Conclusiones obtenidas en el primer ciclo básico

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we lack detailed land knowledge

we sometimes inappropriately transfer knowledge from some other place, which results in degraded land, costs money, destroys motivation and magnifies errors over time.

Ecological function of an inventory and site analysis

An important function of your work is to make connections between different variables and to see interacting patterns across the land among such elements as water, weeds, frost, wind and even diseases. Making these connections is basic to good design.

Routine inventories are made of Earth’s resources by satellites and by cartographers;

however, these don’t usually tell you what the origins of problems are. They don’t replace good personal observation but they do complement it.

Techniques and strategies for reading your land

When you start observing you may feel there is not much to notice. Observation is a skill that grows and grows. Eventually you will feel that if you were confined to a small garden for the rest of your life you could never know everything, nor ever be bored.

Your inventory and later site analysis together form the basis for your design. To get the whole picture you need two types of information: on-site and off-site.

On-site information

This is information you obtain from your own land. It consists of taking samples of plants and soils, measurements and experience of damp and dry patches, and shady and sunny aspects, and making notebook observations. How reliable these are depends on your skill and accuracy. Only a few individuals naturally make good observers. However, I believe that everyone has the potential to be sensitive and connected to what is happening on their land and improve their observations.

The strategy which is most important for observation and deduction is to walk around your land frequently at different times of the day and in different seasons to see the

multitude of things occurring and draw connections between them.

In addition, there are several skills you will need to foster.

Targeted observation

This is carried out on the actual site and with a particular theme or problem in mind. It could be a problem such as weed encroachment or soil erosion. Your observations are the

careful noting of anything and everything that may be connected with the problem. If you’ve had a weed problem then you might look at animal propagators, soil and water enrichment, and wind direction. Your initial list may be quite long and you will follow up and verify each item on the list. Sometimes this entails touching, smelling and tasting.

Next, cross off any improbable or unlikely items when you are sure you don’t need them.

Finally, you will have a short list and you can test each of these as a hypothesis for the cause or remedy of the problem.

Deduction

In permaculture terms, deduction is examining another landscape similar to your own to find a design solution. If you experience severe cold winds and you are trying to design good windbreaks, then look for a similar site where the windbreaks—either naturally or humanly designed—are effective, and then copy these, incorporating whatever changes you need for the windbreak to work for you. Nature is rich in examples and is a good mentor (see Figure 9.1).

Reading patterns

This involves making connections between your observations and deductions. If a breeze comes up every evening about five o’clock then you may see this as a beneficial summer phenomenon. Perhaps mists will drift in at about sunset every day and so you do not have to water as much, even though it does not rain. Other patterns can be those of place: you notice which groups of plants grow well together, or in certain aspects (such as liking morning sun). Patterns exist in time, in place and in relationships. One very obvious pattern is that of the daily and seasonal movements of the sun. If you know at what time and in what season part of a garden will be in shade, then you can successfully select plants to grow there.

Figure 9.1 Copying examples in nature. Try this with productive species.

Experiential understanding

This is what you know about your land from your own experience of being there.

Sometimes you cannot even express your experience clearly. For example, you may know very well that one place is just not good for planting. You may not know why. However, sometimes you find out later. This is partially a ‘gut’ feeling and it should be trusted.

Analysis

Analysis is a very good method for placing a new element accurately into a landscape and ensuring that it largely meets its own needs. It is particularly useful for placing animals into a system. When you want to introduce a new animal into your design, you list all its yields and its needs. Some of the yields can be behavioural, such as scratching the ground, pollinating, etc., while others will be produce like eggs and meat. The animal’s needs for food and shelter are designed into the system so the animal requires as little human maintenance as possible (minimal human inputs). For chickens you will design grains, greens and medicines to grow where the chickens run. You will encounter this method again when you study poultry and bees in Zone II and larger animals in Zone III

(farming).

Mapping

This is the method you have been using to record your observations and findings on paper.

You can start with a rough sketch of all the features in relation to each other or you can draw up a scale plan. If your site is quite small, put the plan on A4 paper; however, if it is a large farm or neighbourhood then you can use A1. Remember, at this stage rough

drawings are fine. Unless you are aiming to become an expert designer, scale is not vitally important.

Using a strong black pen, draw your base plan which shows the main permanent features such as roads, buildings, dams, rivers, etc. Place tracing paper over the top for your inventory and site analysis (see Figures 9.2 and 9.3 of Rob’s place).

If you have a lot of information, use several clear sheets over the top of your base plan.

