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Old 09-09-2011, 05:45 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
FarmI FarmI is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2007
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Default Organic Gardening in a Hotter, Drier World

"songbird" wrote in message
...
Billy wrote:

Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence by
Christian Parenti (Jun 28, 2011)

northeastern Brazil will be a region of very severe water stress by 2050.

...
One method involves building "underground dams." It goes like this: First
the farmers find a dry streambed or natural area of drainage. At the
bottom of this feature, below and away from the slope of the hill, they
dig a long ditch across the natural path of drainage. The ditch maybe
one hundred or three hundred feet long and deep enough to hit solid
rock‹here, about five to ten feet down. Then, within the ditch, they
build a cement and rock wall‹or dam‹lined with heavy plastic. Then the
ditch is filled in, and the wall is buried. This underground dam greatly
slows the natural drainage and creates a moist and fertile field
"upstream."


all very interesting. in other arid climates with
no severe drains/gullies you can line rocks across the
ground and they will act as a water catch when it
rains to slow down the water so that more soaks in.


Standard practice in permaculture and other forms of land management but
usually it's contour forming on farmland using a tractor/dozer and uses
earth. They're called swales.


within a few years these rocks will become a line
of plants and then small trees (if you can keep
the goats/sheep from grazing it down). a tree line
that gives shade and harbors birds/wildlife all
from a simple thing like a line of rocks on the
dirt.


songbird