🐫 Green The Desert E01 | Trapping Water: The Key to Greening the Desert with Geoff Lawton

The first episode of the Green the Desert podcast features Geoff Lawton, a permaculture expert who has been working on regenerative projects in desert areas for over 20 years. The conversation focuses on techniques to green the desert and restore degraded landscapes. Key topics include water harvesting, planting hardy species, and the importance of reducing evaporation.
Lawton emphasizes the need to trap every drop of water and create water systems that store and distribute it effectively. He also discusses the use of spiky trees as initial pioneers and the transition to less hardy, more productive species over time. The episode concludes with a discussion on the timeline for planting productive trees and the potential for reducing or eliminating irrigation in the long term. In this conversation, Louis De Jaeger and Geoff discuss the importance of water harvesting and regenerative agriculture in desert restoration.
They explore the concept of using water harvesting techniques on a larger area to compensate for irrigation needs, with the magic number being 20 times the area of intense production. They also discuss the role of animals, particularly goats and camels, in the regeneration process and how they can help with reforesting.
Geoff emphasizes the importance of collaboration with local communities and the need to start small and prove the concept before scaling up. He also highlights the significance of understanding the natural processes and the potential for greening the desert to have a positive impact on the entire planet.
With host Louis De Jaeger, International lanscape designer and CEO of Commensalist
More info on www.greenthedesert.org

[@MohdAradi]

Such an epic 1st Episode The legendary Geoff Lawton himself.

[@commensalistfutureprooflan1860]

Thanks :-)

[@pkile2011]

Loved this podcast! Im 10 years into my 25 acre permaculture food forest in a very cold temperate area. Bill Mollison and Geoff have inspired me. This year the abundance has started. It brings me great joy and is going to makke me less reliant on the commercial market. I am subscribing to your podcast.

[@tonyfixit]

Dr. Benjamin Rush 1812 co-signer of American constitution : … “digging in a garden” was one of the activities that distinguished those male patients who recovered from their mania from those that did not. (Rush, p.226) From his book Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon Diseases of the Mind, professor of the Institute of Medicine and Clinical Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, and known for his role in the development of modern psychiatry.

[@annpauwels8414]

Interesting tips for Dierenartsen zonder Grenzen. Don't let the animals graze off all trees. Leave some so they can grow up fast and strong. And indeed condensation gets you more water, 80 procent more. And use the animals manure for planting seeds.

[@benmoffitt7524]

Fantastic interview - thanks Louis and Geoff!

[@commensalistfutureprooflan1860]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@TaniaSchellenberg1]

Thank you for this podcast! I've listened to many of Geoffs videos. This is a great summary with a good mix of depth on information and inspiration based on Bill Morisson's quote "If you're not having fun, you don't have the design right (yet)...

[@commensalistfutureprooflan1860]

Thanks!

[@OBRfarm]

Very excited for this launch! And proud of you my friend! I have some very good guests for you! Next do Roger savory Neil Spackman, John Lou and ties van

[@commensalistfutureprooflan1860]

Thanks!

[@aidandavies7232]

Awesome! thanks for the video. I like how you used leading questions to direct the conversation. There's a lot of useful information here. Well done!

[@commensalistfutureprooflan1860]

Thanks!