I agree with all of the comments who suggested repairing the swale and berm to capture the roadside runoff. 👍 The big rocks in the river are wonderful. If the soil washes out, you may want to reorganize the rocks into a more compact arrangement. As you walk about, I can see areas with water catchment definitely have more brush than the horse paddock. It will be very interesting to see when they turn green. 😉
@@thefoodforestnamibia whoohoo! here we dreadfully watch the rain going down the manholes. finally one clogged get's immediatly unclogged. Nobody seems to relate it to drought. that's one proper road doubling as a waterway now, excited to see it in action. 😃
Super awesome video. Wow that’s a lot of Zai pits! You and your team should be really proud of your achievements. I remember a video you made a long time ago when the swell broke… coz there was too much water! Good times eh. Wow 🤩 that road has so much potential for water capture!!! But Rome wasn’t built in a day. However, maybe consider throwing a few big rocks in that eroded grove next to the road to slow that water down. You can always concentrate on that next dry season. As always, thank you for sharing.
@@DJG19870 Thank you so much! Baby steps everyday. At the end of every day I am disappointed at what we have achieved but when I look back then I see when have done allot!
@@thefoodforestnamibia The amount of water you have already captured in your land is incredible. And you are pioneering the way for the average person to succeed… incremental. 😊
@@thefoodforestnamibia It's always more works than it seems and it always takes longer than expected. Patience and persistence win out in the end. There's a saying I believe in: "When you're willing to do what othere won't, you can achieve what other's can't."
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html Can't wait to see the tour of tour swales one day.
Repair the large swales 1st to recharge as much groundwater as possible, this is a rare opportunity to collect a lot of water, the papaya garden is smaller and closer also gets the grey water, smaller swales to grow biomass/vegetables are easier to keep going. You are doing this 1 swale, 1 pit, 1 rain fall, 1 year at a time, slow but steady, keep adding even when the task seems mountainous, you will get there in the end, you know you are in this for the long term, no quick results. Courage,
Hey mnr, you are living my dream and your videos have been such an awesome reminder of that for me. Thank you for sharing your food forest journey, it really inspires me to get my own land someday. I'd love to hear the story of how you got your land and the history of why you started in the first place.
@@thefoodforestnamibia I am indeed, my goal for the last 3 years has been to buy a property out here, aiming to do so by 2026. I commend you for your project on such dry land, its something Id love to do myself, somewhat of a desert oasis.
I so hope your rain arrives. I live in Western Australia where it doesn't rain for 7-8months of the year and we only get 450mm of rain on average....I feel your pain! We are trying to regenerate 28 acres of bare land.
Plant some thorny stuff that even wild animals won't touch (at least big herbivores) Those will create conditions for grasses to grow underneath, protected from munchers.
Fix the big swale first... assuming your quite certain you can get it done on time and that it will work. Once it rains and you're collecting water in the big swale, you can dig a path to the garden perhaps. Still before it all sinks in.
I vote you plant the water first by fixing the large swale. Is it on contour? Even if it only benefits acacias, you could perhaps use than as animal fodder and then use the manure for your food forest.
before the rains start, have you guys had a think about why some of the trees in your area are still quite green and others not. very curious what lessons there would be about species selection at this early / degraded state you guys are facing
In the horse camp, they need space, but you could possibly arrange a bit of a wagon wheel rotation where once the land gets growing, you can give them one section at a time for a couple of days and let 2 or 4 sections rest from them and it would help the land recover as well as giving them more feed. For your neighbor who raises too many animals on their land, you could potentially show them how to grow more feed on the same land (some times example is the best way to teach).
Horses has been a big question for me. My wife really loves them and love to teach the local kids how to ride. But Namibia in general isn't suitable for horses unless you have thousands of hectares.
You should capture the water from the road. If the weather is optimal maybe you could then do the adjustments in the food forest and still get to pump some water from the giant swale there.
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html It is also higher in the land then the food Forrest so if the water keeps then pumping could be easy
Impressive man! I hope you get lots of rains this year. The forecast shows that we will get normal rainfall this year in Botswana, unlike last year when the El Nino phenomenon left us dry. Some of my plants, like comfrey which does not like too much heat, died.
@@thefoodforestnamibia I agree. Here it starts with plating trees like morula etc. that grow very tall, then others below them. I am doing that now. I had not done that before.
if you dig down in your swales is there still moisture in your soil? they look so full in those before shots i wonder if the swales have done their job and retained the moisture or does it all sink away too quickly in our sandy soils?
I think focus on optimising the food forest, then take the lessons from there and apply them to the wider property, as you have been doing. Thanks for sharing the video as always.
