Nationalism and the Permaculture Nation | Discover Permaculture: The Podcast Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2026-09-23 | Nationalism and the Permaculture Nation | Discover Permaculture: The Podcast
Exploring the Food Forests of Zaytuna Farm Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-07-14 | To learn more about permaculture and the design system, watch Geoff's free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com At Zaytuna Farm in Northern NSW, Australia, we have various food forests that come in different sizes and shapes but function just like a regular forest. Our food forests are home to acres of edible species and their supporting plants, with each having a unique size and use. Join Geoff as he explores the forests and discovers the wide variety of edibles such as mango, guava, dragonfruit, bananas, feijoa, Brazilian cherry, root crops, climbers, thousands of coffee plants, tamarillo, bunya pines, and many more. To manage growth, increase biomass, and enhance soil quality, we use pollarding, coppicing, chopping and dropping, mulching, and composting techniques.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #foodforest #forestgarden
How to Make a Chicken Tractor on Steroids [FULL VIDEO] Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-07-04 | To learn more about chicken tractors and the permaculture design system, watch Geoff's free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com Kitchen gardens, from small to commercial scale, can be fertilized through chicken composting. This simple design builds fertility continuously by sourcing chickens to do the work they enjoy and do best: scratching, eating insects, and eating weed seeds. From this, we get eggs, meat, and fertility, and the plants grown using this method will produce at a high rate and provide nutrient dense fruits and vegetables.Anyone can follow this system. Small urban versions on just 16 square meters can supply an average of one cubic meter a month, enough to fertilize 1000 square meters of garden. Larger systems, using 30 chickens, can produce a cubic meter of compost a every week, enough to keep ½ an acre rich and fertile. And, commercial systems, with 50 chickens, can account for two cubic meters of compost a week, sufficient for fertilizing a full acre of land.The compost piles begin with bedding under the chicken roost. Every week 1/3 of a cubic meter of bedding is put under the chicken roost, where they manure it. At the end of the week, this bedding acts as the base of a compost pile. Atop it goes 1/3 of a cubic meter of large animal (cow, horse, sheep, goat, etc.) manure, and on top of that should be 1/3 of a cubic meter of food scraps and/or weeds from the garden. In the coming week, the chickens will naturally disassemble this pile, spreading the outside as the inner core heats up. At the end of the week, the pile should be reassembled, putting the spread material at the core and the old core at the edges. A separate, new compost pile should be created with that week’s bedding. This process repeats, adding a new pile and turning the old ones, every week. After five weeks of this process, a pile is compostFor an urban “chicken tractor on steroids”, one compost pile is turned all week and another is contained in a cage. At the end of the week, the caged compost pile is set free, and the spread-out compost pile is stacked into the cage. This cycle repeats for six to eight weeks, providing two cubic meters of compost every other month for a total of 12 cubic meters of compost a year. The 16 square meters of chicken tractor can provide complete fertility for 1000 square meters (1/4 acre) of garden production, as well as provide 8-10 eggs a day.To create these compost piles, lawn clippings and pulled weeds are added under the chicken roost for 6-8 weeks, where they are manured and begin the composting process. When ready, the bedding from beneath the roost is removed, stacked with manure and food scraps, and put through the composting cycle (one cubic meter in the cage and one being spread). The process of adding bedding beneath the roost begins again. Within a commercial garden system, the 50-chicken tractor runs in the center of large garden beds. The beds can have polytunnels over them in cold climates, or they can have shade cloth over them in desert climates. Or, they can be covered with productive deciduous or evergreen vines on trellises. The gardens should be separated by two-meter paths, allowing for machinery, and these paths can be shaded with productive trellises, too. These systems will feed humanity, and they never lose fertility if the engine is kept running.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #compost #chickens
Deer-Proof Your Garden Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-07-03 | In this video, we discover a clever method to deter deer and other animals from damaging our gardens. We hear a funny story about an old lady with a crazy garden who came up with this unique solution. She wraps tinfoil around her electric fence and puts peanut butter on it every month. When the deer come to lick the peanut butter, they get shocked and don't come back! We also learn that electric fences can be used to keep other animals away, like possums and monkeys. So if you're looking for a unique way to keep animals away from your garden, this might be the solution for you! To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #garden #gardening
Exploring Clean and Free Energy Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-06-23 | Who knew that repairing the earth could lead to free, clean energy? If we build enough swales and dams in an area, we can create an excess of water that can be dropped vertically over 30 meters or more. By adding air bubbles to the water, we can induce a faster fall than the rise of the bubbles, allowing us to catch the air in chambers and compress it into a powerful energy source. These systems, known as trompes, have no moving parts and are highly efficient. Despite being a centuries-old technology, they are not widely used. One of the most well-known examples of a trompe system is the Ragged Chutes Compressed Air Plant in Canada.Learn more about trompes with these three videos: "Hold Back the Rain" on the Permaculture Circle (TPC): discoverpermaculture.com/products/the-permaculture-circle/categories/182758/posts/1812547. If you're not already signed up for TPC, what are you waiting for? It's free and takes 15 seconds (and you'll be able to enjoy an additional 100+ valuable videos/media resources on all things permaculture, ask questions to our teaching assistants, and join a worldwide community of permaculture enthusiasts). Full details + the 15-second sign-up box here: discoverpermaculture.com/thepermaculturecircle "Trompe Animation [PDC preview]": youtu.be/ypPo3B8nPUU"Bill Mollison explains a Trompe": youtu.be/50fJ8Av_g7QTo support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #trompe #energy
What Creates More Soil in Nature Than Anything Else? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-06-20 | Have you ever wondered what creates the most soil in nature? Check out this video of Geoff answering this question during a permaculture design course in Hungary. He covers how various ecosystems like water systems, marshes, mangroves, shallow marine systems, shallow lakes and ponds, forests, prairies, and even human home gardens all play a role in creating soil. To learn more about permaculture, watch Geoff's free Masterclass at https://www.discoverpermaculture.com.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #soil #nature
Reading the Landscape with Permaculture Design Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-06-15 | Geoff reading the landscape during a course in Hungary. To learn more about permaculture, watch Geoff's free Masterclass: https://www.discoverpermaculture.com.Geoff distinguishes between temperate, cold, and dry landscape profiles in this video while explaining how to find a keypoint. Understanding the location of a keypoint on a slope is crucial for building efficient dams and water catchments on a permaculture site. This point marks the highest potential for water storage in a valley, which can be used for harvesting, spreading, soaking, and irrigating. Key Takeaways- When working on a permaculture site, it's crucial to differentiate between various landscape profiles like temperate, cold, and dry. - Valleys have ridges on both sides and a keypoint where water can be held. Locating the keypoint on the slope is crucial for building effective dams and catchments.- The keypoint represents the maximum potential for water storage in a valley, which can be utilized for harvesting, spreading, soaking, and irrigating. - P.A. Yeomans developed keyline farming in the 1940s, which utilizes the keypoint for water management. - Various landscapes like volcanic, flatlands, coasts, and wetlands possess unique characteristics. - Understanding different landscape profiles can help us become better designers.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #design #landscape
