permaculture

Workshop Module 8: Forests, Tree Crops, and Bamboo 229

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Presentation : Designing and making productive swales

Method : Facilitator presentation and discussion

Tools : Images, black/white board, markers

References : PC Book MOD 8 - Forests, Tree Crops, and Bamboo

Objective : Participants plan swale development activities

If time during the workshop allows, the 3 following activities in this module which relate to
swales can all be conducted during the workshop as an integrated exercise. If time does
not allow for this, then the facilitator should choose the most relevant components.

The Swale Exercises include:

• Design productive swales (Swale Ex. 1)


• Prepare swales for planting (Swale Ex. 2)


• Plant productive swales (Swale Ex. 3)

Develop a different aspect of the swales project on different days so that over the duration
of the course the swale system will be added to step-by-step and the participants will
gain a full understanding of the process of how to design, implement, and maintain a
healthy swale system.

Preparation

• Identify land to use – The components developed should be able to be
  maintained as an ongoing demonstration site, not just for the time of the
  workshop, therefore the land that is used needs to be available long-term. It
  will take around 2 years to show the real results of soil improvement and clearly
  demonstrate improved productivity.


• Check if there are rocks on site, as these can be used to make the swales.
  Using rocks is much easier than digging, although for training purposes a
  combination of both is ideal.


• Identify the water source for the swales – The amount of water and
  season when the planting is done will affect the types of plants that can be used
  in the field activities.


• Prepare other materials and tools needed – There should be enough
  materials and tools for all of the workshop participants to be actively involved in
  all of the hands-on activities. If needed, participants can be asked to bring their
  own tools to use for various exercises.


• The importance of the design step – The following exercise ‘Designing
  productive swale systems’ is essential no matter how many of the other
  exercises are used.

Running this exercise

Introduce to the participants to each of the activities that will be part of the ‘Productive
swale design and building’ process over the duration of the workshop. Answer any
questions they may have about the process that will be undertaken. Encourage them to
participate by preparing seeds, cuttings, trees, compost, and mulch materials that can
be used later as the process unfolds.