base map
MASTER PLAN
The Masterplan incorporates the development of an extensive permaculture program across 25 hectares of degraded rainforest.
The development of the Isla Institute of Permaculture follows a masterplan design carried out by Here & Now Designs and led by world renowned permaculture designer and tropical permaculture expert, Jasna Zmaic.
The development of the Isla Institute of Permaculture follows a masterplan design carried out by Here & Now Designs and led by world renowned permaculture designer and tropical permaculture expert, Jasna Zmaic.
permaculture
...is a system of agricultural and social design principles centered on simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems. Permaculture was developed, and the term coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978.
It has many branches that include but are not limited to ecological design, ecological engineering, environmental design, construction and integrated water resources management that develops sustainable architecture, and regenerative and self-maintained habitat and agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.
"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system". - (Mollison)
geology
The soils at Isla consist of sand perched on top of clay. A noticeable transition from sand to a brown loam can be seen at a particular elevation throughout the property.
Decomposing plant matter that falls to the forest floor may be the reason for this change in soil quality though other factors may apply. Further down the slopes this brown loam meets the water table and vast wetlands are the result due to the layer of heavy clay.
The richest soils for production are suspected to lie where the sand meets the brown loam in a band running through the property.
water flow
NATURAL WATER FLOW
From west to the east and then on north stream Colpa is running whole year long and only during the rain, water rises for a short period of time. There are 4 water sources in the field, 3 of them full up the lakes and 1 comes up 20m from the main house. The water is potable for domestic population and they drink it without filtration, without problem, however, for residents of other parts of the world, water should be filtered with activated charcoal, and for 100% safety it is necessary also UV radiation or chlorine addition.
From west to the east and then on north stream Colpa is running whole year long and only during the rain, water rises for a short period of time. There are 4 water sources in the field, 3 of them full up the lakes and 1 comes up 20m from the main house. The water is potable for domestic population and they drink it without filtration, without problem, however, for residents of other parts of the world, water should be filtered with activated charcoal, and for 100% safety it is necessary also UV radiation or chlorine addition.
water system supply
BUILT FOR REDUNDANCY
Several sources of water exist at Isla: Rain that falls abundantly, several creeks, and a well which has not yet proven itself. This variety of sources creates the basis for a resilient water system. By creating system redundancies, water should keep flowing even if a source becomes unavailable for a time.
With 2.87m (113 in.) of rainfall each year roof catchment will be an excellent way to access clean water. The catchment system illustrated here can be implemented wherever potable water is needed and easily modified for additional functionality.
The basic system will get potable water to kitchens and allow staff to learn from experience and keep initial cost low. It would be best to get potable water to all kitchens, showers and handsinks, with clearly marked potable and non-potable water to prevent accidents.
THE BASIC SYSTEM
Rainfall is collected from roofs in straight gutters and directed through a coarse filter into a non-potable storage tank. During heavy rain events, non-potable overflow can run into an aquaculture pond or creek or be collected in another storage tank for non-potable use, such as handwashing, irrigation or washing.
Non-potable water feeds into a slow sand filter, where water slowly percolates through sand, and biological activity removes most contaminents (up to 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, and parasites). Filtered water flows into a potable water storage tank or tanks. Ideally the water is supplied by gravity, and used in sinks. If lacking elevation to make this possible, a hand pump can lift water from a tank or a cistern situated below a building. Potable overflow can be stored and used lower in the landscape at a nearby building at lower altitute. After use, potable water is piped to a greywater system for treatment.
In its most basic form, this sort of layout provides a good balance of function and simplicity, and a few easy additions can further improve resiliency and convenience.
Water can be pumped from potable storage tanks into a nearby potable water tower using a small solar pump. This allows gravity-fed water at high elevations, thus minimizing the use of hand pumps. These multi-functional towers may also support photovoltaics or solar hot water hardware and could be installed.
A small dam or weir in the creek could be used to collect water and pipe it into a “High Lifter” or RAM pump. Simple and reliable with minimal moving parts, these mechanisms use the force of the moving water itself to pump a small amount of water uphill. Creek pumps could feed directly into the initial non-potable water tanks previously mentioned to feed the slow sand filters. Overflow can be routed to aquaculture systems or back to the creeks. Test the quality of the creek water to ensure that the slow sand filter will be sufficient. If necessary, a UV light system could further purify the filtered water.
The several large roofs located high in the landscape set the stage for gravity fed systems lower in the landscape. The inflow of each element in the system is placed at a lower elevation than the outflow of its predecessor. This enables water to be gravity-fed, which is the most resilient and least technical way of moving water through the site. Building kitchens lower into the landscape ensures enough height for a kitchen to receive potable water from its own roof.
In the design, tanks or filters can vary in number or size if extra storage is needed to accommodate increasing needs. Practical water storage solutions include pre-fabricated plastic tanks or ferrocement tanks built on-site by masons.
For the main kitchen, water can be caught, stored and filtered from the roofs of the buildings above. Both non-potable water and potable overflow can be gravity-fed to points of use below.
A spring box is a collection structure located at or as near to the source of the creek as possible. Spring boxes are easy to construct and maintain and will make gravity-fed water available for use, lower in the landscape. Water from the spring box can also be pumped to the tank above the kitchen as a secondary supply for the main campus.
If the well on-site manages to clear its sedimentation issues it can be used as a tertiary back up water source in case other systems fail.
energy systems
A DECENTRALIZED APPROACH
The term “energy” refers to more than just electricity. Planning an energy system takes a broad look at how to get work done. This includes electrical, mechanical, chemical, and biological methods.
Electricity is a very high-grade type of energy – difficult to create, useful for many things – while heat is a low-grade type of energy – easy to create, limited in utility. Therefore, using electricity to do a job that could be accomplished with heat, gravity, or another lower-grade type of energy is wasteful.
For efficiency sake it is important to look at all potential energy sources and match them with the jobs to be done.
The term “energy” refers to more than just electricity. Planning an energy system takes a broad look at how to get work done. This includes electrical, mechanical, chemical, and biological methods.
Electricity is a very high-grade type of energy – difficult to create, useful for many things – while heat is a low-grade type of energy – easy to create, limited in utility. Therefore, using electricity to do a job that could be accomplished with heat, gravity, or another lower-grade type of energy is wasteful.
For efficiency sake it is important to look at all potential energy sources and match them with the jobs to be done.
NON-ELECTRICAL ENERGY POTENTIAL:
- Oil and Alcohol Lighting
- Water Buffalo for Hauling and Transportation
- Mechanically Powered Water Pumps
- Firewood, Charcoal, Methane and Alcohol for Cooking
- Gravity fed Water Systems
PRIORITIZED NEEDS
Energy generated on-site, particularly electricity, is used to get the most essential jobs done first. The highest priority needs are running essential tools for site construction and management and will evolve to include lighting for work spaces. Medium priorities are running electronics (e.g. telephones, computers), water pumping, and lighting for public spaces. Low priorities are providing electricity to individual tambos and rooms.
