WATER IS LIFE! This truth has been ringing in our ears in recent years as concerns about water surface around the globe. People are stepping up to defend their right to water. We can help. Water is top priority in Permaculture Design and in supporting life!
Earth Rehydration. Water Retention Landscaping. Water Harvesting. These are all words for the practice of shaping the land so the rainfall can penetrate and nourish the land rather than run-off causing erosion and nutrient-loss as well as dehydration. These practices are appropriate on any land that has been disturbed or denuded. Intact eco-systems, whether grasslands or forests, will allow rainfall to penetrate, thereby replenishing springs and aquifers and the water cycle in a beneficial way.
This work is the primary focus of Finca Vida Verde and Yupaichani Network.
We have been using the term "agua ayni" which implies a relationship of mutual respect for the water and land, not just taking, taking, taking!
"Ayni" is a Quechua term. The closest word for it in English is "reciprocity". We are giving water back to the land.
Water conservation is top priority. The basic idea is retaining rainwater on the land, slowing it and spreading it, allowing it to penetrate into the soil, making it possible to use every drop. This system at Vida Verde captures rainwater from the road above and uses a series of sediment tanks to filter the water, where it can then be directed to a system of swales, small canals that have a slight slope, so gravity can be used to spread the water. Alternatively, the water can be directed to the fish pond after filtering.
These sediment tanks (rectangular) capture rainwater runoff from the farm and road above. They are shallow (about 60 cm/2 ft.), making it easy to enter and dig sediment out. Compost piles are located to the right and left of these tanks, so we can easily incorporate the sediment into the compost piles.
Basic design for re-using "greywater" which is "waste water" from sinks and washing machine in the house to irrigate ornamentals and fruit trees. Turn "waste" into a resource.
