integrated farming

Tribute to King Bhumibol Adulyadej: New Theory Sustainable Agriculture and the Sufficiency Economy

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This plan makes farmers more self-reliant through holistic land management, while living harmoniously with nature and within society.
This plan makes farmers more self-reliant through holistic land management, while living harmoniously with nature and within society.

This is the one year anniversary of the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and so it is fitting to highlight the great work he has done in Thailand. The King’s policies helped raise the standard of living for tens of millions of people in Thailand and make the country one of the largest food exporters in the world. In my opinion, King Bhumibol Adulyadej may be the greatest environmentalist of the last century. Westerner’s are often unaware of the King’s work because most of the information is in Thai, not English.

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Abe’s Farm, New Website and Book

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Fenceline along VelaCreations farm. They used Allan Savory’s rotational grazing method (left) while their neighbor did not.
Fenceline along VelaCreations farm. They used Allan Savory’s rotational grazing method (left) while their neighbor did not.

Owen,

“We launched our new VelaCreations.com website, with a special focus on our How-To articles, which now number over 50, with another dozen in the works. There’s a lot of shelter-related articles, from our Rapidobe system to ferrocement, to making all sorts of things around the homestead.

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Mixed Agroforestry and Aquaculture

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Integrating fruit trees with fish ponds reduces the need for irrigation.
Integrating fruit trees with fish ponds reduces the need for irrigation.

A basic tenet of permaculture is for everything to have more than one use. In the example shown here, instead of having a fish pond separate from an orchard, agroforest or forest garden the two are integrated for increased efficiency. I’m starting to see this type of agricultural practice here and there. I imagine the idea sprang from growing fruit trees next to a lake or pond. If the surrounding land is about 6’-8’ (2m) above the water table, the tree roots can readily reach the water so no irrigation is needed after the first few years. There are lots of possibilities with this basic concept. The ratio of land to fish pond can be changed depending on what you want to produce the most of. The height can be adjusted according to the type of trees. And the overall size and shape can be adjusted to fit your homestead or farm.

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