Connecting Science, Ethics, and Climate with Permaculture Design Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-06-09 | In this video, Geoff shares his experiences at a permaculture design weekend in Hungary. To learn more about permaculture, watch Geoff's free Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com Permaculture can seem complicated, but it's really about connecting different disciplines based on science, ethics, and climate. As a teacher, it's important to simplify the system and focus on communication. The ultimate achievement is producing students who become better designers, consultants, and teachers than the teacher. With the rise of AI, it's important to stay concise and focus on the mainframe design. We can't afford not to have a different approach to the world's problems, and permaculture offers a proven solution based on ethical design science.Understanding climate is crucial in design. You don't have to be an expert, but you need to know the basics. Climate change is happening, and it's important to be aware of its effects. It's not easy to adjust to different climates, but it's necessary to be a global citizen.Key Takeaways:- Permaculture is a connecting system between disciplines. - Being an expert in one particular field is not necessary. - Permaculture is about science and ethics, not metaphysics. - Ethics are important in the way we behave and design. - Permaculture is a design science based on ethical principles.- Climate change is a real concern and must be considered in design. - Being a global citizen means understanding climate on a larger scale. To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #design #ethics
From Dream to Green - Ablas Desert Garden Tour Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-05-27 | To learn more about permaculture watch the Permaculture Masterclass, a 4-part documentary-style film, here: discoverpermaculture.com Welcome to Abla's home, located just across the street from the Greening the Desert Project. Abla completed a permaculture course six years ago and has since transformed her property into the garden you see today. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Abla yet, be sure to check out three of our previous videos, "Permaculture is Greening the Desert," Oct 2018 (youtu.be/ITph5GJoKbA), "Permaculture in the Desert," May 2019 (youtu.be/xNbk4xKNdzk) and "Two Years of Permaculture Application," Oct 2000 (youtu.be/EFFFt6G6YNU). During the last visit, several changes were made to the infrastructure. A new roof was installed, along with additional water tanks. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions preventing her from being home, Abla had to use her chickens for meat as they were suffering. She has since decided to no longer keep animals as part of her system due to her frequent travel and inability to care for them properly. In the garden, Abla has completed her annual chop-and-drop and is actively creating shade to protect young plants from overheating. The garden floor is covered in organic matter and rough mulch, and despite some damage from neighbor's dogs, the succulent groundcovers are thriving.She is repurposing items to create trellises and containers for composting. She has a substantial amount of compost in progress, with both hot and cold compost methods being utilized. Additionally, she has created compost bags for clients to earn income. Her vermicompost farms are still operational, and she has a biochar system prepared for future use.Alba's garden is an oasis of ease and comfort amidst the harshness of the surrounding landscape. Alba herself believes that building a garden like hers is not difficult, provided one knows how to arrange the components correctly and at the appropriate time. With a little effort, anyone can create a similar garden, and the reward of delicious and aromatic produce will make it hard to resist continuing.Despite being neglected during the COVID years, this space remains abundant with food and foliage. Alba expresses her longing to be there whenever she is away.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #foodforest
Natural Building Tour Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-05-12 | Experience the awe-inspiring Greening the Desert Project through Geoff's eyes. Marvel at the natural structures that have recently been erected on the site - the stunning natural swimming pool, Geoff's impressive strawbale/mudbrick house, and the still-in-construction mudbrick accommodation building.It’s Geoff’s last day at the Greening the Desert Projects. New gardens are going in for summer; grapes are climbing up the trellises. The driveway has been paved with sandstone. All the water flows from the top of the GTD site have been directed to go through the Oasis site’s new food forest.Trellises, set for grapes and passionfruit and jasmine, are over the top and in front of the new straw-bale, mudbrick house. The greywater system is being set for new shower and toilet block levels. The natural swimming pool has plants growing and a vacuum pump that pours into the food forest below. A solar chimney is being installed above the staircase, and the roof has the water tanks, a water heater, and trellises. There is also a tremendous view of the Palestinian West Bank and the Dead Sea.The new, three-bedroom accommodation building built from the old shower and toilet block is being constructed of good materials. Mudbricks are being made across the street, and mudbrick walls are being installed between concrete pillars. It offers views over the food forest on one side and the Jordan Valley on the other. Progress is being made daily.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #naturalbuilding
Desert Garden Tour Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-04-28 | Geoff is back at the Greening the Desert site in the spring of 2023, and he’s giving us a morning tour of the garden. There is a lush, green herbaceous layer still present from the winter rains. Deciduous trees are putting their leaves back on. Fruit is on the mulberries, guavas, and citrus, while the olives and date palms are flowering. It’s a beautiful time of day at a beautiful time of year in Jordan. Date palms have been pruned and look “smart”. Nitrogen-fixing legumes have grown back since their chop-and-drop in September, and it’s just in time for them to provide shade in summer. The plant systems have been established over winter, and new gardens and trellises are in place. Purslane is growing as a fantastic edible groundcover. We pass a collection of fruit trees and support species: pink shahtoot mulberry, leucaena, date palms, papaya, tipuana tipu, albizzia lebbeck, Kei apple, pomegranate, olives, custard apples, guava, Brazilian cherry… We also have useful herbs and shrubs like cotton bushes and marshmallow. A row of citrus lines the back fence, and a groundcover of Singapore daisy is spreading beneath it.Crops like tomatoes, eggplants, fennel, and celery are growing where the chicken pen used to be, and the chicken house has been converted into a carpentry classroom. Two Subpods (in-ground worm farms) are cycling nutrients into the soil. A renovation of the old toilet and shower block is making a three-bedroom accommodation building of mudbrick. The driveway has been paved, and grape trellises erected over it with new grapevines growing up each post. The reedbed is being reworked and has a new micro-swale coming off it. Beehives are thriving.More and more applications of permaculture are within. Citrus is everywhere. Birds are everywhere. There is hope for a sustainable way to live, even in the desolate Jordanian desert.Key Takeaways:- The Greening the Desert Project garden continues to thrive and mature year after year as the infrastructure around it is adjusted to accommodate change.- Not only is this a beautiful picture of a beautiful time of day in a beautiful time of year, it is a picture of what a sustainable future can look like.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #foodforest
