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Summary
Paul continues his review of
Sepp Holzer’s
Desert or Paradise with Opalyn, Mark, and Katie.
The group switches to talking about
Geoff Lawton, who has mostly the same idea, but a different way of saying it. There are the odd disagreements between Geoff and Paul, such as swales and for-profit permaculture – the former of which Paul managed to convince him into his line of thinking. Geoff believes that
profit isn’t a good motive for permaculture as it inevitably pulls towards shortcuts that compromise the point of permaculture, whereas Paul and the group believes that profit is valid, so long as it isn’t pursued in excess and permaculture standards are maintained.
“I am often asked what proportion of a property
should be given to
water, and how big does a water retention space need to be in order to harmonize the hydrological balance? Each landscape is different, and so is the climate, the soil and the geological conditions. Annual rainfall needs to be factored in as well. For people wanting to go all the way to full restoration, I would estimate about 10 percent of the
land. Yet, depending on the landscape and desired end use, possibly more. Upon hearing this, many landowners and farmers protest that they also need to earn money from the land. I take this very seriously, as every farmer should be able to live with and off the land. Should be able to
feed his or her family, and make
enough money without needing to be dependent on subsidies and other aids. However, I’d like to point out that water landscapes are economically sound. People can actually make more money from them, than by cultivating the land, and it’s also less work. Knowing how to do this is
the answer. The Krameterhof shows just how productive a water landscape is. […] The projects in Spain and Portugal yield more vegetables from the terraced banks than the whole properties used to before the conversion, with less work and lower costs. A water retention space ensures economic success as it increases the fertility of the whole area. […] By thinking creatively and flexibly, huge gains can be achieved. Everyone can decide for themselves how intensively they want to use a water landscape. A full-time farmer would probably like to produce as much as possible in and on the water as well as around it. There is no contradiction in making good money and protecting the environment at the same time. Quite the opposite.” Paul quite likes how Sepp’s response to farmers concerns about income is a flat “nuh-uh”.
Relevant Threads
Ponds forum
Tamera and their Water Retention Landscape
Podcast 089: Geoff Lawton Part 1 - Seems to be the Podcast in which Geoff talks about profit
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This podcast was made possible thanks to:
Dr. Hugh Gill Kultur
Eivind W. Bjørkavåg
Suleiman, Karrie, and Sasquatch
Kyle Neath
Bill Crim
anonymous
Kerry JustTooLazy
Jocelyn Campbell
Chris Sugg
Sasquatch
Bill Erickson
G Cooper
Dominic Crolius
havokeachday
Penny McLoughlin
Mehron Kugler
Julia Winter, world's slowest mosaic artist
Pasquale DeAngelis
Greg Martin
Mark
Sean Benedict
Rita Bliden
Dana Martin
Candace Dahlk
Keith Kuhnsman
Eric Tolbert
Matthew Stone
Nuno Marta
Polly Jayne Smyth
Opalyn Brenger
ellen fisher
Eliot Mason
Katie Young
Ivar Vasara
JMBlackwater226R
Nathan Hale
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