Saturday, January 31, 2015

DECLARATION TO RESTORE MOTHER EARTH

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 290-365

I found this uplifting message on Internet and I would like to share it.

In April 2010, a historical moment occurred. More than 32,000 people, including Indigenous Peoples, social movements, small farmers and some world governmental leaders, converged in Cochabamba, Bolivia for the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. Two outcomes of this conference were the Cochabamba Peoples Accord and the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth. 

During the Cochabamba world conference, President Evo Morales of Bolivia officially proposed that the United Nations adopt a declaration that recognizes that Nature or “Mother Earth” has certain inherent rights that we humans must respect and defend. 
The adoption by the United Nations and national and local governments of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth would expand the class of holders of legally rights and would initiate a global process of transformation.
Our prophecies and teachings tell us that life on Mother Earth is in danger and is coming to a time of great transformation. As Indigenous Peoples, we are accepting the responsibility designated by our prophecies to tell the world that we must live in peace with each other and the Earth to ensure harmony within Creation.
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Restoration of the original right of Mother Earth to her natural constitution
Mother Earth’s rights are equivalent to Human Rights. The reactivation of sacred places and sacred sites is vital for the reconstitution of a healthy and balanced life on Earth.
In this task, restoring and reactivating the neglected and injured sites of Mother Earth is urgent. It is necessary to carry out this task on a global level in all biocultural regions of the earth and to revitalize the sacred elements of life: Air, Water, Earth and Fire.
The Natural Rights of Mother Earth should be upheld and endorsed by the United Nations System and by national and regional laws.
The designation and protection of sacred areas of Mother Earth are a way to reinforce ancestral wisdom and the very constitution of Mother Earth.
Within this endeavor for cultural preservation, we recognize that songs, dance, music, prayer, restorative ceremonies and other cultural elements are invaluable and important.
Currently, there is a biocultural crisis on earth. Half of the world’s cultures have disappeared or are in danger of extinction. 
Likewise, ecosystems are growing more fragile each day. In spite of existing local and international laws, and significant advances in science and technology Mother Earth and all her beings today confront an ecological crisis that places life itself in jeopardy. 
We ardently invite global society and governments to embrace and activate a Unification Process which bring forth the natural wisdom of the Original Mandate and transform harmful ways of living to “Living Well”. 
For example, to alleviate Mother Earth’s fever, transitioning towards clean energies is imperative.
"We invite humanity to come together to improve our collective human behavior so that we may develop a more sustainable world. We can preserve, protect, and fulfill our sacred duties to live with respect in this wonderful Creation. We have the power and responsibility for change." Tom B.K. Goldtooth Indigenous Environmental Network

Links

Friday, January 30, 2015

People and Food Forest Lawrence and Horace Kadoorie in Honk Kong

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 289-365

Two brothers, Lawrence and Horace Kadoorie in 1951 took on an idea to redevelop a trashed and degraded mountainside on 148 hectares with the emphasis on helping people to help themselves through training, supply of agricultural inputs and interest-free loans.

Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG)  formerly known as Kadoorie Experimental and Extension Farm ), or Kadoorie Farm  for short, was originally set up for aiding poor farmers in the New Territories in Hong Kong

 It had been completely re-vegetated into a food forest with numerous water falls, ponds, rare turtles, terraced gardens on steep slopes, a compost and biochar system, a waste-water treatment plant and wetlands and so much more. It is an amazing site that was built so far ahead of its time with an emphasis on teaching local people.

It later shifted its focus to promote biodiversity conservation in Hong Kong and south China, and greater environmental awareness. 

It is located near Pak Ngau Shek, encompassing Kwun Yum Shan in the central New Territories; 

The Farm was built in a valley with streams, woodlands and terraces in 1956 by the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association

Now it is managed to integrate nature conservation, including a rescue and rehabilitation programme for native animals, along with holistic education and practices in support of a transition to sustainable living.

Programmes run by KFBG's Education Department include tree planting, improving wildlife habitat, art and environment workshops, as well as outreach programmes for schools and the local community. 

Increasingly there is an emphasis on holistic education, encouraging visitors to explore their relationship with nature by artistic means, internal inquiry, mindfulness and compassion.

 Meanwhile through its Sustainable Living & Agriculture Department KFBG works to support community Transition by developing new and economically workable opportunities for all parties in the food system. KFBG is actively trying to reduce the ecological footprint of its own operations.

History

Sir Horace Kadoorie, received Order of British Empire ( lived from 28 September 1902 - 22 April 1995) was an industrialist, hotelier, and philanthropist. His father was Sir Elly Kadoorie, and his uncle, Sir Ellis Kadoorie. 
His family were originally Iraqi Jews from Baghdad who later migrated to Bombay (Mumbai), India in the mid-18th century. In 1913-14, he spent a year at Clifton College and was a member of Polacks House; a boarding house solely for Jewish boys at Clifton.


