wickimix which they can buy from the growers.
- [The food crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/the-food-crisis/) - In the real world we all have to eat - and getting enough of the right sort of food that will keep us healthy is an issue. We know how to grow food that will keep us healthy, we have the technology, it is simply a question of spreading the information. The internet has become our prime source of information. But the virtual world of the internet is dominated by someone trying to sell you something, for profit or manipulate the way you think to increase their power.
- [The side hustle](https://www.gbiota.com/the-side-hustle/) - It seems there are many people who understand the importance of gut health and how the trillions of cells made up from thousands of species talk to each other to form our intelligent control system which among other things controls our appetite so we naturally want to eat the right amount of the right sort of food and hosts and trains much our our immune system. So there are many motivated people that understand the importance of gut health and see the solution is the apparently simple way of eating plant grown in soil teaming with beneficial microbes and nutrients. So what is the hang up?
- [Our gut](https://www.gbiota.com/our-gut/) - Right now you are successfully breeding beneficial microbes in your gut. That is good because most people want to live a long life, be strong, fit and healthy and avoid diseases and that needs a healthy gut. You don’t need to be a post doc in microbiology to breed gut microbes, you are doing it right now, your cat, dog and budgy do it and your great, great grandmother did it without even knowing they were doing it but it really helps you do it much better if you have a basic understanding of ecological balance.
- [Our gut brain](https://www.gbiota.com/our-gut-brain-2/) - The aim of the Gbiota club is to improve gut health by breeding beneficial microbes in a special soil, called Wickimix, to grow plants which act as natural pre and pro biotics. Our gut does much more than help digest our food, together with our head brain it acts as an intelligent control system which subconsciously manages many body functions, particularly our appetite and our immune system. Poor gut health leads to being overweight with all the attended health issues such as diabetes, heart attacks and dementia.
- [What is the Gbiota project](https://www.gbiota.com/what-is-the-gbiota-project/) - What is the Gbiota project? The Gbiota project is to enhance our gut microbiome by eating plants grown in a medium (Wickimix) where beneficial microbes that enhance our gut biome breed. At this moment the members of the Gbiota club are largely dedicated gardeners with land who are prepared to spend the time and energy learning how to manage the total process of growing both Wickimix and plants. But everyone has a gut which acts as an automated control system subconsciously managing critical functions such as appetite and the immune system.
- [What is it all about](https://www.gbiota.com/what-is-it-all-about/) - Energy food It varies a bit from person to person but about 80%, certainly the bulk, of the food we eat is just burned off as fuel for energy or warming. (Unless you are a lizard, in which case you need to sit on a rock in the sun), your body will automatically control your temperature for you without you having to think about it. White, black, yellow, red, green or purple, living in an arctic igloo or tropical rain forest hut our bodies are automatically controlled to within a fraction of a degree. Unless some nasty bug gets past your immune system when it will turn up the thermostat to roast it.
- [The story of our guts](https://www.gbiota.com/the-story-of-our-guts/) - Our gut brain, made up from trillions of cells and thousands of species, which communicate with each other and has real intelligence is one of the truly amazing systems on this earth. Yet we have, unknowingly set out to destroy it, why? Now here is a story that needs to be told.
- [Better gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/better-gut-health/) - Is it feasible that a couple of $8 plastic boxes could contribute to the worlds biggest health issue - excess fat in our bodies which lead to multiple health problems and the major sustainability problem of degradation of our soils on which our food production is based? Interesting story - let start with the basics. All life is totally dependant on microbes, they break down the minerals in the soil forming complex chemicals essential for life. They are part of our bodies particularly in our gut where they from a real brain with intelligence which controls much of our bodily function, particularly appetite. We need the good bugs.
- [Health starts in the soil](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-3/) - For many years now I have been promoting the importance of gut biology and how we can simply and cheaply improve our gut biology by growing plants in soils teaming with beneficial microbes and nutrients. These are not just my views but are based on studying many leading researchers in the field.
- [The Gbiota Bed Update](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-bed-update-4-dec-2022/) - I have written many articles on making and managing Gbiota bed, in this article I want to give a simple description of the state of the art, I do this by telling the story. The original Gbiota beds were developed in the early 2010’s when the real problem was droughts and the lack of rain. Sump and pump system They were very simple - just dig a trench - line with a sheet of plastic - and lay a length of Ag pipe in the base. The trick was to use a leaky dam at the end bed so the pipe was raised at the end which forces the water out of the holes in the Ag pipe and into the soil.
- [Overview](https://www.gbiota.com/overview-2/) - Grow gut brain food in living soil and restore genuine food health. Half the western population is suffering from some chronic or long term illness. The ultimate cause can be traced back to poor gut health, driven by our modern chemical industrial food system. This system produces vast quantities of cheap, convenient energy food but
- [Diabetes trial](https://www.gbiota.com/diabetes-trial/) - Join the diabetes trial
- [Health span](https://www.gbiota.com/health-span/) - We are living longer - our life span is increasing, but our health span - how long we stay fit and active is decreasing - why? The answer lies in our gut brain. If our gut brain senses that we are missing crucial nutrients in our food it will send out signals, like the hunger hormone ghrelin, telling us to eat more and if our food is low in those critical hormones and microbes, it will keep on making as hungry so we eat more until we get fat and sick. We get fat and sick simply because our gut brain is telling us too keep on eating because we are lacking critical nutrients - not because we are little piggies.
- [Trench beds](https://www.gbiota.com/trench-beds/) - Wicking beds can be modified to breed the beneficial biota in the soil, which enters the plants then our gut brain using the plants as natural pre and pro biotics (as we have done for thousand of years before modern chemical industrial agriculture). Our gut brain is really important for our health but has sadly deteriorated over time leading to an epidemic of chronic (long term) diseases. Our gut brain acts as an intelligent control system which makes us want to eat the right amount of the right sort of food.
- [Gbiota boxes - update](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-boxes-update/) - Gbiota boxes, as there name suggests are enclosed and separate from any parent soil. They do not have the benefit of access to the life forms which live naturally in soil and they are also limited in size. They do have a theoretical advantage that there is no loss of water to the surrounding soil as is inevitable in an in ground bed but that is largely just a theoretical advantage as it is easy to plant around an in ground bed to use up any water which does wick out from the main bed. If you have a garden and want to grow a reasonable quantity of food then in ground beds are really the way to go - if you are not convinced by the technical arguments they are simply a lot cheaper and easier to build.
- [The W's](https://www.gbiota.com/wwwww/) - I started to write this as a welcome message for people joining the Gbiota social movement but it got a bit off track, but I had fun writing it and you may have fun reading it so I am sticking with it. Pretend you are some creature from way out there is space and had never seen water, if a three year old kid can pretend, then so can you. You are welcomed into some friendly humans house
- [The Plan](https://www.gbiota.com/the-plan/) - Here is a plan of how we can make healthy gut brain food readily accessable for all the community.
- [Food and floods](https://www.gbiota.com/food-and-floods/) - Floods are making it more difficult to grow any food giving shortages and price hikes - how can we grow food with floods
- [Crazy world](https://www.gbiota.com/crazy-world/) - Has the world gone crazy? Wars, food shortages, floods and droughts, prices through the roof, epidemics, the internet - one of the most important innovations of our era has sunk to become the home of mass manipulation to sell us things that don’t work or we don’t need, just to make some mega corporation or wealthy individual even richer.
- [Key Points](https://www.gbiota.com/key-points/) - Key points When I am creating a project I find it useful to make a list of the key points. I have done this with the Gbiota project but I asked myself why keep this hidden so I am publishing this here.
- [No dumb donkeys](https://www.gbiota.com/no-dumb-donkeys/) - We live in the digital age where we seems to expect that any problems can be solve by a few minutes search on the internet. If you think this is the way to feed eight billion people food that will keep them healthy - (so they don’t get fat and sick and have their legs chopped off from diabetes) - and all in the middle of climate change with floods and droughts and a global political system which is decidedly wobbly - then you are wrong and this is not the site for you. Life wasn’t meant to be easy. But I have prepared a series of posts which analyse the key issues to develop a plan and appropriate technology to solve this horrendous problem.
- [Soaker beds](https://www.gbiota.com/soaker-beds/) - I developed the original Gbiota beds to grow plants which act as natural pre and pro biotics by having a moist, not wet soil. It is very easy to make soil wet, just hump on the water which will breed up the harmful microbes. It is much more difficult get the soil just moist which the beneficial microbes prefer. I developed the original system using a system of pumps, timers and drains in about 2015 when weather conditions were very dry and they worked fine. But I learned two things. Many people do not want the bother of installing and maintaining pumps, timers and sumps and then then in 2020 the weather changed dumping massive amounts of water - multiple rains of over 100mm in a few hours. It is not just the water falling on my block - it is all that water falling on blocks higher than mine which create a torrential flow over my block which the then Gbiota beds just could not handle.
- [In-Ground Gbiota Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/in-grounds-beds/) - Sump beds were developed first as a way of taking advantage of the partial flood and drain cycle. They have been used for some years now and being automated are probably best suited to commercial growers. However many home growers were put off by the apparent complexity of pumps and timers so I developed the basic beds which are extremely simple and effective but they do need a manual check on water levels. This makes them very suitable for the home grower who just wants a dead simple system - all you need is a spade, some ag pipe, either clay or plastic film and a bit if energy to dig a small trench. They are almost embarrassingly simple and we see the becoming very popular with home and small scale growers. They can even be partially automated. I describe the more complex pump and sump system first as they illustrate the basic principles and make it easier to understand the deceptively simple basic beds.
- [Food for health](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-health-3/) - Historically four out of every five people died before their natural age from an infectious disease. Both medical science and our food system has responded by finding better ways of killing these pathogens. While largely successful we have also inadvertently reduced the number of beneficial biota which has led to an upsurge in non-infectious diseases such as diabetes, heart attack and dementia. We have learned the hard way that we are totally dependant on these beneficial biota.
- [Community food](https://www.gbiota.com/community-food-2/) - Growers breed beneficial microbes in organic matter in the soil, also adding rock dust which is broken down by the microbes into accessible minerals forming nutrient rich biologically active soil. This soil is placed into Bioboxes which are seeded and plants grown. The microbes and minerals enter the plants we eat. The boxes are supplied to customers who harvest and eat the plants full of living microbes to enhance the gut brain which controls appetite, manages replacement of body part as they age and wear and host much of the immune system.
- [Welcome to worm pooh](https://www.gbiota.com/welcome-to-worm-pooh/) - Health and life span We all have to eat and what we eat determines our health and life span. Thanks to medical science our life span has been increasing, no thanks to our modern food system our health span, how long we remain fit and healthy has been decreasing.
- [How Gbiota beds work](https://www.gbiota.com/how-gbiota-beds-work/) - Wicking beds are now very common across the globe. Many have a base filled with some inert material – often stones. These are just self watering pots – nothing wrong with that they make life more convenient by avoiding frequent watering. But for a self watering pot the material and water in the base is – or at least should be – inert, when they may stand for extended periods without going putrid (or maybe not if you keep on topping them up).
- [Water](https://www.gbiota.com/water/) - Water- that weird substances Water has many weird properties apart from being one of the few substances which expands when it freezes so ice floats and pipes burst.
- [Food and the gut biome](https://www.gbiota.com/food-and-the-gut-biome/) - The bulk of the food we eat is just burned for energy. We are really just a walking talking thermodynamic machine just like any other thermodynamic machine from a steam engine to a rocket ship. We are also a warm blooded creature so we need fuel just to keep us warm. It has been estimated that 80% of the food we eat is simply burned as fuel. It is dead simple – we just burn carbon and hydrogen to give of carbon dioxide, water and lots of energy. It really does not matter what the food is, sugar, carbohydrates, fats or whatever – it is just energy.
- [Prologue](https://www.gbiota.com/prologue/) - Wet and windy Melbourne Some fifty years ago in the mid 1970’s I lived just outside wet and windy Melbourne in nice block with a creek running through the centre. In winter there was plenty or rain but in summer we would get those hot northerlies off the desert which would dry everything out. I made a dam and fitted a pump to take the water to the top of the block were it would run down a series of channels I made based on the Key line principles. Worked fine but the channels were a right pain in moving the block so I put some pipe with holes into the channels and buried them to give me a flat surface. This is remarkably similar to the modern Gbiota beds.
