permaculture

[Michael Thompson <mike.brian@gmail.com>]

This was interesting:

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/agric/index.html

"Ash fall can have serious detrimental effects on agricultural crops
and livestock depending mainly on ash thickness, the type and growing
condition of a crop, the presence of soluble fluoride on the ash,
timing and intensity of subsequent rainfall, condition of pasture and
animals prior to ash fall, and availability of uncontaminated feed and
water. Fluorine poisoning and death can occur in livestock that graze
on ash-covered grass if fluoride is present in high concentrations; it
may be advisable to sample and analyze ash or ash-coated vegetation to
determine whether this potential hazard exists for livestock in areas
covered with ash, even as thin as 1 mm. Livestock eating pasture that
is contaminated with ash can suffer and die from gastrointenstinal
blockages. Shortages of uncontaminated feed and water after an ash
fall can also lead to starvation.", etc.

On 11/8/10, Robyn Francis <erda@nor.com.au> wrote:
> I¹m forwarding this request from Petra and IDEP who are working in the
> volcano disaster zone in Java.  If you know of any helpful information,
> research papers, anyone who¹s worked in fresh volcanic ash land rehab and
> anything about use of volcanic ash in agriculture please let me know ­ I¹m
> reading through, summarising and extracting relevant info to send on to
> IDEP.
> Thanks
> Robyn
>
> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: Petra Schneider <petra@idepfoundation.org>
> Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:49:07 +0800
> To: Robyn Francis <robyn@permaculture.com.au>, John Champagne
> <brogopg@bigpond.net.au>
> Cc: "Coordination @ IDEP" <coordination@idepfoundation.org>, Melissa Loh
> <melissa@idepfoundation.org>
> Subject: Volcanic Ash
>
>
> Hi Robyn and John,
>
> Wondering if you are able / willing to help me with some advice. There is A
> LOT of volcanic ash over in Java at the moment. A LOT.
>> There are also some strong organic farmers networks (of course their
>> fields
>> are all trashed and at the moment they are refugees but they are anxious
>> to
>> get working again as soon as possible.
>>
>> I was thinking maybe we could do some rapid research about:
>> 1. what needs to be mixed with the ash so it makes viable soil and people
>> can
>> start planting again
>> 2. when that could safely start to happen
>> 3. what the beneficial factors of the minerals in the ash are, if they can
>> be
>> useful in other places maybe it can be packed up and sold to other areas
>> as a
>> soil supplement? Help people over there make some income????
>
>> Please send me any thoughts / advice you might have an this / other ideas
>> of
>> what we could do asap.... Santi and Tewel are being sent back to Bali on
>> Wednesday (they have been in the field over a week and I am worried about
>> their lungs need a breather so to speak) but we want to keep working on
>> deeper
>> solutions while supporting immediate needs. So if there is any field
>> research
>> / etc they need to do now we have a small window within which we can do
>> that.
>>
>> Thanks so much
>>
>> P
>>
>> Petra Schneider
>> Development Advisor, IDEP Foundation
>
>
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