Energy generated on-site, particularly electricity, is used to get the most essential jobs done first. The highest priority needs are running essential tools for site construction and management and will evolve to include lighting for work spaces. Medium priorities are running electronics (e.g. telephones, computers), water pumping, and lighting for public spaces. Low priorities are providing electricity to individual tambos and rooms.
solar electricity
Photovoltaic systems at Isla Institute of Permaculture are going to be localized. Several small systems serving different parts of the site will requires maintenance, but renders the system more resilient because the entire site does not rely on one system. The map on this page illustrates locations for photovoltaic systems and core energy infrastructure, both current and desired, with nodes of delivery based on priority.
To increase resiliency and ease of maintenance it is important to get parallel systems using the same technologies and parts for each photovoltaic system. That makes it easy to carry a back stock of extra parts that work with any system. Also, if an essential system goes down and no parts are available, a less essential system can be cannibalized for parts. For maintaining batteries in photovoltaic systems, a solar still can be used to produce small quantities of distilled water. Solar Nexus makes simple, easy-to-understand system packages that are perfect for Isla’s needs.
SOLAR HOT WATER
Solar hot water will be localized at points of use once piped water systems are in place. Flat plate collectors are easier to repair than evacuated tube heaters. Hot water reduces water surface tension thus increasing solvency and reducing the need for soap. All kitchens, dish stations, wet workshops, and laundry areas are going to have hot water.
VORTEX hydro POWER PLANT
Is a type of micro hydro vortex turbine system which is capable of converting energy in a moving fluid to rotational energy using a low hydraulic head of 0.7–3 metres (2 ft 4 in–9 ft 10 in). The technology is based on a round basin with a central drain. Above the drain the water forms a stable line vortex which drives a water turbine.
The water passes through a straight inlet and then passes tangentially into a round basin. The water forms a big vortex over the center bottom drain of the basin. A turbine withdraws rotational energy from the vortex, which is converted into electric energy by a generator.
The turbine's theoretical energy conversion efficiency is up to 85% a test installation reported 73% efficiency, and after a year of use its installation cost was just under one US dollar per Watt of output capacity.
The turbine's aeration of the water helps improve water conditions, while the reduced speeds of the turbine and the lack of cavitation ensure that most types of fish can pass through the turbine without danger, something which is much more difficult to achieve at normal hydro plants that require additional structures for the fish migration.
access & erosionss
maintaining path, fertility and water quality
Good access to and within the site is very important when trying to save time and energy through efficient movement. This access must be appropriate to use and designed to minimize maintenance. Fixing erosion problems early on is a high priority because it can cause damage to access, water quality, and fertility that are a lot of work to ameliorate once the problems become severe.
fruits & plants
ISLA PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE
Is a functional model of holistic design. By combining Permaculture principles and a return to traditional knowledge, the Isla Institute will teach and apply regenerative community-based development practices. A global team alongside indigenous communities work together for the protection of the Amazon rainforest, her people and their ancient traditions.
Using both modern and traditional technologies to meet today’s challenges with a positive outlook, The Isla Institute of Permaculture focuses on the solutions rather than the problems. A wide range of productive species will be across the 24 hectares of Isla land and provide an abundant source of food, fiber, construction materials, fuel, medicine, and more.
The different landscape themes addressed in this master plan covers most of the needs of a community in the Peruvian Amazon and serves as a model for the implementation of further permaculture master plans in indigenous and local villages.
Is a functional model of holistic design. By combining Permaculture principles and a return to traditional knowledge, the Isla Institute will teach and apply regenerative community-based development practices. A global team alongside indigenous communities work together for the protection of the Amazon rainforest, her people and their ancient traditions.
Using both modern and traditional technologies to meet today’s challenges with a positive outlook, The Isla Institute of Permaculture focuses on the solutions rather than the problems. A wide range of productive species will be across the 24 hectares of Isla land and provide an abundant source of food, fiber, construction materials, fuel, medicine, and more.
The different landscape themes addressed in this master plan covers most of the needs of a community in the Peruvian Amazon and serves as a model for the implementation of further permaculture master plans in indigenous and local villages.
A LIVING EXAMPLE
The Isla Institute is a comfortable, bustling place where novel experiences and experimentation are commonplace. People come here to see and learn from the examples we implement on-site. Our site exemplifies construction techniques, food production systems, energy and water systems necessary application to the entire complex for comfortable tropical living. New technologies and methods are tested before broad application to the entire complex.
We ensure that educational activities are commonplace. Classes and workshops are carried out here to share the information learned on-site. In addition the site itself has “transparent educational design” components that people are able to learn from just by interacting. For instance, a water system designed such that people learn something about rainwater collection and filtration every time they fill their water bottles.
This type of education will be everywhere throughout the site and features will be accompanied with signage to help people understand the processes that make the site a good example of integrated design.
The Isla Institute is a comfortable, bustling place where novel experiences and experimentation are commonplace. People come here to see and learn from the examples we implement on-site. Our site exemplifies construction techniques, food production systems, energy and water systems necessary application to the entire complex for comfortable tropical living. New technologies and methods are tested before broad application to the entire complex.
We ensure that educational activities are commonplace. Classes and workshops are carried out here to share the information learned on-site. In addition the site itself has “transparent educational design” components that people are able to learn from just by interacting. For instance, a water system designed such that people learn something about rainwater collection and filtration every time they fill their water bottles.
This type of education will be everywhere throughout the site and features will be accompanied with signage to help people understand the processes that make the site a good example of integrated design.
