Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Drylands are expanding across the planet, putting pressure on water security, food systems and entire communities. In this Podcast, Geoff, Eric, Ben and Sam draw on real-world experience from places like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, California and Somalia to explore what actually works in arid and semi-arid landscapes, aka drylands.
Learn More & Join the Community:
🌐 Visit the podcast homepage to listen with your preferred platform: discoverpermaculture.com/podcasts/discover-permaculture-the-podcast
🎓 Explore Geoff's online courses: discoverpermaculture.com
- 00:00–03:00: Drylands are expanding fast, driven by climate instability, land misuse, and poor water strategy.
- 03:00–05:00: Techniques fail without timing and context. Strategy is what makes systems work.
- 05:00–07:30: Treating water as a commodity breaks dryland systems. Water must be managed as a cycle.
- 07:30–09:30: Large-scale infrastructure often creates dependency, not resilience.
- 09:30–11:30: Without shade, soil life collapses and water is lost to evaporation.
- 11:30–13:30: Cooling landscapes can be more powerful than adding more water.
- 13:30–15:30: Wind moves moisture and nutrients. Design decides whether it degrades or regenerates land.
- 15:30–18:00: Dust can build fertility when landscapes are structured correctly.
- 18:00–20:30: Catchment-scale thinking is essential for long-term success.
- 20:30–23:00: True water security is stored in soil and vegetation, not tanks.
- 23:00–26:00: Centralized water systems increase ecological and social fragility.
- 26:00–29:30: Somalia shows the real human cost of water system failure.
- 29:30–32:00: Land regeneration is long-term infrastructure, not charity.
- 32:00–34:30: Aid fails when it ignores how drylands actually function.
- 34:30–37:00: Traditional dryland cultures evolved strategies modern systems often overlook.
- 37:00–39:30: Stable food and water systems reduce migration and conflict pressure.
- 39:30–42:00: Agriculture can heal or destroy drylands — design determines the outcome.
- 42:00–44:30: Extractive thinking fails faster in drylands than anywhere else.
- 44:30–47:00: Soil carbon is the key to holding water in the landscape.
- 47:00–49:30: When strategy is right, drylands respond quickly.
- 49:30–52:00: Copying techniques without context leads to failure.
- 52:00–54:30: Designing for extremes matters more than designing for averages.
- 57:00–59:30: Drylands expose the fragility of modern systems everywhere.
- 62:00–66:00: Drylands are not doomed — with the right strategy, they can thrive.
🌏 Guests
Eric Seider — Eric is a permaculture consultant, designer, and educator since 2008. He has helped communities around the world create resilient systems, working across deserts, forests, and urban landscapes. As the leader of the Permaculture Community Group in Fair Oaks, California, he cultivates a local hub for education, hands-on learning, and collaboration. Eric turns ideas into thriving ecosystems and empowers others to do the same.
🔗 Website: ericseider.com
📸 Instagram: @ericseider
▶️ Youtube: youtube.com/@EricSeider
📘 Facebook:
facebook.com/ericseider22
🌾 Permaculture Community Group: permaculturefairoaks.org
🌿 Community Facebook: facebook.com/permaculturefairoaks
Sam Parker-Davies — Sam is a global permaculture designer, teacher, and consultant with projects spanning deserts, forests, and mountains across 12+ countries. He blends hands-on implementation with deep design thinking, helping communities regenerate both ecosystems and the social systems that depend on them. Sam’s teaching and consulting showcase how practical permaculture can create abundance in even the most challenging environments.
🔗 Website: samparkerdavies.weebly.com
📸 Instagram: @samparkerdavies
▶️ Youtube: youtube.com/@sam.parkerdavies
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/sam.parkerdavies
Ben Missimer — Ben is a regenerative designer and technologist who uses LiDAR, drone imaging, and GIS tools to reveal the hidden patterns of the land. From remote landscapes to urban projects, he transforms terrain data into actionable designs that restore ecosystems. His work combines science, technology, and permaculture principles to guide landscapes from degraded to abundant.
🔗 Website: pearlriverecodesign.com
📸 Instagram: @benmissimer
▶️ Youtube: youtube.com/@benmissimer/videos
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/PearlRiverEcoDesign
#permaculture #drylands #regeneration #watersecurity #climateadaptation #regenerativeagriculture #landdesign #soildecarbon #resilience #waterharvesting
Drylands are expanding across the planet, putting pressure on water security, food systems and entire communities. In this Podcast, Geoff, Eric, Ben and Sam draw on real-world experience from places like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, California and Somalia to explore what actually works in arid and semi-arid landscapes, aka drylands.