The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Wadi Bani Khalid Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-04-27 | Water is life! Follow Geoff as he explores Wadi Bani Khalid with one of the world's oldest and most remarkable water management systems—the Falaj. There, gravity's magic is used to bring water to the surface, slow it down and spread it, and then divert it to support gardens and households where needed. This is an excellent example of a permanent, sustainable, and productive system that could go on indefinitely. The Wadi Beni Khalid in Oman boasts a 25-kilometer stretch of date palm trees, which are sustained by a water system that has likely been in operation for thousands of years. This system is still well-maintained and productive. The area is home to a variety of fruit trees, including mangos, citrus, fig, mulberry, custard apples, and papayas.Right now, it’s running with a good flow in the channel due to extra rain, but it has been running for thousands of years and never stops. It is built to withstand desert floods. A rock barrage dam built by locals and meshed together with palm fiber backs up a pool of water and allows irrigation to move from one side of the valley to the other. It creates an extremely efficient model we can replicate and even improve with modern technology. There’s no question, after thousands of years, that it’s sustainable, but more potential is there. The entire catchment could be diversified and increased in fertility easily. The protentional for nitrogen-fixing pollarding is there. The mainframe system is in place, with channels going in all directions to water the gardens.Built around a water source, gravity flows, and adding a bit of fertility, this system has lasted thousands of years. It’s something modern agriculture can’t sustain. Modern systems collapse after 100, even just 50, years because all the fertility is gone. We should be using these ancient, proven systems as models for new, sustainable designs.This video is the fourth in a series where Geoff takes us on a journey through Oman’s ancient water harvesting and irrigation systems. To follow his adventure, watch the following videos:The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman - youtu.be/mCSLkFQq210The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Misfat Al Abriyeen - youtu.be/_1hebGcD6bM The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Birkat Al Mouz - youtu.be/E3qVY2yxhxwTo see even more of Geoff's visit to Oman, check out his social media posts on Facebook ( facebook.com/geofflawtononline) or Instagram (instagram.com/geofflawtononline/).To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#water #desert #foodforest
The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Birkat Al Mouz Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-04-27 | After touring the first ancient irrigation system, Misfat Al Abriyeen, Geoff explored Birkat Al Mouz, where the water system is channeled over a wall to maintain a high water level for as long as possible before it is distributed to gardens.At Birkat Al Mouz, we can see the result of a water system managed for 2.5 thousand years. Water comes from a canal in the valley, moves through the castle, pass the mosque, through men’s and women’s cleaning areas, and is then divided amongst the villages below.The farming system has a lot of dates and forage crops for animals. It also has a wall with running atop it to keep the water as high as possible as long as possible. Crop fields are divided by flood banks, and the channel is divided so that each section can be flooded individually. This is water planning at an extreme level.This video is the third in a series where Geoff takes us on a journey through Oman’s ancient water harvesting and irrigation systems. To follow his adventure, watch the following videos:The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman - youtu.be/mCSLkFQq210The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Misfat Al Abriyeen - youtu.be/_1hebGcD6bM The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Wadi Bani Khalid - youtu.be/HKxWbIN4nboTo see even more of Geoff's visit to Oman, check out his social media posts on Facebook ( facebook.com/geofflawtononline) or Instagram (instagram.com/geofflawtononline/).To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#water #desert #foodforest
The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Misfat Al Abriyeen Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-04-27 | Join Geoff as he tours the ancient falaj irrigation system of Misfat al Abriyeen, located deep within the Oman Mountains. This ingenious system has a long history, dating back to 500 AD or possibly earlier. It is an incredible example of human innovation and creativity. Geoff walks the ancient irrigation system in the village of Misfah in the mountains of East Oman. The system, called a falaj, supports an old food forest with a date palm overstory, and it’s being fed out of natural spring.What is a Falaj? It is a system where gravity channels water from underground sources to support agriculture and household use. In villages and towns, the management and distribution of water still depend on mutual understanding and community values.Terraced gardens are full of productive plants. Tomatoes cascade over the edges. Lettuce, blue peas, and onions are growing on the tops of the terraces. Pomegranate, mango, cooking bananas, figs, and citrus are growing throughout the system of hidden terraces and water channels.Frogs and fish dart around in the irrigation channels. A high elevation storage pond is used to release water to the main gardens, as well as act as local bathing pool. Vegetation from the system is pulled as forage for livestock (goats) which, in turn, provide fertility for vegetation. Many of the original walls, mortared together with mud and straw, are still standing, and some have been repaired with modern concrete. The system has been adapted with modern means to handle floods by draining them into the wadi below when the water gets to be too much for the irrigation channels.The system can be diversified a bit and fertility from the manure extended via high carbon composting additions, but it’s a highly functional, successful ancient irrigation method still working today. All of it was built first and foremost based off of where the water source is located.We have the opportunity to learn and grow from systems like these, integrating modern technology and design to enhance our daily lives. By doing so, we would improve the efficiency and sustainability of our food systems, providing more nutritious, affordable, and accessible food for everyone while creating a beautiful environment at the same time. This video is the second in a series where Geoff takes us on a journey through Oman’s ancient water harvesting and irrigation systems. To follow his adventure, watch the following videos:The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman - youtu.be/mCSLkFQq210The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Birkat Al Mouz - youtu.be/E3qVY2yxhxwThe Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Wadi Bani Khalid - youtu.be/HKxWbIN4nboTo see even more of Geoff's visit to Oman, check out his social media posts on Facebook ( facebook.com/geofflawtononline) or Instagram (instagram.com/geofflawtononline/).To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#water #desert #foodforest
The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-04-27 | Geoff is in Salalah, Oman, explaining the orographic effect, a meteorological phenomenon caused by the mountains and hills of the Dhofar region. It affects the weather and climate, creating lush vegetation in an otherwise desert landscape. This video is the first in a series where Geoff takes us on a journey through Oman’s ancient water harvesting and irrigation systems. To follow his adventure, watch the following videos:The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Misfat Al Abriyeen - youtu.be/_1hebGcD6bM The Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Birkat Al Mouz - youtu.be/E3qVY2yxhxwThe Ancient Irrigation Systems of Oman; Wadi Bani Khalid - youtu.be/HKxWbIN4nboTo see even more of Geoff's visit to Oman, check out his social media posts on Facebook ( facebook.com/geofflawtononline) or Instagram (instagram.com/geofflawtononline/).Key Takeaways:- The unusual orographic effect and absorbent soft rocks created by the mountains near Salalah, Oman, have helped to hydrate the landscape in the midst of a desert setting.- We can replicate effects like this with our earthworks, particularly with water soaking elements like swales.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.
