Can Coll fosters links between the park and schools, covering infant (3-6 years), primary (6-12) and secondary (12-16) education. The centre also organises programmes aimed at education science students and working teachers. Special schools also receive preferential treatment, with programmes designed specifically for them.

There we were welcomed by Joan Vilamú, and some new students joined the group for three days of design and implementation.

The first day Joan introduced us to the site and the educational aims of the centre. After a walk we split in 5 different groups to work on our site analysis. We tried to identify the major problems affecting Can Coll, such as erosion, lack of shade and soil degradation.

The second day Rosemary showed us different examples of Permacultural Educational Centres around the world to inspire us. After that she went on explaining various techniques to manage water in dry climates and prevent erosion. Then each group put together a design proposal trying to solve the problems detected the day before and enhance the learning experience of the kids.

The last day we discussed the implementation of the design proposals, trying to prioritize the most important points. After that, we took another walk with Rosemary around Can Coll to see how to do the different techniques on site. To finish, we took some group pictures and received wonderful gifts from Joan: a bottle of wine bottled in Can Coll and a book containing all the walking paths in Collserola Park.

Thanks to all the students, to Rosemary, Alfred and the Collserola Park and all the IaaC staff that has made this PDC & Practicum possible!

The topic of the day was social permaculture.

Bioregionalism is the unit of self-sufficiency. We cannot be self-sufficient at the household level. In a bioregion, people have different skills (dentist, construction, farmers,…) The size is 100-10000 people. A city has several bioregions: the association of residents as informal networks.

Our aim is:

• a stable bioregion
• reduce import/export, which is impoverishing (e.g. migration of labor)
• need political, financial and communication units
• network all organisations (the important ones should have more links. If a node is cut (e.g. by government) the system keeps working)

Setting up of bioregions:

• make an inventory of local resources
• create an ethical directory
• start a local economy (LETS,…)

The next topic was land access. The land access should be granted. Some land access strategies are: the oxfam model, community supported agriculture, city as farm, farm and garden clubs, WWWOOF, tourism as land access, plan for climate change, lease not shorter than 5 years.

The final topic of the day was how to make income from our land. There are endless possibilities, but some principles are:

• be ruthlessly realistic about your strategies
• work on short and long term strategies (set goals, develop indicators), fill market niches, produce quality goods, start small
  

We started the day speaking about disasters, which are extreme negative events that affect a whole community. Following the ethics, we should:

• save lives first, then property
• make full disaster plans
• use precautionary principle: if there may be a risk, it will certainly happen

Our design aims are:

• to reduce extent or intensity
• to endure or avoid
• to prepare for several disasters (2 most likely than one)
• to apply zones and sector planning

Any disaster can have natural or cultural causes, and is the trigger for a secondary disaster. Floods are a natural disaster, that can lead to epidemics. Hunger is a cultural disaster, that can lead to migration. Other disaster may be: fire, earthquake, nuclear, oil spill, economic,…

On our site, we should be prepared to face disasters. For this, we can select the 2 main ones likely to occur, and make a disaster profile:

• cause
• frequency (how often)
• predictability
• intensity
• time to onset (what kind of warnings)
• duration (how long it lasts)
• primary and secondary consequences
• scope of impact (range)
• destructive potential
• controllability (planning, how prepared we are)

Before any disaster, we should:

• decide who stays, who leaves (children, elderly people,…)
• emergency supply
• safe place
• escape routes
• hygiene
• teams (define tasks: who takes care of who)

During the disaster we should consider:

• food (dry food, nuts, carbohydrates)
• health (stay active, play)
• water
• warmth and light
• communication

After the disaster, we should be aware of:

• water filtering (boil during 10 minutes)
• children
• wash buildings before occupying them again
• house the most needy first
• total visibility of received aid
• rebuild to better withstand

We then had a session an aquaculture. The reasons to raise fish are proteins, biodiversity, biomass, water storage. Our aim is to restore and increase the fish stocks wherever possible.

