This is just absolutely incredible. I am really hoping to learn this type of agriculture. I am building a farm that sits on the Nile river in East Africa. Plenty of water, and very rich soil. If you can turn a desert into a garden, I can only imagine what these techniques could do on a plot with lots of water, good soil, and year round growing season.
Like the volunteers who have great smiles. That location is so beautiful, too. Makes one want to move there, so amazing. Like that the much of mulch is well below the surface. This will prevent it from being blown off.
So great to see the site transform into greenery and production, looks to me like it's on the cusp of entering into a long and fruitful 'phase of abundance'!
I am glad to see that the project now gets international attention, which also helps with viability. Those volunteers provide free labor and maybe money in from of tuition for the fees. so that is an input into the region. - that system has matured and starts bringing yields as well.
Geoff, you inspire me! I was hanging carcasses in my chicken pen to drop maggots and although the chooks loved it the dogs were digging in and killing chooks while they were there. The bucket is a brilliant idea and should cut down on the smell. Also spiky mulch pit...Wow! It would work with rose prunings! Next time I prune I will propagate from the cuttings, but last year's prunings have been a damned nuisance. I use climbing roses as a living barbed wire, bee fodder and a source of beauty, pleasure, rose petals, rose hips and goat fodder. I love roses but until now the waste canes have been a nuisance to get rid of. Also non prickly golden wattle branches that the goat has chewed. Thankyou Geoff, thankyou thankyou thankyou! I'm going to be a busy girl this arvo! From Granitic, Semi Arid, Central Victoria, Australia!
I compost my rose prunings. Have no issue there. Though mine are all disease free, I make sure to hot compost them to be sure. I know folks are afraid of black spot (which hot composting should kill) but since I am in the desert, the fungus simply doesn't survive anyways so I find composting spent flowers and canes and leaves works awesome.
Sepp Holzer (in a completely different climate) puts scraps with bones, intestines, ... on a rost over the surface of a pond after slaughtering. This is the pond system up in the mountains, where fish and crabs (with almost no input of fodder. The only input - but that was of course a big one, was to create the ponds with idfferent zones, logs and orcks in it, and different depths of water. Maybe also with some trees and and earthwall to protect it from the North and collect the sun from West and South. Another low key input they have lights in the night, that attract insects that the frogs and fish can get them. Of course that foul meat and intestines is put there only occasionally, no large quantities, and no one bathes in the ponds and drinks from them. The maggots develop in the gross waste and fall into the pond and no doubt the fish, frogs, .... quickly learn where the extra source of fodder is and wait nearby so hardly any maggots are wasted. An African farmer did the same she had insane production (several unit) on very small homestead (there are gardens tghat are large). It was a TED talk. She has a pig she lays out the feces then the flies lay the eggs, a few days later her chickens get the maggots. Usually in big ag the input of fodder to chicken meat production is 3 : 1, but of course one can level up the process and maybe get to a more favorable ratio. Because the flies or other organisms level up the process and are small bioreactors. Somehow meal worms manage to grow in bran that is waste for us. It could be composted, but the fine dust would be even problematic it added in too high quantities. The insects (also earth worms) act as bioreactors that improve the raw material and make it more nutritious, and they speed up the proces.. There are no bears or wolves or other predators in the Aline region where the Holzer Krameterhof is. No predators could be attracted. the nights are always cool and even during summer -it might get warm in the sun but never really hot, too high up. At least they used to do that, now that they have a lot of visitors and get attention they might not do that, authorities might not like it. But Sepp Holzer mentioned it when he explained the pond system in a video (that must be older, the 1990s maybe or around 2000).
Hi Geoff, I really enjoyed seeing your students explaining the compost mechanism. The viewer can really feel how the knowledge and spirit spreads! And this "fly and maggot" farm ist just an incredible idea to keep also meat stuff in the cycle. Thank you for all! Cheers, Andi
I am in the Southern California desert and have lots of mesquite branches from pruning that were run through the chipper usually. But I love the idea of the spiky mulch pit. Thanks for this.
We have an abundance of Mesquite in Texas as well. I spent many hours at our ranch in a skid steer having to get rid of them by orders or riding on the back of a truck spraying. I hope one day to have the authority to turn that entire 1200 acres into a permaculture site
Great Video, You got my husband gardening with a lot you do, we love to grow almost all our own food, and share our thoughs and ideas with others, and show others how we do it, thanks much.
