OF DROUGHTS AND FLOODING RAINS (Video)
This is the story of Peter Andrews. The following description was taken from ABC-TV's Australian Story who produced this tv special.
"Peter Andrews is a racehorse breeder and farmer credited with remarkable success in converting degraded, salt-ravaged properties into fertile, drought-resistant pastures. His methods are so at odds with conventional scientific wisdom, that for 30 years he has been dismissed and ridiculed as a madman. He has faced bankruptcy and family break-up.
But now, leading politicians, international scientists and businessmen are beating a path to his door as they grapple with how best to alleviate the affects of drought on the Australian landscape.
Described as a man who reads and understands the Australian landscape better than most scientists, supporters of Peter Andrews claim he has done what no scientist ever thought to do – he has restored streams and wetlands to the way they were before European settlement interfered with them. The startling results of his ‘natural sequence farming’ are said to have been achieved very cheaply, simply and quickly.
Retailer Gerry Harvey has become a committed backer and has recruited Andrews to work on his own horse stud in the Widden Valley. Businessman Richard Pratt is also getting involved. Former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson has become a convert. And now a number of leading national and international scientists hail Andrews as a 'prophet' who should be listened to."
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Natural Sequence Farming Explained
"Peter Andrews talks with Martin Royds about the implementation of Natural Sequence Farming methods at Baramul Stud in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia."
1 - Introduction
2 - Building rock walls and leaky weirs
3 - The role of weeds in land rehydration (1 of 2)
3 - The role of weeds in land rehydration (2 of 2)
4 - Using rock walls and weirs to de-energize the water
5 - Raising the water level to hydrate the floodplain
6 - The vegetation filter at the head of the wetlands (1 of 2)
6 - The vegetation filter at the head of the wetlands (2 of 2)
7 - Tall plants in the stream to control erosion during flooding
8 - Using runnels to raise the water table
9 - End of the flow of the Widden Brook at the bottom of Baramul
10 - The devastating erosion of the Widden Brook below Baramul
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Related links
Natural Sequence Farming
Natural Sequence Farming at Baramul
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Related posts
Global Gardener (Video Library) Permaculture
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Updated ...
Updated with natural sequence farming explained in video clips.
Scroll to the bottom to view twelve short video clips.
Very interesting story.
Very interesting story. Here's a page that explains what the guy does in more detail: http://www.naturalsequenc...
From what I understand, Australia once had many inland saltwater lakes and over time (1000 years or so) the salt water made its way underground into an aquifer type system. The natural habitat of Australia worked with the salt water underground, with certain types of plans absorbing the salt via deep roots which enabled the plants with shallow roots which could not deal with the salty water to survive.
European farming methods, clearing the land of its natural plants, over the past 200 years caused the salt water to literally destroy the landscape and the topsoil.
Peter Andrews figured out a way to get everything in balance again. The part in the video where they are looking at trees that grow in the sand and grew tall in a short amount of time... those are trees that help absorb the salt via their deep roots, keeping the salt away from the more sensitive plants.
Anyhow, the videos didn't explain much of that and my curiosity got the best of me. Seems like the guy is doing a good thing for their country..
Interesting site.
Bill Mollison talks about the salting problem in part 3 of "Dryland Permaculture" here.
Global Gardener (Video) Permaculture
Geoff Lawton also talks about it in "Greening the Desert" here.
Greening the Desert (Video) Water Harvesting Methods
Thanks for the info!
Wow, I enjoyed
watching that. That gentleman is a ray of hope. Thank you for sharing with us. Hope this catches on he really has it figured out.
He has a lot of perseverance.
I found it interesting that it was only widespread popular support that finally caused the politicians to remove the environmental laws which were preventing his ideas from being implemented. It's amazing what one tv special can do to influence people.
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The Road Less Traveled by George Strait
Of Droughts and Flooding Rains (Video) Australian Story
Greening the Desert (Video) Water Harvesting Methods
Global Gardener (Video) Permaculture
Thanks for posting.
It's interesting, and very real to me, living in Australia.
I assume you wanted the link to read 'Australian' instead of Austrian?? ( the live link in the first paragraph)
My pleasure :)
I also posted all four parts of Bill Mollison's Global Gardener video in the comments on the buying land for small family farm post. You can also watch Geoff Lawton's "Greening the Desert" video linked below as well. As for myself, I can't get enough of these shows.
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The Road Less Traveled by George Strait
GREENING THE DESERT (Video) Water Harvesting Methods
Yes, I had seen that.
Once in the blue moon, I was the happy owner of his book. Unfortunately, lending it out wasn't a good idea, as it was never returned.