Kadoorie and his brother Sir Lawrence Kadoorie worked for Victor Sassoon during the 1920s and 1930s, and managed his famous Shanghai hotel. They also worked for there for their father, the famous industrialist Sir Elly Kadoorie.
Among Sir Horace's philanthropies was a school that became a haven for Jewish refugee children in Shanghai.

He and his brother also formed an agricultural aid organization that in the 1960s helped hundreds of thousands of peasants in rural areas near Hong Kong to become independent farmers.

Kadoorie and his brother, Lawrence, both received the Magsaysay Award for public service in 1962.

Links

http://www.geofflawton.com/fe/77209-re-greening-a-mountain
http://permaculturenews.org/2015/01/30/nursery-quality-to-tree-planting-success/
http://www.kfbg.org/kfb/introwithreport.xml?fid=169&sid=239&lang=en

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Medicinal Trees Around the World

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 288-365

Allspice (Pimenta officinalis)
Native to the Caribbean islands and southern Mexico, the allspice tree produces berries that are dried for export. Crushed, they are used in cooking, but also are added to medicines as a carminative that aids in expelling gas to relieve colic.
Areca (Areca catechu)
A palm tree of Malaysia, the areca yields a seed or nut once chewed by the natives to dye their mouths fashionably red. Although not relied on in human medicine, the alkaloid arecoline, the seed’s extractive, has the ability to destroy and repel worms in animals.
Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)
Growing across the northern reaches of North America, balsam poplar bears buds coated with a gooey, fragrant substance. In the drug industry, it’s called “balm-of-Gilead,” and as an expectorant, it becomes a constituent of cold medicine. It also keeps ointment from going rancid. Applied externally, it helps heal wounds.
Benjamin (Styrax benzoin)
Native to Java and other Southeast Asian countries, this large tree has grayish, fluffy bark. When wounded, it exudes a white, aromatic gum universally known as gum benzoin. It’s a productive expectorant when used in medicine. As the compound called tincture of benzoin, it relieves bronchitis when employed in a steam inhaler.
Birch (Betula papyrifera, nigra, lenta )
Native to northern and eastern North America, birch trees possess concentrations of salicylic acid, the predecessor of aspirin. Although birch products were never widely used, folk medicine called for chewing birch twigs to relieve headache and pain. Willows (Salix spp.) also contain the pain-reducing acid.
Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora )
In both China and Japan, the evergreen camphor tree grows to great size. An extractive of its bark, camphor acts as a counterirritant when included in ointments for relieving muscle pain.

Cascara (Rahmnus purshiana)
In the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, this small tree is called cascara buckthorn. Since 1877, its bark has been dried, baled, and shipped to dealers who grind it into a fine powder for medicinal use as an effective laxative or purgative.
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
A medicine made from the bark of this tree native to the eastern United States often has been substituted for quinine. During the Civil War, Confederate doctors used it to treat malaria cases. Although it grows in abundance, drug companies looked past it to the more powerful quinine that comes from the cinchona tree of South America and the tropics.
Kola (Cola nitada, C. acuminata)
Do you get a lift from a carbonated soda? The large kola trees of tropical West Africa, the West Indies, and South America are responsible. Their dried seeds, which contain much caffeine, provide the stimulant in some medicines. But they also provide an energizing ingredient in many soft drinks.
Nux vomica (Strychnos nux-vomica )
The deadly poison strychnine comes from the seeds of this Asian tree. In small amounts, or mixed with other drugs, strychnine can become a heart stimulant or tonic.
Quassia (Quassia amara )
The wood of this tree from Mexico and Central and South America has been an item of commerce since the mid-1700s. The wood’s bitter extractive, which has been relied on to expel parasites and reduce fever, is water soluble. Thus in the 1800s it frequently was turned into popular “bitter cups.” The substance also has uses as an insecticide.
Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina)
More like a shrub than a tree in most places where it grows in India, rauwolfia produces extracts in its roots that have for centuries been used to treat nervous disorders. The extract also provides an antidote for snake- bites and insect stings. In the 20th century it was discovered that powdered rauwolfia root as a clinical medicinal ingredient would treat hypertension and mental disorders. Many drugs that make up tranquilizers have their origin in rauwolfia root.
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
This tree of the eastern and southeastern United States is entirely aromatic—wood, bark, roots, branches, and leaves. Locally, sassafras tea made from its roots has long been a spring tonic. Bark may be taken from the tree’s roots, then boiled; the resultant drink, taken internally, is an active diuretic.


Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Forest Gardening

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 287-365

Robert A de J Hart (April 1, 1913 – March 7, 2000) was the pioneer of forest gardening in the UK.