Diversity is key, so true with Permaculture and with the people who embrace it, all developed by an Aussie who had no time for Political Shenanigans and all the time in the world for those who wanted to know, listened, learnt and did.
Wow, an irish moroccan. You can't get more bio diverse than that. Bring back the fertile crescent and action always speaks louder than words. I love these people.
There is actually a prophecy in the Bible that in the End of Days, the Jordan Valley would again be a green and lush, abundant paradise, as it was during ancient times before S'dom was destroyed. The prophecy says that the River of Life will flow from Jerusalem, down the Jordan Valley and will make the Dead Sea fresh again. And the Jordan Valley, from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea will become as Eden once again, a fertile and abundant paradise. It's so nice to see this prophecy beginning to be fulfilled. May God bless you in your work!
it's much easier to bring water to the valley from the red sea, than from Mediterranean across the Jerusalem pass. So this prophecy is kinda inaccurate.
@@VasilyKiryanov The prophecy says there will be a massive earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives in two and that, because of the quake, a aquifer will spring from the Holy Mountain , flow through the valley and into the Jordan. At that time Messiah will return. Believe it or not, you'll know it when it happens. But did you know that there actually IS a massive aquifer under Jerusalem and that the whole area is criss-crossed with fault-lines? If you are going to talk about the Holy Land, you have to deal with the fact that religion and ancient prophecies are like bread and water to the people there.
@@PsychicIsaacs There WAS an aquifer. But, alas, Israelis have already drained it to the depth of -700 meters, (in less than a century) so - no luck. It won't spill into the Jordan Valley in any case whatsoever.
We have those spikey trees in the Caribbean. They are really everywhere and they are the bane of my existence. I've tried to cut them down but they always come back. And if they stick you they burn. I stepped on one and man was it painful. Never thought of using them for mulch.
They are easy to kill - just keep cutting them down for mulch and plant taller over-storey trees in the middle of the mulch. Over time the tall trees will shade out the spikey prosopis and they will die naturally. Their role is to repair the earth and return it to forest - and they are very good at that.
Hi Geoff, I tried to understand what the exact intention is of the mulch pits? Are they intended to be permanently filled with organic matter and create some sort of pockets in the landscape that hold more moisture and penetrate into the subsoil (a bit like the function of double digging) Or are you digging up (and refill) the mulch from the pit periodically in order to mulch other parts of the landscape?
@W V T I make these kinds of mulch pits on my farm. They create pockets of fertility, especially in arid or semi-arid climates where you have poor soils. When the mulch and compost has nicely rotted down, I plant a tree in the middle of it. As well as what they are doing here, I channel surface runoff water into my mulch pits as well, which helps to increase their moisture levels and increases the amount of rainwater infiltration into the water table, and this means that the whole landscape below it is greener. I hope this helps you. God Bless!
My question is how much labour has it taken to achieve this level of success. The project always looks like a hive of activity. My opinion is that a one man band will achieve some level of success, but expectations should be managed as Greening the Dessert II is a production line. Love the work still gives hope.
It makes for a better show with activity no one guy is not going to beat out 2 or more but it is not a win-lose game, a desert like that is a rock bottom start so massive effort for quick results is reasonable but not needed.
I would like to see more about maggot bucket. I haven't seen that before. Is that some type of system like the black soldier fly catch to where it composts and then they fall out? How cool it must be to be an intern on something like this. I wish there was a permaculture peace corps that I could sign up for! I would love to do it.
Would you ever place a water proof membrane( a plastic sheet) ,one meter under say the green house, veggie garden or chicken house to stop ANY water just wicking into sub layers?
Do you plant trees or food plants on the mulch pits or around them so the tree roots can grow down into them? I don't understand exactly how they work.
T Green They create deep rich soil in the pits that work like giant sponges staying damp. Fungi move in to break down the wood and move through the surrounding subsoil connecting to the rotting tree roots of the spiky legume tree roots we have cut. This increases the soil fertility in the surrounding area helping the fruit trees.