- [Health starts in the soil](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-2/) - Every day we here stories of doom and gloom about food, price hikes from floods and droughts, problems with the supply chain from Covid, lack of nutrients and beneficial biota leading to diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. It all sounds pretty miserable so why not do something about it. Here we are focused on solutions.
- [Health starts in the soil Part 2](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-2-gbiota/) - Every day we here stories of doom and gloom about food, price hikes from floods and droughts, problems with the supply chain from Covid, lack of nutrients and beneficial biota leading to diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. It all sounds pretty miserable so why not do something about it. Here we are focused on solutions.
- [Action plan](https://www.gbiota.com/action-plan/) - Our gut brain is the key to good health. Consumer get fresh veggies which act as gut food which is genuinely healthy at an affordable price, growers get paid for what they like doing while the Gbiota team provide the technology of growing gut food. Growers breed beneficial microbes in organic matter in the soil, also adding rock dust which is broken down by the microbes into accessible minerals forming nutrient rich, biologically active, soil.
- [Bit of a mess](https://www.gbiota.com/bit-of-a-mess/) - Unless you are a total hermit you can’t have missed that the world is in a bit of a mess - Covid, bush fires, floods droughts and food shortages. When the price of an iceberg lettuce rises from $2 to $13 then you have to notice. OK the price has now dropped down to $7 so everything is going to be OK - no that is just because they are shipping them in from miles away. Things are bad and are going to get worse. I thought I would Google to see how much carbon dioxide was emitted in the recent bush fires - 700 million tons - compared that with a total emission from Australia of 500 million tons. My going to the shops on my bike rather than driving my car is not going to have much impact on that - however good it may make me feel that I am making a contribution. So what can I do that will have an impact, particularly to the food crisis and the wobbly food chain?
- [Community growers](https://www.gbiota.com/community-growers/) - If you looking at this web I assume you are interested in your health and understand that you just cannot be really healthy unless you are eating healthy food. You are probably aware you are low in Magnesium because the majority of the population are low in Magnesium. If you are a female you probably also realise that you could be low in iron. If you are male then you may not have caught up with the sniggering that if you are a sexually active male that one night of happy frolicking can deplete your zinc reserves. That is bad as zinc is important to our immune systems.
- [Meet you](https://www.gbiota.com/meet-you/) - If you live in cloud cuckoo land you may believe that there will be a continuous supply of healthy food way into the future. Dream on. But if you live in the real world you will see we are on a high speed train heading straight for a cliff and that cliff is a major food crisis where the supermarkets are full of food loaded with sugars, fats and carbs which will make us fat and sick. But no real food.
- [Bioboxes](https://www.gbiota.com/bioboxes/) - You can go to the supermarket and buy energy food, loaded with sugars, fats and carbs at a reasonable price. But try and buy fresh vegetables, what they call fresh is days or weeks old by which time most of the goodness has long gone. If you are a keen and skilled gardener you can grow you own and just pick and eat so it is genuinely fresh. But what happens if you don’t have land, skills or time. That is where Gbiota Bioboxes come in to play. Fresh fruit and vegetables growing at home and buying directly from the grower at a lot lower cost and with a reliable supply chain.
- [lettuce](https://www.gbiota.com/lettuce/) - Iceberg lettuce – was $2 now – if you can find one $13. lettuceThe food crisis is here and it is here to stay. Don’t be deluded that after the floods have gone and Putins war is over everything will go back to normal – it won’t. The Gbiota movement focus is how to grow food, in a sustainable way that we, our grand kids and their grand kids can eat food that will make them healthy. We don’t sell food, or anything, we just provide the know how – the growing technology for those people want to buy or grow food that will make them healthy.
- [About Gbiota](https://www.gbiota.com/about-gbiota/) - The Gbiota Community An online community where groups can chat, exchange information – particularly on preferred plant species which are suited to the locality and season. You can share information on plants, food and cooking with people from the same locality or further afield. A safe non-commercial space to network and find like minded people.
- [elowyn](https://www.gbiota.com/elowyn/) - Well, it is pretty simple. This is my great-granddaughter Elowen. She has no idea what gut biota is, but she knows instinctively that she needs a good old suck to build up her gut biota from her mum, my granddaughter. But she will grow up and ask herself, “What sort of world have my parents,
- [Energy](https://www.gbiota.com/energy/)
- [Time travel](https://www.gbiota.com/time-travel/) - The aim of the Gbiota technology is to replenish our gut with living beneficial biota and the food it needs to thrive. Gut biota has a short life so it is important to eat plants while there are fresh, which means shortly after harvesting. The Gbiota Biota Biobox system allows almost everyone to have the health benefits of genuinely fresh food with the beneficial biota even if they have limited space, growing expertise or time.
- [Why Gbiota boxes](https://www.gbiota.com/why-gbiota-boxes/) - Our gut brain consists of trillions of cells which communicate with eat other and send out signals saying we need to eat more of this or that or simply stop eating as we are satisfied.
- [I am a person](https://www.gbiota.com/i-am-a-person-2/) - The aim of the Gbiota technology is to replenish our gut with living beneficial biota and the food it needs to thrive. Gut biota has a short life so it is important to eat plants while there are fresh, which means shortly after harvesting rather than they have not yet gone rotten - very different things.
- [Bioboxes basics](https://www.gbiota.com/bioboxes-basics/) - The aim of the Gbiota technology is to replenish our gut with living beneficial biota and the food it needs to thrive. Gut biota has a short life so it is important to eat plants while there are fresh, which means shortly after harvesting rather than they have not yet gone rotten - very different things. People with a garden and the skills and the time can set up their own Gbiota beds and have fresh food every day but the Gbiota Biota box system allows almost everyone to have the health benefits of genuinely fresh food with the beneficial biota.
- [The paradigm shift](https://www.gbiota.com/the-paradigm-shift/) - In the wonderful world of food the established paradigm, based on chemistry, has been incredibly successful. In my life time, incredibly short on a geological time scale, we have increased food production by a factor of 4.3 – just totally stunning. At the centre of this success is nitrogen – we learned the chemistry of how to capture nitrogen from the air to make fertilisers and whoom! food production just went through the roof. But there is a problem ....
- [Gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/gut-health-4/) - We have two brains, one that lives in our head and another we can call Gertrude that lives largely in our gut. They both work in the same way with trillions of cells which can communicate with each other like a super computer so they have intelligence and can learn.
- [Gut biology basics](https://www.gbiota.com/home4mar22/) - The purpose of the Gbiota local food movement is to help people set up viable, ethical, and sustainable businesses supplying their local community with gut food. To understand why this is important we need to understand about gut biology or Gbiota.
- [Local gut food](https://www.gbiota.com/local-gut-food/) - It is about breeding beneficial biology in the soil and in the guts of the creatures that live in the soil. This biology enters the plants which we eat together with a plentiful supply of the food to feed the biology. These may all be packed inside a cabbage but the cabbage is purely the packaging for the biology. It is not about selling cabbages, or selling anything for that matter, it is about showing people how they can grow the beneficial biology by recycling waste.
- [Open Letter to the Prime Minister: A Climate Strategy Using Soil Carbon and Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/open-letter-to-the-prime-minister-a-climate-strategy-using-soil-carbon-and-wicking-beds/) - This letter outlines a practical way to strengthen Australia’s climate strategy by pairing carbon trading with real, measurable carbon reductions. The core idea is to help developing countries—starting with China—adopt wicking bed and “sponge bed” growing systems that save water, grow food reliably, and lock carbon into soils. The proposal asks the Australian Government to
- [Secure Water in the Murray–Darling Basin: The Facts and the Hard Choices](https://www.gbiota.com/secure-water-in-the-murray-darling-basin-the-facts-and-the-hard-choices/) - The Murray–Darling system has been over-allocated for years, and there is simply not enough water to satisfy every user and still protect the river environment. This article sets out the core facts: why the numbers matter, why difficult decisions cannot be avoided, and why better technology and balanced policy are essential. Water belongs to Australians,
- [Get real](https://www.gbiota.com/get-real/) - Recent heavy rains, and the accompanying crop damage, has shown us the need to modify our growing systems to adapt to extreme weather. A much more serious issue is that in the midst of the saturation bombing of the digital and social media era we seem to think that we can happily live in a world of virtual reality divorces from actual reality.
- [Join the Gbiota Club](https://www.gbiota.com/join-the-gbiota-club-2/) - I believe everyone in our affluent world should have access to healthy food at an affordable price, specifically nutrient-dense food that improves gut health. The Gbiota system aims to make this a reality. Why gut health matters Our gut is one of the most important organs in our body. Made up of trillions of cells
- [Community food](https://www.gbiota.com/community-food/) - Let me tell you a story about food. In our modern society all we seem to want as adults is a catch phrase ‘Make plum pudding tasty again’ or better a photo on their smart phone with a catchy caption.
- [Making soil in Gbiota beds](https://www.gbiota.com/making-soil-in-gbiota-beds/) - The key principle of Gbiota bed is to breed beneficial biology both for the soil and for our guts – creating the conditions which favour the beneficial biology – so they can out compete the harmful biology. Just don’t fall into the trap in thinking you can load up a Wicking or Gbiota bed with inert potting mix – a bit may be useful in conditioning the soil – but it won’t feed the biology. You must provide food for the friendly bugs – if you don’t feed them they die. No debate – sorry.
- [Gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/gut-health-3/) - Our gut is one of the most important organs in our body – made up of trillions of cells that communicate with each other – it has real intelligence – our gut brain – which controls much of our body functions. You simply cannot be healthy without a healthy gut and that means you have to feed it and that is what Gbiota food is all about.
- [Mother bed](https://www.gbiota.com/mother-bed/) - Gbiota beds were developed to grow plants to feed our guts. Technically they have been successful but may be a bit complex for many people, particularly pregnant ladies and mums who determine gut biology for our future life. Everyone should be able to access healthy gut food at an affordable price so we need to develop a new system for distributing gut food. Experienced growers, either amateur or profession will set up full scale Gbiota beds to grow Gbiota soil.
- [Action plan for gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/action-plan-for-gut-health/) - People don’t get fat and sick simply because they just happen to eat too much, they get fat and sick because their gut brain is not working as it should - so then they end up eating too much.
- [Alice](https://www.gbiota.com/alice/) - Our gut is not strictly part of us and we, or rather our mum, has to make it for us from the food she eats and feeds us as a baby and by the close physical contact mums give their babies. It is the one organ we can readily change – particularly when young.
- [ecobalance](https://www.gbiota.com/ecobalance/) - Why our gut brain is so important Our gut is one of the most important organs in our body. It contains trillions of cells which communicate with each, like in a supercomputer, to form a real brain with intelligence. (see references) It controls our appetite, manufactures the complex chemicals needed to replace our body parts as they wear or age and host much of our immune system. It is not actually part of us but is really important.
- [Get started](https://www.gbiota.com/get-started/) - Life, even our modern sophisticated life, is totally dependant on the microscopic biota that are virtually everywhere on earth – but particularly in the soil making inert minerals available and in our gut helping us digest our food. But they do much more than that.
- [Gbiota box story](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-box-story/) - Over hundreds of thousands of years we have evolved a gut brain that automatically looks after us, without us even thinking about it - and it does it much better than weighing micro grams of minerals.
- [Opportunity](https://www.gbiota.com/opportunity/) - We all have to eat and the way we are currently growing our food is slowly but inevitably destroying our planet’s ability to grow the food we need. We are destroying our soils and aquifers on which our lives depend and making ourselves sick in the process.
- [Introduction to Gbiota](https://www.gbiota.com/introduction-to-gbiota/) - This web is a bit different. We are not trying to sell you something - there are not special offers - buy now before prices jump - or any of that high pressure selling you get on most web sites.
- [Gbiota boxes](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-boxes/) - The purpose of GBiota beds is to breed beneficial biology in the soil. This biology enters the plants growing in the soil so when we eat the plants they act as natural pre pro biotics as well us providing valuable nutrients but key point of Gbiota beds is to provide us with the beneficial biology.
- [Immune](https://www.gbiota.com/immune/) - There are many plants in traditional medicine which are claimed to strengthen our immune system. There has been genuine scientific research into some of these plants which support these claims but it is not clear how they work.
- [Delta](https://www.gbiota.com/delta/) - I am urgently looking for people or organisations to help improve the communities gut health and hence immune system by manufacturing and distributing Gbiota boxes. This delta virus is a totally different and more deadly beast –
- [updateAug21](https://www.gbiota.com/updateaug21/) - This is an update on the practical side of making and managing Gbiota beds. I assume you are familiar with the previous publications and videos available under videos, blogs and growing in the menu. The major developments are the use of the compost tube to give better and faster composting and the conversion of the school bed from Wicking bed to a Gbiota bed and the use of a solar powered pump.
- [Anthropocene](https://www.gbiota.com/anthropocene/) - What should I eat so I am fit and healthy - what can eight billion people eat so they are fit and healthy and what will my great grand kids be able to eat so they are fit and healthy.