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AGUAJE
Aguaje: The Miracle Fruit For Women It is known that it contains considerable quantities of “phyto-hormones”. These are naturally occurring compounds that mimic the female hormones such as Oestrogen, in the human body. This means that consuming Aguaje can gently and naturally supplement these hormones and provide hormone support to women who are undergoing menaupause. A part of the tree’s importance can be attributed to the product’s key role in the diet of these people, and indeed aguaje has high protein and lipid contents as well as being full of vitamins A and C. BABY BANANAS They are a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Surprisingly, plantains also contain beta carotene (unusual in a non-colorful fruit), with one-half cup cooked containing enough to provide 5 percent of the RDA for vitamin A—compared with 1 percent in the same amount of raw bananas. These short, chubby bananas, sometimes sold as Lady Finger bananas, average 3 inches in length. When ripe, the skin is bright yellow. They are very sweet and creamy. BRAZIL NUT
Bertholletia excelsa is an important part of an intact rainforest ecosystem, as well as an important part in the local economy. This tree relies on healthy intact forest to survive, due to its intricate connections with other species in the forest. Only a few types of bees and to a lesser extent, bats can pollinate its flowers, and there is only one known disperser of the seeds (what we call the nut) other than man, a small rodent called the agouti. GUABA
It's not everyday that you can slurp white fuzz out of a foot-long seedpod – unless you're in Isla! Thanks to its sweet and velvety texture, it's also called the "ice cream bean." Crack one open to reveal a trail of white, cottony pulp surrounding black seeds. To enjoy, simply pop a section into your mouth, eat the pulp and spit out the remaining seed. Guaba is a synonym for "chance" or "luck." For example, if someone is particularly lucky, they may be called "guabero." Additionally, and perhaps demonstrating a bit of wishful thinking, guaba is also used colloquially to refer to a man's sexual organ. Pacay has a long history in the region, and dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Incas. The tree's pods are often depicted in pottery and ceramics, indicating they were used as gifts of honor or as royal delicacies. UMARI
It has an intense aroma and buttery texture, and is actually used by jungle inhabitants as a vegetable butter to spread on things like “casabe”, a bread made from starch obtained from the yuca. In the Colombian part of the Amazon basin, starch obtained from fermenting the seeds is used to make a type of Casabe (Casabe de pepa de Umari is a product of the Ark of Taste). In the Maynas Peruvian province some indigenous communities use the umari fruit to make a non-alcoholic drink called Cahuana. This is made by mashing the pulp of the fruit with yuca starch, obtaining a dense liquid. LIME
Only vitamin C content at 35% of the Daily Value per 100g serving is significant for nutrition. Lime pulp and peel contain diverse phytochemicals, including polyphenols and terpenes, many of which are under basic research for their potential properties in humans. ORANGE
Oranges contain diverse phytochemicals, including (beta-carotenoids arotene, lutein and beta-cryptoxanthin), flavonoids (e.g. naringenin) and numerous volatile organic compounds producing orange aroma, including aldehydes, esters, terpenes, alcohols, and ketones. MANDARIN
In traditional Chinese medicine, the dried peel of the fruit is used in the regulation of ch'i, and also used to treat abdominal distension, to enhance digestion, and to reduce phlegm. Mandarins have also been used in ayurveda (traditional medicine of India) |
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STRUCTURES
The Isla Institute is complimented by the existing “Isla Amazonica ONGD” which houses 10 guests. The Isla Center was constructed between 2013-2015 and is located near Tamshiyacu. This building facility (2 small accommodation blocks with toilets, 1 kitchen, 1 dining room, 1 toilet and shower block in main block) is now fully operational and is being used as a transitional center during the construction of the Isla Institute buildings which are located on a separate plot of land approximately 100-200 meter from one to the other.
The conceptual project for the construction of new housing units contains 15 facilities that would accommodate between 2 and 6 people per unit, so that the total number of new tenants would increase from 30 to 90 people.
The conceptual project for the construction of new housing units contains 15 facilities that would accommodate between 2 and 6 people per unit, so that the total number of new tenants would increase from 30 to 90 people.
future house type 1
DIMENSION
Depth : 14,6m (48')
Width : 14,6m (48')
AREA
First Floor: 507m2 (1664 sq/ft)
ROOF
Roof Framing : Combination Truss/Conventional
Roof Type : Yarina leaf over boards
EXTERIOR WALL FRAMING
Exterior Wall Finish : Siding
Framing : Wood - 2x4
BEDROOM FEATURES
Fireplace
Formal Dining Room
Formal Living Room / Parlor
Walk In Closet
KITCHEN FEATURES
Breakfast Nook
ADDITIONAL ROOM FEATURES
Family Room Keeping Room
Master Sitting Area
OUTDOOR SPACES
Deck
Depth : 14,6m (48')
Width : 14,6m (48')
AREA
First Floor: 507m2 (1664 sq/ft)
ROOF
Roof Framing : Combination Truss/Conventional
Roof Type : Yarina leaf over boards
EXTERIOR WALL FRAMING
Exterior Wall Finish : Siding
Framing : Wood - 2x4
BEDROOM FEATURES
Fireplace
Formal Dining Room
Formal Living Room / Parlor
Walk In Closet
KITCHEN FEATURES
Breakfast Nook
ADDITIONAL ROOM FEATURES
Family Room Keeping Room
Master Sitting Area
OUTDOOR SPACES
Deck
HUMANURE AND SEPTIC SYSTEM
The human waste on-site is dealt with using a composting toilet system. Composting areas for humanure are located near toilets to minimize bucket carrying. These areas are covered to prevent leaching nutrients. It is also possible to create a mobile composting system that moves throughout the areas where we ultimately want the fertility. We tackle humanure processing with a high degree of quality control to prevent transmission of pathogens. Thermometers and microscopes are appropriate given the scale of the system that handles Isla.
The rich compost provided by the humanure system is utilized to increase fertility and boost production in various tree crops. Although theoretically safe, as a precaution composted humanure is never be used on crops with harvestable parts in direct contact (e.g. ground covers, root vegetables, fruits harvested after they fall, etc.).
GRAYWATER SYSTEM / BANANA CIRCLE
GREYWATER SYSTEMS
Greywater refers to any water coming out of a shower, hand sink, kitchen sink, clothes washing station, or dish station. There are points of greywater generation throughout the Isla grounds that are dealt with using “banana circles”. In this case, pits filled with mulch are surrounded by bananas so that nutrient-rich greywater can be turned into food. The mulch keeps the greywater under the surface and the bananas suck up the nutrient loaded water and clean it. In reality, systems like this can vary quite a bit. You can use trenches instead of circles. We can also use taro, palms and other water absorbing plants instead of bananas.
Ongoing maintenance of greywater systems includes managing bananas, adding mulch occasionally and, possibly, harvesting and replacing mulch. As usage shifts over time it may be that original greywater systems do not accommodate the volume of greywater produced in a given area. In this case more banana circles can be added. When one gets full, greywater can be rerouted to one of the others. This can be accomplished through a series of valves or a movable pipe. Thinking ahead, these greywater systems can be designed with potential for future expansion in the form of stub outs for additional systems.
BANANA CIRCLE
Banana circle is a classic permaculture technique.
That’s because it’s a perfect partnership between edible plants and waste. It’s a way for you to compost food scraps and wastewater like you would in a regular compost pile while simultaneously creating an ideal growing environment for bananas and other plants.
To plant a banana circle in your garden, simply dig a circular pit, about two meters wide and one meter deep. Take the soil you’ve removed and mound it around the pit. This is where you will plant your bananas, and the pit is where you’ll create a new compost pile.
For your banana circle to truly exemplify the principles of permaculture, you’ll want to plant more than just bananas. You can choose from several plant combinations that will thrive in symbiosis. The large leaves of tall banana plants create a nice shelter for more delicate plants. Taro, cassava, and sweet potato are all great options. They benefit the banana circle by providing ground cover to prevent weed growth. You can also plant lemongrass, vetiver, or citronella, all of which will help repel insects.
Why does the inner compost pile work so well? Bananas require a lot of nutrients and water, so it’s exactly what they need. If you kept your banana plants and compost pile separate, you’d do a lot more work to keep your bananas healthy. You’ll want to keep the compost in a banana circle a little wetter than usual because the bananas are so thirsty. This is a great way to use kitchen wastewater, excess rainwater, or even urine from dry composting toilets.
The most well-known for temperate climates is the Three Sisters garden, which originated with American Indians. In this permaculture technique, you plant corn, beans, and squash (and sometimes the fourth sister, sunflowers) together. The plants grow better together than they would apart. As an added benefit, their crops provide a healthy, balanced diet.