Robert Hart coined the term "forest gardening" during the 1980s. Hart began farming at Wenlock Edge in Shropshire with the intention of providing a healthy and therapeutic environment for himself and his brother Lacon. 

A forest garden is a tiny imitation of a natural forest. Once established it needs nimimal maintenance and can provide fruit, nuts, root and perennial vegetables and herbs. The principles and practice of forest gardening are described by pioneer Robert Hart who created a small forest garden on his farm on Wenlock Edge, which has been a model and inspiration for many designers and horticulturalists.

Starting as relatively conventional smallholders, Hart soon discovered that maintaining large annual vegetable beds, rearing livestock and taking care of an orchard were tasks beyond their strength. 

However, a small bed of perennial vegetables and herbs he planted was looking after itself with little intervention.

Following Hart's adoption of a raw vegan diet for health and personal reasons, he replaced his farm animals with plants. The three main products from a forest garden are fruit, nuts and green leafy vegetables. 
He created a model forest garden from a 0.12 acre (500 m²) orchard on his farm and intended naming his gardening method ecological horticulture or ecocultivation
Hart later dropped these terms once he became aware that agroforestry and forest gardens were already being used to describe similar systems in other parts of the world.

 He was inspired by the forest farming methods of Toyohiko Kagawa and James Sholto Douglas, and the productivity of the Keralan home gardens as Hart explains: 
From the agroforestry point of view, perhaps the world's most advanced country is the Indian state of Kerala, which boasts no fewer than three and a half million forest gardens...'

As an example of the extraordinary intensity of cultivation of some forest gardens, one plot of only 0.12 hectares (0.30 acres) was found by a study group to have twenty-three young coconut palms, twelve cloves, fifty-six bananas, and forty-nine pineapples, with thirty pepper vines trained up its trees. In addition, the small holder grew fodder for his house-cow.

Seven-layer system

‘Canopy layer’ consisting of the original mature fruit trees.Robert Hart pioneered a system based on the observation that the natural forest can be divided into distinct levels. He used intercropping to develop an existing small orchard of apples and pears into an edible polyculture landscape consisting of the following layers:
  1. ‘Low-tree layer’ of smaller nut and fruit trees on dwarfing root stocks.
  2. ‘Shrub layer’ of fruit bushes such as currants and berries.
  3. ‘Herbaceous layer’ of perennial vegetables and herbs.
  4. ‘Rhizosphere’ or ‘underground’ dimension of plants grown for their roots and tubers.
  5. ‘Ground cover layer’ of edible plants that spread horizontally.
  6. ‘Vertical layer’ of vines and climbers.

A key component of the seven-layer system was the plants he selected. Most of the traditional vegetable crops grown today, such as carrots, are sun loving plants not well selected for the more shady forest garden system. Hart favoured shade tolerant perennial vegetables.









I hope I convinced you to plant at least one fruit or legume tree this year.

Links

Friday, January 23, 2015

Chinampas Permaculture and Forest Gardens

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 286-365



Chinampas is a method of cultivation used in Mexico since the Aztecs. It has been credited as the reason why the Aztec population was able to grow so large and prosperous on what was basically swamp land and shallow lakes. 

Chinampas comes from the Nahua language and means square made of canes and refers to the method of constructing these 'floating fields'. 

In shallow lakes square areas would be marked out with canes and then woven cane walls would be fixed in place and the area inside would be filled with sludge taken from the floor of the bordering area. 

The 'island' would be built up of sludge, earth, plant matter and stones until it was higher than the surface of the water. Willow trees were often planted at the corners to help hold the land and protect against erosion.

 Vertivert and soto caballo (or relatives) which have strong wide reaching root systems were also planted to protect and secure edges. 

This small field would be planted with food crops and flowers, while the canals of water between were wide enough for a canoe to pass along and gave access to the farmer. 

Chinampas were used widely in swamps too: canals were dug into the swamp and the sludge dug was piled up on the adjoining land to create raised beds. 

Free floating aquatic plants were allowed to grow in the canals and were harvested annually to use as mulch on the fields.


The earliest fields that have been securely dated are from the Middle Postclassic period, 1150 – 1350 CE. Chinampas were used primarily in Lakes Xochimilco and Chalco near the springs that lined the south shore of those lakes. The Aztecs not only conducted military campaigns to obtain control over these regions but, according to some researchers, undertook significant state-led efforts to increase their extent. 
Chinampa farms also ringed Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, which was considerably enlarged over time. Smaller-scale farms have also been identified near the island-city of Xaltocan and on the east side of Lake Texcoco. 
With the destruction of the dams and sluice gates during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, many chinampas fields were abandoned, although remnants are still in use today in what remains of Lake Xochimilco.
Among the crops grown on chinampas were maize, beans, squashamaranth, tomatoes, chili peppers, and flowers. It is estimated that food provided by chinampas made up one-half to two-thirds of the food consumed by the city of Tenochtitlán.
Chinampas were fertilized using lake sediments as well as Night soil and rich earth from the bottom of lakes.
Maize was planted with digging stick huictli /wikt͡ɬi/ with a wooden blade on one end.
The word chinampa comes from the Nahuatl word chināmitl, meaning "square made of canes".
Trees were also often planted in the corners to help secure the area.