Quick Compost Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-04-19 | For a healthy and thriving garden, nothing beats having your own compost, and Geoff is here to show us how easy it can be to assemble, turn and make it. With the help of interns Juan, Ian, and later Chico, Geoff is making a quick and hot compost to ensure his garden remains healthy and fertile while he travels overseas for the next two months. Geoff is utilizing the Berkeley Method for composting, but he has made some modifications to the recipe to speed up the timeline, using only 10 turns over 14 days instead of following the traditional 18-day cycle. To better understand this method, developed by the University of California, watch Geoff's animation at youtu.be/1Tk_melmv14 or download the "Warp Speed Compost" infographics at facebook.com/geofflawtononline/posts/1967444573442064 Key Takeaways:- Turning a compost pile more frequently, as much as once a day, will make it heat up and decompose more quickly.- Hot compost should be composed of roughly equal parts brown manure, green manure, and carbon material. It should have plenty of water, too.- Inoculums of very rich material can be put into the middle of a compost pile to help get things fired up quickly.- Compost piles should be at least one cubic meter, which is a gravity-fall pile of about 1.5 meters high.- Creating better soil with lots of soil life is integral to sustainable systems. To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #organicgardening #compost
Discover Jordans Hidden Gem Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-03-31 | In the small village of Juwafat al-Kafrayn, nestled in the Dead Sea Valley, you can find Dar Al Shouneh and experience Jordanian hospitality at its best. Here, you can interact with the local villagers, who will share their culture, traditions, food, and stories of the past. All food is sourced directly from the surrounding permaculture gardens on-site or from sustainable local businesses.The Dar Al Shouneh is a Partners for Good project funded by The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jordan. This project aimed to transform local communities by sustainably enriching the region's tourism, focusing strongly on women, youth, and farmers. In partnership with The Greening The Desert Project, Dar Al Shouneh can demonstrate, through permaculture's teachings, how sustainable living and food production systems can empower local communities and provide resilience and sustainable economic growth while nurturing the environment.In 2007 The Greening The Desert Project was born. Its objective was to demonstrate how a small site with very poor soil could be transformed to grow a wide variety of food and sustainable living systems. The mission of this project has always been to help the local people and to provide more opportunities to the village and local surroundings. The Dar Al Shouneh Restaurant is the perfect extension to The Greening The Desert project. Here we can demonstrate and showcase the diversity of foods in our forest oasis and transform them into traditional meals expressed in the restaurant's menu and recipes. The restaurant and adjoining facilities, which are open 7 days a week, are here for both locals and tourists to enjoy. We aim to offer a fully immersive, authentic, traditional village experience that will provide lasting memories for all our visitors.Book the restaurant by visiting:greeningthedesertproject.org/dar-al-shouneh-traditional-jordanian-restaurant and/or cultural experiences greeningthedesertproject.org/cultural-experiences Key Takeaways:- Geoff and Nadia have worked to create economically and environmentally sustainable systems in Jordan.- The Greening the Desert Project began 20 years ago to demonstrate how to make a small, productive space in the arid landscape of a Jordanian village.- A restaurant, Dar Al Shouneh, has helped to link GTD to local culture through a traditional menu, jobs for the community, and the expansion of the productive gardening/development methods.To support the project:► Visit their website: greeningthedesertproject.org ► Like them on Facebook: facebook.com/greeningthedesert2► Follow them on Instagram: instagram.com/greeningthedesertprojectii#permaculture #greeningthedesert #greeningthedesertproject
Food Forest Goat Fodder Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-02-03 | Join Geoff and his grandson, Blair, as they collect forage for the goats while maintaining the food forest. In this video, they chopped and dropped the big legume trees shading out the food forest and collected herbaceous and medicinal material to feed the goats. A useful multifunctional element in the process involves the leftover sticks from pruning after the goats consume the leaves. The sticks are set aside to dry and used as kindling during winter. Additionally, Geoff places the chickens' grain in piles of sticks to protect it from the goats. The chickens can access some of the grain, but the goats cannot. Any missed bits of grain often sprout, providing an extra layer of fodder for the pen.Key Takeaways- Using some of the forest's chop-and-drop and foraged herbs to feed goats is a great way to accomplish multiple tasks.- Mugwort is good to include in animal forage because it helps to worm the animals.- When multiple functions play a role in what we do, finding curious solutions seems to come naturally.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no-waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #foodforest #goat
What are Multifunctions in Permaculture? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-02-03 | Elements can play various roles within a system, and this utility can be explained through two types of functions: forced and permitted. To illustrate, forced function would be over-fertilizing an orchard to produce an over-sized yield, ultimately leading to over-worked trees and an unhealthy system. Contrastingly, permitted functions are when elements are encouraged to produce within their natural limits and proclivities. Back in the orchard, a chicken tractor moves chickens so that they scratch, fertilize, and control pests. Once they’ve performed these tasks, the mobile pen is relocated. Now, we have one animal performing multiple tasks intrinsic to them, all the while providing the orchard with what it needs to naturally thrive. To learn more about permaculture and how it can help you create healthy, productive gardens, watch Geoff's Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com To support us in making more videos: ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #permaculturedesign
Food Forest Walk and Talk Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2023-01-17 | Join Geoff as he takes us on a journey through his favorite part of the food forest at Zaytuna Farm, Australia. Geoff walks us through one of the older sections of Zaytuna’s food forests. As the property transitions into an eco-community, it has changed how maintenance is done, and this bit of forest has been left to its own devices. Nothing dies, and nothing goes wrong, but the forest has become much more like a productive wildland. Geoff has been coming lately to gather goat forage by slowly chopping and dropping the larger nitrogen fixers.As we meander through, Geoff points out a variety of useful plants such as guava, khat, mugwort, black locust, bunya pines, mango, jackfruit, coffee, mulberry, tipuana tipu, lemons, loquat, custard apple, bamboo, casuarina (with climbing yams growing up them), coco yam, dragon fruit, Kei apple, arrowroot, feijoa, and Mexican tree fern… the list just goes and goes. There is plenty to eat growing wild in a forest Geoff describes as being controlled by rampancy.To illustrate another food forest option, we visit the camping area for students. Filled with the same types of plants Geoff has already pointed out as well as pecan trees and Brazilian cherries, the food forest here has been maintained to keep it comfortable as living space. Much of the groundcover has been cut back. The large legume trees have been pollarded to let in plenty of light for the fruit trees.One of the pleasures of fiddling in a food forest is the many options at our disposal. They can be high maintenance and high production if we choose, or we can allow them to be low maintenance with casual production. It’s really up to us as stewards, and it’s important to understand this element of growing a food forest.Key Takeaways- Unmaintained food forests will get much wilder, but nothing really dies or goes wrong. It just gets very rampant.- We can keep food forest very tame if we want them to be comfortable places to live in.- A food forest with a high maintenance schedule will provide high production. A food forest with a low maintenance schedule will provide casual production. Either, or anything in between, is fine.To support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #foodforest #forestgarden
Greening the Desert Oasis; Our New Property Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-11-09 | Geoff takes us for a tour of the new site, "Greening the Desert Oasis," which is adjacent to the original GTD project site. For more information, visit: Greening the Desert Project: greeningthedesertproject.org Facebook: facebook.com/greeningthedesert2Instagram: instagram.com/greeningthedesertprojectiiTo support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #greeningthedesert #greeningthedesertproject
Update from Jordan Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-10-06 | The Greening the Desert Project in Jordan continues to grow every year, but this year there's HEAPS of work going on as the project extends. In the coming weeks and during the practical course, two new greywater systems, plus a new compost toilet, will be installed. The strawbale/mudbrick house and the natural swimming pool will be completed. Once the weather cools down, and we're in the yearly cycle where there is less evaporation and hopefully some rainfall, we can plant anything in the nursery. It's also the time of year that we chop and drop, so food forest maintenance will dramatically change what the site looks like... until next year 🙂Greening the Desert Project: greeningthedesertproject.org Facebook: facebook.com/greeningthedesert2Instagram: instagram.com/greeningthedesertprojectiiTo support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #greeningthedesert #greeningthedesertproject
