17 years is a long time.
If you want to change wasteland in to a garden you just need 1 year for the first step. You use certain leguminose, You plant trees and bushes in between.
If You have to many orange peels, You build heat-compost-boxes (>60°C inside) near the orange gardens, after 2 month you can use this as compost near the trees, or You ask Sepp Holzer what to do.
It is important not to spray any chemicals onto the oranges (Orthophenyphenol , Biphenyl, etc)