@@Hippiecat67 Mushroom mycelium has been know to transfer nutrients from dying trees to surrounding trees, from older trees to sapling trees and from dead organic matter to surrounding trees. If the mycelial network is intact you can be sure the forest will somehow reach those nutrients. If you are interested in this, search for 'mother tree mycelium'.
I can see the logic of this, and it appears to work well. My question is, why did you advise a Mediterranean person - in Greece I think it was - during a recent Q and A in quarantine - NOT to use hugelkultur, or to bury organic matter as you are doing here. It is too dry in Greece you said. Is it not too dry in the Middle East? Or is it to do w the SIZE of the mulch, ie only small size logs and fine leaves etc rather than larger logs as in traditional hugelkultur?
The correct name for that succulent is carpobrotus, the common name would be gogen or hottentot fig, also pig face. Portulaca has an entirely different flower
Pile it up thick, enough time invested in into a good future for all. Just like these pits websites can be filled up ready for the future. My team can build you a website any language .
Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton thanks. but the video showed dozens of people working. but you think one person can produce 2000 calories? that is ok to fight off starvation but not to build civilization. in the US 1 worker probably does 50 x that much. if you need 1 person to feed 1 person then there is no one left to do any other job.
I've studied Miyawakki Forests - it is not a good system at all for food production. I think its role is only for non-edible forests. Permaculture style chop-and-drop food forests are much better for food production.
It's a form of hügelkultur. American Indians say, get under the caliche. Backfill with brush, weeds, anything like that, and dirt. Soak it in and let go for 6 months. Mesquite is too valuable as a feed; leaves have the same feed value as clover.
My wonder lately is : can't we imagine monoculture in permaculture? If integrated in a sustaible design, can we call permaculture an oignon monoculture / carrot monoculture / ect.? One may wish to recollect easily thx to the only one specie cultivated. Is it properly permaculture? (Not that i think everything we do has to be permacultural but i wanna know if the term i well defined or open and too wide)
Great technique for improving soil and water holding capacity. Where I am is significantly more rain, so the green manures have to be beyond life before adding in, otherwise they grow. I'm doing another form of pit work - planted winter rye for chop & drop at bottom, clover on sides... later to be a rice growing space when the soil has improved (instagram.com/p/BqU3I38FfTY/). Thanks for showing us your pit production, good on all of you!
Het is logies dat door al die takken en meststoffen word door het rotting proces het vocht langer vast gehouden ,en in een droge omgeving de groei kan doorgaan met minder water.CHRIST.
This is just absolutely incredible. I am really hoping to learn this type of agriculture. I am building a farm that sits on the Nile river in East Africa. Plenty of water, and very rich soil. If you can turn a desert into a garden, I can only imagine what these techniques could do on a plot with lots of water, good soil, and year round growing season.
And should a plastic sheet be placed under it to hold all moisture?
That's cool! I want to do this in Kenya
Its uplifting seeing people from all over cooperating with something so beneficial in common instead of what you see on the news channels.👍👍
So encouraging to see the progress of abundance growing in such conditions. Precious lessons for people all over.
Like the volunteers who have great smiles. That location is so beautiful, too. Makes one want to move there, so amazing.
Like that the much of mulch is well below the surface. This will prevent it from being blown off.
So great to see the site transform into greenery and production, looks to me like it's on the cusp of entering into a long and fruitful 'phase of abundance'!
A team of ladys and some spikey mulch...sounds like a rock band.Great video love the chicken feeding maggot bucket.
I am glad to see that the project now gets international attention, which also helps with viability. Those volunteers provide free labor and maybe money in from of tuition for the fees. so that is an input into the region. - that system has matured and starts bringing yields as well.
Geoff, you inspire me! I was hanging carcasses in my chicken pen to drop maggots and although the chooks loved it the dogs were digging in and killing chooks while they were there. The bucket is a brilliant idea and should cut down on the smell. Also spiky mulch pit...Wow! It would work with rose prunings! Next time I prune I will propagate from the cuttings, but last year's prunings have been a damned nuisance. I use climbing roses as a living barbed wire, bee fodder and a source of beauty, pleasure, rose petals, rose hips and goat fodder. I love roses but until now the waste canes have been a nuisance to get rid of. Also non prickly golden wattle branches that the goat has chewed. Thankyou Geoff, thankyou thankyou thankyou! I'm going to be a busy girl this arvo! From Granitic, Semi Arid, Central Victoria, Australia!
