permaculture

[Neil Bertrando <neilbertrando@gmail.com>]

In general for construction, earthworks and other technical information
require detailed calculations, specs, design parameters, etc.  I refer to
FAO, NRCS, engineering, and construction references.

you might also consider utilizing the keyline design system for layout.

Here's a list of resources.  hope it helps.

Soil conservation techniques for hillside farms
http://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0hdl--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.16.9&d=HASHbdde2fe3749493c1a0de2d.1&gt=2

NRCS engineering field manual chapter 8 Terraces
http://irrigationtoolbox.com/NEH/Part650_EngineeringFieldHandbook/EFH-CH08.pdf

FAO Watershed mgmt field manual ch 9
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad083e/ad083e10.htm

FAO Irrigation Water mgmt: Irrigation methods
http://www.fao.org/docrep/s8684e/s8684e03.htm

bench terrace design made simple
http://tucson.ars.ag.gov/isco/isco12/VolumeIV/BenchTerraceDesignMadeSimple.pdf

FAO Watershed mgmt field manual ch 6
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad083e/ad083e07.htm

FAO Watershed mgmt field manual ch 8
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad083e/AD083e09.htm

retaining wall manual for Keystone pavers
http://www.keystonewalls.com/media/Literature/ConstManual.pdf

Am Soc of Ag engineers terrace manual.  not able to access but would like to
http://elibrary.asabe.org/abstract.asp?aid=41193&t=2&redir=&redirType=





On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 12:09 PM, Jay Woods <woodsjaya@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd like to try terracing on 5 acres of hillside here in Nevada. It is dry
> country so the water table needs to be perched in each terrace. Do you have
> any sources on their construction? I remember seeing terracing used under
> these conditions in the Mid-East.
>
> On Monday, January 06, 2014 12:24:21 PM Lawrence London wrote:
> > On Mon, Jan 6, 2014 at 10:38 AM, Pete Gasper, Gasper Family Farm <
> >
> > farmer1@gasperfarm.com> wrote:
> > > What kind of soil is underneath those fields? Here in America we'd
> > > consider
> > > that too steep to plant or do much anything with besides maybe cattle
> or
> > > scrub timber. But then you can't run a combine with a 30' header
> across it
> > > and our soils of such geography tend to have stone a few inches down.
> But
> > > I
> > > wonder if human scale agriculture could radically expend food
> production
> > > here via methods like that.
> >
> >  The amount of planning that goes into the design, construction and soil
> > preparation of those terraces is incredible. I read an article on a group
> > that rebuilt some that had been damaged from erosion when the walls
> > collapsed. I guess construction methods vary according to materials
> > available on site but usually a lot of dry-laid stonework goes into the
> > foundation of each terrace wall. Drainage and wall reinforcement is part
> of
> > the process. I think some Asian rice terraces date back thousands of
> years.
> > The steep terrain was all the people had to work with, little or no flat
> > land. Here in the US the best farmland, prime, not marginal, should be
> > protected from development and made available for agricultural use only
> > employing natural methods and materials and permaculture.
> >
> > There is no reason that prime farm soil on hilly terrain could not be
> > terraced and farmed productively. Depending on slope techniques using
> > Yeoman Keyline plows to backhoes, to skid loaders to track loaters to
> track
> > hoes could be used. Water would be a big issue and impoundments would be
> > necessary. I am talking about earthworks only, without any masonry
> > components unless they are abundant on site and can be used in situ along
> > with the soil used to build the earthworks. An in depth permaculture
> > systems design could be created using polyculture, livestock, fish,
> > crustaceans, crop diversity, post harvest methods that recycle
> byproducts,
> > chinampas, all ideas taken from certain terraced regions in the
> Phillipines
> > where permaculture is practiced traditionally and is the de facto
> standard
> > for their agricutural practices.
> >
> > Sepp Holzer is doing great things on his hillside farm in Austria. There
> > are vast universes of knowledge that can be gained from traditional
> > agriculture as practiced in every country of the world. For the US Asian
> > countries seem to offer the most with a considerable amount from Middle
> > Eastern countries such as Iran, Iraq and Afganistan, with particular
> > reference to the water conservation and storage methods and water
> delivery
> > systems, i.e. quanats in Iran and irrigation tunnels in Afganistan, all
> > ancient systems. Of course much of this would not serve large scale
> > agriculture methods, i.e. broad acre farming, very well but would be of
> > immense value to local small scale farming units, individual, family,
> small
> > farm. Traditional indigenous farming systems need to be identified,
> > documented and preserved.
> > _______________________________________________
> > permaculture mailing list
> > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward list
> > maintenance: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > message archives:  https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/permaculture/
> > Google message archive search:
> > site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture [searchstring]
> > Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
> > How to permaculture your urban lifestyle
> > http://www.ipermie.net
> > Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
> > https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
> > Permaculture: -- portal to an expanding global network of landtech
> pioneers
> > -- who are designing ecological land use systems with integrated elements
> > for synergy, sustainability, regeneration and enhanced nature-compatible
> > human habitat
>
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward list
> maintenance:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> message archives:  https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/permaculture/
> Google message archive search:
> site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture [searchstring]
> Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
> How to permaculture your urban lifestyle
> http://www.ipermie.net
> Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
> https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
> Permaculture: -- portal to an expanding global network of landtech
> pioneers -- who are designing ecological land use systems with integrated
> elements for synergy, sustainability, regeneration and enhanced
> nature-compatible human habitat
>