- [Overview](https://www.gbiota.com/overview/) - How gut food will enhance our gut biology and immune system - overview
- [Gut Biology Sources](https://www.gbiota.com/gut-biology-sources/) - Technical references on food, health and gut.
- [Index](https://www.gbiota.com/index/) - post written to link to key articles on growing plants to feed our gut
- [What food does](https://www.gbiota.com/what-food-does/) - I start with what food does which explains the various jobs that food does in our bodies and how innovation has dramatically increased the overall supply of food - far in excess of what we need but missing the key ingredients to feed the control system which manages out bodies.
- [Food and innovation](https://www.gbiota.com/food-and-innovation/) - food and innovation which has led to the wrong development of the wrong sort of food and a two tier society of haves and have nots - which is intrinsically unstable.
- [Principles of Gbiota beds](https://www.gbiota.com/principles-of-gbiota-beds/) - Gbiota beds grow plants to enhance our gut biology - here is the basic principles of how they work
- [Spreading the benefits of Gbiota beds](https://www.gbiota.com/spreading-the-benefits-of-gbiota-beds/) - how to implement this technology - spreading the benefits of Gbiota beds so that the whole of society can benefit
- [Changing the food system](https://www.gbiota.com/changing-the-food-system/) - In my life time the worlds population has increased three fold (actually 3.47) and they all those mouths have to be fed. We have seen the massive increase in agricultural productivity - the green revolution, pioneered by Norman Borlaug and now often slanged as chemical industrial agriculture.
- [Community Supported Agriculture](https://www.gbiota.com/community-supported-agriculture/) - The Gbiota club is a community-supported agriculture movement where growers and eaters work together to restore soil health, support our gut biology, and make the world healthier for our grandkids. Join the Gbiota Club I am inviting you to join the Gbiota club. I can and do put forward the logical reasons to join: it
- [The Gbiota story - continued](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-story-continued/) - We know how to grow food with these essential minerals and biology and there are plenty of regenerative farmers willing to grow using these methods - but they need a market.
- [Food and becoming adult](https://www.gbiota.com/food-and-becomng-adult/) - Our bodies have an inbuilt intelligent control system which regulates all aspect of our bodies including our appetite. The wide variety of species of micro biology in our gut is an integral part of this intelligent control system and our modern food system is destroying this essential micro biology.
- [Greta Foodberg](https://www.gbiota.com/greta-foodberg/) - In this article I show how Greta Foodberg and I are going to change the world’s food system. The good news it you only have to read the first and last page to see what it all about. The bad news is that if you are Greta Foodberg you will read the whole 22 pages and then email me.
- [Making soil 101](https://www.gbiota.com/making-soil-101/) - Gbiota beds are not simply a watering system to grow cabbages – they are to breed the biology to grow plants as natural pre and pro biotics.
- [Feed your gut brain](https://www.gbiota.com/feed-your-gut-brain/) - Feed your gut brain My interest is how to grow plants that improve our gut brain – one of the most vital organs in our bodies and the key to health.
- [Our gut brain](https://www.gbiota.com/our-gut-brain/) - Modern food contains a surplus of energy food (fats and sugars) but is sadly lacking in the complex chemicals needed to regenerate our bodies. Our bodies sense this lack, sending out hunger signals leading to the current health epidemic of excess storage of fat, diabetes, heart attacks and dementia.
- [Adapting to the food crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/adapting-to-the-food-crisis/) - Learning how to adapt to the food crisis is the most important skill we can teach our kids. That means understanding how the world is changing then helping them change their behaviour to adapt.
- [School Garden Project](https://www.gbiota.com/school-garden-project/) - In our gut are a huge number of micro organisms which talk to each to create an intelligent system – our gut brain. This gut brain controls our appetite, supports our immune system and produces many of the complex chemicals needed to replace our body parts as they wear.
- [Health and life span](https://www.gbiota.com/health-and-life-span/) - how food affect health and life span
- [Gbiota Videos](https://www.gbiota.com/videos-2/) - This video library covers the core ideas behind Gbiota—how microbes shape soil, plants, appetite, energy, and long-term health. These short explanations help visitors understand why gut-brain food matters, how to grow it, and how communities can build a healthier future. Understanding Health, Longevity & Appetite We choose our lives How to choose whether we live
- [Minister’s Reply on Water Reform and Water-Saving Innovation (2006)](https://www.gbiota.com/ministers-reply-on-water-reform-and-water-saving-innovation-2006/) - In May 2006, Malcolm Turnbull MP replied to Colin Austin’s letter about Australia’s water policy and new technologies to harvest more rain. The reply outlines the Australian Government’s commitment to national water reform through the National Water Initiative, alongside funding support via the $2 billion Australian Government Water Fund and the Water Smart Australia program.
- [Aquaponics by Igor](https://www.gbiota.com/aquaponics-by-igor/) - This is a post from one of our users Igor Grossman in Melbourne about his aquaponics systems. Although a different technology the basic aims of high nutrients and active biology are similar to Gbiota beds aquaponic
- [The essence](https://www.gbiota.com/the-essence/) - Our guts do much more than help us digest our food. Our guts are part of the system which acts as an intelligent control system regulating our appetite, what and how much we eat and where and how much is stored as fat in our bodies. They are home to 70% of our immune system. 90% of people who die from the virus have been eating a diet lacking essential ingredients.
- [News flash 30 Oct 20](https://www.gbiota.com/news-flash-30-oct-20/) - News flash for Gbiota club members When the virus has gone, as it surely will, the world will be a very different place. People will understand that the best protection against the next virus, which again will surely come, is to have a population with a healthy immune system.
- [Gbiota easy](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-easy/) - This is the easiest way I know to grow Gbiota food, it is dead simple and works fine but lacks the automated flood and drain features of a full blown Gbiota bed - but it is a great way to get started.
- [Dis-enabling](https://www.gbiota.com/dis-enabling/) - Yesterday the world changed. New Zealand has an explosion of new Corona cases. NZ was a beacon of hope. This shows just how contagious this virus is and how we are all exposed until this virus is eliminated from the face of the earth.
- [Choosing a Gbiota smoothie](https://www.gbiota.com/choosing-a-gbiota-smoothie/) - The main aim of a Gbiota smoothie is to improve gut health but they also contain the minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients essential for health. The plants in all Gbiota smoothies are selected to provide these essential minerals, vitamins and gut biology.
- [Alernative food](https://www.gbiota.com/alernative-food/) - Nutrition must be one of the most controversial, topics on the planet. Go on line and an ocean of confusing and contradicting views fuelled by inscrutable scientific data, dogma powered by a tsunami of abuse. Result diabetes, obesity heart attacks and dementia.
- [Creating an Alternative Food System](https://www.gbiota.com/alernative-food-2/) - Nutrition must be one of the most controversial, topics on the planet. Go on line and an ocean of confusing and contradicting views fuelled by inscrutable scientific data, dogma powered by a tsunami of abuse. Result diabetes, obesity heart attacks and dementia.
- [Creating an Alternative Food System](https://www.gbiota.com/creating-and-alternative-food-system/) - Nutrition is among the most controversial, opinionated yet critical topics on the planet. We are suffering from an epidemic of diabetes, obesity with it’s associated heart attacks and dementia which still dwarfs the deaths for the Corona virus. Health before profits.
- [Gbiota club home](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-club-home/) - The aim of the Gbiota club is to make Gbiota food readily and widely available at an affordable price. Gbiota food is essential to feed our gut biology which forms part of our intelligent control system.
- [About the Gbiota Club](https://www.gbiota.com/about-the-gbiota-club/) - When you join the Gbiota club you get a stronger gut, immune and hormonal system by eating real food grown in nutrient rich biologically active soil. We are a social movement which out community health ahead of profits.
- [Q and A](https://www.gbiota.com/q-and-a/) - My specialist expertise is in how the way we grow our food affects our health. Eating fresh vegetables grown in specifics ways can improve gut health and strengthen our immune system. Here I try to help people grow food to fight the virus.
- [Germination](https://www.gbiota.com/germination/) - Wicking beds are highly productive and water efficient, the reason why they were so water efficient is that the surface soil was dry so there was minimal loss of water by evaporation from the surface or seepage of water past the root zone.
- [fresh food revolution](https://www.gbiota.com/fresh-food-revolution-2/) - For consumers it will mean fresh produce full of the essential mineral, phytonutrients and beneficial biology which leads to a healthy gut biology which controls our appetite and immune system.
- [Pioneer](https://www.gbiota.com/pioneer/) - Colin Austin, recognised as among Australia’s top innovators, is using the internet to fight the diabesity epidemic with Gbiota food.
- [The Gbiota Movement](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-movement/) - I want my grandchildren to live in a society where everyone, regardless of their financial state, have access to food which will make them healthy. It is simply not a good society where a small number of people have inordinate wealth while other people cannot afford to eat properly.
- [Soil destruction](https://www.gbiota.com/soil-destruction/) - Soil is created by biological action but the wide spread use of chemicals and mechanisation is slowly but persistently destroying the soil on which human life depends.
- [Tipping](https://www.gbiota.com/tipping/) - We know that the current ‘fat in the wrong places’ epidemic (diabetes, dementia and obesity) has only occurred in the last fifty years and there was no such epidemic when people were eating a diet rich in vegetables grown in nutrient rich, biologically active soil.
- [Micro farms](https://www.gbiota.com/micro-farms/) - I get angry about the way a few wealthy people manipulate the truth for their benefit leading to health and climate catastrophes. But not Auntie Maud, if she were alive today.
- [Why We Need a Biofoodies Group](https://www.gbiota.com/gut-health-2/) - For thousands of years life has been getting better, we live longer, are fitter, taller and stronger and we have gradually been overcoming infectious diseases. The graph of quality of life has been steadily going up. But then -
- [Xiulan's story](https://www.gbiota.com/xiulans-story/) - Xiulan was not particularly concerned when she was first diagnosed with diabetes. She was a doctor, actually a surgeon and gynaecologist and had confidence in the health system.
- [Truth](https://www.gbiota.com/truth/) - We live in an age of unbridled information, much of it conflicting so how do we know what it true and what is false – and why does it matter? False information can make us sick and die young while sound information can keep us healthy into old age.
- [Truth vs Misinformation About Food](https://www.gbiota.com/truth-2/) - We live in an age of unbridled information, much of it conflicting so how do we know what it true and what is false – and why does it matter? False information can make us sick and die young while sound information can keep us healthy into old age.
- [Changing the Diabetes Paradigm](https://www.gbiota.com/paradigm/) - This post looks at the paradigm shift needed to change the way we treat type 2 diabetes.
- [Gbiota beds - manual](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-beds-manual/) - living manual for building GBiota beds
- [Food for health](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-health-2/) - Do we really want our kids to grow up fat and diabetic, mums need to be eating food that feeds their gut biology, that’s what this story is all about.
- [Food basics](https://www.gbiota.com/food-basics/) - Do we really want our kids to grow up fat and diabetic, mums need to be eating food that feeds their gut biology, that’s what this web site is all about.
- [Food for health](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-health/) - Gbiotafood was developed to provide the trace minerals and beneficial biology essential to health but missing in our modern food system.
- [GBiota Green Smoothies](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-green-smoothy/) - Dietary advice can appear to be totally confusing with so many different opinions low fat, low carb, low meat, low eggs etc. Some people will never get fat and sick whatever they eat while other go to extreme lengths to avoid putting on weight.
- [Why you Should Join the Gbiota Movement](https://www.gbiota.com/why-we-need-the-gbiota-club-2/) - Our bodies naturally self regulate (Homeostasis) we don’t need to think about breathing or our heart rate. A healthy gut biology leads to natural self regulation so we don’t need to worry about fancy diets, our bodies tell us when and how much to eat.
- [Gbiota food for gut health](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-food-for-gut-health/) - The Gbiota bed growing system was developed to provide an alternative to the high fat and sugar, low nutrient modern foods system which is leading to major health issues.
- [Rock Dust & Why Soil Biology Matters](https://www.gbiota.com/rock-dust/) - Why Not Just Add Rock Dust? The amount of micro-nutrients humans need is tiny—often just a few micrograms. Meanwhile the planet holds trillions of tonnes of volcanic rock rich in these minerals. So why not simply spread rock dust on soil? We absolutely should, and rock dust is an important part of the Gbiota system.
- [Gbiota - Technology for the Benefit of Society](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-health-starts-in-the-soil/) - Humans are by far the most successful animal on earth for a simple reason: we have tools (technology) and we form cooperative societies. Some million or so years ago, humanoid creatures survived by throwing stones at attacking lions. Throwing stones may not sound like advanced technology, but we are the only animal that can do
- [Letter From China: Fermented Food, Gut Health, and Why We Age So Differently](https://www.gbiota.com/letter-from-china-fermented-food-gut-health-and-why-we-age-so-differently/) - I came to China to look for better ways to make fermented foods that support gut biology, because gut biology is a key part of the fight against diabetes and similar chronic illness. At first, I thought the trip would be a failure. Then I noticed something I could not ignore: in rural areas there
- [What an Ordinary Chinese Town Reveals About Diet, Gut Health, and Aging Well](https://www.gbiota.com/what-an-ordinary-chinese-town-reveals-about-diet-gut-health-and-aging-well/) - This article describes careful observation — “gawking” — in Jiangkou, an unremarkable town in inland China, and what it reveals about health, aging, and diet. By watching everyday life rather than chasing theories, patterns emerge around gut biology, fermented foods, daily movement, social structure, and food culture. The lesson is not a single diet rule,
