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RE: Lombok permaculture plant #1 - Kentujur (Sesbania grandiflora)
It would be really interesting to see this land after some rotational grazing from the sheep :] 100% upvote + resteem and followed. I cant wait to see updates on this.
This land is being reforested, think food forest mixed with native forest in a drier area.
Theres too many dangers to allow open grazing.
We will used raised pens with slotted floors to do cut and carry system.
We cut the grass and legumes every day and supply to the animals.
The manures will be vermicomposted and then used to support forest compatible understorey crops.
So far we have about 150 fruit trees planted on this site with another 150 in the nursery awaiting the rainy seaon.
This demonstration plot is trialling and demonstrating methods that suit the area and culture, improve nutrition and income, and provide alternatives to slash and burn maize monocrop with chemicals.
slash and burn is the worst! This is awesome I would love to be involved in a project similar to this.
Theres two types of slash and burn.
One is cyclical where the forest returns as part of the cycle.
Its actually the most environmentally friendly type of Agriculture.
Its really embedded in natural pricesses and biodiversity
The other is non cyclical.
It advances across the landscape burning away ecosystems never to return
It leaves behind erosion, poverty and a simplified weedy landscape.
Step by step. Id like to keep some burning in this system, particularly to turn spiny or diseased biomass into Biochar.
BioChar would be a great way to process the material into useable product.
We will However, be trialling rotational grazing on some Islands off the coast of Sumbawa.
They are Anthropogenic grasslands that are burnt each year.
The biodiversity is very poor
We believe we can control fire, build soil, give income and increase biodiversity by controlled grazing these grasslands
Perhaps building a firewall (clear land) around the land would protect you. Its awesome your so involved in this, I would love to drop my life and just reverse desertification in the harshes climates(mojave desert)
I'm originally from Australia where wild fires are a part of life in the Sclerophyll forests and heathlands of the Subtropical and meditteranean climate zones
Its surprising here in what is called Tropical dry forest that fire is not so common
It can burn, it just normally doesn't in its undisturbed state. When humans interfere we often make it more flammable.
We are using a few methiods of control. one is keeping the grass short, another is planting evergreen non flammable plants, another is careful placement of small fields that act like firebreaks. There we can grow bananas, cassava, chilli peppers and sweet potato.
Im also encouraging the farmers to collect the organic matter and use methods like trench composting, Hugelkultur, biochar and chicken composting as an alternative to their current practice of burning all residual organic matter to ash.
Permacylture is the way, biochar would be far better.