PERMACULTURE
It's really exciting to make a permaculture design in a finca that has been left fallow for thirteen years and that has never known chemical treatment.
There was no water source, electrical connection, house or even an entrance for cars. There were just few trees.
For ten months we observed and collected information about the place. Apart from our current knowledge of permaculture, we consulted many books about the issues, talked to the old agriculturists, permaculture colleagues, organic agriculturists and ecological people of the area.
As a result we started to design the project of Caña Dulce, taking highly into account the importance of interconnections, multifuntionality and synergy between the elements.
In the design we aimed the following objectives:
+ to create a centre where we could experiment with permaculture (eco-building, the creation of an edible forest and synergic vegetable gardens, organic agriculture, aquaculture, clean energies, craftwork, etc…)
+ to generate an economy from the place by organising courses of permaculture, yoga, massage, diet (vegetarian, raw, cleansing diets with fruits of the place) and educational holidays, by renting the huts and by selling food surpluses.
+ to reach certain degree of self-sufficiency and to generate a local economy.
+ to create an educational project for ourselves and for other people.
+ to create beauty, harmony and happiness in a space that could inspire and favor the inner development of people.
+ to improve the biodiversity of the place by using different strategies: to plant autochthonous bank trees and others; to respect the vegetation that was here such as the elm forest; to favor the growing of leguminous bushes of the area and wild edible plants (we have already recognized and used 30 species!).
To create an eadible forest with an ample diversity of species and their different varieties: orange, mandarin, grapefruit, avocado, kaki (persimon), pear, apple, peach, feijoa, Paraguayan, nectarine, quince, loquat, apricot, walnut and pecan, mulberry (red, black and white), plum, olive, pomegranate, fig and carob trees, etc… and other tress very useful in permaculture such as Acacia Longifolia, Tagasaste, Leucaena, Casuarina, etc
To use perennial plants: kiwi, vines, chayote, passion flower, hop plant, honeysuckle, ivy, hipomea and another climbers.
Also perenial plants: artichokes, asparagus, prickly pear, aloe Vera, sweet cane, tupinambo, raspberry, redcurrant, blackberry, alquequenje, aromatic herbs, etc. And another biannual, annual and seasonal plants.
To create aquaculture ponds with water hyacinth, arum lily, water saeta, water lentil, white water lily, bulrush,etc.
Four and a half years later we have acheivd most of the objectives: we have self-built a simple and beautiful house that follows bioclimatic principles. Also a low impact and cosy hut, some surprising solar power showers, a warm compost-toilet, two water recycling ponds (about 20 mts sq) and other structures that make easier a sustainable and comfortable life.
On the other hand we have planted an eadible forest with more than 600 fruit trees and others of different varieties. For three years we have been experimenting with synergetic vegetable gardens (without ploughing) and also organic agriculture.
To create a design is a marvelous game that we play day by day, following certain guidelines such as "minimum effort, maximum benefit", “to work with nature and not against it”, “to observe and meditate before doing”, “the problem is the solution”, etc…
Sometimes we make mistakes, but we learn from them.
Most of the time our energy is joyful and enthusiastic, although sometimes we block ourselves until we remember and feel again our deep commitment to life, which revitalizes us!
Permaculturacañadulce, Buzón 14 La Charca, 29100 Coin, Malaga, Spain
info@permaculturacanadulce.org
Tel: (+34) 951 16 50 37 | Mob: (+34) 607 63 29 37