Desert Ways
Food Plants - Perennial, Gabions, Land, Plant Systems, Trees — by Bill Mollison
 Mongongo Tree |
Whether it is an issue of conserving water of using suitable plant species, thriving in a desert environment is a masterful act of management. Permaculture co-founder Bill Mollison has spent time in many of the world’s arid regions and here shares his observations on surviving in some of them.
Building Abundance into Sandy Deserts
Why should we garden, when there are so many mongongo trees in the world? - !Kung tribesman
The mongongo tree (Ricinidendrin rautenii) grows in great groves on the crests of sand dunes in Africa’s Kalahari desert. It is a deciduous tree with two sexes. One in every 12 trees in a grove must be male to pollinate the females.
Comments (2)Posted on: November 19, 2008
Adaptable Acacias
Animal Forage, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Trees — by Leza Bennetts
by Leza Bennetts and Erika Birmingham
Acacias are evergreen, nitrogen-fixing plants ranging in form from ground covers to tall trees. There are more than 1200 species worldwide.
There are many roles for acacias in permaculture design such as increasing soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, rehabilitation of degraded soils and in reforestation. They are useful for erosion control due to their rapid growth and effective seed dispersal, and many species sucker readily.
Most species are extremely hardy and drought tolerant and some are salt tolerant, making acacias particularly valuable in arid regions as timber, firewood, food and fodder for stock during drought.
Comments (2)Posted on: October 23, 2008
Vuon - Ao - Chuong - The Traditional Vietnamese Farm
Aquaculture, Eco-Villages, Fish, Food Forests, Land, Livestock, Plant Systems, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Nguyen Van Man
by Nguyen Van Man
VAC is an acronym formed from the three Vietnamese words Vuon, garden or orchard, Ao, fish pond, and Chuong, pigsty or poultry shed. It refers to a form of domestic agriculture in which food gardening, fish rearing and animal husbandry are wholly integrated, and stems from farming methods developed in the Red River delta of Vietnam.
The VAC system is a highly intensive method of small scale farming that makes optimal use of land, water and solar energy, achieving high economic efficiency for low capital investment. Plants are used for food, fibre, and fuel, and always products are passed into the production cycle. Developed from age old production agricultural practices, VAC farming now takes place in many regions of Vietnam, with models varying according to the terrain and the climate.
Comments (1)Posted on: October 4, 2008
Trees Giving Up Battle, But Sustainable Farming Offers Hope
Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Global Warming/Climate Change, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
The silver bullet solution to climate change in many people’s book is to simply ‘plant a tree’. A recent study indicates that it might not be quite that simple…
Comments (2)The ability of forests to soak up man-made carbon dioxide is weakening, according to an analysis of two decades of data from more than 30 sites in the frozen north.
The finding published today is crucial, because it means that more of the CO2 we release will end up affecting the climate in the atmosphere rather than being safely locked away in trees or soil.
The results may partly explain recent studies suggesting that the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing faster than expected. If higher temperatures mean less carbon is soaked up by plants and microbes, global warming will accelerate.
Posted on: October 1, 2008
Nitrogen Fixing Trees - The Multipurpose Pioneers
Animal Forage, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, Fungi, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Trees — by Craig Elevitch
The myths about the wonders of nitrogen fixing trees are many. Craig Elevitch and Kim Wilkinson explain how to use them effectively.
Nitrogen Fixing Trees for Permaculture
 Flowers of the leguminous tree, Kowhai, the national flower of New Zealand |
Nitrogen fixation is a pattern of nutrient cycling which has successfully been used in perennial agriculture for millennia. This article focuses on legumes, which are nitrogen fixers of particular importance in agriculture. Specifically, three legumes (nitrogen fixing trees, hereafter called NFTs) are especially valuable in subtropical and tropical permaculture. They can be integrated in a permaculture system to restore nutrient cycling and fertility self-reliance.