That’s because it’s a perfect partnership between edible plants and waste. It’s a way for you to compost food scraps and wastewater like you would in a regular compost pile while simultaneously creating an ideal growing environment for bananas and other plants.
To plant a banana circle in your garden, simply dig a circular pit, about two meters wide and one meter deep. Take the soil you’ve removed and mound it around the pit. This is where you will plant your bananas, and the pit is where you’ll create a new compost pile.
For your banana circle to truly exemplify the principles of permaculture, you’ll want to plant more than just bananas. You can choose from several plant combinations that will thrive in symbiosis. The large leaves of tall banana plants create a nice shelter for more delicate plants. Taro, cassava, and sweet potato are all great options. They benefit the banana circle by providing ground cover to prevent weed growth. You can also plant lemongrass, vetiver, or citronella, all of which will help repel insects.
Why does the inner compost pile work so well? Bananas require a lot of nutrients and water, so it’s exactly what they need. If you kept your banana plants and compost pile separate, you’d do a lot more work to keep your bananas healthy. You’ll want to keep the compost in a banana circle a little wetter than usual because the bananas are so thirsty. This is a great way to use kitchen wastewater, excess rainwater, or even urine from dry composting toilets.
The most well-known for temperate climates is the Three Sisters garden, which originated with American Indians. In this permaculture technique, you plant corn, beans, and squash (and sometimes the fourth sister, sunflowers) together. The plants grow better together than they would apart. As an added benefit, their crops provide a healthy, balanced diet.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
CLOSING LOOPS
The best management of waste streams involves turning those wastes into resources. If waste products are not reabsorbed by the system that created them in some fashion they quickly become pollutants. Therefore, it is important to make the shift from viewing these as “waste” and start viewing them as resources.
The best management of waste streams involves turning those wastes into resources. If waste products are not reabsorbed by the system that created them in some fashion they quickly become pollutants. Therefore, it is important to make the shift from viewing these as “waste” and start viewing them as resources.
FOOD WASTE AND COMPOST
FOOD WASTE AND COMPOST
Food waste generated by the kitchens and dining rooms can be handled in a couple ways. First, vegetable matter can be used to make compost for short-term soil improvement. Second, it can be fed to animals to meet a portion of their food needs. Animals products (e.g. bones, guts, dairy, etc.) can be added to the humanure for composting.
Making aerobic compost teas is also an excellent use for kitchen waste compost. These aerobic compost teas are applied to soils and crops to help bolster beneficial microorganism communities and prevent disease however, it must be done correctly to gain these benefits.
Food waste generated by the kitchens and dining rooms can be handled in a couple ways. First, vegetable matter can be used to make compost for short-term soil improvement. Second, it can be fed to animals to meet a portion of their food needs. Animals products (e.g. bones, guts, dairy, etc.) can be added to the humanure for composting.
Making aerobic compost teas is also an excellent use for kitchen waste compost. These aerobic compost teas are applied to soils and crops to help bolster beneficial microorganism communities and prevent disease however, it must be done correctly to gain these benefits.
PLASTICS AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES
PLASTICS AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES
The most prevalent toxic substance used on the property is bleach for cleaning and disinfecting. This can be minimized by managing resident and guest expectations regarding the clothes they choose to bring. For disinfecting dishes, alternatives such as hydrogen peroxide are used. Use of bleach is restricted to the washing stations. Bleach water is allowed to sit for several hours before dumping into a greywater system to allow maximum evaporation.
Soaps, even bio-degradable ones, are kept out of creeks and ponds. Just because something will eventually bio-degrade does not mean it is harmless until that happens. To protect downstream fish and amphibians all soapy water is run through an appropriate greywater systems.
Non-reusable trash is stuffed into plastic bottles and saved for construction projects as eco-bricks.
The most prevalent toxic substance used on the property is bleach for cleaning and disinfecting. This can be minimized by managing resident and guest expectations regarding the clothes they choose to bring. For disinfecting dishes, alternatives such as hydrogen peroxide are used. Use of bleach is restricted to the washing stations. Bleach water is allowed to sit for several hours before dumping into a greywater system to allow maximum evaporation.
Soaps, even bio-degradable ones, are kept out of creeks and ponds. Just because something will eventually bio-degrade does not mean it is harmless until that happens. To protect downstream fish and amphibians all soapy water is run through an appropriate greywater systems.
Non-reusable trash is stuffed into plastic bottles and saved for construction projects as eco-bricks.
building resiliency
PREPARING FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
A resilient community is one that continues to function during a disruption. Whether considering global issues, such as climate change, or in-house issues, like a temporary decrease in income, having systems in place to buffer the impacts is crucial to long term success.
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
Having multiple structures on the property for storage is helpful as Isla develops. Storage will be needed for some of the products from the landscape such as bamboo culms, timbers, and resins. In addition, Isla will be more resilient if they stock pile spare parts for essential systems and extra tools and materials. This will help if transport to the Iquitos area ever goes down for a limited time.
MINERALS AND CHEMICALS
For long term resiliency local mineral resources should be looked at. Two types of clay exist on-site with ceramic quality, making pottery, bricks, storage vessels and roof tiles possible. Wattle and daub and similar construction techniques have been used traditionally in a wide range of climates and will be explored.
The fine white sand on-site is an unexpected resource, it provides a mud free environment, and has potential for glassmaking. Access to glass would be useful for a variety of artifacts including artwork, lamps, blades, and containers, including kitchen and apothecary uses.
The biological resources of the Amazon are legendary. Many plants and trees produce extractable resins, gums, latexes, sugars, waxes, and oils. These chemicals can be used for fuels, medicines and as the basis for local-scale industrial products such as wood and thatch preservatives, soaps, waterproofing products, and fuels for light and refrigeration.
domestic animals
INTEGRATED HUSBANDRY
As in Nature, most permaculture systems incorporate animals for the myriad benefits they provide. By using animals in a way that allows them to exhibit their natural behaviors it is possible to minimize work that would otherwise fall to people.
As in Nature, most permaculture systems incorporate animals for the myriad benefits they provide. By using animals in a way that allows them to exhibit their natural behaviors it is possible to minimize work that would otherwise fall to people.
chickens
Many forms of poultry are appropriate in tropical systems. Chickens, guinea fowl, ducks, peacocks, and turkeys are all feasible fill a specific niche on-site. Isla needs two distinct populations of chickens. A large group to supply meat, eggs and feathers, and a smaller group for pest control, weeding, and fertilizing.
The first group will likely start with 200+ layers and a constant rotation of broilers. Establishing a pastured chicken micro-business nearby appears to be the best solution for an operation of this scale. Tropical applications for Joel Salatin‘s pastured poultry systems is a good place to start.