I compost my rose prunings. Have no issue there. Though mine are all disease free, I make sure to hot compost them to be sure. I know folks are afraid of black spot (which hot composting should kill) but since I am in the desert, the fungus simply doesn't survive anyways so I find composting spent flowers and canes and leaves works awesome.
Sepp Holzer (in a completely different climate) puts scraps with bones, intestines, ... on a rost over the surface of a pond after slaughtering. This is the pond system up in the mountains, where fish and crabs (with almost no input of fodder. The only input - but that was of course a big one, was to create the ponds with idfferent zones, logs and orcks in it, and different depths of water. Maybe also with some trees and and earthwall to protect it from the North and collect the sun from West and South.
Another low key input they have lights in the night, that attract insects that the frogs and fish can get them.
Of course that foul meat and intestines is put there only occasionally, no large quantities, and no one bathes in the ponds and drinks from them. The maggots develop in the gross waste and fall into the pond and no doubt the fish, frogs, .... quickly learn where the extra source of fodder is and wait nearby so hardly any maggots are wasted.
An African farmer did the same she had insane production (several unit) on very small homestead (there are gardens tghat are large). It was a TED talk. She has a pig she lays out the feces then the flies lay the eggs, a few days later her chickens get the maggots.
Usually in big ag the input of fodder to chicken meat production is 3 : 1, but of course one can level up the process and maybe get to a more favorable ratio.
Because the flies or other organisms level up the process and are small bioreactors. Somehow meal worms manage to grow in bran that is waste for us. It could be composted, but the fine dust would be even problematic it added in too high quantities. The insects (also earth worms) act as bioreactors that improve the raw material and make it more nutritious, and they speed up the proces..
There are no bears or wolves or other predators in the Aline region where the Holzer Krameterhof is. No predators could be attracted. the nights are always cool and even during summer -it might get warm in the sun but never really hot, too high up.
At least they used to do that, now that they have a lot of visitors and get attention they might not do that, authorities might not like it.
But Sepp Holzer mentioned it when he explained the pond system in a video (that must be older, the 1990s maybe or around 2000).
Hi Geoff, I really enjoyed seeing your students explaining the compost mechanism. The viewer can really feel how the knowledge and spirit spreads! And this "fly and maggot" farm ist just an incredible idea to keep also meat stuff in the cycle. Thank you for all! Cheers, Andi
I am in the Southern California desert and have lots of mesquite branches from pruning that were run through the chipper usually. But I love the idea of the spiky mulch pit. Thanks for this.
We have an abundance of Mesquite in Texas as well. I spent many hours at our ranch in a skid steer having to get rid of them by orders or riding on the back of a truck spraying. I hope one day to have the authority to turn that entire 1200 acres into a permaculture site
Great update, Geoff 👍
The property is really starting to transform. Great work guys 👍
I love your videos Geoff!! Bill would be proud!
Really enjoy seeing the process, I am inspired by the chicken composting system
I've liked watching it come along also
Really good job my friend. Love your project and dedication....
Regards from Mallorca España.
Awesome work Geoff👍
Great Video, You got my husband gardening with a lot you do, we love to grow almost all our own food, and share our thoughs and ideas with others, and show others how we do it, thanks much.
youre doing great work teaching how to turn almost dead desert to living forest of life
Great work to all involved. This sort of thing can be scaled up for very large areas. This sort of thing can re-green Jordan and surrounding areas.
What a fabulous concept. A great project. Kudos to you all. Thank you.
Diversity is key! You got that right!
Diversity is key, so true with Permaculture and with the people who embrace it, all developed by an Aussie who had no time for Political Shenanigans and all the time in the world for those who wanted to know, listened, learnt and did.
great video and i like that you are doing it in a lovely place we all love! keep it going
Wow, an irish moroccan. You can't get more bio diverse than that. Bring back the fertile crescent and action always speaks louder than words. I love these people.
Such an inspiring place and project! Please give us more videos!
I would absolutely love an update on this mulch pit and fertility at the top of the site!!!!