Comments (0)Posted on: September 29, 2008
Food Forest DVDs Being Shipped
DVDs/Books, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, News, Plant Systems, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
Profuse apologies to all the eager Food Forest customers. We had a slight delay on their arrival. But, they’re here now! We are presently shipping them out to all who have ordered. It’s great to see the interest. There’s never been a better time to establish a Food Forest!
Order here.
Comments (1)Posted on: September 26, 2008
The Development of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
Aid Projects, Animal Forage, Plant Systems, Trees — by Tony Rinaudo
Editor’s Note: Arguably one of the most successful land regeneration projects in the world, Farmer Managed Natural Regeneraton (FMNR), beginning in Niger during the 1980s, has revegetated three million hectares of arid land in that country alone - bringing back biodiversity in flora and fauna, increasing soil humus (and thus carbon) content, improving water retention and microclimates, and dramatically improving the health and viability of local communities. It is now practiced on over 30,000 km² of land in the Niger Republic as well as Chad, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Mali. It has been written about in many noteworthy publications (the NY Times, for example), and below we hear about its original development from the man who first discovered the ‘underground forest’. In short, trees have returned to Niger, and they’re bringing prosperity with them.
by Tony Rinaudo,
Natural Resource Management Advisor, Integration Team,
World Vision Australia. Originally published on Leisa
 Children helping to source firewood Photo: Author |
Conventional methods of reforestation in Africa have often failed. Even community-based projects with individual or community nurseries struggle to keep up the momentum once project funding ends. The obstacles working against reforestation are enormous. But a new method of reforestation called Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) could change this situation. It has already done so in the Republic of Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, where more than 3 million hectares have been re-vegetated using this method. Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration involves selecting and pruning stems regenerating from stumps of previously felled, but still living trees. Sustainability is a key feature of the programme which requires very little investment by either government or NGOs to keep it going. The story in Niger can offer valuable insights and lessons for other nations.
Comments (2)Posted on: September 24, 2008
Biodiverse Systems are More Productive
Biodiversity, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Plant Systems — by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho
Sustainable farming across the world relies on cultivating a diversity of crops and livestock to maximise internal input, and this is in marked contrast to the high external input monoculture of industrial farming, which is proving unsustainable in many respects. Indirect support for the sustainability of agricultural diversity is coming from an unexpected quarter. Academic ecologists are discovering that biodiverse systems are more productive.
by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho: Geneticist, Biophysicist and Director of the not-for-profit Institute of Science in Society .
For over three decades, academic ecologists have debated whether complex, species-rich ecosystems are more stable than ones with fewer species. Unfortunately, there are many definitions of complexity, and even more of stability; and so the debate continues.
The question most relevant to agriculture, and also most easily answered, is whether biodiverse systems are more productive. There is growing evidence that biodiverse systems are indeed more productive, although ecologists still disagree as to how that could be explained, and on the number of species needed to sustain an ecosystem, which has large implications also for conservation.
Comments (0)Posted on: September 23, 2008
Food Forest DVD - Let the Orders Begin
DVDs/Books, Food Forests, Plant Systems, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh
Next week we’ll be taking delivery of the first batch of the much-anticipated new Food Forest DVD, narrated by Geoff Lawton and produced by our good friends over at Flashtoonz
I had the privilege of seeing an almost-final cut, and know that this will become an excellent educational/inspirational tool for permies everywhere, and a perfect accompaniment to our very successful Water Harvesting DVD.
Watch a sneak preview of Establishing a Food Forest below, and click here to get your order in (we’ll ship once they arrive):
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Posted on: September 12, 2008
New Jordan Project - Permaculture Jordan
Plant Systems — by Geoff Lawton
We are presently in Jordan and are establishing a new NGO “Permaculture Jordan” and we have been offered USAID funding for $US53,000 to establish a new project here in the Jordan Valley sharing bio-diversity of productive crops and tree species that have potential but are not yet here. The work is linked with the work of other plant researchers who have already linked to other Arabic countries and successfully grown and monitored the viability of many species.