Its More Than Just Profit and Loss... Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-09-23 | Students of Geoff's Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff answers several questions weekly via videos. This question was pulled from the 2022 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff's free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com Question: Do you think it would be more productive to speak to businesses in terms of profit and loss and how permaculture ethics can increase profits when trying to convince them to change their practices?To support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #ethics #permacultureethics
Geoffs Thoughts on the Theory of Evolution Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-09-18 | Students of Geoff's Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff answers several questions weekly via videos. This question was pulled from the 2022 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff's free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com Question: There is a mistake in how Darwin’s theory is often quoted (“Survival of the fittest”) ... The trait in which humans have excelled is sociability, community, and cooperativeness. What are your thoughts on this topic, Geoff?To support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #charlesdarwin #theoryofevolution
Applying More Permaculture Philosophy? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-09-16 | Students of Geoff's Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff answers several questions weekly via videos. This question was pulled from the 2022 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff's free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com Question: How can I become more effective and speed up the process of working towards and incorporating the permaculture philosophy/paradigm deep in my inner beliefs?To support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #permaculturephilosophy #philosophy
Can We Really Take Responsibility? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-09-12 | Geoff's Online Permaculture Design course students have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff answers several questions weekly via videos. This question was pulled from the 2022 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff's free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com, or if you're keen to do the Permaculture Design course, enrollment remains open until the end of September 2022: discoverpermaculture.com/permaculture-design-course-2022Question: How fully must we embrace the prime directive of permaculture, and how far do permaculture ethics go in terms of personal responsibility?To support us in making more videos: ► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline ► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline ► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 ► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus. About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #permaculturedesigncourse #ethics
The 2000 Year Old Food Forest in Morocco Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-08-09 | Geoff takes us for a tour around an ancient 2,000-year-old food forest in Inraren, Morocco. He first visited this valley oasis in 1975, and he's been back a handful of times to document the evolution of what many believe is the world's oldest managed sustainable agriculture system.If you don't know what a food forest is, check out Geoff’s free Masterclass for an in-depth dive into all things permaculture at www.discoverpermaculture.com. And if you want to read more about this forest garden, Eric Wallace from Atlas Obscura wrote a neat article titled "The Moroccan Food Forest That Inspired an Agricultural Revolution": atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-permaculture-food-forestsTo support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and to return the surplus.#permaculture #forestgarden #foodforest
Shade as a Drylands Strategy Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-07-05 | The mostly rock and dust soil of the Greening The Desert Project, Jordan had to be rehabilitated. That started with hard-working elements that got the site ready for sophistication and diversity. These original pioneer species were hardy nitrogen-fixers, like Jerusalem Thorn, that could withstand harsh conditions and provide organic material to build fertility pathways for new species. These types of trees were normally a bit thorny.Prosopis was great pioneer species. Many people hate them because they volunteer on damaged ground, acting like “weeds”. They put out a canopy that swoops right to the earth and shades the tree’s root system. The canopy also helps to catch debris and organic matter, and animals use them for shade. Prosopis can also be easily manipulated by pruning, including coppicing and pollarding for chop-and-drop mulch, making these trees great for starting the sequence of recovery.Of course, these spiky pioneers had to get large and then be cut to add organic matter to the soil to build soil. They also had to be slowly sequenced out. They were cut when more friendly legumes can be put into place. Once cut, the base kept sending up shoots, which is good for organic material but still thorny. The thorny pioneers, however, can be phased out by cutting all sprouts and leaf growth as low to the stump as possible until the tree finally dies.Dealing with prunings from these difficult (thorny) trees was a challenge as well. The chop-and-drop mulch had to be cut up into small material before being put on the ground so that it could decompose more quickly. For the larger stuff like logs and tree trunks, GTD dug huge pits, two meters wide and two meters deep. They layered this with manure as they filled the pits, which consumed some 200 pioneering trees. Within a year, the area—one of the most damaged spots on the property – developed strong fungal networks between the pits and plants began to thrive.The harsh trees, like Prosopis, were then replaced with more agreeable support species, such as Leucaena. These are pruned at the beginning of winter for chop-and-drop each year, but the prunings are no longer covered in spikes, so they can go right to the ground. There are also larger legume trees that can live long-term (Albizzia lebbeck and Poinciana), and they let light in during the winter and provide shade in the summer. Smaller trees like cassia, acacia, neem, casuarina, and hibiscus tilaceus (Rose of Sharon) have added other layers of controlled shade to the mix. Even the southern wall creates shade and makes the area near it more fertile.By manipulating (pruning) the shade through height, layers, and timing, the growing system can flex with the change of season and what’s happening with the climate. This is how we work with nature rather than opposing it, and the consequence is incredibly rich soil to go along with a hospitable space to grow.Key Takeaways- Dryland strategies use hard-working and difficult plants to set the groundwork for soil recovery, which hinges on both the creation of shade and organic matter.- The original pioneering species for the Greening the Desert Project, trees like Jerusalem thorn and prosopis, were thorny and tough, perfect for surviving in the harsh climate and poor soil.- Because these thorny species were difficult to use as mulch, they were cut down and buried in pits when the soil had recovered enough to cultivated other support species.- After the super hardy and rugged pioneers, support species like leucaena, Albizzia lebbeck, Poinciana, cassia, acacia, neem, casuarina, and hibiscus tilaceus helped to further pave the way for productive species.- In the desert, the game is to manipulate the shade through height, layers, and timing, and with chop-and-drop trees, it’s building soil all the while. This is working with nature.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #shade
Greening the Desert Soil Report Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-07-03 | The chicken run at the Greening The Desert Project, Jordan is the “engine of fertility”. Every week it pumps out another cubic meter of compost, and that feeds into the ever-diversifying web of soil life teeming beneath the site’s food forest.This system began by composting any and everything available: kitchen scraps, crop waste, prunings, sheep and goat manure. That was used to feed pioneer plants, which were then composted down to make the soil network more and more complex over time.The “engine of fertility” continues to run and feed the system. It is shaded with date palms (also composted after they break down). Every week a new pile of compost is introduced at the top of the run, and a completed pile of compost (after 5 weeks of being with the chickens) comes out of the bottom. All the other piles are shifted down the rung. The chickens spend most of their time with the new piles, and the older piles age into maturity.The soil—once sandy and stony—now has a crumbly texture with plenty of microorganisms enjoying the moist, softened loam. The diversity and abundance expand again and again each year. Geoff says, “Put your trust in life, and you get paid back with living systems.”Key Takeaways- The chicken run is the “engine of fertility” in the Greening the Desert Project. It produces a cubic meter of ready-to-use compost every week.- At the Greening the Desert site, the soil had to be fed in order to build diversity, so they composted all the organic matter they could get their hands on.- The once sandy, stony, compacted soil is now crumbly and teeming with microorganisms, just the right recipe for growing stuff.- “Put your trust in life, and you get paid back with living systems.”To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #soil
