New Permaculturists in Kamiah, Idaho
Comedy Break, Food Plants - Annual, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh
While on a consultancy at the future site of the Kamiah Permaculture Institute at Kim and Julie Pagliaro’s FNA Ranch, Geoff and Nadia visit the neighbor’s (Carol and David Johnson) permaculture garden in Kamiah, ID. Just a little exposure to permaculture by their neighbour’s students set them off on the high road to sustainability. You know how the advert goes - you tell two people, they tell two people, and so on, and so on….
Comments (1)
Posted on: August 25, 2008
Regenerative Learning at Quail Springs
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, Social Gatherings, Water Harvesting, peak oil — by Craig Mackintosh
If a Chumash Indian from a few centuries ago was to leap through time to our day, I’m sure he’d break down in tears to see what we’ve done to his world… and demand to be taken back. Actually, I’m confident he’d even make Iron Eyes Cody look apathetic.
Comments (1)Posted on: August 23, 2008
Harvesting Water DVD released
DVDs/Books, Dams, Land, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Harvesting Water the Permaculture Way
Geoff Lawton’s new permaculture DVD Harvesting Water is selling well after a few weeks delay in January because of the foreign language subtitles that producer Frank Gapinski was waiting to incorporate into the DVD.
Click for more…
Posted on: April 11, 2008
The excavator and the forest
Courses/Workshops, Dams, Land, Surveying, Swales, Water Harvesting — by sink
Last training camp we were fortunate in having an excavator in operation on the farm. Earthworks were a go and water harvesting / tree growing systems were carved out harmonically into the landscape. Three new swale systems and a small dam were introduced, extending the productive edges on the farm. Click for more…
Comments (0)Posted on: February 27, 2008
A Swale Plume clip in action from Geoff Lawton’s DVD “Harvesting Water - The Permaculture Way”
Conservation, DVDs/Books, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Comments (0)Posted on: January 10, 2008
First big rain at SouthWoods
Dams, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Following up on Testing the Dam in SouthWoods in Minnesota, here’s a series of pics showing how the new swales handled a decent storm. Click for more…
Comments (1)Posted on: July 24, 2006
Testing the dam
Dams, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Following on from yesterday’s post on dams and swales in Minnesota, here are some pics of the system in action with the addition of the most important element: water.
 |
 |
 |
Posted on: June 27, 2006
Dams and swales in Minnesota
Dams, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Hi folks! — we have been busy digging up Minnesota with dams and swales. This is just the beginning of the “Permaculture Research Institute for Cold Climates”. We’re now on route to California, hopefully to do some more serious digging. 
Here’s how we started:
Click thru for the entire photo series!
Comments (0)Posted on: June 26, 2006
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. Click for more…
Comments (0)Posted on: February 1, 2005
Water in the Mexican landscape
Dams, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Administrator
Water gives life and can also destroy life.
When we allow rain water to flow gently over the landscape taking the most time making the most contact with earth water is most fertile. But, when running uncontrolled it can cause erosion and death. No food can grow on land which is eroded and farming can only flourish on fertile soil. But only eco-systemic farming systems can create soil.
At ITT we believe in eco-systemic production systems which allow interactive diversity to develop and to become stable and fertile. To achieve it, we must create a great number of useful connections between the diverse elements on our land.
Two weeks ago we initiated the development of our training centre in permaculture here in the dry tropics. On our site in the municipality of Ejutla, Oaxaca, Mexico, we get approximately 800 milimeters of rain per year. Before the rain gods open the water gates, we invited the water harvesting an earth works specialist Geoff Lawton from the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia to assist us in the construction of an efficient rain catchment and water administration system. Geoff an expert consultant in water harvesting and management with great earth dam and swale building experience in over 17 countries.
These are the basic principles our experts recommend: Click for more…
Comments (0)