pound of vegetable produced and to about one-third
that of normal methods per pound of grain produced
once the soil is in reasonable shape.
- Native people in some parts of Africa have been using
a deeply prepared bed approach successfully with
grains. They triple-dig the soil, incorporating a lot of
organic matter into it just before the seasonal rains.
Immediately after the rains stop, they plant their seeds.
No more rain falls, yet crops are harvested at the end
of the season. Others in the area reportedly are unable
to grow crops well during this season.
Note: Twenty inches of rainfall over a 4-month growing season is an average of .167
inch per day.
- GROW BIOINTENSIVE techniques should produce at
least 4 times the yield under natural rainfall conditions
(when not irrigating) that would be obtained under
the same conditions with commercial techniques. Let
us know what works for you.
- Native Americans in the southwestern United States
have used a number of approaches to grow food in
limited rainfall areas. One method is to create large,
diamond-shaped growing areas on a slight slope, with
one point each being at the top and the bottom of the
slope. Crops are planted in the bottom one-quarter to
one-half of each diamond—depending on the amount
of rainfall. (More water per unit of soil area is
concentrated in the bottom part of the diamond.)