- [Diabetes and the Eco-Village: Wicking Beds, Minerals, and Practical Recovery](https://www.gbiota.com/diabetes-and-the-eco-village-wicking-beds-minerals-and-practical-recovery/) - Type 2 diabetes is when insulin struggles to move sugar out of the bloodstream and into the muscles and organs. This article links diabetes to practical causes and solutions: trace minerals (especially chromium and vanadium), gut biology, food quality, and the habits that drive appetite. It also explains why an eco-village can help people change
- [Reversing Type 2 Diabetes the Yangtou Way](https://www.gbiota.com/reversing-type-2-diabetes-the-yangtou-way/) - Many people are told Type 2 diabetes is permanent and will only worsen, but that message is often wrong. This article explains the Yangtou approach: first restore insulin sensitivity by reducing stored excess fuel, then build a lifestyle that prevents relapse. Using continuous glucose monitoring, intermittent fasting, food timing, movement, stress control, and gut-supporting food
- [Stay at Our Gbiota Village: Practical Support for Diabetes Recovery](https://www.gbiota.com/stay-at-our-gbiota-village-practical-support-for-diabetes-recovery/) - Spend a few weeks at our Gbiota village and improve your chances of reversing Type 2 diabetes. You will be supported by qualified doctors, a nutritionist, and health trainers, while eating scheduled meals free of artificial toxins. You will be coached in intermittent fasting and exercise, and you will learn practical skills in the gardens
- [The Coach Scheme for Wicking Bed Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-technology-coach-scheme-colin-austin/) - This article explains the Coach Scheme for wicking bed technology: why it exists, how it works, and what coaches do. It traces the development of wicking beds from early soil and irrigation experiments through drought-driven adoption, commercial misuse, and the shift toward food and health outcomes. The scheme keeps the technology open for private use,
- [Healthy Food Association: Registry of Coaches](https://www.gbiota.com/healthy-food-association-registry-of-coaches/) - This registry is a simple public list of coaches connected to the Healthy Food Association. Coaches provide their own details by email, and the registry helps connect members with people who can offer practical guidance. Coaches are responsible for the accuracy of their information, and any paid work is arranged directly between the coach and
- [De-Boggling China: Food, Farming, and Health in a Rapidly Changing World](https://www.gbiota.com/de-boggling-china-food-farming-and-health-in-a-rapidly-changing-world/) - Halfway through a trip to China, Colin Austin is “de-boggling” — trying to separate real insights from quackery while looking for Chinese herbs, medicinal plants, and vegetables that people could grow in wicking beds to improve health. China is changing at a mind-boggling pace: soaring wealth, massive manufacturing regions, huge migration, and growing diabetes exist
- [Gin Gin State School Wicking Bed Project: Educational Gardening for Schools](https://www.gbiota.com/gin-gin-state-school-wicking-bed-project-water-wise-gardening-for-schools/) - This community project at Gin Gin State School in Queensland brought teachers, students, parents and local volunteers together to build outdoor wicking beds. Supported by Waterright wicking bed technologies, the project created productive garden beds that conserve water and improve soil fertility. It served as a pilot for schools and community groups interested in sustainable
- [The Future of Agriculture: Adapting Farming to Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/the-future-of-agriculture-adapting-farming-to-climate-change/) - This article is based on a talk Colin Austin — inventor of the wicking bed — gave during a China tour in September 2009. Climate change, shifting rainfall, and rising evaporation are reshaping how we grow food. It highlights practical, low-tech, and biological solutions: wicking beds, soil regeneration, micro-hydrology, and local water harvesting. Combining resilient soil biology
- [The Healthy Food Association: Growing Together for Better Health](https://www.gbiota.com/the-healthy-food-association-growing-together-for-better-health/) - This article introduces the Healthy Food Association, a non-profit community focused on improving health through nutrient-rich, biologically active soil and home-grown food. It explains how members can share experiences, gain support, and learn about sustainable growing techniques like wicking beds. The Association emphasizes education, collaboration, and voluntary participation, providing guidance on food production without commercial
- [Intelligent Control](https://www.gbiota.com/intelligent-control/) - Why is it that we are in the midst of a health crisis? What I call the fat in the wrong places epidemic of diabetes, dementia, obesity with their associated side effects yet there seems so little public reaction. These are man made diseases caused by corruption of our intelligent control system which has evolved
- [How Life Works](https://www.gbiota.com/how-life-works/) - The Two Great Synergies Life is powered by the sun. Plants use sunlight to combine carbon from the air and hydrogen from water to create carbohydrates — stored energy. This is the foundation of the food chain. Plants also release sugars from their roots to attract soil microbiology. This microbiology gathers water, minerals and complex
- [Three Functions of Food](https://www.gbiota.com/three-functions-of-food/) - We often classify food by nutrients — carbohydrates, fats, proteins — but it is more useful to understand what food actually does in the body. Food has three core functions: 1. Energy Food Energy food includes carbohydrates, fats and proteins. If it contains carbon and hydrogen, the body can burn it for fuel, releasing carbon
- [Food and Innovation: How Modern Agriculture Changed Our Health](https://www.gbiota.com/food-and-innovation-how-modern-agriculture-changed-our-health/) - Innovation is often associated with digital technology — phones, electric cars, and automation. But one of the largest shifts has been in how we grow food. Over the past eighty years, industrial agriculture has introduced fertilizers, large-scale irrigation, pesticides, hybrid seeds and mechanization. This has increased food production more than fourfold. We now produce
- [The Principle of Gbiota Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/the-principle-of-gbiota-beds/) - The aim of the Gbiota system is to restore and maintain a healthy gut by growing plants that act as natural pre- and probiotics. If we eat mainly modern processed foods, our gut becomes populated by sugar-loving microbes that drive cravings for more sugary food. The good news is that gut biology can be changed
- [Spreading the Benefits of Gbiota Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/spreading-the-benefits-of-gbiota-beds-2/) - Home Gardeners There are already many local growers who could supply their neighbourhood with gut-healthy food. There are also many people displaced by modern work changes who could build a small livelihood supplying gut food locally. Some people have large gardens and already grow food for themselves. Others have large gardens but find them too
- [Adapting to the Food Crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/adapting-to-the-food-crisis-3/) - The food crisis is not about empty shelves; it’s about food that’s energy-dense and nutrient-poor. That mismatch makes us heavier, sicker, and shortens our health span. We need practical education—especially for kids—on how to adapt: understand how the body evolved, rebuild soil biology, and feed the gut so it can do its job. Education is
- [Choosing a Gbiota Smoothie](https://www.gbiota.com/choosing-a-gbiota-smoothie-2/) - Minerals, Vitamins and Biology in Gbiota Smoothies The main aim of a Gbiota smoothie is to improve gut health, but they also contain the minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients essential for health. The plants in all Gbiota smoothies are selected to provide these essential minerals, vitamins and gut biology. However there are two vitamins which are
- [Sugar Blockers](https://www.gbiota.com/sugar-blockers-2/) - Gut Biology is Ever Changing Our gut biology shifts depending on what we eat. A typical modern diet encourages a gut biology geared towards sugar consumption, which is very different from the plant-focused gut biology we evolved with. Hidden sugars are a major factor. Our Intelligent Control System The trillions of microbes in our gut
- [History of Food](https://www.gbiota.com/history-of-food-colin-austin/) - From Rocks to Soil About a billion years ago, microbiology began breaking down rock, releasing mineral sand forming soil. Plants grew, provided energy to microbes, and died back to create nutrient-rich earth. This was the foundation of all future food systems. Early Pre-Human Diet Around a million years ago, pre-human creatures ate a wide variety
- [Understanding food](https://www.gbiota.com/understanding-food-colin-austin/) - The Modern Health Crisis Obesity and diabetes have become widespread in just the last fifty years. The cause lies in how our food and soils have changed. The gut brain is part of the body’s intelligent control system, and it depends on plants grown in biologically active soil. When food came from living soil, chronic
- [Food Basics](https://www.gbiota.com/food-basics-2/) - “Do we really want our kids to grow up fat and diabetic? Health starts in the soil—and in the gut.” Why this site exists Humans succeed through intelligence and cooperation. Yet modern media and marketing often push instant gratification—pills, bars, and ultra-processed meals—that undermine long-term health. Nowhere is this clearer than in food: despite medical
- [Food for Thought](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-thought/) - Feed our brains, our head brain and our gut brain and they will look after us. “Health starts in the soil—and in the gut.” We share an intelligent control system that manages how much and what sort of food we want to eat, and how much and where we store fat. It has three main
- [Blue zones](https://www.gbiota.com/blue-zones/) - Feed our brains, our head brain and our gut brain and they will look after us. In parts of the world known as blue zones, people live long and active lives—often into their nineties or hundreds—by eating mostly plant-based foods grown in healthy, mineral-rich soil. Their gardens are alive with beneficial microbes, unlike the depleted
- [Continuous Monitoring](https://www.gbiota.com/continuous-monitoring-2/) - Welcome to my site, which I created after some thought and practical experiments. My wife, Xiulan, a medical doctor, was having severe problems with her diabetes, so we fitted her with a continuous blood sugar monitor to look for connections between her blood sugar levels, her food, and anything else that might be relevant. Continuous
- [Health Starts in the Soil Part 1](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-1-gbiota/) - Humans thrive because we build tools and cooperate. Today, rapid technological change and a highly processed food system mean we must use that same cooperation to reclaim our health—starting in the soil. Cooperation and technology Some million or so years ago, humanoid creatures survived by throwing stones at attacking lions. Throwing stones may not sound
- [What Traditional Food Systems in Yunnan Teach Us About Health](https://www.gbiota.com/what-traditional-food-systems-in-yunnan-teach-us-about-health/) - This article is a practical travel reflection written from Shenzhen after a trip to Yunnan. The “official” reason for the visit is to look at how traditional farming and soil might relate to human health. The real reason is simpler: Yunnan is stunning. Along the way the author uses a deliberately unscientific method called “gawking”
- [How Urban Agriculture Can Combat Hidden Hunger](https://www.gbiota.com/how-urban-agriculture-can-combat-hidden-hunger/) - This article is a summary of Colin Austin’s 2014 Shanghai–Wuhan talk on wicking beds and why “more food” is not the same as “better food." Modern agriculture can supply abundant calories, yet many diets remain short of minerals, vitamins, and plant compounds that support long-term health. The result is “hidden hunger” and the rise of
- [Yangtou Village Diabetes Farm Stay: Operating Plan](https://www.gbiota.com/yangtou-village-diabetes-farm-stay-operating-plan/) - Type 2 diabetes is now so common that the standard medical system is overloaded. A farm-stay retreat model can help by teaching people practical routines for food, movement, and stress reduction that support long-term remission. The retreat does not “fix diabetes in two weeks”. Instead, it provides the right environment, skilled support, and measurement tools
- [Gbiota Retreats for Reversing Type 2 Diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-retreats-for-reversing-type-2-diabetes/) - A Gbiota retreat is a practical, education-first program that helps people with Type 2 diabetes reduce blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity using three levers: food quality, movement, and stress control. Guests stay for two to four weeks, use continuous glucose monitoring, and learn what works for their own body through simple testing and real
- [Climate Change and Al Gore](https://www.gbiota.com/climate-change-and-al-gore/) - This article reflects on the global impact of Al Gore’s work on climate change, particularly his film An Inconvenient Truth. It argues that while political outcomes may vary, the film played a critical role in shifting public awareness and framing climate change as a serious global risk. The piece highlights how public conviction has grown
- [“We’re Not Running Out of Water?” — Politics and Queensland’s Drying Future](https://www.gbiota.com/were-not-running-out-of-water-politics-and-queenslands-drying-future/) - This article examines the tension between political reassurance and scientific reality in Queensland’s water debate. While confident public statements may calm concern in the short term, climate science indicates a long-term shift toward greater aridity. The challenge is not spin, but adaptation. Recognising climate change and adopting arid-zone water technologies is essential if Queensland is
- [Why Water Tanks Matter: Rethinking the Marsden Report and Short-Term Water Policy](https://www.gbiota.com/why-water-tanks-matter-rethinking-the-marsden-report-and-short-term-water-policy/) - The debate over water security often suffers from short-term economic thinking that ignores long-term risk, climate change, and system resilience. The discussion around the Marsden Report and household water tanks is a clear example. While the report claims tanks are expensive and inefficient, a closer look shows these conclusions rely on flawed assumptions. In an
- [Global Warming and Government Policy](https://www.gbiota.com/global-warming-and-government-policy/) - This article examines the contrast between Australia’s increasingly proactive water policy and the far less convincing response to global warming. While there is growing recognition that water must be managed at a national level, climate change policy remains cautious and reactive. The piece argues that global warming demands a dual response: long-term emissions reduction and
- [The Howard Turnbull Water Plan](https://www.gbiota.com/the-howard-turnbull-water-plan/) - This article reflects on the Howard Turnbull Water Plan for the Murray–Darling Basin and places it in the wider context of Australia’s long struggle to reform water management. While the plan was welcomed with optimism, history shows that enthusiasm alone does not guarantee meaningful change. True reform requires moving beyond state-based thinking, embracing innovation, and