It’s important to create good conditions before putting the fishes, therefore our pond should:

• be 2m deep in the middle
• have a pH 7-9
• have productive/edible water plants
• have refuges
• 1/3 of the pond should be covered by water cleaning plants

In the afternoon each group works in their design project for Valldaura Labs.

Today we talked about the Zone 4. it’s the zone where we put the restorative forest. The products of this forest can be summarized with the seven F’s: food, fuel, fodder, fruits, flowers, fibers, and fertilizers.

In permaculture, 40% of the site should be under forest cover, either productive forest, or untouched forest (zone 5). Each tree’s harvested product should last as long as it took to grow, which means that we don’t want to burn a 200 old oak, but rather use it for furniture. For firewood we can use trees that have the ability to coppice (resprout), like Casuarina, Eucalyptus, willow,…

A slope greater than 20 degree should be forested, and if we have a good access we can put a restorative forest there. If the slope is greater than 45 degrees, we should have an untouched forest because it’s too steep to work in.

A food forest has 7 layers:

• canopy trees
• fruit trees
• bushes
• herbs
• ground cover
• roots
• vines

also in the tropics we have an extra palm layer.

When we start with a new forest, to accelerate succession we should plant N-fixing trees and pioneers. Fencing the area, or at least the best trees, is important in the early stage, otherwise wild animals may damage it. If the soil is bare, cover it with living mulch. Once there is enough shade, we can add few animals.

We got useful information on how to start designing.

First, we start we zone 5: in all boundaries, along all rivers, in tops of mountain, on slope greater than 45 degrees and along roads.

Then we continue with the other zones for example in zone 4 on slopes greater than 20 degrees, then zones 1 and 2 and finally at the end we do zone 3, which will get greater yields and stability of production (farming in clearings)

Finally we came to zone 5, which has several important functions:

it’s a model we can observe and imitate

• climate moderation
• erosion control
• biodiversity
• slow long release of water
• wildlife corridor: allow genetic evolution/adaptation in times of climate change. Also it’s a species refuge.

When we want to start a forest on a site invaded by weeds, we need to take action, especially minimum disturbance techniques:

• start on the outside, remove weeds and replace them immediately with good species.
• Throw seed pellets from top
• use branch cover: branches with seeds are placed on ground. The seeds will eventually germinate
• hydromulch

Finally we had a client interview with  Nuria to know about what they want from the site.

Today we began with a mid-course evaluation where everyone had the opportunity to express their own opinions about  the course and the organization, like transport, accommodation, length of day, teacher’s presentation…

After that we moved on to Zone 3.

In this zone is where we find the orchard where we only plant fruit and nut trees. Also, it is the area where we can establish the food forest: an integrative forest that mimics a natural forest and its seven layers, where we grow more edible species.

This Zone have 5 principles:

• maximize organic matter production
• keep the soil covered
• no till
• maintain biodiversity (no kill)
• replace more than we extract

A Food forest is:

• Based on guilds (interrelationship of fixed and mobile species).
• More successful when there is thoughtful observation and local knowledge.
• More resistant to pests than a normal orchard.
• built with mostly perennial and multifunctional plants.

Inputs (needs): water, OM, pollinators, legumes/nutrients, protection (wild animals, pests, fire).

Afterwards, we split in groups and we did a list of species according to climate (drylands, temperate and tropical), and calendar.

Rosemary told us about the management of the animals in zone 2-3.

what do they eat/need? Which are their functions? Which are they products? How much land does they need? Who will take care of them?

We took the bees as an example and we looked for:

- Needs: home, pollen, clean water, wind protection, sun, no horse, no rododendron, protection from parasites (mice…)

- Yields: honey, propolis, wax, pollen, royal jelly, divide often.