I have a feeling in my stomach that you are right. But fell to my desires to see those millions of liters sink in. Still going to keep all planting and irrigation to the smaller area
I say fix the big swale first and store as much water as you can because we don't know what the next season will bring. Plus the real rainy season only starts later ... so you have time to get the food forest fixed up too.
If the small scale area can be managed manually for a bit longer... my preference would be go for volume. Dam the big area first. Pump up the ground water retention capabilities en masse... but only if your existing advancements will not die. 😊
Oh yes, repair that swale, you will catch loads of water. You can plant some trees like those cuttings you were recently showing, although they would need some fencing. But more feed and shade for animals in the future. At the very least it will recharge your groundwater. In the bigger picture, your neighbour's swales also work for your land (groundwater).
Yes the neighbors ponds/dams are a big blessing. They where scared that we would be unhappy if they build it but I told them that the more they can catch/slow down the better for me.
I think I would concentrate on the smaller area and then mend the large swale ready for next year - but it's a tough choice! What would it cost to pay for some extra workers for the next 10 days in order to be able to do both? Is that feasible?
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html We are going to keep maintaining the smaller area but for the next couple of days. Focus all extra time on repairing the big scale instead of other projects.
Work on where ou have the plants, and once that is on autopilot, work on the other land. Sow grasses, build up the swales, dig zai pits, spread out from your place, once your place is an oasis
Looking forward to the rain, have my fingers crossed for you all. As an aside, Do figs grow in your area, Danou.? I know they grow in North Africa and seem to be very tolerant of drought in Portugal.
I agree with all of the comments who suggested repairing the swale and berm to capture the roadside runoff. 👍
The big rocks in the river are wonderful. If the soil washes out, you may want to reorganize the rocks into a more compact arrangement.
As you walk about, I can see areas with water catchment definitely have more brush than the horse paddock. It will be very interesting to see when they turn green. 😉
The farm life is truly a peaceful way to live.
the road catchment sounds great
@@bjorn8854 building it now as we speak
@@thefoodforestnamibia whoohoo! here we dreadfully watch the rain going down the manholes. finally one clogged get's immediatly unclogged. Nobody seems to relate it to drought. that's one proper road doubling as a waterway now, excited to see it in action. 😃
You did a great job already 💦🌝👍
Thank you so much!
Little by little. You have made great strides Danou.
Food forest come rain forest!
Love to see such positive water usage. Great job !!
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
Super awesome video. Wow that’s a lot of Zai pits! You and your team should be really proud of your achievements. I remember a video you made a long time ago when the swell broke… coz there was too much water! Good times eh. Wow 🤩 that road has so much potential for water capture!!! But Rome wasn’t built in a day. However, maybe consider throwing a few big rocks in that eroded grove next to the road to slow that water down. You can always concentrate on that next dry season. As always, thank you for sharing.
@@DJG19870 Thank you so much! Baby steps everyday. At the end of every day I am disappointed at what we have achieved but when I look back then I see when have done allot!
@@thefoodforestnamibia The amount of water you have already captured in your land is incredible. And you are pioneering the way for the average person to succeed… incremental. 😊
@@thefoodforestnamibia It's always more works than it seems and it always takes longer than expected. Patience and persistence win out in the end. There's a saying I believe in: "When you're willing to do what othere won't, you can achieve what other's can't."
Thanks so much for the tour. I'm getting ready to start a small project and the visuals really help.
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
Can't wait to see the tour of tour swales one day.
great keep going great content❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Repair the large swales 1st to recharge as much groundwater as possible, this is a rare opportunity to collect a lot of water, the papaya garden is smaller and closer also gets the grey water, smaller swales to grow biomass/vegetables are easier to keep going. You are doing this 1 swale, 1 pit, 1 rain fall, 1 year at a time, slow but steady, keep adding even when the task seems mountainous, you will get there in the end, you know you are in this for the long term, no quick results. Courage,
Agreed!
Thank you for watching with me
Hey mnr, you are living my dream and your videos have been such an awesome reminder of that for me. Thank you for sharing your food forest journey, it really inspires me to get my own land someday. I'd love to hear the story of how you got your land and the history of why you started in the first place.
Would love to tell it one day. Are you from SA?
@@thefoodforestnamibia I am indeed, my goal for the last 3 years has been to buy a property out here, aiming to do so by 2026. I commend you for your project on such dry land, its something Id love to do myself, somewhat of a desert oasis.
I so hope your rain arrives. I live in Western Australia where it doesn't rain for 7-8months of the year and we only get 450mm of rain on average....I feel your pain! We are trying to regenerate 28 acres of bare land.
