Permagardens Feeding the World: One Family at a Time Peter Jensen

Permaculture and Bio-Intensive Home Based Permagardens

Permagardens Growing Family Nutritional Security In the face of mounting global challenges: HIV/AIDS Hunger/Food Insecurity Climate Change Dwindling Water and Land Resources Economic Collapse

Gardens of Control Water, Soil, Plants, People No control of rain or weeds or yield.Rainwater now moves into permanent beds along permanent paths where water catchment holes and beds hold the promise of high, farm-like yields close to home.

Permaculture Design: controlling water controls erosion and increases yield Stop Slow Sink Spread

Gardens of Accomplishment 300% yield increases in the first year alone. PCV and Counterpart in shallow tilled maize without compost or contour water retention ridges. Same day, different field. Deeply dug, compost added field maize with water retention ridges.

Gardens of Hope Permaculture and Bio-Intensive for the future Families can now look to the future with nutritional security right at home. Simple method with local tools means it is easily learned and easily taught to others. Caregivers have reason to hope for their loved ones and themselves. Environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable means there is hope for family food security to be a sustainable idea.

Permaculture and Bio-Intensive The ideas go well together The “guild”: perennial plants living in harmony and productivity. Food, medicine, and erosion control. The composting water retention ditch: long term fertility for annual plants, year after year.

Permagardens Permaculture and Bio-Intensive Gardens  Permanent Control Structures  High Yield Potential Very Quickly  Close and Easy to Manage  Opportunity for Year Round Diet and Bio Diversity  Opportunity for Income Generation  Gardens for Better Living

Permagardens Grow Big and Stay Home Key Training Themes The Circle of Sustainability  Environmentally Sound  Economically Viable  Socially Acceptable The Three Legged Stool – Remove a leg and everything collapses

Permagardens Control – Accomplishment - Hope

Permagardens Grow Big and Stay Home Key Training Themes Environmental and Nutritional Sustainability Go Foods (carbs) Grow Foods (proteins) Glow Foods (vitamins and minerals)

The Three Legged Stool Go Foods Grow Foods Glow Foods Environmentally Sound Economically Viable Socially Acceptable Take one leg away and the stool is useless.

Balanced Nutrition for a Better Life Control…..Accomplishment…..Hope for the Future

Current Meal Malnutrition - focused on energy alone Monoculture cropping leads to High inputs High risk of crop failure High risk of food insecurity Detrimental to soil / environment

Better Meal Balanced Nutrition - focused on all nutrients Diversified Planting Increased Food Security Fewer inputs Increased chance of yields Better for soil / environment

Key Training Themes Remove Barriers to Adoption Everything is Local – seeds, plants, tools “Making it look easy is the hardest thing to do.” Small, Doable Actions leading to Immediate Visible Results creates a Climate for Behavior Change Small Changes can make a Big Difference. Learning and Teaching By Doing (small groups) Small is Bountiful: Growing more food from less land than you ever thought possible.

Only Local – Nothing New Required ToolsPlants and seeds To overcome “barriers to adoption”, whether real or perceived, we must use ONLY locally available tools, seeds and plants. New tools or seeds, no matter how useful, must only be introduced once the family has seen success with local resources. The choice to use new equipment is then the choice of the family itself.

Small Change – Big Difference Banana Tree AloneBanana Tree Guild or Common banana tree planting method without water capture and lots of wasted space. 30 minutes can make a big difference: water retention hole plus perennial plants such as matembele, aloe vera and lemon grass.

Specific Training Points Garden Layout PlanningPerennial Borders for Control A simple drawing on the ground between buildings highlighting water capture and control around the edges with one meter wide garden beds within. Water retention borders and holes are then planted with matembele, lemon grass, aloe and papaya.

Specific Training Points Compost Making and UseDouble Digging Mixture of green and brown leaves, soil and water to help build soil health and water retention capacity. Pile is turned once a month and then spread on beds after crop harvest and before beds are replanted. One meter wide beds are easily accessed from either side for easy watering, weeding and harvesting. Deep soil allows close plant spacing. Roots will not compete and more plants can be grown per unit area.

Specific Training Points Plant and Seed Spacing Weeds and Water Close and precise plant spacing will maximize plant numbers while creating a healthy microclimate below the leaf canopy which holds moisture and CO2 to stimulate vigorous growth. Narrow beds allow easy access for early weeding. Soil is easily aerated and ready to accept water from rain or by hand. After harvest, crop residue is composted, the bed is loosely dug, finished compost is added and the new crop is planted.

The Results The Bio-Intensive WayThe Conventional Way Dig Deep, Plant Hexagonally… No weeds, More water held … 4x the Yield Shallow Digging, Plant in rows … More Weeds, Less Water held … Average Yield

Seeds = 45 1 seed/35 cm Producing Plants = 40 Ears/Plant = 2 Total Ears = 80 Kernels/Ear = 500 Total Yield = 40,000 or 20 kg Seeds = 40 4 seeds/meter Producing Plants = 20 Ears/Plant = 1 Total Ears = 20 Kernels/Ear = 250 Total Yield = 5000 or 2.5 kg Double Dug with Manure and Compost Single Dug with Manure Only 8 times the yield per unit area! Why Bio-Intensive? Maize Yield Comparison from a 1x5m bed

Permagarden Training 3 – Day Intensive Overview and Rationale Garden Resource Assessment Walk About Garden Layout for Water Control – Swales, ditches and holes – Planting berms with edible perennials – Guilds at water collection points – Permanent beds and paths – Living fences for wind and animals

Permagarden Training 3 - Day Intensive Compost, Manure, Green Manure and Biochar Soil Preparation – double digging! Seed and Plant Spacing – increase plants/area Seedling Nursery Bed Management Companion Planting and Relay Intercropping Bed Management – Weeds and Water Harvest and Crop Rotation –Prep for Next Season Cover Crops and Green Manure

Traditional maize planting method (4 seeds per meter in shallow holes) in semi-arid Mpwapwa. A 3” rain fell 2 days prior and plants are already drought stressed because of poor roots and poor soil.

Half acre field planted by one woman. Where there is water, there is life. Where there is no control of rain, there is nothing but erosion.

Clear a Small Manageable Space Near Home

Three Weeks Later Plant bio-intensive garden beds within permacultural berms

Nampula May 2009

Two Training Days Later

Inhambane, MZ May 2009

Create swales to capture rain and runoff.

Observe Do Teach

Improve the loosened subsoil with char, ash and manure

2 Groups and 4 Training Days Later

Rose’s Garden – Lushoto

One year and many harvests later…24” of topsoil created !

Kongei Primary School - Lushoto

One year later – a bounty of knowledge and food to share.

8:00 am

2:00 pm

10 Weeks later

Roode Vallei, RSA October 2009

Dodoma, Tanzania November, 2008

Local Tools Local Plants Local People

Five Hours Later : Real Change

Dodoma, Tanzania January, 2009

Permagardens Small Doable Actions with Immediate Visible Results

Permagardens Feeding the World One Family at a Time

PermaGardens They’re not just for kitchens anymore Healthy Soils = Healthy Plants = Healthy People = Strong Communities For Further Information Peter Jensen Permaculture Specialist Peace Corps Tanzania