This case study is a broad-level concept plan for a large agricultural project of 25,000 ha in Angola. Of course, this gives only a broad overview of my concept for this site.
This large farm operating according to permaculture principles can serve as a test site for agricultural progress and food security in countries where the potential of fertile farmland is not fully realised and there is potential to move farming in an earth-friendly, sustainable direction rather than making the same mistakes often made now in developed nations.
The site is in a region where the climate is tropical, hot and humid – with annual averages of 1200 to 1400mm, and a rainy season lasting 6-7 months – from October to April. The annual relative temperature is 23-24 C. The annual average relative humidity at 9 am is 70-80 percent – with a maximum in December, March and April and the minimum in July.
The land is watered by the Cuanza River and other streams. It currently has dense vegetation, consisting of medium and small trees, shrubs and overgrown grassland. Some native vegetation will of course be retained within the design schema above, and integrated into the field margins and into planting for food forest zones.
As you can see from the broad design, the general approach taken is agroforestry, as this is an approach suited to the region and one which can deliver good yields when properly implemented. I have suggested a mixture of silvo-arable alley cropping, dense, layered food forest, and rotational, multi-livestock silvo-pasture.
Maximising tree cover will of course not only bring economic and production benefits but will also bring local and global benefits. It will help with climate crisis mitigation and adaptation and boost resilience in a number of ways.
The plans take into account the quantities of certain crops requested in the design brief, as well as providing for the diversification of economic production to include many more yields including many non-timber forest products. Three distinct farm hubs will be centres for the day to day operations on this large project.
One of the criticisms often levelled at permaculture ideas is that they are not suitable for large-scale projects. But this is not the case. We can apply many of the same ideas to landscape-scale projects as we can in domestic backyards, while taking into account practicalities and logistics, of course.
If you are interested in collaborating on a landscape scale project for farming and/or rewilding/ ecosystem restoration, I am happy to take on projects of any scale and look forward to hearing from you. I am happy to share my experiences of scaling up ideas often only implemented at a smaller scale on some larger projects to help you undertake your own large-scale project.
EWSP Consultancy 