Do tell? 😊
Plant some thorny stuff that even wild animals won't touch (at least big herbivores)
Those will create conditions for grasses to grow underneath, protected from munchers.
hope for a lot of rain for you ! best regards from Germany 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
I hope so too!
. We started now with the repair..this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
Fix the big swale first... assuming your quite certain you can get it done on time and that it will work. Once it rains and you're collecting water in the big swale, you can dig a path to the garden perhaps. Still before it all sinks in.
Agreed. 😊
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
Can u get both done? The smaller area sounds good to get the trees and veg pumping. The other area soubds great to have millions of litres too. 👍
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
I vote you plant the water first by fixing the large swale. Is it on contour? Even if it only benefits acacias, you could perhaps use than as animal fodder and then use the manure for your food forest.
before the rains start, have you guys had a think about why some of the trees in your area are still quite green and others not. very curious what lessons there would be about species selection at this early / degraded state you guys are facing
In the horse camp, they need space, but you could possibly arrange a bit of a wagon wheel rotation where once the land gets growing, you can give them one section at a time for a couple of days and let 2 or 4 sections rest from them and it would help the land recover as well as giving them more feed. For your neighbor who raises too many animals on their land, you could potentially show them how to grow more feed on the same land (some times example is the best way to teach).
Horses has been a big question for me. My wife really loves them and love to teach the local kids how to ride. But Namibia in general isn't suitable for horses unless you have thousands of hectares.
I agree with those who suggest to repair the big swale. Do you have any idea on why the water broke it? Maybe the spillway must be larger/lower?
Thank you. Yes I need a new and better spillway.i spoke about this comment in my latest video. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
You should capture the water from the road. If the weather is optimal maybe you could then do the adjustments in the food forest and still get to pump some water from the giant swale there.
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
It is also higher in the land then the food Forrest so if the water keeps then pumping could be easy
Impressive man! I hope you get lots of rains this year. The forecast shows that we will get normal rainfall this year in Botswana, unlike last year when the El Nino phenomenon left us dry. Some of my plants, like comfrey which does not like too much heat, died.
My mother believe that even our full sun plants does better in semi shade
@@thefoodforestnamibia I agree. Here it starts with plating trees like morula etc. that grow very tall, then others below them. I am doing that now. I had not done that before.
if you dig down in your swales is there still moisture in your soil? they look so full in those before shots i wonder if the swales have done their job and retained the moisture or does it all sink away too quickly in our sandy soils?
It is stel wet for months later. Especially in the holes that is extra deep that we made to plant trees
I think focus on optimising the food forest, then take the lessons from there and apply them to the wider property, as you have been doing. Thanks for sharing the video as always.
I have a feeling in my stomach that you are right. But fell to my desires to see those millions of liters sink in. Still going to keep all planting and irrigation to the smaller area
I say fix the big swale first and store as much water as you can because we don't know what the next season will bring. Plus the real rainy season only starts later ... so you have time to get the food forest fixed up too.
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
If the small scale area can be managed manually for a bit longer... my preference would be go for volume. Dam the big area first. Pump up the ground water retention capabilities en masse... but only if your existing advancements will not die. 😊
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
@@thefoodforestnamibiahehe already enjoyed it.
Oh yes, repair that swale, you will catch loads of water. You can plant some trees like those cuttings you were recently showing, although they would need some fencing. But more feed and shade for animals in the future. At the very least it will recharge your groundwater.
In the bigger picture, your neighbour's swales also work for your land (groundwater).
Yes the neighbors ponds/dams are a big blessing. They where scared that we would be unhappy if they build it but I told them that the more they can catch/slow down the better for me.
I think I would concentrate on the smaller area and then mend the large swale ready for next year - but it's a tough choice! What would it cost to pay for some extra workers for the next 10 days in order to be able to do both? Is that feasible?
Thank you. We started now.this is the first video of the repair. ruclips.net/video/5YAIXF4JZmI/видео.html
We are going to keep maintaining the smaller area but for the next couple of days. Focus all extra time on repairing the big scale instead of other projects.
@@thefoodforestnamibia All good stuff!
Work on where ou have the plants, and once that is on autopilot, work on the other land. Sow grasses, build up the swales, dig zai pits, spread out from your place, once your place is an oasis
Sounds lovely.
This is the kind of gardening service I want to doing.
Wow hard gewerk
Dankie man!
Looking forward to the rain, have my fingers crossed for you all. As an aside, Do figs grow in your area, Danou.? I know they grow in North Africa and seem to be very tolerant of drought in Portugal.