- [Queensland’s Water Crisis and the 2006 State Election](https://www.gbiota.com/queenslands-water-crisis-and-the-2006-state-election/) - In the lead-up to the 2006 Queensland State Election, water emerged as one of the biggest public concerns. This short update explains why the “Queensland water crisis” is not only about rainfall, but about how water is captured, managed, and governed. It introduces “The Doctor and the Water Crisis” as a plain-language, story-based way to
- [The Doctor and the Water Crisis: How Local Solutions Can End a Man-Made Shortage](https://www.gbiota.com/the-doctor-and-the-water-crisis-how-local-solutions-can-end-a-man-made-shortage/) - This article explains why the so-called water crisis is largely man-made and how communities can manage water successfully using simple, local technologies. Drawing on real experience from an eco-village near Gin Gin, it shows that rainfall is usually sufficient if it is captured and used wisely. The article introduces a story-based approach, “The Doctor and
- [Wanted: Regenerative Farmers to Grow Food for Health, Soil, and Climate](https://www.gbiota.com/wanted-regenerative-farmers-to-grow-food-for-health-soil-and-climate/) - This announcement is a call to regenerative farmers who want to grow food that supports real human health while restoring soil and ecosystems. It explains why modern industrial food systems create poor health outcomes, how traditional biologically rich farming avoided many chronic diseases, and how modern technology can now combine the best of both worlds.
- [News from China: Scaling Wicking Beds for Food Security and Climate Action](https://www.gbiota.com/news-from-china-scaling-wicking-beds-for-food-security-and-climate-action/) - This update explains the progress of international work to scale wicking bed technology as a practical response to food insecurity and climate change. It outlines collaboration with Australian and Chinese research institutions, early trial sites, and efforts to engage governments in funding large-scale solutions. While the work has been demanding, strong support from growers around
- [Queensland Floods — What Role Does Climate Change Play?](https://www.gbiota.com/queensland-floods-what-role-does-climate-change-play/) - The Queensland floods of 2010–2011 raised a hard question: was this simply another natural flood, or a sign of a changing climate? From personal experience near Bundaberg, this article explores how extra greenhouse energy can amplify flood and drought cycles even before average temperatures rise much. It also argues that the best near-term response is
- [Dear Malcolm: Proposal to Help Solve Australia’s Water Crisis](https://www.gbiota.com/dear-malcolm-proposal-to-help-solve-australias-water-crisis/) - This short letter sets out a straightforward problem and a practical next step. Australia receives an enormous volume of rainfall overall, yet our conventional dams-and-catchments approach captures only a tiny fraction of what falls. Colin Austin argues that the technical case for harvesting more “missed” rain is widely accepted, but adoption is stalled because no
- [Eco-Village Accommodation In Queensland: Heritage Stay At Kookaburra Park](https://www.gbiota.com/eco-village-accommodation-in-queensland-heritage-stay-at-kookaburra-park/) - Looking for a slower, healthier way to live (even if only for a week)? Kookaburra Park Eco Village offers a calm heritage stay in the Queensland bush, just minutes from Gin Gin and under an hour to Bundaberg and the coast. You get your own private accommodation, while still being close to village life—organic food,
- [Response to Green Paper on Climate Change and the Carbon Trading Scheme](https://www.gbiota.com/response-to-green-paper-on-climate-change-and-the-carbon-trading-scheme/) - This submission argues that climate change cannot be solved by emissions cuts alone, especially while rapidly developing countries expand. It proposes a parallel strategy: remove carbon from the atmosphere by capturing it in soil, using water-harvesting growing systems (including wicking beds) that drive microbiology to bond carbon into stable soil. The paper focuses on China
- [China Floods and Droughts: A Wicking Bed Research Proposal for Climate Resilience](https://www.gbiota.com/china-floods-and-droughts-a-wicking-bed-research-proposal-for-climate-resilience/) - China and Australia share a similar challenge: major food regions are being hit by stronger flood and drought cycles, now made worse by climate change and topsoil loss. This proposal outlines a practical farming shift that can reduce water use, lift productivity, cut nutrient pollution, and store more carbon in soil. The idea is simple:
- [Invitation To Join International Research On Soil Carbon, Water, And Climate Resilience](https://www.gbiota.com/invitation-to-join-international-research-on-soil-carbon-water-and-climate-resilience/) - Climate change is driving a tougher flood-and-drought cycle, and the normal tools are not reducing atmospheric carbon fast enough. This invitation outlines a practical research proposal: modify agriculture so it can absorb around 10 billion tonnes of atmospheric carbon each year while also improving food reliability. The approach focuses on controlled decomposition of imported organic
- [About This Site: Soil, Water, and the Search for Sustainable Solutions](https://www.gbiota.com/about-this-site-soil-water-and-the-search-for-sustainable-solutions-2/) - This article explains the origins and purpose of this site. Colin Austin outlines how severe soil loss in Australia led him to decades of research into soil regeneration, water management, and carbon capture. From early experiments on degraded land to the development of wicking beds and large-scale soil carbon strategies, the site exists to share
- [Wicking Beds: How Underground Water Storage Changed the Way We Grow Food](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-how-underground-water-storage-changed-the-way-we-grow-food/) - Wicking beds emerged from practical experiments aimed at growing food under drought conditions, first in Ethiopia and later elsewhere. The core problem was not the absolute lack of water, but unreliable rainfall and poor soils. By storing water underground and allowing it to move upward through the soil by capillary action, wicking beds created stable
- [Droughtproofing in Ethiopia: Low-Cost Irrigation Lessons for a Water-Scarce World](https://www.gbiota.com/droughtproofing-in-ethiopia-low-cost-irrigation-lessons-for-a-water-scarce-world-2/) - This article describes a practical droughtproofing project developed in Ethiopia to address food insecurity during severe drought. Invited by World Vision to find a way to grow sustenance food with very limited water, a simple but innovative irrigation system was created. Using gravity, recycled materials, and careful scheduling, the system aimed to feed over 54,000
- [Wicking Beds: A Practical Technology for Adapting to Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-beds-a-practical-technology-for-adapting-to-climate-change-2/) - Climate change presents two linked challenges: reducing carbon in the atmosphere and protecting food production in a world of increasingly erratic rainfall. This article explains why cutting emissions alone is not enough, and why agriculture must become part of the solution. By using wicking bed technology to store carbon in soil and stabilise water use,
- [Resolving Climate Change: Why Soil Carbon and Innovation Matter Now](https://www.gbiota.com/resolving-climate-change-why-soil-carbon-and-innovation-matter-now/) - Climate change can feel distant until extreme weather turns up at your door. After Queensland floods sent water under my house, I realised the real danger is not only rising average temperatures, but more floods and droughts happening now. This article summarises three short books that explore a practical path: use innovation and systems thinking
- [Combating “Fat Tummy” Disease by Changing Gut Biology](https://www.gbiota.com/combating-fat-tummy-disease-by-changing-gut-biology/) - Many modern chronic diseases share a common starting point: visceral “fat tummy” fat, often called metabolic syndrome. This condition can progress to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and faster cancer growth. Conventional advice based on calories and low-fat diets has failed. This article explains why hormones and gut biology matter more than willpower, how
- [Wicking Bed Technology Explained: Grow Nutrient-Dense Vegetables with Less Water](https://www.gbiota.com/wicking-bed-technology-explained-grow-nutrient-dense-vegetables-with-less-water-2/) - Wicking bed technology is a sustainable gardening method that saves water, improves soil fertility, and promotes healthy plant growth. Using an underground reservoir, water moves up to plant roots through capillary action, reducing waste and enhancing nutrient uptake. Wicking beds support soil biology, beneficial microbes, and fungi, allowing gardeners to grow nutrient-rich vegetables with less
- [How to Replenish Your Gut Microbes](https://www.gbiota.com/how-to-replenish-your-gut-microbes/) - The microbes in our gut are critical for our health but in an effort to feed the ever increasing population and avoid infectious diseases we have adopted a food system which no longer breeds the beneficial microbes we need. But we can modify the traditional way we bred microbes by carefully controlling the conditions so
- [The Gbiota Mission](https://www.gbiota.com/the-gbiota-mission-2/) - The Essence of Gbiota Breed beneficial microbes in living soil. Grow plants in that soil and eat them fresh so the microbes reach your gut alive. Because microbes have short lifespans, freshness matters—hence growing at home. Create a Social Movement Most people care about community wellbeing. When individuals breed their own microbes and feel better,
- [Understanding your gut-brain](https://www.gbiota.com/understanding-yuor-gut-brain-2/) - We show the process of - breeding beneficial microbes in organic - growing plants in this soil using the flood and flush system so the soil breathes and soil blood (like our blood) is regularly circulated - the microbes enter the plants which we eat to form our gut biome - the microbes sense if the available food is deficient, when it will send our hormones to make us crave the missing food, and if there is sufficient send out other hormones so we feel satisfied and stop eating. It worked well until we changed our food system to produce hygienic but inert foods.
- [Changing the Health Paradigm](https://www.gbiota.com/changing-the-health-paradigm-2/) - We are living longer, thanks to major advances in medical science. In the past people died, often when young, from infectious diseases now we die predominantly from chronic or non-infectious diseases with three out of four people dying from a chronic disease. We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic diseases - overweight, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and dementia. Medical science may keep us alive for a long time but far worse is that we may live for a long time with poor health. Our life span may be increasing but our health span is not.
- [Mind and body](https://www.gbiota.com/mind-and-body-2/) - We are living longer, thanks to major advances in medical science. In the past people died, often when young, from infectious diseases now we die predominantly from chronic or non-infectious diseases with three out of four people dying from a chronic disease. We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic diseases overweight, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and dementia. Medical science may keep us alive for a long time but far worse is that we may live for a long time with poor health. Our life span may be increasing but our health span is not.
- [Making a Gbiota box](https://www.gbiota.com/making-a-gbiota-box-2/) - Here I extract the key points from the many previous points and collect into one spost
- [Save 100,000 legs from diabetic amputation](https://www.gbiota.com/save-100000-legs-from-diabetic-amputation-2/) - I have set myself the target of saving 100,000 people from a diabetic leg amputation before the end of 2025. I know how to do this, I am an engineer and engineers take the best available science and turn this into a practical solution. But that is not enough, I am also an entrepreneur and entrepreneurs ensure that this practical solution is adopted. I have a track record I was a pioneer of computer-aided engineering and built up a multi-million dollar company from my back bedroom which ensured that my pioneering technology was adopted globally.
- [Health starts in the soil](https://www.gbiota.com/health-starts-in-the-soil-2/) - Every day we here stories of doom and gloom about food, price hikes from floods and droughts, problems with the supply chain from Covid, lack of nutrients and beneficial biota leading to diabetes, heart attacks and dementia. It all sounds pretty miserable so why not do something about it. Here we are focused on solutions.
- [Community growers](https://www.gbiota.com/community-growers-2/) - If you looking at this web I assume you are interested in your health and understand that you just cannot be really healthy unless you are eating healthy food. You are probably aware you are low in Magnesium because the majority of the population are low in Magnesium. If you are a female you probably also realise that you could be low in iron. If you are male then you may not have caught up with the sniggering that if you are a sexually active male that one night of happy frolicking can deplete your zinc reserves. That is bad as zinc is important to our immune systems.
- [Meet you](https://www.gbiota.com/meet-you-2/) - If you live in cloud cuckoo land you may believe that there will be a continuous supply of healthy food way into the future. Dream on. But if you live in the real world you will see we are on a high speed train heading straight for a cliff and that cliff is a major food crisis where the supermarkets are full of food loaded with sugars, fats and carbs which will make us fat and sick. But no real food.
- [Nundah cafe](https://www.gbiota.com/nundah-cafe/) - Your meal should feed more than your taste buds—it should also nourish the trillions of cells in your gut that quietly look after your health. Why Your Gut Needs Its Own Food We hope you feel satisfied from eating the food prepared to feed you, but what about those trillions of cells in your gut
- [Making soil work](https://www.gbiota.com/making-soil-work/) - We have the technical ability to grow food, which is convenient, taste good and is cheap in a way totally divorced from the conventional methods of food production, no longer needing soil and biology as the core of production but relying on chemistry.
- [Q&A15April20](https://www.gbiota.com/qa15april20/) - I now live in Bundaberg, Queensland, the latitude is about 25 ° which is in the band of deserts around the world. The winter climate is as near to perfect as you can get and is is possible to grow a wide range of plants. It rarely rains so as long as you have a supply of water everything is fine.
- [How Urban Agriculture Can Combat Hidden Hunger](https://www.gbiota.com/how-urban-agriculture-can-combat-hidden-hunger/) - This article is a summary of Colin Austin’s 2014 Shanghai–Wuhan talk on wicking beds and why “more food” is not the same as “better food." Modern agriculture can supply abundant calories, yet many diets remain short of minerals, vitamins, and plant compounds that support long-term health. The result is “hidden hunger” and the rise of
- [Response to Green Paper on Climate Change and the Carbon Trading Scheme](https://www.gbiota.com/response-to-green-paper-on-climate-change-and-the-carbon-trading-scheme-2/) - This submission argues that climate change cannot be solved by emissions cuts alone, especially while rapidly developing countries expand. It proposes a parallel strategy: remove carbon from the atmosphere by capturing it in soil, using water-harvesting growing systems (including wicking beds) that drive microbiology to bond carbon into stable soil. The paper focuses on China