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Posted on: October 24, 2006
“Living on the edge”, the balcony garden designers guild
Plant Systems — by Administrator
Cecilia Macaulay of balconyofdreams.blogspot.com
Living on the Edge is about being part of creating a cutting-edge sustainable culture, of being powerful, creative and daring. It’s about empowering Melbourne’s inner-city residents to create and maintain lush balcony gardens. Edge gardens bring you to the’ ‘happening’ edge between private and public life - extend your boundaries physically and socially, as you get together with others to create.
Edge gardens happen on balconies, verandahs, window boxes. They happen at the back door, on porches and in courtyards, anywhere plants and living things need you, and you need them.
Comments (10)Posted on: March 13, 2006
Backyard Aquaponics
Aquaculture, Fish, Plant Systems — by Administrator
This just in, from Christopher Nesbitt:
“Backyard Aquaponics” is a new book by Joel Malcolm, an innovator in Perth, Australia and is well worth a look.
Aquaponics is a very simple and efficient system involving aquaculture and hydroponics. The system is dependent on plants in grow beds, generally pea gravel, being used to filter out fish manure and other material while aerating the water to maintain oxygen levels.
Joel’s book is substantial, with plenty of information and is broken down into several chapters, spread out over 113 pages of text, photos, graphs and diagrams. In it he does a good job in pulling the reader into the wonderful world of aquaponics by creating a seductive and idyllic picture of the productive system in his backyard.
Comments (5)Posted on: December 11, 2005
Permaculture house & land for the Jordan Valley
Plant Systems — by Administrator
At 400 meters below sea level, the Jordan Valley is the lowest piece of land in the world. Its climate is very dry with an average rainfall of 150 millimeters a year, most of which comes in 2 or 3 mid-winter events. Summers are very hot with day time temperatures often reaching 50 centigrade with hot nights often over 25 centigrade. Winters are warm with no frost.
To achieve a healthy population it is unlikely that ordinary people will be able to afford full nutrition if gardens are not plentiful throughout the local settlements.
The house is an integral part of achieving a plentiful and productive garden design. It should be comfortable to live in, make efficient use of energy, and be inexpensive to operate. There are generalizations that can be made, but the essential design features required for a house in the Jordan Valley to perform efficiently in a passive way are quite specific.
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Posted on: September 23, 2005
Use of permaculture under salinity and drought conditions
Aid Projects, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Salination, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Jordan is an arid country with limited water resources. The available renewable fresh water resources dropped drastically to an annual per capita share of 155 m3 in recent years compared to 3400 m3/cap/year in 1946. It is considered also as one of the 10 poorest countries worldwide in water resources (Countries with less than 500 m3/capita/year are regarded as having “absolute scarcity”).
In 2004, the total water use in Jordan was 866 million cubic meters (MCM) at the total population of about 5 million people. The total renewable resources in Jordan is estimated at 780 MCM include ground water at 275 MCM/year and surface water at 505 MCM/year of which only 70% is of economic use. An additional 143 MCM/year is estimated to be available from fossil aquifers. Brackish aquifers are not yet fully explored but at least 25 MCM/year is expected to be accessible for urban uses after desalination.
The demand on water use has been increased with increasing the socioeconomic development in the country. Agriculture consumes the major parts of water resources of about 62.5% of the available resources, domestic use consumes about 32.5% while industry about 4.3% and rural uses is 0.8% of the available water resources.
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Posted on: February 1, 2005
The functioning of weeds in wholesome gardening
Plant Systems — by Administrator
The phenomenon of weeds is an interesting one. They invariably comes about when the soil has become severely depleted. So, for instance, the thistle typically comes up when a paddock has been too heavily grazed, as was pointed out to us in an initial course of plant ecology. When I realized that, it seemed to me that the thorns on roses must similarly be the result of some nutrient deficiency.
It is almost as if the rosebush is trying to say: “Stay away from me, you have already plucked so many of my flowers and you never give me anything in return.”
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