Mulch as a Drylands Strategy Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-06-28 | Mulch is absolutely crucial to getting a new system going. Deserts are particularly in need of it as the soil life and ecosystem have been severely damaged and disabled.Herbaceous material is great, but woody material is extremely important for developing the fungal soils that are good for growing trees. The woody, “chop-and-drop” material really needs to be cut into small pieces so that it can break down, and it will break down even more quickly beneath groundcovers that are trapping humidity.All the leaves and twigs and bits of wood feed the soil, and this begins the process of growing lots of plants and lots of diversity. The more diversity in what’s growing, the more organic and woody matter that is added to the soil to further feed and broaden the system.And then, the broadened system will create a fuller nutrient and mineral profile to the landscape as it breaks down. And, on the system grows.When you feed the soil, you can feed the world!Key Takeaways- Using lots of mulch is a key strategy in starting new growing systems, particularly in arid climates where moisture is lost and, thus, soil ecology is minimal.- Woody mulch material—cut into small pieces—is extremely important because it, rather than herbaceous mulch, fosters fungal soils that are good for trees.- As the leaves, twigs, and branches break down, they create a better-suited environment for more diverse plant life. That plant life then breaks down and broadens the system again. And the process repeats into rich botanical diversity growing in very fertile soils.- “If you feed the soil, you can feed the world.”To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #mulch
Beautiful Details of the Greening the Desert Project Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-06-27 | Geoff takes us on an informal tour around the Greening The Desert Project, Jordan to see where it stands in May 2022. He begins with a shot of the environment outside, a barren and rocky terrain similar to that from which the project took root. Now, walking through the gate, the desert has grown into lush green.Succulent groundcovers are thriving, even growing out over the pavement. These have lots of gel in the leaves, and the gel resists evaporation, one of the desert strategies. The groundcover helps to insulate against the heat and protects the soil to stay moist enough to develop lots of fungal networks.Aloe vera plants are flowering. There are lots of little flowers blooming: Daisies, roses, geranium, and hibiscus. Nitrogen-fixers are still around, coppiced, and pollarded to provide room for the food-producing trees. Papaya is emerging from the chaotic groundcover. Mulberries are coming on. Moringa is a big part of the site now, mixed through the whole system. Olives and moringa flower and produce huge amounts of seed to extend into the community.The marshmallow plant is a volunteer edible growing everywhere. Tomatoes have volunteered in the food forest. The nursery manager is soon to plant dragon fruit, a vining cactus, near the pollarded Leucaena to grow up them as a trellis, and as the dragon fruit begins to hang down, it will start to produce.The season is moving out of winter and into summer, which is the lushest time. Without a doubt, the tour demonstrates this.Key Takeaways- The Greening the Desert Project has taken a barren desert landscape and, through careful design, made it abundant with life.- Groundcovers have taken over the floor of the GTD food forest, helping to keep the soil cooler and seal in the moisture.- The nitrogen-fixing plants that once dominated the site have been coppiced and pollarded to make room for emerging food trees like papaya, mulberry, moringa, and olive.- The new landscape has invited lots of volunteer growth from edible plants like tomatoes and marshmallow plants.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #greeningthedesert #foodforest
Downsizing the Kitchen Garden with Cover Crop Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-04-14 | By dominating the ground with a cover crop Geoff downsizes the kitchen garden at Zaytuna Farm, conserving the soil for future gardeners to inherit.Geoff Lawton and Sam Parker-Davies show us how to take a garden apart and put it to rest for a while. As the crowds at Zaytuna have lessened, the large kitchen garden (designed to feed 30 people) doesn’t need to be at full production and has slipped into a chaotic state. Geoff and Sam are going to reduce the veggie plot into something more appropriate while keeping the rest of the garden space fertile and occupied.They leave one bed for vegetables and use the adjacent two beds on either side of it to grow perennial, sub-tropical pineapples. At one end of the plot, a swale path feeding a row of bananas is converted into a mulch swale, covered with trimmings from the banana plants in the row and four nearby banana circles. The remainder of the kitchen garden has been slashed and double ripped in both directions and planted to a cowpea cover crop, which will act like a green, living mulch, adding fertility while also taking spatial control in the race with weeds. This is how to control space by cultivating rampancy rather than allowing weeds to take over or using herbicides.Key Takeaways- Annual gardens that are too large for a site’s needs will slip into chaos.- Cleared gardens can be planted to a cover crop to hold the soil’s fertility.- The cover crop will occupy the space for several months until it’s ready to be used again or planted to another cover crop.- Cover crops act like living mulch, keeping weeds at bay, until they become green manure and fertilize the soil.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #gardening #covercrop
What are Some Common Worm Farming Difficulties? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-04-08 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff’s free Masterclass www.discoverpermaculture.comQuestionGeoff, what are the common difficulties (and the solutions to them) of using a worm farm system like your bathtub system? Anything you can provide to help a newbie avoid mistakes would be very useful. Currently, while my worms are eating the scraps I give them and thriving they have almost entirely ignored the horse manure provided from the beginning. Any idea what this might mean, or what I should do about it?Key Takeaways- Worms moderate their population based on their food supply. They’ll eat food scrapes first and dive down into manure as backup food.- Drain blockage is a big problem because it can drown the worms and turn the farm putrid, so it’s important to use a good filter. A roof over the worm farm will prevent too much moisture for getting into the farm.- Rodents will try to get in after the scraps, or black soldier fly larvae can get in and consume the scraps faster than the worms. A wood frame top with wire (rodents) and screen (flies) can prevent these issues.- Don’t bury food scraps. They’ll go anaerobic, and the whole thing will get putrid.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #wormfarm #fertilizer
Should we be Designing for Climate Change? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-04-04 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff’s free Masterclass www.discoverpermaculture.comQuestionWith climate change a reality we need to face, should we be designing based on future temperatures and selecting plant species that can tolerate a hotter climate? Can good design help us soften the blow of climate change? Key Takeaways- Climate change can be quite natural, with animals migrating to different places and weather growing colder or windier or wetter.- The approach is to go for diversity, stretching on all sides of the local climate, and focus on perennials along with annuals.- With diversity, we can ensure that some things, although not all things, are suited for this year’s weather and will thrive. We always get a yield.- It doesn’t damage local ecosystems but enhances them because they are not prejudice to interesting foreign species joining the party and making it more diverse.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #climatechange
Are We Disrupting the Natural Flows of Rivers and Streams? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-03-31 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff’s free Masterclass www.discoverpermaculture.comQuestionAre we disrupting the natural pattern and orders of streams by stopping water with ponds, swales, and earthworks? Does charging up these systems create benefits that outweigh potential disruptions or can we really ignore what is clearly interfering with the natural flow?Key TakeawaysIt’s a question of what we call natural flow. Swales are a tree-growing system that stops the water in its downward flow across the landscape, but that is probably not a natural flow as there would have once been an old-growth forest. At that point, water would have stopped, spread, and soaked into the roots.Where “we” have disrupted natural patterns is with aggressive clearing. Water now runs off much more quickly, flowing (and flooding) from stream to creek to river and so on. What we, in permaculture, are doing by slowing and soaking is much more akin to natural patterns. Remember: We aren’t doing this to established, natural ecosystems and quality regrowth forests, but to areas with destructive agriculture or development.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #nature #waterharvesting
Report From the Mudflat Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-03-28 | Geoff is exploring the new mudflat created by the recent floods at Zaytuna Farm. Mudflats can form on river flats where events like the recent flooding have deposited sediments. For context, watch the previous video "Zaytuna Farm Vs the Flood of 2022", here: youtu.be/XIn00ihb3hU To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #mudflat #riverflat
Zaytuna Farm Vs the Flood of 2022 Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-03-22 | A 100-year flood is a massive flooding event that is unlikely to be equaled or exceeded over the next century. On Monday the 1st of March 2022, Zaytuna Farm experienced a 100-year flood event, and Geoff Lawton is taking us on a tour of how his permaculture site fared.The rain event at Zaytuna was astounding. The Wilson River at Lismore rose 14 meters, a full two meters higher than the previous record, and rain on the farm accrued to the tune of 775 mm (30 inches) in 24 hours, with one hour alone accounting for 180 mm (seven inches) of rainfall. Thousands of homes were destroyed in surrounding areas, and everyone is now trying to recover.Zaytuna Farm handled the event with some damage but promising resolve. The spillway for Tinker’s Bubble, the main irrigation dam (high elevation on the site), couldn’t keep up with the water flow. Though the dam spilled over the wall, the construction did hold up. However, the next dam—Mud Hole—experienced a massive hit and gave way to the pressure, sending a load of water and material down to Fern Gully Dam. Luckily, Fern Gully Dam was able to stop the material, and despite filling, the overflow infrastructure—a dam-to-swale spillway—pacified the water and moved it downhill safely.Flood Plain Paddock got a huge sediment/topsoil deposit with areas measuring two meters deep in new soil accumulation, which would take centuries to create. The tree gullies of Zaytuna were able to slow the floodwaters down, causing it to drop detritus and soil. On the other side of the farm, Campers Lagoon stayed safe because the emergency overflows mitigated the flood.With the world changing and such events becoming more regular than anomalous, places like Zaytuna have to prepare for both long droughts and huge floods. Sound design is how we can approach the new global climate.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #flood #climate
