permaculture

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson <lakinroe@silcom.com>]

Contact: Margie Bushman
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
(805) 962-2571, email: margie@sbpermaculture.org

SANTA BARBARA PERMACULTURE NETWORK
Presents:
Keyline Design & Sustainable Agriculture
Lectures & Workshops April 21-May 3, 2007
With Darren Doherty


        What is biological wealth?  Healthy 
forests, fertile soils, abundant waterways and 
seas---has any great nation been built without 
these?  As we degrade and treat them as 
throw-aways can we expect a prosperous future for 
our families and children?  Is a sustainable 
system for agriculture possible that enhances 
rather than depletes our natural environment?

        Join Santa Barbara Permaculture Network 
on April 21, 2007, for a talk and special 
equipment demonstration (plow on display) as we 
explore the concept of Keyline Design, a design 
system that restores and regenerates landscapes, 
with Darren Doherty from Australia. The event 
takes place at the Vista Del Mar School 
Auditorium, north of Santa Barbara, and is the 
introductory kick-off to a series of workshops 
and lectures taking place from April 21 to May 4, 
in Santa Barbara, Cuyama and San Luis Obispo.

        Keyline Design is a complete design 
system for landscapes.  It is applicable to both 
rural and urban designs. It is a unique 
combination of water conservation and soil 
building, with great appeal to both farmers and 
ranchers, as it has the ability to build and 
regenerate degraded soils rapidly, and sees the 
use of grazing animals as beneficial to this process.

        Keyline systems were developed in 
Australia during the 1950’s by P.A Yeomans 
(www.yeomansplow.com.au) as a response to 
increasing desertification and erosion he 
observed on the Australian landscape as it 
related to agriculture.  His book Water For Every 
Farm, A Keyline Plan is an important work 
describing a set of principles and techniques 
based on a holistic approach that works with 
natural patterns to restore and increase the 
depth and fertility of the soil, while increasing 
its water holding capabilities.  Yeomans realized 
that conventional agriculture totally ignored the 
biological aspects of the soil.  He created a 
“sustainable agriculture” system before the term 
was coined, and for the first time in human 
history, methods were developed that could 
produce rich fertile soils in relatively short 
periods.  A permanent and lasting agriculture 
Yeomans believed, must materially and financially 
benefit the farmer, and benefit the land and soil.

        Keyline Design integrates terraces, 
ponds, tree plantings on contour, and a special 
cultivation technique using the Keyline plow, to 
infiltrate water into the soil efficiently and 
hold it on the land as long as possible. Water 
harvesting strategies employed by Keyline Design 
provide drought-proofing for farms with very low 
maintenance using gravity fed irrigation systems, 
with a huge reduction in water lost to 
evaporation. In contrast, up to 80% of water is 
lost to evaporation using conventional overhead 
sprinklers.  Farms using Keyline Design have 
amazing records of deepening the topsoil by 3-6” 
in 3 years, in contrast to nature’s process, 
which can take hundreds or thousands of years.

        The term Keyline comes from the 
reference to a “keypoint” on the watershed, which 
is the interface between collection and 
distribution of water on the landscape, where 
ridge meets the valley.  Keyline is a philosophy 
and technique that doesn’t pit the needs of 
farmers against environmentalists trying to 
protect wildlife and fish habitat, and with 
carbon sequestering techniques used, helps to 
address aspects of global warming and climate change.

        Darren Doherty is an Australian Keyline 
Designer, Developer & Manager and Australian 
Approved Keyline Design™ Farm Planning 
Consultant, and recipient of Whole Farm Planning 
Certificate ~ Train the Trainer(University of 
Melbourne 1995).  He has designed and developed 
over 1100 properties across four continents 
working most recently in Vietnam, on land 
projects for Mars Inc, owners of Seeds of Change. 
His remaining time is spent managing a working 
research & demonstration farm in Southern Victoria, Australia.

        The event takes place on April 21, 
10-1pm, at the Vista del Mar School Auditorium, 
9467 San Julian Road, off of Highway 1, just 
north of the 101 freeway exit to Lompoc.  The 
event is free, no reservations are 
required.  Event sponsors are Santa Barbara 
Permaculture Network, Yeomans Plow Company, 
Nutiva Foods, Quail Springs Permaculture Farm, 
Orella Ranch, Earthflow Design Works & Island 
Seed & Feed Nursery and Commongood Media.
 For more information, visit Upcoming Events at 
www.sbpermaculture.org, or 
email  margie@sbpermaculture.org,phone, (805) 962-2571.
Keyline Design Workshops in California:

Interview with Darren Doherty, Fri, April 13, 
9-10 am Pacific Standard Time, streaming live on 
Sustainable World Radio, www.kcsb.org, , or later 
Radio4All  http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=22251


April 21, 10-1pm, Talk(Keyline Plow on display) 
with Darren Doherty at the Vista del Mar School 
Auditorium,  9467 San Julian Road, off of Highway 
#1 , take  HWY# 101  exit Hwy #1 to Lompoc  . Free

Apr. 22-27, 6 Day Intensive Keyline Workshop, on 
Gaviota Coast north of Santa Barbara, CA, Cost $600

May 1-2,  Tues-Wed, 2 Day  Keyline Design 
Workshop, Cuyama (north of Ojai, CA)at Quail 
Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm, Cost $250

May 3, 7-9m pm, Cal Poly University San Luis 
Obispo, Building 8, Room 123  (This is in the 
'BRAE' Ag Engineering Bldg.) Located on N. 
Perimeter Drive next to the police station (just 
up the hill from the main library) Visitors must 
purchase a parking permit ($4 at entrance) Map of 
campus can be found 
at:  <http://www.calpoly.edu/cpmaps/>www.calpoly.edu/cpmaps/
pThurs, Lecture 7-9 Keyline Design with Darren Doherty, Cal Poly University/
San Luis Obispo, CA, Free

May 4, Fri, One Day Keyline Design Workshop, San Luis Obispo, CA, Cost $150.




Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.com
www.sbpermaculture.org

"We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in 
new directions, in order to grow." - Anonymous