The smaller, working flock will begin with 50 birds rotated throughout the Islas's agroforestry systems. They can be moved through different areas using portable electric fencing and mobile coops. When preparing areas for establishment with tree crops chickens can be moved in to fertilize the area first. Established agroforestry systems will also benefit from the chickens’ ongoing fertilization and weed control. Ranging the chickens in the staple crops areas at the right time can boost production markedly. Feed sources may include, avocados, breadnut, pigeon pea, or maggots. When chickens are not out on the landcape, they can rest in a more permanent coop and run near the Isla workshop area.
bees
Bees are an important part of Amazonian ecology. There are hundreds of species of stingless bees in the genus Melipona, and many produce excellent honey. Some of these species have done well in top bar hives which are easy to build and mimic the natural habitat of old hollow logs. Though stingless some of these species do bite.
Raising european honey bees is also possible in the Amazon basin where colonies have even naturalized. Bee honey can be used for sweetener and in medical preparations. Other products of apiary, such as wax, royal jelly, pollen, and propolis are also valuable and could comprise a micro-business on-site. Most importantly, bees will pollinate much of the fruit growing at Isla.
Raising european honey bees is also possible in the Amazon basin where colonies have even naturalized. Bee honey can be used for sweetener and in medical preparations. Other products of apiary, such as wax, royal jelly, pollen, and propolis are also valuable and could comprise a micro-business on-site. Most importantly, bees will pollinate much of the fruit growing at Isla.
goats
Land clearing Goats have been used by humans to clear unwanted vegetation for centuries. They have been described as "eating machines" and "biological control agents". There has been a resurgence of this in North America since 1990, when herds were used to clear dry brush from California hillsides thought to be endangered by potential wildfires. This form of using goats to clear land is sometimes known as conservation grazing. Since then, numerous public and private agencies have hired private herds to perform similar tasks. This practice has become popular in the Pacific Northwest, where they are used to remove invasive species not easily removed by humans, including (thorned) blackberry vines and poison oak.
Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream remains suspended in the milk, instead of rising to the top, as in raw cow milk; therefore, it does not need to be homogenized. Indeed, if the milk is to be used to make cheese, homogenization is not recommended, as this changes the structure of the milk, affecting the culture's ability to coagulate the milk and the final quality and yield of cheese.
Dairy goats in their prime (generally around the third or fourth lactation cycle) average 2.7 to 3.6 kg (6 to 8 lb) of milk production daily roughly 2.8 to 3.8 l (3 to 4 U.S. qt) during a ten-month lactation, producing more just after freshening and gradually dropping in production toward the end of their lactation. The milk generally averages 3.5% butterfat.
Goat milk is commonly processed into cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, cajeta and other products. Goat cheese is known as fromage de chèvre ("goat cheese") in France. Some varieties include Rocamadour and Montrachet.
Goat butter is white because goats produce milk with the yellow beta-carotene converted to a colorless form of vitamin A.
Goat milk naturally has small, well-emulsified fat globules, which means the cream remains suspended in the milk, instead of rising to the top, as in raw cow milk; therefore, it does not need to be homogenized. Indeed, if the milk is to be used to make cheese, homogenization is not recommended, as this changes the structure of the milk, affecting the culture's ability to coagulate the milk and the final quality and yield of cheese.
Dairy goats in their prime (generally around the third or fourth lactation cycle) average 2.7 to 3.6 kg (6 to 8 lb) of milk production daily roughly 2.8 to 3.8 l (3 to 4 U.S. qt) during a ten-month lactation, producing more just after freshening and gradually dropping in production toward the end of their lactation. The milk generally averages 3.5% butterfat.
Goat milk is commonly processed into cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, cajeta and other products. Goat cheese is known as fromage de chèvre ("goat cheese") in France. Some varieties include Rocamadour and Montrachet.
Goat butter is white because goats produce milk with the yellow beta-carotene converted to a colorless form of vitamin A.
water buffalo
Originally from Asia, water buffalo have been domesticated for thousands of years. They are used in agriculture and for transportation throughout the tropics and beyond. Water buffalo were introduced to the Amazon more than 100 years ago and are currently used for meat, milk, cheese, and leather production.
Water Buffalo eat aquatic vegetation, grasses, and browse leaves of shrubs and trees. They are also able to haul incredible loads and provide traction in aquatic production systems. Additionally, water buffalo can do other heavy work such as dragging logs and pressing oil or sugar crops. Having water buffalo will require someone with an aptitude for animal husbandry. However, water buffalo tend to be mild mannered and managing them is often the duty of children in Southeast Asia. They do not require a barn or shelter, but when not in use, they can be rested in the water buffalo area to the south or tied up in an area to be grazed down.
Water Buffalo eat aquatic vegetation, grasses, and browse leaves of shrubs and trees. They are also able to haul incredible loads and provide traction in aquatic production systems. Additionally, water buffalo can do other heavy work such as dragging logs and pressing oil or sugar crops. Having water buffalo will require someone with an aptitude for animal husbandry. However, water buffalo tend to be mild mannered and managing them is often the duty of children in Southeast Asia. They do not require a barn or shelter, but when not in use, they can be rested in the water buffalo area to the south or tied up in an area to be grazed down.
aquaculture
ANIMAL WELFARE
As with the farming of terrestrial animals, social attitudes influence the need for humane practices and regulations in farmed animals. Under the guidelines advised by the Farm Animal Welfare Council good animal welfare means both fitness and a sense of well being in the animal's physical and mental state. This can be defined by the Five Freedoms:
As with the farming of terrestrial animals, social attitudes influence the need for humane practices and regulations in farmed animals. Under the guidelines advised by the Farm Animal Welfare Council good animal welfare means both fitness and a sense of well being in the animal's physical and mental state. This can be defined by the Five Freedoms:
- Freedom from hunger & thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain, disease, or injury
- Freedom to express normal behaviour
- Freedom from fear and distress
However, the controversial issue in aquaculture is whether fish and farmed marine invertebrates are actually sentient, or have the perception and awareness to experience suffering. Although no evidence of this has been found in marine invertebrates, recent studies conclude that fish do have the necessary receptors (nociceptors) to sense noxious stimuli and so are likely to experience states of pain, fear and stress. Consequently, welfare in aquaculture is directed at vertebrates; finfish in particular.
Macrobrachium amazonicum (Lake 2)
The occurrence of morphotypes in Macrobrachium amazonicum males was investigated. Prawns aged 4 to 24 months were taken from 10 aquaculture earthen ponds. Color and spination of right second cheliped were analyzed under a stereomicroscope. Post-orbital and carapace length were measured as well as the length of the cheliped and all limb joints on the right second pereiopods. Four distinct morphotypes were identified: Translucent Claw (TC), Cinnamon Claw (CC), Green Claw 1 (GC1) and Green Claw 2 (GC2). They differed in cheliped morphology and some morphometric relationships. Chelipeds were translucent in TC prawns while in CC they were generally cinnamon-color. Both showed a few spines and some low prominences similar to very small tubercles. GC1 and GC2 showed long moss green chelipeds provided with long and robust spines. However, in GC2, cheliped length was always greater than post-orbital length and the angles of spines on the carpus and propodus were more open, ranging from 51° to 92°, while, in GC1 it varies from 34° to 65°. Cheliped length, the cheliped length/post-orbital length ratio and the spine angle were significantly different among the four morphotypes. A description for the identification of each group is provided and the development of M. amazonicum males is discussed. Each morphotype may play a different role in the population and in the environment in which it lives. Therefore, the identification of morphotypes is advisable for future researches on the biology and culture of M. amazonicum.
