How to stop desertification in Southern Portugal

“A waterlandscape isn’t the same thing as a dam. It’s actually the complete opposite. Water isn’t diverted from lands and stored in one central point – it’s kept within the land, in a “decentralised” fashion, in a way that the earth’s soil can once more become saturated”, Sepp Holzer has explained this point many times previously.

The resolute mountain farmer from Austria earnt the title of “rebel farmer” through the determination with which he remains true to his (unusual) methods. After working wonders on his own farm in the Alps, he went on to recover large tracts of “barren” land in Scotland, Russia, Spain, South America and, in the last few years, Portugal.

“Drought in this country isn’t a natural catastrophe. It’s the result of incorrect land use. Deforestation, excessive grazing and monocultures are all responsible for the diminishing of vegetation and onset of desertification”, he explains.

Passing through Southern Portugal, the farmer from Austria simply wants to close his eyes. “What I see here hurts. The landscape is bare, the soil and the plants are exposed without any protection from wind or sun. No animal can feel comfortable here. If I farmed this terrain, I would feel completely lost. Due to excessive grazing, the earth has been drained of water, with only poor quality wild plants left growing. Farmers give up, the younger generation moves off to the towns – and the most beautiful agricultural properties fall into neglect. Then speculators move in, leaving the land to be abandoned once more. Meantime, Portugal could so easily be a rich country – if only its people went back to learn from the book of Nature”.

Sepp Holzer knows an answer. “Water is life. Water is information, water is capital”, he says. If rain only falls during one season of the year, the farmer has to learn how to hold on to it within his land. Not through massive dams – just the opposite. It has to be in a decentralised way – using many small water retention basins, just as Nature herself shows us.

“Anyone who works land and leaves the winter rains to run away is acting like someone who continually puts money away in a piggy bank, without noticing the stopper’s missing”.

With his belief in diversity within a landscape, the availability of water and a temperate climate, Portugal is ideal for methods of farming in harmony with Nature - and this is what the ecological team at Tamera has proved.

“When we bought this land 15 years ago, the legacy of ecological mistakes was there for all to see: deforested hillsides, moribund cork oaks and eucalyptus monocultures. During the winter and spring, the fields turned into swamps, but in the summer, they were arid – creating huge fire risks”, ecology team coordinator Silke Paulick takes up the story.

Today, a chain of lakes and ponds fits into the gently undulating landscape. On terraces along the waters’ edges, young fruit trees flourish. Vegetables grow on higher beds, interspersed with lettuces and corn in abundant mixed-crop cultures. When he first visited in March 2007, Holzer’s analysis was clear: “this land has been badly exploited for generations. Small measures won’t work here anymore. We have to take drastic ones”.

The plan was to create a model project for the recuperation of the natural landscape, for large-scale cultivation of healthy foods, and for natural reforestation. Various water retention basins were constructed, in the form of lakes and ponds where once again wild animals could come, to find food and protection, and from which the surrounding soil could gradually return to “rehydrating” – re-absorbing water once again.

One of Tamera’s gardeners, Silke Klüver, tells – “Now we harvest more fruit and vegetables from the banks of the lakes than we do from the whole orchard. Irrigation from the water retention basins to the immediate proximity is very simple. Stopping summer cultivation because of lack of water is no longer necessary – and our numerous visitors all think the lakes have been there always”.

“If they look natural, it’s because they’ve been well done”, Holzer affirms. Angular, or perfectly spherical lakes would be all wrong. “Water is a living being. It has to be allowed to move to stay alive and healthy”.

The shape of the lakes, their low banks covered in vegetation, the different depths within them, and their sinuous lines favour the movement of water – as well as its capacity for self-cleaning.

Dust and humus are carried by the wind and currents to shallower parts where they are absorbed by aquatic plants, acting like a form of natural fertilizer. Ducks and various species of fish also live on the water – and pond lilies that grow by the water’s edge (alongside other plants) are extremely precious because of their commercial value.

“Whoever works with Nature, instead of against her, will always find something that can be turned to commercial use – whether it is agricultural produce, or the simple value of repose in a recuperated landscape”, adds Holzer.

But the most important aspect of a waterlandscape is the recovery of Nature. With its diversified microclimate, these recovered landscapes can also offer new habitats to wild animals and plants – and three years into Tamera’s project, the soil is so saturated with water that the Permaculture team can start reforestation, and mixed crops.

Neighbours, farmers, hydro engineers and environmentalists are following developments with keen interest – because if the project continues to show positive results, it could be adapted to become a model for the whole of Southern Portugal.

“Imagine that 1.000 farmers decide to create waterlandscapes in the Alentejo. Apart from recuperating the ecosystem, it could lead to many people establishing fundamental economic bases.

“We’ve discovered the antidote to desertification”, affirms Bernd Müller, another of the project collaborators.

Tamera is an international research centre for peace, and a training centre for around 160 students and other collaborators. «Open Days» are hosted four times a year. Upcoming still in 2010 are three more, all on Saturdays – this week’s, on 5th June, one on 4th September, and another on 27th November.