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RE: How to Build Soil in the Garden: Chop and Drop (Permaculture Technique) (Vlog & Photo Log)
This was an incredible education. Thank you.
I am currently near a Native American permaculture farm run by a friend of mine’s non-profit. I’ve been wanting to go visit, but the back doesn’t let me go that far just yet. So I haven’t seen what I’m talking about, but she tells me they are using traditional farming methods of this area there. This really hit me when she said it because I realized that I had unconsciously been associated all permaculture with what has been a part of that movement here in the US. There is of course permaculture wisdom all over the world, whether it is called that or not. All traditional farming was permaculture, wasn’t it?
so happy to hear this was helpful to you! <3 so cool. is it outside of Santa Fe? I visited a couple in that area, especially near the Pueblo in Taos which has some radical things going on. I know that the traditional farming methods of many Native Americans in the desert southwest call for such drastically different methods (like burying corn really deep in the soil) than in our area, for example, because of the low rainfall (9 inches a year), high heat, strong winds, etc. I was going to mention in a previous comment I was making to you about the acequias in that area that humans dug a long time ago. They may be of interest to you to visit when you're feeling like moving around. They're basically water channels from the snowy mountains that run all the way to the fields. It gets very political (as do water rights in any area where it's scarce), but so so incredible to see the snow melt water flowing in the spring and channeled throughout so many people's fields using an ancient system. Taos has them extensively and if you want to meet some other people growing food and doing good work there in that regard, I'm happy to introduce you!
Yes yes yes!!! this is such a great point and one that so many people who "get into" permaculture slowly start to realize. Permaculture is just a recent repackaging of ancient traditions. Certainly humans have specifically place-based ways of relating to their specific climates and lands everywhere. I'm not sure that all traditional farming is relating to the essence of permaculture as in permanent + culture just because of serfdom and humans having this common problem of "over-using" or exploiting resources for capital gain without tending for them, but yes a lot of cultures around the world practice highly evolved and adapted forms of permaculture, which they probably just think of as gardening haha!
i'll be interested to hear more of what your friend is up to if/when you get a chance to visit. i hope your back keeps feeling better and better <3 !
I would love intros to folks in Taos area doing permaculture based on the needs of this location. I’ll be there in a couple days. My friend’s place is in a poor town called something like Espanola.