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.gbiota.com/) - ACHIEVE HEALTH & LONGEVITY Health from microbes in living soil Living soil is the foundation of human health. Beneficial microbes unlock minerals for plants. When we eat fresh, nutrient-dense food grown in that soil, those nutrients and microbes help strengthen our own gut microbiome. Free Online Courses YOUR PROGRAMSOffering over 400 programs taught by the
- [Gbiota Healthspan](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-healthspan-2/) - Reclaim Your Health Span. Start with Living Soil. Join the Gbiota Movement Today Download Free e-Book Now Thank You, we’ll be in touch soon. Why Modern Food Is Failing Us For most of human history, food was fresh, local, and rich in the minerals and microbes that sustain life. Today, our food system is designed for
- [Start Here - New Subscribers](https://www.gbiota.com/start-here-new-subscribers/) - Homeostasis I discussed on my home page about homeostasis and how our bodies have set points that our bodies will always try and reach. Trying to change our bodies without changing these set points is a formula for failure. If we want to change our bodies, we need to change these set points. Here, I
- [About Gbiota](https://www.gbiota.com/about-gbiota/) - Rebuilding Human Health With Nutrient-Rich, Microbe-Alive Food Gbiota exists to restore the natural nutrition that modern food systems have lost. Colin Austin—one of Australia’s leading innovators and the original inventor of wicking beds—has spent decades studying alternative growing systems, soil biology, water management, and plant nutrition. His vision for wicking beds was never just about
- [Grow with Gbiota](https://www.gbiota.com/grow-with-gbiota/) - These posts show how to set up and manage Gbiota™ beds. This section is a subscription area for people who really want to be part of the community food movement making Gbiota beds, soils and boxes which do require some technical expertise and agreement to standards.
- [Account](https://www.gbiota.com/account/)
- [Home](https://www.gbiota.com/home-2/) - From the Inventor of Wicking Beds, Colin Austin HEALTH STARTS IN THE SOIL Grow Food, Grow Community, Grow Health 5.0 ★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5 Join Now As Featured In A few of Colin's Media Mentions Grow Nutrient Dense Food Gbiota technology helps people breed beneficial microbes that generate hormones responsible for feelings of
- [Shop](https://www.gbiota.com/shop/)
- [Gbiota Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-technology/) - Introduction to GbiotaLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. The Gbiota ClubLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Gbiota BedsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper
- [Food & Nutrition](https://www.gbiota.com/food-nutrition/) - Food & Nutrition Articles How Food WorksLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, Diabetes & FoodLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Gbiota Smoothies & FoodLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus,
- [Colin Austin](https://www.gbiota.com/about-2/colin-austin/) - The Future of Food Our see a world where food is no longer just a commodity but a living system that sustains health. We see communities connected to growers, supported by education, and united in a movement that values microbial life as the foundation of human wellbeing. Through this shift, we aim to Promote a
- [Blog](https://www.gbiota.com/blog-2/)
- [Modern Groups](https://www.gbiota.com/modern-groups/)
- [Modern Groups](https://www.gbiota.com/groups-modern/)
- [Modern Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses-modern/)
- [Modern Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses-modern-2/)
- [Join Gbiota Social Movement](https://www.gbiota.com/join/) - Join the Gbiota Community Newsletter Subscription Free subscription: Access to newsletter Selected member posts Community updates Get Started Monthly Membership 1 Month free → $14.99 / Month Be an informed gut-brain food buyer Guides & checklists Member Q&A Choose Monthly Membership Annual Membership 1 Month free → $120 / Year How to grow gut-brain food
- [Course Groups](https://www.gbiota.com/course-groups/)
- [Forums](https://www.gbiota.com/forums/)
- [Instructors](https://www.gbiota.com/instructors/)
- [Masonry Layout](https://www.gbiota.com/masonry-layout/)
- [Grid Layout](https://www.gbiota.com/grid-layout/)
- [Thumbnail Layout](https://www.gbiota.com/thumbnail-layout/)
- [Masonry Layout](https://www.gbiota.com/masonry-layout-2/)
- [Grid Layout](https://www.gbiota.com/grid-layout-2/)
- [Thumbnail Layout](https://www.gbiota.com/thumbnail-layout-2/)
- [Contact us](https://www.gbiota.com/contact-us/) - Contact Us! Visit us Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cones ctetur adipiscing elit dusch solli citudin arcu non rutrum 2 Elizabeth St. London, UK Call us Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cones ctetur adipiscing elit. +44 (0) 203 116 7711 Contact us Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cones ctetur adipiscing elit dusch solli citudin arcu
- [About](https://www.gbiota.com/about/) - About Us Learn a New Language! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Get unlimited access to 4,000+ of our top courses Explore a variety of fresh topics Find the right instructor for you Get Started Courses online, faculty classes and seminars. Take
- [Health span](https://www.gbiota.com/health-span/)
- [Riddle](https://www.gbiota.com/riddle/)
- [Torch Bearer](https://www.gbiota.com/torch-bearer/)
- [Food paradigm shift](https://www.gbiota.com/food-paradigm-shift/)
- [Feed your gut brain](https://www.gbiota.com/feed-your-gut-brain/)
- [LD Profile](https://www.gbiota.com/ld-profile/)
- [My Dashboard](https://www.gbiota.com/my-dashboard/) - [ld_dashboard]
- [Instructor Registration](https://www.gbiota.com/instructor-registration/) - [ld_instructor_registration]
- [Newsletter](https://www.gbiota.com/newsletter/) - [newsletter]
- [Downloads](https://www.gbiota.com/downloads/)
- [Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/)
- [Checkout](https://www.gbiota.com/checkout/)
- [Purchase Confirmation](https://www.gbiota.com/checkout/purchase-confirmation/) - Thank you for your purchase!
- [Transaction Failed](https://www.gbiota.com/checkout/transaction-failed/) - Your transaction failed, please try again or contact site support.
- [Purchase History](https://www.gbiota.com/checkout/purchase-history/)
- [Course Group](https://www.gbiota.com/course-group/)
- [Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses-2/)
- [About](https://www.gbiota.com/about-2/) - The Gbiota Mission to restore the natural partnership between humans and beneficial microbes. By educating people and communities, we empower them to reintroduce healthy microbes into their daily lives through living soils, nutrient-rich plants, and gut-friendly foods. Our goal is to make this knowledge and practice accessible so that everyone can enjoy longer, healthier lives.
- [LD Profile](https://www.gbiota.com/ld-profile-2/)
- [Contact](https://www.gbiota.com/food-for-health/) - contact us Ready to transform your health from the soil up? Contact us with questions, concerns, and technical info. We will be in touch with you shortly. Visit us Click and collect available for orders (by appointment only) 1484 Logan Road, Mount Gravatt East, QLD, 4122, Australia Call us Want to find out more about
- [login](https://www.gbiota.com/login/) - Welcome back! We're thrilled to see you again! Your presence in our community brightens our day. Thank you for returning and being an integral part of the Gbiota movement. Login to Your Gbiota Account Lost your password? New here? Create a free account
- [Thank You](https://www.gbiota.com/thank-you/)
- [My story](https://www.gbiota.com/my-story/) - Colin Austin — Life & Achievements Engineer, innovator & founder of Gbiota — practical solutions from software to soil. Colin’s Story Failed Bum → Soil, Water & Food Becoming a “Failed Bum” My great claim to fame is I am a failed bum – I was educated as an engineer but I heard Bill Mollison
- [Members](https://www.gbiota.com/members-2/)
- [Logout](https://www.gbiota.com/logout/)
- [Password Reset](https://www.gbiota.com/password-reset/) - [ultimatemember_password]
- [GBiota Landing Page](https://www.gbiota.com/gbiota-landing-page/) - Colin’s Story Our Mission Blog Join Library Contact Transform your Gut Health Gbiota microbial soil enables you to grow food that improves gut biota. From Colin Austin – inventor of Wicking Beds, Moldflow founder, and award-winning innovator. Join the Gut-Soil Health Movement. Discover how living soil connects to gut health. Get practical tips, guides, and
- [Posts](https://www.gbiota.com/posts/)