Macrobrachium rosenbergii has been introduced into a number of countries, and in some of these, it has already been frequently captured in the wild. As for any other exotic species, its success in new habitats is related primarily to its reproductive capacity. For the present study we evaluated the reproductive capacity of an introduced population of M. rosenbergii in estuaries of the Amazon Coast, north Brazil. A total of 588 specimens (305 males and 283 females) were captured during 24 months. Of the females, 82 (28.9%) were incubating eggs, and 62 (21.9%) had recently spawned. In addition, more than 70% of the females had mature or maturing gonads. Mean fecundity was 55,000 eggs, with a minimum of 9,086, and a maximum of 192,172 eggs. Ovigerous females were captured throughout the study period, indicating continuous reproduction. Adult males are known to present three morphotypes, all of which were observed in the present study, but with a predominance of the intermediary Orange Claw morphotype (48%). The body length and weight of males were greater than in females. Different size classes were observed for both sexes during the study period suggesting a continued recruitment of new individuals to the population over the time. The species has been harvested from the wild for more than ten years, being interrupted during the period when the river is flooded. This may function as a natural interval for the recovery of stocks, which may favor the establishment of a sustainable population over the long term. We conclude that the exotic population of M. rosenbergii in eastern Amazonia is capable of reproducing itself and probably has the capacity to persist over future generations, causing a strong impact on native species. Given this, it is important to continue monitoring the progress of this species and its potential effects on the biodiversity of the Amazon basin.
Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle (LAKE 2)
YELLOW-SPOTTED AMAZON RIVER TURTLE
(Podocnemis unifilis) is one of the largest South American river turtles. It can grow up to 45 cm long and weigh up to 8 kg. This species can be recognized by its black or brown oval carapace (upper shell) with distinctive low keels on the second and third scutes. Yellow spots on the side of its head give this species its common name. These spots are most prominent in juveniles and fade with age. Females can be up to twice the size of males.
Podocnemis unifilis is a type of side-necked turtles, so called because they do not pull their heads directly into their shells, but rather bend their necks sideways to tuck their heads under the rim of their shells. Side-neck turtles are classified as members of the suborder Pleurodira.
JuvenileThese turtles are native to South America's Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers systems of the Guianas. They are found in tributaries and large lakes, naturally calm waters. During flood season, they may venture into flooded forests or floodplain lakes. They feed on fruits, weeds, fish, and small invertebrates.
The females lay two clutches of eggs each year, each with four to 35 eggs in it. They make their nests in sandy areas on the banks of rivers, where the eggs will hatch 66 to 159 days after they are laid. The eggs are laid at the peak of dry season so the nest will not be washed away with the floods of the rainy season. Eggs incubated below 32 degrees Celsius will hatch as males, while those incubated above 32 degrees Celsius will hatch as females. Within a few days after hatching, the young turtles begin to forage for food alone. This food includes vegetable matter, grasses, fruits, leaves, carrion and mollusks.
Podocnemis unifilis was one of the foreign species exploited by the American pet turtle trade in the 1960s. This species are at risk of predation by humans, birds, snakes, large fish, frogs and mammals. Importation of this species is now strictly regulated by Federal law, but a captive, self-sustaining population exists in the United States—some groups in zoos, others in the hands of private collectors. Individuals of this species have lived more than 30 years in captivity.
Podocnemis unifilis is a type of side-necked turtles, so called because they do not pull their heads directly into their shells, but rather bend their necks sideways to tuck their heads under the rim of their shells. Side-neck turtles are classified as members of the suborder Pleurodira.
JuvenileThese turtles are native to South America's Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers systems of the Guianas. They are found in tributaries and large lakes, naturally calm waters. During flood season, they may venture into flooded forests or floodplain lakes. They feed on fruits, weeds, fish, and small invertebrates.
The females lay two clutches of eggs each year, each with four to 35 eggs in it. They make their nests in sandy areas on the banks of rivers, where the eggs will hatch 66 to 159 days after they are laid. The eggs are laid at the peak of dry season so the nest will not be washed away with the floods of the rainy season. Eggs incubated below 32 degrees Celsius will hatch as males, while those incubated above 32 degrees Celsius will hatch as females. Within a few days after hatching, the young turtles begin to forage for food alone. This food includes vegetable matter, grasses, fruits, leaves, carrion and mollusks.
Podocnemis unifilis was one of the foreign species exploited by the American pet turtle trade in the 1960s. This species are at risk of predation by humans, birds, snakes, large fish, frogs and mammals. Importation of this species is now strictly regulated by Federal law, but a captive, self-sustaining population exists in the United States—some groups in zoos, others in the hands of private collectors. Individuals of this species have lived more than 30 years in captivity.
tilapia (lake3)
Tilapia have been used as biological controls for certain aquatic plant problems. They have a preference for a floating aquatic plant, duckweed (Lemna sp.) but also consume some filamentous algae. In Kenya, tilapia were introduced to control mosquitoes, which were causing malaria, because they consume mosquito larvae, consequently reducing the numbers of adult female mosquitoes, the vector of the disease. These benefits are, however, frequently outweighed by the negative aspects of tilapia as an invasive species.
Tilapia was a symbol of rebirth in Egyptian art, and was in addition associated with Hathor. It was also said to accompany and protect the sun god on his daily journey across the sky. Tilapia painted on tomb walls, reminds us of spell 15 of the Book of the Dead by which the deceased hopes to take his place in the sun boat: "You see the tilapia in its [true] form at the turquoise pool", and "I behold the tilapia in its [true] nature guiding the speedy boat in its waters."
bocachico (LAKE 4)
BOCACHICO
Prochilodus nigricans, is a commercially important fish distributed throughout the central and western Amazon. Age and growth of this species were determined by otolith and scale increment analyses. For otolith analyses, we used thin sections of the astericus, and clear visualization of annuli required the use transmitted polarized light. Accuracy and precision of age estimation were compared to select the best ageing structure. Precision indices showed that otoliths are more reliable than scales to determine the age of bocachicos. Based on marginal increments analysis, we found that annulus formation in both structures occurs once a year between August and December. Seasonal changes in growth were associated with hydrological cycle of the river. The Peruvian Prochilodus at the juvenile–adult stage grew faster (i.e., K=0.29 for ages 2 and older) than conspecific populations from Bolivia and Brazil (K=0.5). In addition, annual mortality rate (A=0. 56) was lower than reported for Prochilodus populations elsewhere in the Amazon. We conclude that this population is presently not overexploited, but conservation and management schemes for this population will need to consider that it is an international, trans-boundary migrant.
Bocachico is an ideal fish for dieting when you are on longer diets with power plants eating just Bocachico fish with a cooked or roasted banana daily.
Bocachico is an ideal fish for dieting when you are on longer diets with power plants eating just Bocachico fish with a cooked or roasted banana daily.
