Putting Ecology into Agroecology (part 3)

  This is the third part of my three part blog on putting ecology into agroecology. If you have done an assessment of your surrounding environment, (this is explained int the first part of this blog) then you have an idea of how to design the land in order to work with your environment. Design is an ongoing learning process. Doing it intelligently gives you better tools to work with.  One of the main principles of regenerative gardening and farming is to always put back more than you take out. Leave that land in better shape than how you found it. Part of the motivation for doing this writing  is that I visit many farms and see people destroying the land in order to learn farming. It is like reinventing the wheel and we did a lot of that in the 1970's. Although we never stop learning, moving forward is a positive direction to go in.

  Planting in an integrated system allows you to take the examples given to you by nature and emulate them into your growing area. The principles of Permaculture and French Intensive overlap a lot to achieve the same results. Some of these ideas involve: Polyculture, interplanting in a way that uses symbiotic relationships. Niche plantings that encourage micro environments and favorable habitats.  The use of IPM to attract beneficial insects for a variety of purposes. Nutrient cycling maintains the flow of life in the soil. Using the 5 components of companion planting has many uses. With all this keep in mind, that diversity ensures balance and resilience and compatibility is the key to confluence. Develop a perennial base. If you do this with fruit trees, it implies a long term commitment to the land. Establishing edible hedgerows can divide a field into separate environments. Examples of hedgerow plants for my area are, currants (gooseberry), blackberry, service berry, lingon berry, bay tree, camellia sensensis, pineapple guava, aronia berry, secondary, rosa rugosa, elderberry. This can serve as a way to redirect the flow of wind and water. .Nature works in cycles. Allow the cycles to be complete. Fertility is never in a complete state. It is an ongoing process. Being a good steward of the land means being a facilitator of these cycles. When the overall health is disrupted you will know it. Insect and disease problems are indicators of an imbalance.  Planting a perimeter of trees around a piece of land helps to preserve the environment. This also creates corridors for birds and other life forms. In larger plantings of tall trees it  can attract rain and create moisture reserves. Design is also an expression of your love for the land. Protect it and it protects you, heal it and it heals you. Become part of it and it becomes part of you. There are many more ideas in my book, Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming.