I would like to introduce a project I am working on for six months in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. The goals of this thread are as follows:
. . • Document a permaculture-inspired site design in the Philippines.
. . • Accumulate in one place external resources, information, and experiences...
. . . . – so I can find them again easily.
. . . . – as a resource that the organization I am working with can use in maintaining and expanding the system after I leave.
. . . . – as a resource for other permaculturists in Southeast Asia or similar climates.
I will update this thread periodically with information on current projects, resources I have found useful, or anything else that strikes my fancy.
General background:
I am working with an organization that currently runs a children's home and wants to add a church, school, and various community development projects in the future. They have been around for about 5 years, and currently care for about 40 kids. I arrived here at the beginning of January, and will be here until the beginning of July. My primary mission while I am here is to help create a resilient perennial and/or low-maintenance food production system for the kids and staff.
Site background:
The organization I am helping owns 8 or 9 acres of mostly flat land near the coast, about 1/3 of which is currently mangrove swamp. Much of the remainder has been cleared of mangroves or other forest over the past three or four years. Current structures include two large houses for the kids, a church / kitchen / multi-purpose building (not yet finished), and a goat and chicken house. The livestock already present consists of 30 or 40 goats, some ducks which are supposed to be laying eggs (and are now becoming dinner), and a bunch of chickens for eventual sale. There is also a large soccer field which of course cannot be developed in most ways.
Climate:
The site's climate is tropical rainforest, but is close to being tropical monsoon. It does have a dry season, but according to PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), it still receives 64 mm of rain during its driest month, which is higher than the 60 mm cutoff for a tropical monsoon climate. In my research, however, I found that few sources agree in their normal temperature and precipitation information, so this may or may not be reliable. According to PAGASA, average annual precipitation is 2337 mm or 92 in. Normal temperatures do not vary widely, but remain in the 20s C or 70s and 80s F year-round. The Wikipedia page for Calapan (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calapan#Climate) includes a good overview of the climate, though unfortunately it lists no references. I am also including a spreadsheet I made with some of the climate information I found.
Major considerations for site design:
One of the most important considerations in my design for this property is that it includes a children's home. The current kids range in age from 2 to about 20, and many of them used to live on the streets. Due to these two factors, many gates get left open, many balls land in random places, lots of trash gets left around, and plants and animals occasionally get abused or killed. At one point, I (mostly) facetiously remarked that if you're building a fence that requires a gate, you might as well not build the fence. Another consideration is that I do not currently expect the system I design to be cared for long-term in a permaculture manner. Due to these two factors, the system must be as bulletproof as possible.
Another major consideration is the soil on the property. In most areas, it is sand without any noticeable topsoil. In some areas, it is salty sand that either used to be or still is mangrove swamp. So, we will need to add a lot of organic matter and slowly build soil fertility.
Major features of the design:
My plan is for food forests or other robust polycultures to be the centerpiece at this site. I have built some earthworks for rain and graywater harvesting, though the sand makes this part more interesting. My main desired components, in order of priority, are:
. . 1. Orchard / tree crops / perennial polycultures
. . . . (a) human food
. . . . (b) fodder
. . 2. Earthworks
. . . . (a) boomerang berms (done)
. . . . (b) pond
. . . . . . i. fish and/or other protein sources
. . . . (c) swales
. . 3. Rotational grazing system for goats
. . 4. Annual gardens
References:
Calapan climate:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calapan#Climate
Köppen climate classification:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification
PAGASA precipitation normals (see Calapan):
http://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/index.php/climate/climatological-normals