GAMBUSIA
Gambusia is a large genus of fish in family Poeciliidae (order Cyprinodontiformes). Gambusia species are often called topminnows or simply gambusias; they are also known as mosquitofish, which, however, refers more specifically to two species, G. affinis and G. holbrooki. These can be introduced into ponds to eat mosquito larvae
trophic level
Consumer categories based on material eaten
Plant: Green shades are live, Brown shades are dead
Animal: Red shades are live, Black shades are dead
Particulate: grey shades
Feeding strategy
Gatherer: lighter shade of each color
Miner: darker shade of each color
The three basic ways in which organisms get food are as producers, consumers and decomposers.
- Producers (autotrophs) are typically plants or algae. Plants and algae do not usually eat other organisms, but pull nutrients from the soil or the ocean and manufacture their own food using photosynthesis. For this reason, they are called primary producers. In this way, it is energy from the sun that usually powers the base of the food chain. An exception occurs in deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems, where there is no sunlight. Here primary producers manufacture food through a process called chemosynthesis.
- Consumers (heterotrophs) are species that cannot manufacture their own food and need to consume other organisms. Animals that eat primary producers (like plants) are called herbivores. Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores, and animals that eat both plant and other animals are called omnivores.
- Decomposers (detritivores) break down dead plant and animal material and wastes and release it again as energy and nutrients into the ecosystem for recycling. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi (mushrooms), feed on waste and dead matter, converting it into inorganic chemicals that can be recycled as mineral nutrients for plants to use again.
- Level 1: Plants and algae make their own food and are called producers.
- Level 2: Herbivores eat plants and are called primary consumers.
- Level 3: Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.
- Level 4: Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers.
- Apex predators by definition have no predators and are at the top of their food chains.
BIOMASS TRANSFER EFFICIENCY
An energy pyramid illustrates how much energy is needed as it flows upward to support the next trophic level. Only about 10% of the energy transferred between each trophic level is converted to biomass.
ENERGY PYRAMID
An energy pyramid illustrates how much energy is needed as it flows upward to support the next trophic level. Only about 10% of the energy transferred between each trophic level is converted to biomass.In general, each trophic level relates to the one below it by absorbing some of the energy it consumes, and in this way can be regarded as resting on, or supported by, the next lower trophic level. Food chains can be diagrammed to illustrate the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to the next in a food chain. This is called an energy pyramid. The energy transferred between levels can also be thought of as approximating to a transfer in biomass, so energy pyramids can also be viewed as biomass pyramids, picturing the amount of biomass that results at higher levels from biomass consumed at lower levels. However, when primary producers grow rapidly and are consumed rapidly, the biomass at any one moment may be low; for example, phytoplankton (producer) biomass can be low compared to the zooplankton (consumer) biomass in the same area of ocean.
The efficiency with which energy or biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next is called the ecological efficiency. Consumers at each level convert on average only about 10% of the chemical energy in their food to their own organic tissue (the ten-percent law). For this reason, food chains rarely extend for more than 5 or 6 levels. At the lowest trophic level (the bottom of the food chain), plants convert about 1% of the sunlight they receive into chemical energy. It follows from this that the total energy originally present in the incident sunlight that is finally embodied in a tertiary consumer is about 0.001%.
An energy pyramid illustrates how much energy is needed as it flows upward to support the next trophic level. Only about 10% of the energy transferred between each trophic level is converted to biomass.In general, each trophic level relates to the one below it by absorbing some of the energy it consumes, and in this way can be regarded as resting on, or supported by, the next lower trophic level. Food chains can be diagrammed to illustrate the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to the next in a food chain. This is called an energy pyramid. The energy transferred between levels can also be thought of as approximating to a transfer in biomass, so energy pyramids can also be viewed as biomass pyramids, picturing the amount of biomass that results at higher levels from biomass consumed at lower levels. However, when primary producers grow rapidly and are consumed rapidly, the biomass at any one moment may be low; for example, phytoplankton (producer) biomass can be low compared to the zooplankton (consumer) biomass in the same area of ocean.
The efficiency with which energy or biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next is called the ecological efficiency. Consumers at each level convert on average only about 10% of the chemical energy in their food to their own organic tissue (the ten-percent law). For this reason, food chains rarely extend for more than 5 or 6 levels. At the lowest trophic level (the bottom of the food chain), plants convert about 1% of the sunlight they receive into chemical energy. It follows from this that the total energy originally present in the incident sunlight that is finally embodied in a tertiary consumer is about 0.001%.
EVOLUTION
Both the number of trophic levels and the complexity of relationships between them evolve as life diversifies through time, the exception being intermittent mass extinction events.
TRITROPHIC AND OTHER INTERACTIONS
One aspect of trophic levels is called tritrophic interaction. Ecologists often restrict their research to two trophic levels as a way of simplifying the analysis; however, this can be misleading if tritrophic interactions (such as plant–herbivore–predator) are not easily understood by simply adding pairwise interactions (plant–herbivore plus herbivore–predator, for example). Significant interactions can occur between the first trophic level (plant) and the third trophic level (a predator) in determining herbivore population growth, for example. Simple genetic changes may yield morphological variants in plants that then differ in their resistance to herbivores because of the effects of the plant architecture on enemies of the herbivore. Plants can also develop defenses against herbivores such as chemical defenses.
maintenance aeras
BEHIND THE SCENES
Given the complexity of the development at Isla it is imperative to set up adequate maintenance infrastructure. This will allow workers and site managers to do their jobs efficiently and take care of repairs without interfering with guests or visitors. Each of the different types of shops will likely appear twice on the property: once at the Isla Permculture Institute and once in the Isla Amazonica ONGD complex. The shops will be grouped together into a maintenance cluster in each area. Eventually, some of these shops may also appear in the residential community as it develops.
STORAGE FACILITIES
Having lockable storage for tools, supplies, and a stockpile of surplus parts and tools is essential. Travelling to the nearest city for a part that’s missing is not only incredibly time and energy consuming, but it also may not be an option indefinitely. No farmer has ever complained about having too much covered storage space! Storage should also be able to accommodate some of the Isla harvests such as curing bamboo, polewood, and thatch.
MULTI-USE SPACE
It is becoming essential to have a general, multi-use shop area at Isla where day-to-day maintenance tasks can be tackled. It needs to be out of the rain and usable for a wide variety of tasks such as carpentry, woodwork, electrical work, and mechanical work.
WET WORKSHOPS
Wet workshop space will provide a covered space for work that may be sloppy. Making soaps and biofuels, mixing liquid fertilizers, distilling essential oils, and fermenting beverages are all tasks that take place here.
DRY CRAFTS WORKSHOPS
These workshops offer mosquito-free space for non-sloppy crafts. This includes basketry, painting, pottery, carving, weaving and jewelry-making. These spaces will most likely be used by residents and volunteers.