- Siting of the beehive: facing east, not in a windy place, entrance door must be 1m high for protection…

- Flowering calendar of fruit trees (major source of pollen), herbs, bulbs (early food for bees)

To do some practice Rosemary teach us how to plant in a dryland areas:

1. dig big hole (a bit more than tree)
2. fill hole with water
3. let some water in bottom
4. put compost
5. layer of straw (holds water)
6. moist it
7. thin layer of soil
8. spread bottom of tree roots: teasing them gently
9. no compost on top.
10. Vertical mulch of hay in direction of prevailing winds
11. watering in circle shape, where roots are trying to grow
12. make a boomerang shape to harvest water
13. create a guild around (pumpkin, N-fixing)
14. heavily mulch, without touching bark (breathing)

Today has been a hands-on experience day and the group enjoyed it!

The first part was about the world climatic biozones. We had a little introduction about the physical aspects of the differences between the biozones of the planet.

This introduction allowed us to understand that all of the plants, animals, soils and techniques were evolving and living together. It lead us to realize that before acting on a land we have to be conscious of all of these elements and research and use old or local technologies, materials and species in order to make sure we are minimizing the possible damages on the population or the environment. The interrelationship will be greater than expected.

We then had a introduction to different techniques on how to manage arid landscapes and wet tropics.

After this talks Rosemary and Alfred began to explain the zone method design. This method is a way to manage the energy, the nutrients and the permanence of the land  you are working on.

Zone 0 – home

The ethic in this zone is that the all structures should be environmental living zones, build to preserve nonrenewable resources, create zero waste, use few external inputs, las long, be beautiful and comfortable.

Principles:

• Admit and store suns energy when needed and remove and exclude it when not needed
• Generate designs wich reflect simplicity, economy and resource recycling.
• Design to related space and function
• Design or retrofit your house yourself
• Design and build houses which meet their own needs for renewable energy, food, waste, processing and that use only natural light during the day

Siting the house:

• Climate: seek cooling in hot climates…
• Topography: more than 18 degree should be forested (no house), hill can block winds and create thermal zone…
• Water: springs, tanks, dams, rainwater…
• Soil: drainage, suitability for building…
• Access: erosion potential, water harverst potential, escape…
• Vegetation: leave native vegetation, don’t cut without plan…

Avoid:

• Sick houses: build tight, ventilate right
• Vulnerable house: each function dependent on 1 source
• Consumer junkies

Zone 1 – Kitchen Garden 

Its the place where you have to grow as much food as possible, it must be very intensive and productive, is where we recycle the wastes of Zone O. It has to be non polluting and reduce the foot miles and our foot print. The aims are for it to be permanent, annual, productive and recycling.

Is where we plant veggies, herbs, small fruit trees because is a place we visit often.

Criteria of garden:

• provides 80% of our food
• less than 50 m from house
• SE or NE (east is the mild aspect)

After this very theoretical morning we split in groups of 5 and began to design propositions for Valldaura’s landscape. After realizing we were only beginners it was time to get our hands dirty. Rosemary lead us for the creation of a Permaculture Blitz design on one of the terraces that we hadn’t been using yet.

We did use the technique of Sheet Gardening which consists in creating a garden from scratch by covering completely its bare ground.
The steps were:

• Edging: rocks, tiles
• Wet the soil
• Add dolomite on ground if contaminated
• Add fresh organic matter
• Lay wet cardboard (cut light out) on top of the organic matter
• Design paths with sawdust (thick).
• And then for the beds put  hay then compost and finally straw

  

- Buddhist Sutra

We started the day speaking about THE SUBJECT of Permaculture: PATTERNS. These are repeated shapes or forms that configure landscape. Our tasks as Permaculturalists to implant restorative patterns on degraded landscapes. The pattern IS the design, and design is the subject of permaculture.