Loving it Geoff!! Big hug from NZ
My goodness it’s so beautiful from what it was God bless
I see you Fazilah, Chris, Eric and Adam! xoxo
diversity of people is good cause they can bring the diverse species of plants from their local areas and spread them.
Lovley ending.
Diversity is key!!!
There is actually a prophecy in the Bible that in the End of Days, the Jordan Valley would again be a green and lush, abundant paradise, as it was during ancient times before S'dom was destroyed. The prophecy says that the River of Life will flow from Jerusalem, down the Jordan Valley and will make the Dead Sea fresh again. And the Jordan Valley, from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea will become as Eden once again, a fertile and abundant paradise.
It's so nice to see this prophecy beginning to be fulfilled. May God bless you in your work!
Guineith Isaacs- Many people supported a giant meteor in the 2016 election in the US.
In Quran its whole Arab land will turn green in end of years not just amman (Jordan)
it's much easier to bring water to the valley from the red sea, than from Mediterranean across the Jerusalem pass. So this prophecy is kinda inaccurate.
@@VasilyKiryanov The prophecy says there will be a massive earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives in two and that, because of the quake, a aquifer will spring from the Holy Mountain , flow through the valley and into the Jordan. At that time Messiah will return.
Believe it or not, you'll know it when it happens. But did you know that there actually IS a massive aquifer under Jerusalem and that the whole area is criss-crossed with fault-lines?
If you are going to talk about the Holy Land, you have to deal with the fact that religion and ancient prophecies are like bread and water to the people there.
@@PsychicIsaacs There WAS an aquifer. But, alas, Israelis have already drained it to the depth of -700 meters, (in less than a century) so - no luck. It won't spill into the Jordan Valley in any case whatsoever.
amazing very motivating & beneficial knowledge to all. Thank you for an excellent well-presented video, thoroughly enjoyed.
Diversity is key!
We have those spikey trees in the Caribbean. They are really everywhere and they are the bane of my existence. I've tried to cut them down but they always come back. And if they stick you they burn. I stepped on one and man was it painful. Never thought of using them for mulch.
They are easy to kill - just keep cutting them down for mulch and plant taller over-storey trees in the middle of the mulch. Over time the tall trees will shade out the spikey prosopis and they will die naturally. Their role is to repair the earth and return it to forest - and they are very good at that.
great work!
Hi Geoff, I tried to understand what the exact intention is of the mulch pits? Are they intended to be permanently filled with organic matter and create some sort of pockets in the landscape that hold more moisture and penetrate into the subsoil (a bit like the function of double digging) Or are you digging up (and refill) the mulch from the pit periodically in order to mulch other parts of the landscape?
Exactly my question too! I want to know more.
I assume that when the mulch,branches and organic stuff has rotted down sufficiently trees are planted on top.
@W V T I make these kinds of mulch pits on my farm. They create pockets of fertility, especially in arid or semi-arid climates where you have poor soils. When the mulch and compost has nicely rotted down, I plant a tree in the middle of it. As well as what they are doing here, I channel surface runoff water into my mulch pits as well, which helps to increase their moisture levels and increases the amount of rainwater infiltration into the water table, and this means that the whole landscape below it is greener.
I hope this helps you. God Bless!
My question is how much labour has it taken to achieve this level of success. The project always looks like a hive of activity.
My opinion is that a one man band will achieve some level of success, but expectations should be managed as Greening the Dessert II is a production line. Love the work still gives hope.
It makes for a better show with activity no one guy is not going to beat out 2 or more but it is not a win-lose game, a desert like that is a rock bottom start so massive effort for quick results is reasonable but not needed.
I would like to see more about maggot bucket. I haven't seen that before. Is that some type of system like the black soldier fly catch to where it composts and then they fall out?
How cool it must be to be an intern on something like this. I wish there was a permaculture peace corps that I could sign up for! I would love to do it.
Yes in hot weather maggot buckets are easy to create.
you know your doing your job when the most exciting things for you to see is peoples propogation area lol
Would you ever place a water proof membrane( a plastic sheet) ,one meter under say the green house, veggie garden or chicken house to stop ANY water just wicking into sub layers?
I was thinking similar too.
I do that it is like a box planter in the ground.