What are the Signs of a 100-Year Flood Event? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-03-01 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out Geoff’s free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com QuestionWhat are the usual signs on the landscape left by a 100-year flood event?Key TakeawaysWe get a bench in the landscape. It is created by deposits of flood silt on both sides of the valley and river, and the two opposing benches will be level with one another.The 100-year event creates the highest bench, but down the slope, there will be evidence of 10-year events and even annual events.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #waterharvesting #flood
New Water Features at Zaytuna Farm Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-02-21 | In this video, Geoff Lawton takes us on an early morning walk through a new series of water features at Zaytuna Farm 👣 The journey begins at a swale that feeds through Paradise Dam to Cubby House Dam around the Zaytuna campsite to Mafia Dam and finally Campus Lagoon, near the property boundary. This water harvesting system has multiple swivel pipes, three level-sill spillways and is the fourth swale in the sequence of swales moving down the property. This fourth swale soaks into a v-drain on the upslope side of one of the farm’s main tracks. From there, we follow it down the landscape where life potential expands and the complexity of the system grows. The drain leads to a pipe beneath the road before dropping into another swale where cows graze and drop manure, which dilutes and spreads throughout the swale to fertilize a food forest downslope. A swivel pipe here moves the water further downslope into a v-drain behind a house site that flattens to contour, where it becomes another swale with more food forest and more swivel pipes, as well as a level sill spillway. Then, that feeds into …yep… another swale.This swale is fenced for grazing, planted to trees with lots of crops, and exits via a pipe into a lotus paddy, which spills into a new pond (actually three new ponds) that all have spillways on both sides. The ponds collectively overflow into Wood Duck Dam, a large body of water with lots cultivated around it, swimming features, and a spillway that leads to another swale that leads to Geoff’s new house site and one more dam: Fig Tree Dam. Key Takeaways- At the top of a site, water features tend to be concentrated and limited by the landscape. Then, as we move downslope the possibilities and complexity of the system increases. (Geoff calls this a reverse dendritic pattern.)- Each water feature can flow into another water feature to create a slow, gentle soak throughout the landscape, feeding productive systems all the way down.To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #waterharvesting
Converting a Food Forest into Milk Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2022-01-20 | Join Geoff and Daisy as they convert a food forest into milk 🍃 + 🐄 = 🥛 In this video, Geoff provides an example of how fertility can cycle through a permaculture property. In this instance, he's converting a food forest into milk. To support us in making more videos:► Watch the Permaculture Masterclass: discoverpermaculture.com ► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #milkingcows #foodforest
How to Transition From Industrialized Agriculture to Permaculture? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-09-04 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out the free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.com QuestionBig industry claims they are there to meet the ever-growing demand for food supplies. What do we offer as a foundation for our arguments that we can do the same, better? How long would it take to start feeding the world if transitioned wholesale to permaculture today? What would the transition cost humanity? Wouldn't there be sacrifice involved?Key TakeawaysWe could do it very quickly with no sacrifice: healthier food, less pollution, overabundance. Industrial agriculture doesn’t provide us with nearly the diversity we could produce ourselves. Urban agriculture produces hundreds of times more food per square meter with more diversity and soil production. Peri-urban agriculture cuts down significantly on food miles and uses the wastes from town to build up soil quality and nutrient density. Industrial agriculture is based on convenient exploitation of the earth for money, with food quality and employment constantly dropping. Industrial agriculture specializes in producing low nutritional weight whereas our systems are built to provide nutrient density without toxic chemicals, huge transport costs, massive inputs, and excess energy. The switch would be a conscious choice, not a sacrifice. We can produce the same nutrition on four percent of the equivalent area, sensibly located, currently used on industrial food production. We could do this by the next season. That fast.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: discoverpermaculture.com/thepermaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.#permaculture #industrialagriculture #agriculture
How to Use Plant Succession Instead of Herbicides? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-08-27 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For more permaculture insights, check out the free Masterclass at discoverpermaculture.comQuestionGeoff has mentioned using plant system succession instead of herbicides. What are some examples of beneficial plants that dominate systems? What are fast carbon pathway functions? Would you walk us through an example situation where this would be the best solution?Key TakeawaysWith logs on the ground, so rotten they are nearly broken down and rough branches decomposing alongside understory coffee, there is a rampant perennial groundcover controlling the ground. The groundcover will dominate the ground until the maturing forest shades it out. The groundcover takes over the job of herbicide until it is taken out by the established system. Until then, the groundcover can be chopped and dropped to feed the forest.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: discoverpermaculture.com/thepermaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #organicgardening #groundcover
Where Do You Draw the Line on Letting Wilderness be Wilderness? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-07-02 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. Check out Geoff’s free Masterclass for an in-depth dive into all things permaculture www.discoverpermaculture.comQuestionMy question centers around the point that was made that "we need to be very careful about disturbing established wilderness". Near my home, my town owns a large piece of land (~75 acres) that is protected from development because of a historical battle that occurred there during the revolutionary war. There are beautiful walking trails that have been installed around it which are open to the public. The land is not wooded. Rather it looks like a piece of farmland that nature is slowly recovering. There are all kinds of grasses, bushes, and shrubs and the odd small tree here and there. A forest is being rebuilt naturally. I see an opportunity to speed up the recovery using a carefully planned permaculture design and hope to propose such a plan to my town. That said, I see how arguments could be made to leave it alone to nature. Can you comment on where to draw the line between wilderness to be left untouched and natural areas which could benefit from the human intervention?Key TakeawaysWe can call this regeneration, moving into the land that is recovering and aiding in that recovery. We put in pioneer species like nitrogen-fixing trees. We can speed the natural process up by playing a role in the sequence. Non-native and non-prudential are possible, but sticking with local species is possible, too. Everywhere has a sequence of trees. Ripping the soil for decompaction or putting in swales can also be helpful, but it can also be contentious, depending on who is involved. Look for short-term, medium-term, and long-term pioneers that occur before the forest gives way to the established canopy. We are just using the natural environment as the model to make it all happen faster, speeding up the sequencing.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #wilderness
What is the Permaculture Solution for Sufficient Grain Production? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-06-29 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via video. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass - www.discoverpermaculture.com QuestionIn permaculture what is the solution for the sufficient production of cereals that can meet the demand of a population in a place? The world relies on grains, is Permaculture simply ignoring this?Key TakeawaysGrains easily fit in places like the deserts and cold climates where there is dormancy and time to process everything. Outside of these climates, grain is inefficient. There are a lot of easier foods to grow in terms of nutrition for the labor required. Grains are a high-quality food that stores, which was good for military needs and aided in the rise of grains agriculturally speaking. However, usually, the amount of work necessary for the food gained just isn’t worth it. But, mass agriculture has thrived in the grain game because its production is easily industrialized: machine harvested, processed, stored, and shipped.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture is conscious, intentional design in which diverse, stable, and resilient ecosystems are assimilated to help people provide their food, energy, shelter, and other needs in a sustainable way, abusing neither the planet nor the humans relying on it. Permaculture focuses on a variety of topics, including agriculture, forestry, water harvesting, renewable energy, eco-building, waste management, animal systems, economics, technology, & community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #whatispermaculture