In nature we can find different types of patterns:

• Branching/dendritic: trees, rivers. Function is distribution up/down.
• Circle: amongst the different shapes, for a same area the circle has the smallest edge, conserves energy, get more sun
• Spirals: water, seeds, trees, ferns, storms.
• Luneate: dunes (4 orders). In the wind-protected side, accumulation of nutrients.
• Tessellation. Allows structures to move while are growing

After that we began to speak about our beloved friends: Plants. We split in groups and took a walk around the site and searched for five different plantspecies and then we tried to identify the patterns in them and also their function in the ecosystem.

Then we moved on to discuss the limiting factors on plant growth, the ethics of Permaculture concerning local varieties and different ways of propagation and reproduction.

After lunch we talked about trees and forest and the many factors that a forest can perform. Forests are complex systems that can buffer climate and have huge effects in the area around them. Forest area has been declining all over the world during the last years, and this loss is exacerbating the effects of climate change and supposes a severe threat for future generations. After this discussion we  all just wanted to go out in to the world and start to plant trees all over the place. If you want to feel inspired too, watch “The Man who planted trees”

Then we discuss how to use trees to affect microclimates. One of the most common uses is to plant trees as windbreaks. Windbreaks can serve as suntraps, increase of decrease wind velocity, decrease evaporation up to 70%, control erosion and act as dust filters and nutrient traps.

To change the subject and activate our bodies and minds we went outside into a heap of sand to discuss the exercise that we did some days ago about key lines and key points using the sand as a 3-D model of the contours plan for us to experiment. While we where there, Rosemary also shared some advice on dam building.

Today we began the day talking about climate and microclimates. Climate is the patterns of the weather in a particular area across time, with our designs we want to minimize the climate extremes to reduce or avoid climatic disasters, especially in an age of climate change.

Climate change is generating changes in the precipitation patterns and distribution and also affecting plants’ photoperiod.

Climate affects our designs in three major elements:

- Wind: it shapes & prunes trees, is a source of energy, transports things…

- Precipitation: cleans, hydrates, shapes the landscape, retains energy, erodes, gives life…

- Radiation: controls the cycles in nature, sterilizes, causes evapotranspiration, heat…

In our lands we work with microclimates because it is not difficult to change and manage them. Microclimates have 5 elements that we can manage directly: vegetation, structures, water, soils and topography:

- Topography: aspect and slope. We can generate thermal zones, cold sink,  sun traps…

- Vegetation: forest moderate temperature and increases moisture…

- Structures: passive thermal design, bioclimatic houses…

- Soil types: warm dry, cold moist…

- Water: light reflection

After this two sessions we had lunch and a little time to relax. After that, Rosemary and Alfred taught us in a very dynamical way how to recognize a good and fertile soil.

We split into different groups to perform a soil test. We had to analyze the structure, texture, tilth (how the top soil is, good or bad), percolation (how quickly water soaks in), pH (are nutrients available to plants), humus (decomposed organic matter that becomes humic acid, which in turn can hold water and nutrients, and give them back to plants when they need it), peds (soil should have light ped structure), OM, porosity, salination.

Other way to analyze it is making use of the traditional soil classification:

• colour: white to black
• vegetation: what is growing
• parent material: bedrock
• smell: sour (sulfure dioxide), sweet or soapy (acid), calcium (hard)
• soil life
• how it manages water: does it drain within 24h
• history: how was it, how did it change

To work with soils there are three key points: use appropriate soil restoration strategies, have it covered always, and add more organic matter than what we remove.

If we understand the soil as a living organism we need to avoid certain practices that are common place in industrial agriculture. Like removal of surface vegetation (plowing), the application of chemical fertilizer, the accumulation of biocides, the salinization (white death) due to vegetation clearing and irrigation and inappropriate farming methods (monoculture, heavy machinery, draining wetlands)

To repair a degradet soil we need first of all bring water in to allow the life, there are different techniques to get it for example, landshapping (terraces, swales),  cover the soil, bringing back vegetation and improving soil qualities putting organic matter.

Today we began talking about Design Methods and what to look for on a plot of land.