You should come out to the Navajo nation
Mashallah
🙏🏼👍🏻❤️🙏🏼
Good work Mr. Lawton,, I have a question about Agricultur,, How to manage Ultisols land so it can be more productive?
bornBefore BigBang permaculture design can be adapted to any situation
bornBefore BigBang permaculture can adapt to any site
@@DiscoverPermaculture Thanks for the answer Mr. Lawton,, come visit Indonesia if you have time,,, god bless you,,,
Do you plant trees or food plants on the mulch pits or around them so the tree roots can grow down into them? I don't understand exactly how they work.
T Green They create deep rich soil in the pits that work like giant sponges staying damp. Fungi move in to break down the wood and move through the surrounding subsoil connecting to the rotting tree roots of the spiky legume tree roots we have cut. This increases the soil fertility in the surrounding area helping the fruit trees.
@@DiscoverPermaculture Thanks for the info.
@@Hippiecat67 Mushroom mycelium has been know to transfer nutrients from dying trees to surrounding trees, from older trees to sapling trees and from dead organic matter to surrounding trees. If the mycelial network is intact you can be sure the forest will somehow reach those nutrients.
If you are interested in this, search for 'mother tree mycelium'.
On the maggot bucket: the entry holes should be much smaller, you want the flies to be able to crawl in but unable to fly back out.
I can see the logic of this, and it appears to work well. My question is, why did you advise a Mediterranean person - in Greece I think it was - during a recent Q and A in quarantine - NOT to use hugelkultur, or to bury organic matter as you are doing here. It is too dry in Greece you said. Is it not too dry in the Middle East? Or is it to do w the SIZE of the mulch, ie only small size logs and fine leaves etc rather than larger logs as in traditional hugelkultur?
The correct name for that succulent is carpobrotus, the common name would be gogen or hottentot fig, also pig face. Portulaca has an entirely different flower
Pile it up thick, enough time invested in into a good future for all.
Just like these pits websites can be filled up ready for the future. My team can build you a website any language .
what is the productive value of that land now? how many calories does it produce? how many humans need to tend to it?
1,000's of calories every day tended by one local lady.
Discover Permaculture with Geoff Lawton
thanks. but the video showed dozens of people working.
but you think one person can produce 2000 calories? that is ok to fight off starvation but not to build civilization. in the US 1 worker probably does 50 x that much. if you need 1 person to feed 1 person then there is no one left to do any other job.
Red stemmed WHAT spinach. Sounds like salam. That pulls up malabar spinanch and that doesn't look like what this is?
Ceylon Spinach
Why don't you make Miyawakki Forrest there
I've studied Miyawakki Forests - it is not a good system at all for food production. I think its role is only for non-edible forests. Permaculture style chop-and-drop food forests are much better for food production.
Where is it?
Mike Harrington Jordan
Mike Harrington Jordan in the Dead Sea valley
funds = funs
It's a form of hügelkultur. American Indians say, get under the caliche. Backfill with brush, weeds, anything like that, and dirt. Soak it in and let go for 6 months. Mesquite is too valuable as a feed; leaves have the same feed value as clover.
This is why there should be no such thing as food shortages. We can grow food almost everywhere.
My wonder lately is : can't we imagine monoculture in permaculture?
If integrated in a sustaible design, can we call permaculture an oignon monoculture / carrot monoculture / ect.?
One may wish to recollect easily thx to the only one specie cultivated.
Is it properly permaculture? (Not that i think everything we do has to be permacultural but i wanna know if the term i well defined or open and too wide)
It is a scale of size to edge relationship question and the answer is obviously displayed in nature.
+1
Great technique for improving soil and water holding capacity. Where I am is significantly more rain, so the green manures have to be beyond life before adding in, otherwise they grow. I'm doing another form of pit work - planted winter rye for chop & drop at bottom, clover on sides... later to be a rice growing space when the soil has improved (instagram.com/p/BqU3I38FfTY/). Thanks for showing us your pit production, good on all of you!
now there is a man you can tell normall wears a hat! ;-)
Seem you got yourself a good stable of "student athletes."
Het is logies dat door al die takken en meststoffen word door het rotting proces het vocht langer vast gehouden ,en in een droge omgeving de groei kan doorgaan met minder water.CHRIST.
Everything possible when u got money and a lot of free working hands ..but how many people have this resorces
🙏🏼👍🏻❤️🙏🏼