The Farm The People The Area
Key Concept
The grain and legumes production will be converted into an alley cropping system, meaning that tree lines consisting of timber, fruit trees or support species will be added into the fields as to increase overall production and ecological impact. Wind breaks and hedgerows will be planted to protect from wind stress. The added biodiversity will support the system overall through attracting beneficial insects and other animals. Different strategies for increasing the soil fertility will be proposed and we will focus on increasing the organic matter content of the soil.
Their market garden operation will be converted into a system inspired by syntropic agriculture following natural successions that lead a simple system into a forest consisting of different layers of plants.
THE DESIGN IN DEPTH
The Almond Plot 1
BEFORE THE CONVERSION
An almond monoculture lacking healthy soil and water retention capacity
AFTER THE CONVERSION
An almond monoculture lacking healthy soil and water retention capacity
The almond tree lines
For crop
Nuts: Almond, Pecan, Walnut, Hazelnut
Fruits: Apricot, Juneberry, Cherry, Sour Cherry, Grapes, Plum, Pear, Elderberry
For Timber
Pawlonia main
Poplar
Black Maple
Eucalyptus
For organic matter production
Poplar
Pawlonia
Paper Mulberry or Sophora Japonica
Black Maple
Catalpa
Chalef/Eleagnus
Between the tree lines
- Market Garden lines
For crop
Diverse annual and perennial vegetables
- Biomass / Green manures lines
For organic matter production
Pampas grass
Miscanthus
Green manure (depending on season)
Plot 2
BEFORE THE CONVERSION
AFTER THE CONVERSION
From top view (hover over the image to discover more details)
The almond tree lines
For crop
Nuts: Almond, Pecan, Walnut, Hazelnut
Fruits: Apricot, Juneberry, Cherry, Sour Cherry, Grapes, Plum, Pear, Elderberry
For Timber
Pawlonia main
Poplar
Black Maple
Eucalyptus
For organic matter production
Poplar
Pawlonia
Paper Mulberry or Sophora Japonica
Black Maple
Catalpa
Chalef/Eleagnus
Between the tree lines
- Biomass / Green manures lines
For organic matter production
Pampas grass
Miscanthus
Green manure (depending on season)