## Forums

- [when looking at its layout.](https://www.gbiota.com/forums/forum/when-looking-at-its-layout/) - It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English.

## Topics

- [the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour](https://www.gbiota.com/forums/topic/the-majority-have-suffered-alteration-in-some-form-by-injected-humour/) - you need to be sure there isn't anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text.

## My Templates

- [Gbiota New Website](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=gbiota-new-website-2)
- [Gbiota New Website](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=gbiota-new-website)
- [Default Kit](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=default-kit)
- [contac](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=contac) - contact us! Need an expert? you are more than welcomed to leave your contact info and we will be in touch shortly Visit us Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cones ctetur adipiscing elit dusch solli citudin arcu non rutrum 2 Elizabeth St. London, UK Call us Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, cones ctetur adipiscing elit.
- [about](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=about) - About Us Learn a New Language! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Get unlimited access to 4,000+ of our top courses Explore a variety of fresh topics Find the right instructor for you Get Started Courses online, faculty classes and seminars. Take
- [new-home](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=new-home) - Find a perfect Mentor for your Talent. Choose out of 2500+ mentors. Trusted by 250k users. Industry experts and top university professors. Learn More 20K + CoursesYou can start and finish one of these popular courses in under Expert InstructorYou can start and finish one of these popular courses in under Lifetime AccessYou can start
- [Default Kit](https://www.gbiota.com/?elementor_library=default-kit-2)

## Memberships

- [Guest](https://www.gbiota.com/membership/guest/) - If you are joining for free, just enter your name and email, and we will keep you updated on new posts. Don't forget to click the signup button at the bottom of the form If you are joining as a grower, then please fill on all the details as you will receive technical support, but
- [Newsletter](https://www.gbiota.com/membership/newsletter/) - Sign up to receive the Gbiota newsletter and free website updates. Find out how you can grow your own gut-brain food and improve your health and wellbeing.
- [Month-to-Month Membership](https://www.gbiota.com/membership/monthly-membership/) - Join the Gbiota movement and learn how you can grow your own gut-brain food. Improve your gut health, overall health & wellbeing. Be inspired with lessons, videos and our extensive content library. Sign up for a month-to-month plan. Cancel anytime.
- [Annual Membership](https://www.gbiota.com/membership/annual-membership/) - Join the Gbiota movement and learn how you can grow your own gut-brain food. Improve your gut health, overall health & wellbeing. Be inspired with lessons, videos and our extensive content library. Sign up for an annual membership and save $60 per year.

## Groups

- [gbiota member](https://www.gbiota.com/plans/gbiota-member/)

## Downloads

- [Social Media and Web Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/downloads/social-media-and-web-design-technology/) - Quuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quiaolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Minim veniam, quis
- [Network Security and Configuration](https://www.gbiota.com/downloads/network-security-and-configuration/) - Quuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quiaolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Minim veniam, quis
- [Marketing Strategies for Businesses](https://www.gbiota.com/downloads/marketing-strategies-for-businesses/) - Quuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quiaolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Minim veniam, quis
- [User Experience Design Fundamentals](https://www.gbiota.com/downloads/user-experience-design-fundamentals/) - Quuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quiaolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Minim veniam, quis

## Courses

- [HR Management](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/hr-management/) - About this course Lorem Ipsn gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet.Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auci elit consequat ipsutis sem nibh id elit. Duis sed odio sit amet nibh vulputate cursus a sit amet mauris. Morbi accumsan ipsum velit. Nam nec tellus a odio tincidunt auctor a ornare odio. Sed non mauris vitae erat consequat
- [Business English](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/business-english/) - About this course Lorem Ipsn gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet.Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auci elit consequat ipsutis sem nibh id elit. Duis sed odio sit amet nibh vulputate cursus a sit amet mauris. Morbi accumsan ipsum velit. Nam nec tellus a odio tincidunt auctor a ornare odio. Sed non mauris vitae erat consequat
- [Web Designing](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/web-designing/) - About this course Lorem Ipsn gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet.Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auci elit consequat ipsutis sem nibh id elit. Duis sed odio sit amet nibh vulputate cursus a sit amet mauris. Morbi accumsan ipsum velit. Nam nec tellus a odio tincidunt auctor a ornare odio. Sed non mauris vitae erat consequat
- [Android Developer](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/android-developer/) - About this course Lorem Ipsn gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet.Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auci elit consequat ipsutis sem nibh id elit. Duis sed odio sit amet nibh vulputate cursus a sit amet mauris. Morbi accumsan ipsum velit. Nam nec tellus a odio tincidunt auctor a ornare odio. Sed non mauris vitae erat consequat
- [Financial Modeling](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/financial-modeling/) - About this course Lorem Ipsn gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet.Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auci elit consequat ipsutis sem nibh id elit. Duis sed odio sit amet nibh vulputate cursus a sit amet mauris. Morbi accumsan ipsum velit. Nam nec tellus a odio tincidunt auctor a ornare odio. Sed non mauris vitae erat consequat
- [Social Computing](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/social-computing/) - About this course Lorem Ipsn gravida nibh vel velit auctor aliquet.Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auci elit consequat ipsutis sem nibh id elit. Duis sed odio sit amet nibh vulputate cursus a sit amet mauris. Morbi accumsan ipsum velit. Nam nec tellus a odio tincidunt auctor a ornare odio. Sed non mauris vitae erat consequat
- [LearnDash 101](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/)