For example, if you feel your inventory is getting too cluttered with paths and buildings then you can draw all your plants, or water, or soils on a separate clear sheet. Your base plan and your inventory are now integrated as one presentation.

Later, in your site analysis, you will include climates and microclimates, aspects, views, state of soils, limiting factors and so on from Part Two.

Off-site information

As implied, this is data you collect from sources off your land. Generally, you do not need to find original data for yourself because in most cases the information you want already exists somewhere. Look in the phone book and start with government departments.

Remember to investigate your local garden and historical societies, visit the local library, and speak to elderly residents, all wonderful sources of information.

Figure 9.2 Base plan of Rob’s place. The base plan is a record of the boundaries and existing features of the site, and is the first stage in the design process.

Climate data

In country areas the post office collects basic information on rainfall, wind, evaporation, frost and temperature for the local area. The weather bureau has much more

comprehensive data over a long period. Also, your local government office can sometimes give you weather statistics for rainfall, its incidence and distribution; wind velocity,

direction and strength; sunny days and cloud cover; frost and mist. These days most weather data include pollution readings for air quality.

Maps

The Lands Department or Central Mapping Authority supplies a large range of maps in different scales and for different purposes, such as vegetation, soils, contours,

photographic maps, land use. Local government offices also have maps on industrial and

environmental zoning and planning.

Cadastral maps are accurately surveyed maps of land giving the boundaries to scale.

Local government uses them to calculate your land rates.

Topographic maps are very useful because they have contour lines marked on them.

Vegetation

You can find maps, plant lists and people to help you identify indigenous plants, weeds, food, and rare plant species from a range of sources. National Parks and Wildlife

departments, universities, libraries, local government, botanic gardens, conservation

societies and local garden clubs will all help you. Organisations dedicated to bushcare and wild plant rescue also have people with good historical knowledge of local areas and plant communities.

Water

The Department of Water Resources or water boards will assist with information and structural and legal details on water quality, building dams, sinking bores, or diverting or protecting streams. In addition, community organisations such as Stream-or Coastwatch have people with good local information and memories.

Rural affairs and industries

The departments of Agriculture and Rural Development assist with advice on horticulture, animal husbandry, revegetation, soils, salinity and general landcare issues.

Planning and legislation

If you need information on environmental planning issues, including legislation dealing with endangered species, roads, access, local and regional environmental plans, heritage orders and water control, then contact the appropriate departments of Planning and the Environment.

Putting it all together

We have two basic resources: people and land. Throughout this book they become ever more tightly interwoven. Your skills in observation, analysis, correlation and reading patterns are developing through the ‘Try these’ exercises. Your knowledge and experience of the land is developing through systematic study of the ecological themes in Part Two.

Now in Part Three you will have your land fully designed by imposing patterns, zones and sectors, and you will be able to evaluate it for:

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Figure 9.3 Profile of Rob’s place, showing the slope of the land along the north-south boundaries.

sustainability of soils, water and species to satisfy the intergenerational equity principle (see Chapter 3, page 19)

high yields diversity

low maintenance at maturity (15 years).

Try these:

Take a land inventory. Walk around your property; don’t do a windscreen

appraisal! You can easily measure a suburban block or small farm. For a bigger site, take the length of the boundaries from a map or deposited plan, obtainable from the local council or government body.

Take your tape measure (a 30-metre one is best) or a string knotted in 10-metre lengths. Now walk, and measure, the boundaries of your land. Look over fences and record on your sketch plan everything you see, even if it isn’t on your land.

Show everything in your sketchbook. Rough sketching is okay; it doesn’t have to be completely accurate.

Take bags or jars with you for soil and plant samples. On your plan show all the soils, water vegetation and land use.

Show roads, slopes, aspects and land health, such as eroded, good grass cover. Be as detailed as possible.

Stick your sketch up somewhere at home and stare thoughtfully at it very often. Try to see relationships between soil and water, or soil and plants, or land use and

plants; for example, ‘There seems to be seepage at the bottom of the slope by the look of the weeds there.’ Then go and look again regularly. Make sure you choose

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different weather: a fine clear day and a cold rainy one. Revise your observations as you learn more.

Start now to make preparations for your site analysis. Draw on a new piece of paper a second outline of the main permanent features of your land and include buildings, fences, creeks, paths, roads, water tanks, taps and contours. You may be able to obtain a cadastral map and a topographic map from your local government office and take your boundaries off it.

You will be working on this plan and adding a lot more detail as you read through the next few chapters. Stick it up beside your inventory and compare both. Just do what you can—there is no good or bad. Whatever you put into this exercise you will be the richer for it. Invest well.

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CHAPTER 10