APermacultureDesignCourseHandbook

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Chapter11:DrylandStrategies
Drylandsareamajorclimaticzoneandcontainalargeportionoftheworldspopulationonplanetearth.These
rainsparseareasarerapidlyexpandingduetomanmadedisturbance

inthelandscapeandthesubsequentfluctuatingclimaticconditions.
ThisisaworrisomefactonthisBlueandGreenPlanetthatistakingon
anewhueofbrownwhenwelookdownfromspace.Thedesertsare
growingatexponentialratesleavingbillionsofpeoplemarginalizedas
dryareasgetdrierandeventuallysuccumbtodesertification.Thishas
hugeimplicationsthroughouttheworldfromdevelopedcountrieslike
from
Spain,Portugal,Greece,Italy(noticethetrendwiththefalloutof
http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2015/02/is the2012contextofeconomiccrisisinsouthernEurope)andalso
theplanetearthouronlyhome.html
underdevelopedNationslikeSudan,BoliviaandUzbekistan.Thenthere
areemergingcountrieslikeChinaandIndiawhohavehuge
developmentissuesarisingastheiragricultureandlandusechangestoa
moreglobalmilitaryindustrialcomplexmodel.Bothnationshaverespondedbothpositivelyandnegativelytothe
worseningsituation.
 Fromhttp://www.sustainapedia.com/increasingariditywilldisruptsoilnutrientcyclesglobaldrylands/

Thelossoftopsoilisahugeeconomicdownfallofmanycountriesasthebaseofeconomyisinextricablylinkedto
naturalcapitol.Intheabovepicturevastquantitiesofsoilhavebeenwashedawaybytheerosiveforcesofsun,
wind,andwaterasmansdualisticinteractionwithlandhasbrokenthefabricoflifethatknitsitalltogether.This
combinationincreasinglyisbecomingextremeandthesystemsabilitytoregeneratehasbeendiminishedby
deforestation,colonialism,tillagriculture,andbiocides.Whenthefabricistorninthesedrylands,orbrittle
systems,ittearsquicklyandseverelyunliketheforgivingnonbrittleclimatesofNorthernEuropeortheEastern
HalfoftheU.S.A.Ourtechniquesoffarmingwerebroughtthere,whetheritwastheSonoranDesertofthe
southwesternpartofthestates,orAustraliawherePermacultureoriginatesfrom.Bothofthosecontexts
produceddisastrousresultusinareasthatonceweresomeofthemostcomplexandbiodiversedrylandsregions
andthesubsequenthumanindigenousculturesthatthrivedthroughthem.
TheAnasaziinthesouthwestpresentstatesofArizona,NewMexico,
Colorado,andUtahhadaccesstoover400plantsofedibilityinaplace
thatitisnowconsideredtobenormaltosimplybeadesertdevoidofbio
diversityandabundance.

fourcornersdesertfromhttp://coloradoguy.com/fourcorners/photos.htm

juneinsonorandesertfromhttp://practicalbio.blogspot.com/2011/11/sonorandesert

falloctoberand.html

Thisisoftentiedagaintothecolonialreignthathadsomuchnegativeeffectontraditionalecosystem/indigenous
habitationpatternofsymbiosisandcocreation.Ourabilityto
 restoreecosystemfunctionandhabitatforwildlifeisanimportant
missionweface.Thecombinationofregenerative
soil/water/trees/earthworkspracticesamongstothersseenbelowwillbe
aleadingmodelofdevelopmentinthefuture.Wesimplyneedtoput
backthewaterintheground,makeeverydropofitcountsincethe
rainfallisspreadoutintimeanditspatternofwhenitfallsbecoming
evenmoresporadic.Whenwedenudethelandscapeoflife,thewater
simplyrunsoffinsteadofinfiltratingmakingregenerationimpossible.
TheKeylinePattern,averyeffectiveandcostefficient
broadacretechniqueoflandregeneration The%thatgoesinthegroundtofeedmicrobes,plantroots,and
rechargeaquifersislostandthedesertcomescreepinginatan
exponentialrate.Wehavetoolstoreversethis,tostabilizeclimates,and
theirareamyriadoftoolswhichhelpustodoso.Animalsareoneofthosefactorsanditcomesdownto
management,theycaneitherbetheplagueofthesystemofthekickstartertoregeneration.
 PermacultureDevelopmentModelgreenEnvironmental,blueBuiltEnvironment,Orangesocialfactors,andPurple
EconomicEnvironment

Importantlywithclimatechangeaswholeaffectingeachclimatezone,thetechniquescoveredinthischaptermay
indeedbeusefulinyourareaasdroughtsbecomemoreoften.ForexampleinSintra,PortugalinTerraAltaweget
nearlyameterofrainayear,hardlyadrylands.Butitisabrittleclimatewiththesummerdroughtlasting57
monthsonaverage.Thussummertimegrowinginearthworksstrategieslikesunkenbedsarevastlyimportant.I
willneverbuildaraisedbedagainfortomatoes,peppers,orcourgettes.Maybeforwintertimecropsofvarying
brassicasorlettuces,butneverforsummergrowing.Eventhesewintercropshavethrivedinoursunkenbeds
thereaswehavesandysoilandkeepingfertilityiseasierinthisparticularcontextwithsunkenbeds.Evenmy
hometownofCincinnati,Ohio,USAwherewegetanevendistributionofprecipitationallyeararoundinanon
brittleclimateweareexperiencingdroughtmoreoftenanddoeswarrantthistechniqueaswell.Drylandsarea
complexsetoffactorsbutgobeyondjusttheclassicalMideastregionsortheMediterranean.Andyoudontdo
thesamethingsasinotherareasasswalesarespacedoutfurther,youcanbreakfromzoneplanning,andyou
plantindifferentdensities.Thesearejustafewexamplesandwillbemoreofthedetailstocomewithinthis
chapter.

tomatosunkenbedsinthefoodforestontheannualbedsedge,TerraAlta,Portugal
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3ResponsestoChapter11:DrylandStrategies

SirRoanSmileysays:
June23,2014at2:39am

Theimpactsofthedevelopedworldongroundwater,surfacewaterandthesoilareexacerbatedinaridandsemiarid
landscapes.Reskillinginhydratinglandscapeisimperative.August2014joinBradLancasterforanEarthship/Earthworks
Workshopformoreinformationvisithttp://earthshipstore.com/eslearningopportunities/earthworksworkshop2014
Reply

JustinGreenfingerssays:
September22,2015at7:53pm

IsthereanygoodbookstoreaduponDrylandgrowingtechniques?
Reply

cdoug_esays:
December11,2015at6:46pm
 ForsureBradLancasterrainwaterharvestingandbeyondvolumetwo.besidesthatthedesignersmanualdrylands
chapter.
Reply

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