What Does it Mean to Have Enough Surplus to Maintain and Replace the System Over Its Lifetime? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-06-06 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass - www.discoverpermaculture.com QuestionWhat does it mean to have enough surplus to maintain and replace the system over its lifetime? If the system is a closed-loop system where nothing is lost (except water and the sun's heat, which are replaced naturally) we will never get more than comes in right? Are we simply forcing the rest of the system to also bear the weight of myself as a human manager of the system or does this diverse and balanced system need to produce even surplus in spite of being a closed system? When Geoff says "you need to link up to living systems" to create surplus does he mean linking up in some special way? Wouldn't I still have to bring in unsustainable inputs if I am trading part of the surplus as outputs?Key TakeawaysYou can get much more than a system starts with because plants and animals produce offspring: that’s vegetables, trees, and animals. Natural systems produce surpluses naturally, and that energy is banked in the soil, the base resource. With permaculture designs, you want to align systems together with productive/convenient components that might not occur naturally but behave as if they were conceived that way. The sunlight will continually give the energy necessary to create the living systems we have facilitated with design. Then, the living systems can produce more than is needed to support themselves.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture is conscious, intentional design in which diverse, stable and resilient ecosystems are assimilated to help people provide their food, energy, shelter, and other needs in a sustainable way, abusing neither the planet nor the humans relying on it. Permaculture focuses on a variety of topics, including agriculture, forestry, water harvesting, renewable energy, eco-building, waste management, animal systems, economics, technology, & community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #whatispermaculture
What to Do With a Flat Lot With an Abundance of Water? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-06-02 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass discoverpermaculture.com/permaculture-masterclass-video-1QuestionI know the course will get to this later, but there is so much talk in permaculture about slope and swales, what do you do if you have a flat lot with an abundance of water? Key TakeawaysNothing is perfectly flat, but anything can have swales or canals moved around through it. The great thing about flattish land is that it much more usable. Deeper swales could turn into the little canals to become more like chinampas. The extra material from digging the swale will create a higher mound, which will drain better. The real disadvantage to flat land is there is no head pressure, but really, it’s just a matter of creating a solution from the problem.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture is conscious, intentional design in which diverse, stable and resilient ecosystems are assimilated to help people provide their food, energy, shelter, and other needs in a sustainable way, abusing neither the planet nor the humans relying on it. Permaculture focuses on a variety of topics, including agriculture, forestry, water harvesting, renewable energy, eco-building, waste management, animal systems, economics, technology, & community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #swale
The Value of Land With a Variety of Natural Features for Permaculture Development Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-05-30 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass discoverpermaculture.com/permaculture-masterclass-video-1QuestionWould you say that a piece of land with a variety of features (cliff, pond, meadow forest, etc.) is a more valuable property to develop from a permaculture standpoint?Key TakeawaysIn general, diverse areas with different landscape features provide much diversity in design production. The interaction between all these different profiles, in time and space, is what really works well.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #whatispermaculture
Considering Productions With Annuals in a Permaculture System Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-05-27 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass discoverpermaculture.com/permaculture-masterclass-video-1QuestionIt seems that it's clearly possible and highly beneficial to change our ways when it comes to perennials or animal-focused farms, but annuals remain an unresolved issue for me. Since human consumption is predominantly focused on annuals, from grains to veg, to me it seems like an important issue for us to address. Are we destined to be stuck/dependent on annual crops?Taking Zajtuna Farm as an example do you have any idea on the annuals-only yield produced? Or perhaps a ballpark on how many people are actually "fed" on an annual basis? It would be great to understand and quantify how intensely applied Permaculture principles could render in terms of annuals-only production.Key TakeawaysThe main crop would be mostly annuals, with some perennials still in it. We produce enough food in a ½-acre of the main crop—that’s ¼-acre of beds—to feed 30 people 1,000 meals a year, i.e. 30,000 meals a year. That’s a general assessment for the subtropics.Our society is reliant on highly destructive grains and vegetables are grown in destructive ways. They are the worst offenders in soil erosion. If we are destined to be dependent on that, we’ll have a short future. We can grow annuals, but why wouldn’t we include perennials and grow what we can locally.It’s a matter of combining all these sources of food together to create a healthy ecosystem. The problem is dependency on destructive agriculture in distant places.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #whatispermaculture
Suggestions for Supplementary Feed for Free Range Chickens? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-05-24 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass www.discoverpermaculture.comQuestionDo you have any suggestions for the best ways to supplement the feed of chickens who range? Would you provide feed all day or only a certain amount of time? We are learning how to do this as we go. We have our chickens currently grazing our cover crops through the vineyards and olive orchards, it isn't as balanced as a diet as your video mentions, so we supplement a raw seed feed throughout the day for them to have a choice and get a balanced diet. The chickens themselves are new to rotational grazing and are pretty dependent on the feed as that is what they are accustomed to. Key TakeawaysIf chickens are on the range, they won’t need much. For more egg production, you can supplement their feed. There are lots of ways to do it: worm farms, attract insects, lay down sheets of iron/tin and pull them up, black soldier larvae farms, maggot farms, fly traps, and compost. You can also forage for them. They’ll get used to the range. If they aren’t getting feed, they will scratch more and find food. You could put in a feed crop as well. It’s more a matter of getting more eggs or not.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #chickens
How Many Wildlife Species Visit Zaytuna Farm? Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-05-21 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass www.discoverpermaculture.comQuestionHow many wildlife species visit Zaytuna farm? Any endangered ones? Are any of these pests and if so- how is this dealt with?Key TakeawaysLots of wildlife visits Zaytuna Farm. Rare crayfish, water dragons, turtles, 15 varieties of rare and endangered frogs, 115 varieties of birds (up from 53 in first year), three or four rare/endangered plants, quite a few wallabies, a few rare bats, an overabundance of wood ducks…residents co-exist with many wild animals. Cats keep back rodents. Dogs keep back foxes. All in all, there aren’t many problems with the wildlife, native or non-native.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #zaytunafarm
How Grazing Sequences—Goats to Horses to Cattle to Sheep—Work Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton 2021-05-19 | Students of Geoff’s Online Permaculture Design Course have question-and-answer sessions where Geoff fields a number of questions every week and answers them via videos. This question was pulled from the 2021 collection. For an in-depth dive into all things permaculture, check out the free Masterclass discoverpermaculture.com/permaculture-masterclass-video-1QuestionIn 3.3 the grazing sequence presented is goats then horses then cattle then sheep with ducks or chickens in between. Why this particular order? Is it always this order or would this be just one example?Key TakeawaysGoats eat 40% forage, 60% pasture. Horses like a short pick. Cattle eat long pick. Sheep go really low. Chickens spread it all around, and ducks puddle it all around. In reality, it can be any combination of grazing animals, but putting varied collections of grazers really does work. The more types of animals put into the sequence the better it works, each animal performing its own little set of idiosyncratic tasks. The rest depends on the season and the animals, with the farmer simply watching the pasture and adjusting.To support us in making more videos:► Sign up for our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—Geoff's curated collection of 100+ free videos: start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle► Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/geofflawtononline► Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/geofflawtononline► Subscribe to our Youtube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1► And most importantly, enjoy your permaculture journey! About Geoff:Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.#permaculture #permaculturedesign #grazing