## Lessons

- [Lesson 4: Support & Community](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-4-support-community/)
- [Lesson 3: Guides & Tutorials](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-guides-tutorials/)
- [Lesson 2: Add-ons](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-add-ons/)
- [Lesson 1: How to Do More with LearnDash](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-1-how-to-do-more-with-learndash/)
- [Lesson 4: Creating a Certificate Using the Certificate Builder](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-4-creating-a-certificate-using-the-certificate-builder/)
- [Lesson 3: Quiz Access Settings](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-quiz-access-settings/)
- [Lesson 2: How to Set Up Quizzes](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-quizzes/)
- [Lesson 1: How to Create Quizzes and Certificates](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-1-how-to-create-quizzes-and-certificates/)
- [Lesson 5: How to Create Memberships](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-5-how-to-create-memberships/)
- [Lesson 4: How to Create Coupons](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-4-how-to-create-coupons/)
- [Lesson 3: How to Accept Payment for Your Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-how-to-accept-payment-for-your-courses/)
- [Lesson 2: How to Set Up Course Registration](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/)
- [Lesson 1: How to Setup Registration and Payments](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-1-how-to-setup-registration-and-payments/)
- [Lesson 3: How to Use the Course Creation Wizard](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-how-to-use-the-course-creation-wizard/)
- [Lesson 2: How to Use the Course Builder to Add Lessons, Topics, and Quizzes](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-use-the-course-builder-to-add-lessons-topics-and-quizzes/)
- [Lesson 1: How to Build Your First Course](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-1-how-to-build-your-first-course/)
- [Lesson 3: General Settings Overview](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-general-settings-overview/)
- [Lesson 2: Dashboard Overview: Courses, Lessons, & Topics](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-dashboard-overview-courses-lessons-topics/)
- [Lesson 1: Getting Started with LearnDash](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-1-getting-started-with-learndash/)
- [Research-oriented course](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/social-computing/lessons/research-oriented-course/) - This is a research-oriented course designed for graduate students and senior undergraduate students interested in social computing research. For the first part of the course, the instructor will give lectures on certain foundational topics of social computing. There will be weekly reading assignments focusing on basic concepts of social computing for students to read and
- [Listening Exercise](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/hr-management/lessons/listening-exercise/) - the basic unit of language system, the largest on the morphologic and the smallest on the syntactic plane of linguistic analysis. The word is a structural and semantic entity within the language system. Etymologically the vocabulary of the English language is far from being homogeneous. It consists of two layers – the native stock of
- [Competition in Pricing Strategy](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/financial-modeling/lessons/competition-in-pricing-strategy/) - The literal meaning, however, gives only a general notion of the aims and the subject-matter of this branch of linguistic science, since all its other branches also take account of words in one way or another approaching them from different angles. Phonetics, for instance, investigating the phonetic structure of language, i.e. its system of phonemes
- [Android Coding Bacisc](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/android-developer/lessons/web-coding-bacisc-2/) - The course requires students to propose and complete a course project. Students can choose to do the project individually or in groups of two to three students. The instructor will facilitate the formation of project groups and make necessary adjustments to ensure that the composition of each group is ideal for the proposed project. In
- [Web Coding Bacisc](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/web-designing/lessons/web-coding-bacisc/) - The course requires students to propose and complete a course project. Students can choose to do the project individually or in groups of two to three students. The instructor will facilitate the formation of project groups and make necessary adjustments to ensure that the composition of each group is ideal for the proposed project. In
- [Word Types](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/business-english/lessons/word-types/) - A Course in Modern English Lexicology is therefore a course in Special Descriptive Lexicology, its object of study being the English vocabulary as it exists at the present time. The diachronic approach in terms of Special Lexicology deals with the changes and the development of vocabulary in the course of time. It is special Historical

## Topics

- [Administrative & Data Handling](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-quiz-access-settings/topics/administrative-data-handling/)
- [Assigning Certificates to Quizzes and Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-4-creating-a-certificate-using-the-certificate-builder/topics/assigning-certificates-to-quizzes-and-courses/)
- [Results Page Display](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-quiz-access-settings/topics/results-page-display/)
- [Display & Content Options](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-quiz-access-settings/topics/display-content-options/)
- [Progression & Restriction Settings](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-quiz-access-settings/topics/progression-restriction-settings/)
- [Setting Up the Registration Page](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/setting-up-the-registration-page/)
- [How Existing Users Redeem Coupons](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-4-how-to-create-coupons/topics/how-existing-users-redeem-coupons/)
- [How New Users Redeem Coupons](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-4-how-to-create-coupons/topics/how-new-users-redeem-coupons/)
- [Other Payment Gateways](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-how-to-accept-payment-for-your-courses/topics/other-payment-gateways/)
- [Stripe Connect](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-how-to-accept-payment-for-your-courses/topics/stripe-connect/)
- [PayPal Settings](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-3-how-to-accept-payment-for-your-courses/topics/paypal-settings/)
- [Registration Flow for Paid Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/registration-flow-for-paid-courses/)
- [Registration Flow for Free Courses](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/registration-flow-for-free-courses/)
- [Turn on Registration for Your WordPress Site](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/turn-on-registration-for-your-wordpress-site/)
- [Customize the Registration Settings](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/customize-the-registration-settings/)
- [Setting Up the Reset Password Page](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/setting-up-the-reset-password-page/)
- [Setting Up the Registration Success Page](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/setting-up-the-registration-success-page/)
- [Pages Needed for Registration](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-set-up-course-registration/topics/pages-needed-for-registration/)
- [Lesson Settings Overview](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-use-the-course-builder-to-add-lessons-topics-and-quizzes/topics/lesson-settings-overview/)
- [Add Content to Your Lessons & Topics](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-use-the-course-builder-to-add-lessons-topics-and-quizzes/topics/add-content-to-your-lessons-topics/)
- [Course Settings Overview](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-how-to-use-the-course-builder-to-add-lessons-topics-and-quizzes/topics/course-settings-overview/)
- [Dashboard Overview: Challenge Exams, Coupons, Assignments, Design, Reports, Add-ons, & Settings](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-dashboard-overview-courses-lessons-topics/topics/dashboard-overview-challenge-exams-coupons-assignments-design-reports-add-ons-settings/)
- [Dashboard Overview: Quizzes, Questions, Certificates, & Groups](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/learndash-101/lessons/lesson-2-dashboard-overview-courses-lessons-topics/topics/dashboard-overview-quizzes-questions-certificates-groups/)
- [Concepts of social computing](https://www.gbiota.com/topics/concepts-of-social-computing/) - The course requires students to propose and complete a course project. Students can choose to do the project individually or in groups of two to three students. The instructor will facilitate the formation of project groups and make necessary adjustments to ensure that the composition of each group is ideal for the proposed project. In
- [The literal meaning](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/hr-management/lessons/listening-exercise/topics/the-literal-meaning/) - The literal meaning, however, gives only a general notion of the aims and the subject-matter of this branch of linguistic science, since all its other branches also take account of words in one way or another approaching them from different angles. Phonetics, for instance, investigating the phonetic structure of language, i.e. its system of phonemes
- [Lexicology](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/business-english/lessons/word-types/topics/lexicology-2/)
- [Collocations for Job Interview](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/financial-modeling/lessons/competition-in-pricing-strategy/topics/collocations-for-job-interview/) - A Course in Modern English Lexicology is therefore a course in Special Descriptive Lexicology, its object of study being the English vocabulary as it exists at the present time. The diachronic approach in terms of Special Lexicology deals with the changes and the development of vocabulary in the course of time. It is special Historical
- [Programming](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/android-developer/lessons/web-coding-bacisc-2/topics/programming/)
- [Connecting through Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/web-designing/lessons/web-coding-bacisc/topics/connecting-through-technology/)

## Quizzes

- [Human resources](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/hr-management/quizzes/what-do-you-like-most-about-working-in-human-resources/) - What do you like most about working in human resources?
- [foundational topics](https://www.gbiota.com/courses/social-computing/quizzes/foundational-topics-2/) - What Is Data Science?

## Groups

- [Future Leaders](https://www.gbiota.com/ld-groups/future-leaders/) - Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae; Pellentesque sodales, velit nec euismod scelerisque, lectus est interdum eros, sit amet bibendum eros sapien in magna. Quisque suscipit ligula eu turpis dignissim, a eleifend ipsum cursus. Donec et urna vel risus feugiat pharetra. Proin id lacus vitae velit accumsan venenatis. Aenean
- [Tech Pioneers](https://www.gbiota.com/ld-groups/tech-pioneers/) - In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nam eu nunc non augue tincidunt suscipit. Suspendisse potenti. Aliquam erat volutpat. Integer vel turpis sed purus scelerisque euismod. Praesent placerat, magna in vehicula vestibulum, felis urna cursus lorem, sed vestibulum quam eros vel libero. Vivamus commodo,
- [React.js](https://www.gbiota.com/ld-groups/react-js/) - Morbi molestie arcu sit amet libero porttitor, a mollis odio suscipit. Fusce at sapien id justo cursus mollis. Ut non orci in magna pretium consequat. Nam id purus eu velit vulputate elementum. Mauris ac sapien non felis scelerisque tincidunt. Integer a ipsum vitae urna varius egestas. Integer laoreet, sapien eget vehicula vehicula, odio lorem scelerisque

## BuddyPress Emails

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- [[{{{site.name}}}] Group details updated](https://www.gbiota.com/?post_type=bp-email&p=18645) - Group details for the group "{{group.name}}" were updated: {{changed_text}} To view the group, visit: {{{group.url}}}
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## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.gbiota.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Business](https://www.gbiota.com/category/business/)
- [Technology](https://www.gbiota.com/category/technology/)
- [Social](https://www.gbiota.com/category/social/)
- [Climate Change](https://www.gbiota.com/category/climate-change/)
- [Colin's Writings](https://www.gbiota.com/category/colins-writings/)
- [diabetes](https://www.gbiota.com/category/diabetes/)
- [food](https://www.gbiota.com/category/food/)
- [Gbiota](https://www.gbiota.com/category/gbiota/)
- [Gbiota beds](https://www.gbiota.com/category/gbiota-beds/)
- [gbiota club](https://www.gbiota.com/category/gbiota-club/)
- [Gbiota food](https://www.gbiota.com/category/gbiota-food/)
- [getting started](https://www.gbiota.com/category/getting-started/)
- [Gut Health](https://www.gbiota.com/category/gut-health/)
- [Health span](https://www.gbiota.com/category/health-span/)
- [Health Starts in the Soil](https://www.gbiota.com/category/health-starts-in-the-soil/)
- [How Food Works](https://www.gbiota.com/category/how-food-works/)
- [Intelligent Control System](https://www.gbiota.com/category/intelligent-control-system/)
- [soil](https://www.gbiota.com/category/soil/)
- [Soil Health](https://www.gbiota.com/category/soil-health/)
- [Water](https://www.gbiota.com/category/water/)
- [Wicking Beds](https://www.gbiota.com/category/wicking-beds/)

## Topic Tags

- [Community](https://www.gbiota.com/forums/topic-tag/community/)
- [Learning Tools](https://www.gbiota.com/forums/topic-tag/learning-tools/)
- [E-commerce and Online Marketplaces](https://www.gbiota.com/forums/topic-tag/e-commerce-and-online-marketplaces/)

## Course Categories

- [Business](https://www.gbiota.com/course-category/business/)
- [Education](https://www.gbiota.com/course-category/education/)
- [Languages](https://www.gbiota.com/course-category/languages/)
- [Programming](https://www.gbiota.com/course-category/programming/)
- [Tutoring](https://www.gbiota.com/course-category/tutoring/)