Learn More & Join the Community:
🌐 Visit the podcast homepage to listen with your preferred platform: discoverpermaculture.com/podcasts/discover-permaculture-the-podcast
🎓 Explore Geoff's online courses: discoverpermaculture.com
- 00:00–03:00: Drylands are expanding fast, driven by climate instability, land misuse, and poor water strategy.
- 03:00–05:00: Techniques fail without timing and context. Strategy is what makes systems work.
- 05:00–07:30: Treating water as a commodity breaks dryland systems. Water must be managed as a cycle.
- 07:30–09:30: Large-scale infrastructure often creates dependency, not resilience.
- 09:30–11:30: Without shade, soil life collapses and water is lost to evaporation.
- 11:30–13:30: Cooling landscapes can be more powerful than adding more water.
- 13:30–15:30: Wind moves moisture and nutrients. Design decides whether it degrades or regenerates land.
- 15:30–18:00: Dust can build fertility when landscapes are structured correctly.
- 18:00–20:30: Catchment-scale thinking is essential for long-term success.
- 20:30–23:00: True water security is stored in soil and vegetation, not tanks.
- 23:00–26:00: Centralized water systems increase ecological and social fragility.
- 26:00–29:30: Somalia shows the real human cost of water system failure.
- 29:30–32:00: Land regeneration is long-term infrastructure, not charity.
- 32:00–34:30: Aid fails when it ignores how drylands actually function.
- 34:30–37:00: Traditional dryland cultures evolved strategies modern systems often overlook.
- 37:00–39:30: Stable food and water systems reduce migration and conflict pressure.
- 39:30–42:00: Agriculture can heal or destroy drylands — design determines the outcome.
- 42:00–44:30: Extractive thinking fails faster in drylands than anywhere else.
- 44:30–47:00: Soil carbon is the key to holding water in the landscape.
- 47:00–49:30: When strategy is right, drylands respond quickly.
- 49:30–52:00: Copying techniques without context leads to failure.
- 52:00–54:30: Designing for extremes matters more than designing for averages.
- 57:00–59:30: Drylands expose the fragility of modern systems everywhere.
- 62:00–66:00: Drylands are not doomed — with the right strategy, they can thrive.
🌏 Guests
Eric Seider — Eric is a permaculture consultant, designer, and educator since 2008. He has helped communities around the world create resilient systems, working across deserts, forests, and urban landscapes. As the leader of the Permaculture Community Group in Fair Oaks, California, he cultivates a local hub for education, hands-on learning, and collaboration. Eric turns ideas into thriving ecosystems and empowers others to do the same.
🔗 Website: ericseider.com
📸 Instagram: @ericseider
▶️ Youtube: youtube.com/@EricSeider
📘 Facebook:
facebook.com/ericseider22
🌾 Permaculture Community Group: permaculturefairoaks.org
🌿 Community Facebook: facebook.com/permaculturefairoaks
Sam Parker-Davies — Sam is a global permaculture designer, teacher, and consultant with projects spanning deserts, forests, and mountains across 12+ countries. He blends hands-on implementation with deep design thinking, helping communities regenerate both ecosystems and the social systems that depend on them. Sam’s teaching and consulting showcase how practical permaculture can create abundance in even the most challenging environments.
🔗 Website: samparkerdavies.weebly.com
📸 Instagram: @samparkerdavies
▶️ Youtube: youtube.com/@sam.parkerdavies
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/sam.parkerdavies
Ben Missimer — Ben is a regenerative designer and technologist who uses LiDAR, drone imaging, and GIS tools to reveal the hidden patterns of the land. From remote landscapes to urban projects, he transforms terrain data into actionable designs that restore ecosystems. His work combines science, technology, and permaculture principles to guide landscapes from degraded to abundant.
🔗 Website: pearlriverecodesign.com
📸 Instagram: @benmissimer
▶️ Youtube: youtube.com/@benmissimer/videos
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/PearlRiverEcoDesign
#permaculture #drylands #regeneration #watersecurity #climateadaptation #regenerativeagriculture #landdesign #soildecarbon #resilience #waterharvesting
