Explaining Key line design

The problem i am having is trying to explain keyline design to people who have only a slight clue about permaculture and the holistic approach to farm management .

what could be some good buzz words/ definition to get someones attention about the subject. i have found that showing a picture of before and afters gets people attention and or various videos, but i am not always near a computer to show people.

i would like a better way to commuicate what key line design is all about.

G'day Ian,

Good introductory explanations of Keyline will certainly depend on who your audience is... and should be tailored to their interests as best you can.

But in general, if you're talking with ranchers/farmers/land-holders of some kind leading in with Keyline as a low-cost investment with a high soil fertility return across the landscape is a decent go... Of course the soil fertility point can be expanded a bit by explaining the whole landscape water harvesting aspect, the fact that you get the most water storage in soil possible as evenly as possible over the land, along with creating improved conditions for an explosion of soil biology... all leading to increased soil fertility which further reduces input costs (less irrigating, or more efficient irrigation, less fertility inputs, more money saved) for agriculture. Rapid topsoil creation is usually interesting to such folks!

Also, 'drought-proofing' possibilities tend to prick up some ears... so you can get into the notion of additionally creating connected farm pond storages, that can also be used to gravity irrigate large areas with little effort.

If further interested from there can go on to explain that these approaches are a portion of a larger 'whole farm planning' approach that Yeomans' developed, and that has been used with success...

Anyhow, there is no truly simple or 'right' way to give an 'elevator pitch' about Keyline... just do the best you can, focus on who you're talking to at that moment and what aspect might most interest them, and use your natural born charm!

In san diego drought proofing and wildfire protection seem to be working the best here because wildfire is a big scare here. Wildfires have destroy many acres and homes in the san diego region.

Also talking about the reasons P.A. devolped the key line system. Brother in laws death to brush fire, drought protection etc..

Hello Ian,
I too have had problems in general explaining these concepts. I have found though that water sequestration catches ears. Most people around here Tehachapi (4 hours North of you) perk up when I bring up the concept of storing water in the cheapest possible manner, the soil under their feet. Im real new to this but getting better at delivery each new person.
Owen hit it best I think. Be your self and show your excitement and enthusiasm. That more than all else is likley to garner attention.