The pioneer species,  guava, wild orange, cenizaro, ronron, espavel and a few others, bring in their own community of non grass plants and soon small islands of woodland spring up in the pasture.

 Small trees form canopy and underbrush appears which in turn provides shade and mulch for ground covers, more delicate species and fungi.

 The whole now provides habitat for insects, toads, reptiles, birds and mammals and as it grows it is nourished by the manure and decaying remains of insect and animal life. With more animal species there is more chance of seeds being dispersed, and so the little wood grows. 

Pioneer species gradually make way to settler species which at some point will overshadow those first small trees, and over time the pasture will disappear under the growing forest. It's all very natural and very beautiful. 


Why Chinampas Gardens are part of This Permaculture Design

Chinampas Gardens are artificial islands or peninsulas created by scooping nutrient-rich lake, swamp or pond muck into a woven cage so that crops can be grown above the waterline in a wet environment. 

Within this simple design, several unique functions are accomplished at once: 

  • a micro-climate that prevents early frost damage; 
  • an extremely productive soil that is mostly self-sustaining; 
  • a self-watering system created by water wicking in from the sides as moisture evaporates from the surface of the beds; and 
  • the growing of plants and fish within the same area.


Trellis over the Channels

In some areas, arching trellises were extended over the narrow channels and vining plants such as squash, cucumber and beans were planted so that their yielding crop could be harvested directly into a canoe, paddled to shore for unloading, and then return for more.

Benefits of Chinampas Gardening
  • Increased nutrient uptake
  • Less susceptibility to drought, frosts, and other weather calamities
  • Ability to grow more food (vegetables, fish and water foul).
  • Converting “unusable” low-ground into a productive food system
  • Dramatically reducing the need to water a garden. (Still need to water seedlings)
A more perfect example of stacking functions in a permaculture system can rarely be found.  Fish, fowl, and water plants could be harvested from the water channel and vegetables, fruit, and lattice-grown vines from the bed itself.

Today

Today, many horticulturists have adopted a modern version of the chinampas and call it hydroponics. While occupying a great deal less space, no soil whatsoever, and often being used indoor such as in a greenhouse setting, the principle is basically the same as the ancient chinampas except it has been made more efficient and convenient. Using the chinampa method can have many benefits: such as practically no weeding and watering, as well as protection from animals and certain pests.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Forest and Energy

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 285-365

Our forests aren't fuel.
What kind of world do we live to the next generation?












Incredible there are people that are paid to write about how good is to cut forests to produce energy.
In an age that we are seeing the large scale destruction of the environment.


And these people actually create policies and trends that have the final scope cutting the forests while there are conferences that pretend to care for the environment.

And all this is happening while we assist at large desertification processes around the world.

Who owns these lands?  Are they still useful lands after such destruction of the forests?

In 2013, Canada (primarily B.C.)  exported  $256 million in wood pellets, largely to the United Kingdom.

BC Will export to China wood pallets.


Links

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/forests-energy/l-2/4-forests-energy-potential.htm#1

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/industry/biomass-bioenergy-bioproducts/13325

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/forests/publications/living_forests_report/energy_forests/

http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/02/17/BC-Forests-Chinese-Energy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm2ffpvBt34

http://www.care2.com/causes/dear-energy-companies-we-can-keep-the-lights-on-without-destroying-our-forests.html

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Muskogee Crape Fast Growing Tree

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 284-365

A tree for Parks Schools Front yards, Streets.
Consider this tree when you plan planting a tree. 













The new Muskogee Crape Myrtle is one of the few trees to bloom rich lavender purple flowers.
When you order these Muskogee Crape Myrtles… you not only get blooms that truly stand out from the ordinary… you get a well developed root structure that will support rapid growth.
Muskogee Crape Myrtles have one of the longest blooming periods of all Crape Myrtles… up to an amazing 120 days! You’ll be greeted by these lovely flowers for 4-5 months.
This enduring tree is also highly mildew resistant 
A member of the Indian Series, the Muskogee Crape Myrtle is characterized by an exceptionally fast growth rate unequaled by all of the hybrid selections from the United States Department of Agriculture National Arboretum, Muskogee produces an impressive mature tree specimen. In 15 to 20 years, Muskogee reaches a height of 30 feet and a width of 15-20 feet with a massive trunk caliper. 
Propagation Methods:
  • From softwood cuttings
  • From semi-hardwood cuttings
  • From hardwood cuttings
  • From hardwood heel cuttings
  • By air layering