Tulukur is the phoenetically written form of "Tolou Keur", which (maybe) translates to "field at home" or "homemade". This kind of gardening was developed in Senegal, in the western Sahara Desert. Tolou keur gardens maximize water retention and reduce desertification as do the other techniques described above, but the beds are large, for community level food gardening rather than primarily for halting and reversing desertification. As with the other techniques already mentioned here, these beds are circular in nature, but rather than being smaller depressions below the soil surface, tulukur beds are large and formed to encourage plant roots to grow toward the center rather than along the surface. As with the other techniques, rainwater is channeled deep into the soil core rather than letting it wash away.
The concentric circles of tolou keur beds perform different fuctions. Depending on local conditions, the outermost ring is planted with trees like baobabs and African mahogany. The next ring/s are planted with fast-growing, drought-resistent, fruit-bearing trees like papaya, mango, and moringa. The idea is to block harsh desert winds and help create an microclimate core with higher humidity and lower soil temperatures more suitable for growing vegetables and fruit. The core ring are for growing medicinal, spice, and food plants.
The centers are often for small structures, for keeping chickens or small livestock with the resulting manure then used for the crops. Of course, the centers can be used for anything - in moister climates people raise fish in pools there.
I hope these ideas might be of use to dryland gardens, such as found in the American Southwest and high-altitude drylands around the world. Thanks for reading!