First we look for things that affect the property from the out side, for example the water, the sun, climate, wildlife, bureaucracy, pollution… and we draw the fluxes in to a map to understand the land. We also look at the land form and the aspects to see how the sun will shine on the slope.

Then we talk about the most important element in Permaculture: Observation. It is the most important because if you make a wrong observation you will do a wrong design.

After that we talked about zoning. In Permaculture we recognize 6 zones for the design, from 0 to 5. The zones are determined by how often you visit it.

You live in Zone 0, its your home.

You visit Zone 1 every day, this is where you will have your vegetable garden.

Zone 2 is an intensive cultivated orchard with small animals like chickens.

In Zone 3 you will have your commercial crops and large foraging animals like cows.

In Zone 4 you have a harvest forest for timber and other things.

Zone 5 will be dedicated to wild life, this zone is not cultivated.

To understand all of this and put it in the map we talked about topographical maps and we did some exercises how to read contour maps.

After lunch we began a new topic that interested everybody, is so central in Permaculture designs and is vital to ValldauraLabs, WATER.

At the beginning of the afternoon we talked about strategies and how to maximize water retention in a landscape. This is important in drylands because the 70% of the fresh water that we use is dedicated to irrigation.

The average person in the city is 300l/day and the FAO estimates that 45l/day is adequate to satisfy our needs. So in cities we need to think how to reduce, reuse and clean the water to use the water in the best way possible.

We did calculations to find how many water we can use in relation to the rainfall, it was surprising that most of us used more water than our roofs collect.

Later we talked about the eternal mantra of Permaculture: Slow, Spread, Sink and Store. All of these four are strategies to keep the water in your property. We can store the water in soil, in dams, rivers and aquifers and biomass, soil being the most important one.

Trying to store water in the soil without planting trees and plants is futile. We begin by planting the hill tops with the help of swales which are designed to slow the water flow. The second think that we need to do is replanting the rivers sides to prevent soil erosion and to store more water and biomass.

In hawaii they say ” If you cut the trees of the top of the mountain the goods will be angry” 

~Dr. David Suzuki ~

Today after two and a half month living and working in Valldaura the PDC with Rosemary Morrow and Alfred Decker has began.

We begin with a get to know each other game to create a good atmosphere and to get energized and motivated. Then we moved to the classroom where everything started.

First we reflected upon the environmental problems in the world and their causes and consequences. The exercise we were given was to thoroughly analyze the problems and the consequences of 6 issues, such as climate change, land degradation, globalization, population and consumption and separation from nature, genetic diversity.

Next up was tea break time where students got to know each other better and exchange some nice life stories.

Back to class we got started by trying to define ecology and ecosystems and that’s what we found out: Ecology (from Greek: οἶκος, “house”; -λογία, “study of”) studies interrelations and interdependence between living and non living elements.

Ecosystems = Community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as an open system.  As permaculturists we learned that systems never work isolated and our job in the designing process is to take into account the interactions between them.

After doing an exercise to find 3 different ecosystems and define the structure and functions we realized that is just a matter of scale, and that pretty much everything can be an ecosystem. To our surprise humans are also an ecosystem and when we were trying to find out its functions Rosemary answered:  Humans are adolescents trying to learn what their proposes are. A duck knows its function when it’s born, so does a bee… her opinion is that humans are here to restore and take care of the ecosystems. 

We got explained the way plants succeed to each other on a bare ground, and the fact that permaculture is interested into accelerating this process by skipping some steps by planting nitrogen fixing plants, and as we all come from different countries, we´ll all have to find out for each of our settings which plants suits best as nitrogen fixers where we live. Related to this topic we also talked about the relevance of increasing biodiversity and how the guild (combination of species that feed each other in the same crop) and stacking in time and space can help us.

After a the break we got introduced to the main ethics & principles through interactive activities which lead us to consider that Permaculture is more than just ecological agriculture, its also about taking care of the people.

It has been a really interesting and exiting first day!