My work on Paros is both practical and conceptual. Alison and I constructed a pond for water storage; I mixed organic matter to create steaming compost heaps; I’ve harvested olives, pruned bushes for mulch, and now Jim and I are constructing a large reedbed system for decontaminating all of the water used in the guest houses. This is the practical side of our work, all of which falls under the heading of dryland management according to principles of permaculture.
Here’s where the conceptual comes in: there’s a reason we’re doing all this. Dryland management is an essential need and an intriguing challenge. I’ll explain…
Drylands are characterized by intense heat, little rainfall, and low soil fertility. To grow gardens in drylands, one must employ strategies that ensure a sustainable water source and fertile soil. Fortunately, scientists and scholars from across the globe put their minds to regenerating drylands. As a result they developed simple, natural, and effective strategies to restore beauty and life to depleted dryland landscapes. These techniques are of benefit to myriad communities, ranging from hobby gardeners in Southern California to drought afflicted West Africans. Equipped with dryland strategies, aid organizations can empower dryland communities to help themselves. This is far more practical than traditional “assistance” involving the sale of chemical fertilizers and hybrid seeds, which simply propogates misuse of land and results in further soil depletion.
In coming posts I’ll explain principles and practices of dryland permaculture - such as composting for soil fertility, mulching for root health, capturing and storing rainwater, and decontaminating and recycling household grey- and blackwater – how these practices work, and why they’re effective.
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