HIGH HEAT WORKSHOPS
The high heat workshops are for tasks that involve fire. They offer the potential for on-site metalworking, pottery kilns, and glass-making. These workshops will require a minimum of flammable material nearby. That means a concrete or sand floor, a metal roof, and a vegetation-free area.
fertility
MAINTAINING PRODUCTIVITY OVER TIME
Managing fertility in the Tropics can be challenging. Soils do not tend to hold nutrients for long. By improving soil conditions and establishing perennial crops fertility can be enhanced and cycled within the system.
COMPOST
Kitchen waste, humanure, and animal wastes can all be composted. Due to the consistent moisture and heat in the humid Tropics the nutrients in compost tend to volatilize and leach quickly. Therefore, composts are not be expected to be a lasting form of nutrient amendment. In the short-run, however, composts prove beneficial to many crops and serve as a good soil conditioner. Composted vegetable waste is appropriate for use in annuals, leaves, and tubers. Humanure composts are restricted to use around tree crops to minimize potential issues with pathogens.
ANIMALS
Perhaps the most valuable roll for domestic animals at Isla is their ability to generate large quantities of fertility and deposit it where you want it. By using animals such as chickens to forage in controlled areas their manure deposits benefit the plantings in those areas. Manure from poultry also goes into solution in water, making it appropriate for fertigation in the nursery. For larger animals such as water buffalo, manures that are collected can be added to a bio-digestor or composted to create an incredibly rich soil amendment for application to various tree crops.
CHOP & DROP
Incorporating nitrogen-fixing ground covers, shrubs, and trees through Isla’s landscape provides much fertility alone. However, to enhance this effect nitrogen-fixing plants can be coppiced or pollarded as the adjacent plants are about to enter a growth cycle. This causes a large release of nitrogen into the soil fueling the growth of surrounding plants. It will also prevent nitrogen-fixers from competing with target crop species for light. Even better, the material cut can be chopped up and used as a mulch around nearby plants providing yet another benefit.
AQUATIC MULCHES
Some ponds at Isla are used primarily for their ability to generate nutrient-rich aquatic mulches. Floating plants such as water hyacinth, Lemna spp., and Azolla spp. reproduce at an incredible rate. Some of them are even nitrogen-fixers, enabling them to produce copious quantities of vegetation with little available nutrients in the water. These is skimmed off the ponds and used to mulch various crops directly thus fertilizing and preventing weed competition simultaneously.
NUTRIENT WATER
Aquaculture systems containing animals will produce large quantities of nutrient rich water. This water can be used to fertilize aquatic vegetables in subsequent ponds, it can also be used to apply nutrients to other plant systems that are becoming established via fertigation. Nutrient water is also used to charge bio-char with nutrients.
BIO-CHAR
Charcoal results from the process of incomplete combustion of organic matter. When used to enhance fertility it is refered to as Bio-Char. Bio-char produced from the re-growth around the site is used as a soil amendment to increase the soils ability to hold nutrients and maintain healthy bacterial populations. Before addition to the soil, bio-char is soaked in a nutrient broth to “charge” it. It is also added to compost. Bio-char is most important as a “kick starter” for the fertility in a given area at the time of initial planting.
Managing fertility in the Tropics can be challenging. Soils do not tend to hold nutrients for long. By improving soil conditions and establishing perennial crops fertility can be enhanced and cycled within the system.
COMPOST
Kitchen waste, humanure, and animal wastes can all be composted. Due to the consistent moisture and heat in the humid Tropics the nutrients in compost tend to volatilize and leach quickly. Therefore, composts are not be expected to be a lasting form of nutrient amendment. In the short-run, however, composts prove beneficial to many crops and serve as a good soil conditioner. Composted vegetable waste is appropriate for use in annuals, leaves, and tubers. Humanure composts are restricted to use around tree crops to minimize potential issues with pathogens.
ANIMALS
Perhaps the most valuable roll for domestic animals at Isla is their ability to generate large quantities of fertility and deposit it where you want it. By using animals such as chickens to forage in controlled areas their manure deposits benefit the plantings in those areas. Manure from poultry also goes into solution in water, making it appropriate for fertigation in the nursery. For larger animals such as water buffalo, manures that are collected can be added to a bio-digestor or composted to create an incredibly rich soil amendment for application to various tree crops.
CHOP & DROP
Incorporating nitrogen-fixing ground covers, shrubs, and trees through Isla’s landscape provides much fertility alone. However, to enhance this effect nitrogen-fixing plants can be coppiced or pollarded as the adjacent plants are about to enter a growth cycle. This causes a large release of nitrogen into the soil fueling the growth of surrounding plants. It will also prevent nitrogen-fixers from competing with target crop species for light. Even better, the material cut can be chopped up and used as a mulch around nearby plants providing yet another benefit.
AQUATIC MULCHES
Some ponds at Isla are used primarily for their ability to generate nutrient-rich aquatic mulches. Floating plants such as water hyacinth, Lemna spp., and Azolla spp. reproduce at an incredible rate. Some of them are even nitrogen-fixers, enabling them to produce copious quantities of vegetation with little available nutrients in the water. These is skimmed off the ponds and used to mulch various crops directly thus fertilizing and preventing weed competition simultaneously.
NUTRIENT WATER
Aquaculture systems containing animals will produce large quantities of nutrient rich water. This water can be used to fertilize aquatic vegetables in subsequent ponds, it can also be used to apply nutrients to other plant systems that are becoming established via fertigation. Nutrient water is also used to charge bio-char with nutrients.
BIO-CHAR
Charcoal results from the process of incomplete combustion of organic matter. When used to enhance fertility it is refered to as Bio-Char. Bio-char produced from the re-growth around the site is used as a soil amendment to increase the soils ability to hold nutrients and maintain healthy bacterial populations. Before addition to the soil, bio-char is soaked in a nutrient broth to “charge” it. It is also added to compost. Bio-char is most important as a “kick starter” for the fertility in a given area at the time of initial planting.
tropical nursery
GROWING A PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPE
Establishing an on-site nursery early in the development process is common for permaculture projects. This process is educational, saves money, and provides the right plants at the right time.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Our nurseries need a place with good light and a solid roof for tool and material storage and working when it is rainy or hot outside. Shade structures, made with shade cloth or palm fronds, provide space for plants that require protection from the sun and a structure with transparent roof panels allows seedling propagation in areas with pounding rain. Plenty of flat space for plants outside is also necessary. Amendment bays provide a place for storage of bulk materials such as potting soil, cinder and rice hulls.
Fencing or other predator protection measures may be considered as needed. Getting plants off the ground with benches and using products like “tanglefoot” help to protect them from leaf-cutter ants. Problematic leafcutter nests are successfully eliminated by taking a shovelful of soil from two nests and swapping them. Heavy duty weed mat may or may not be appropriate for our situation as the nursery expands.
APPROPRIATE SCALE
There are several types of nurseries that we require. Holding nurseries keep plants alive between their arrival on-site and planting. Small private nurseries are used to propagate plant material for use on-site. Small and large commercial nurseries are propagating plants both for on-site use and sale.
POTS AND CONTAINERS
Pots or containers for the nursery come in different forms. The black plastic pots common in the Europe and USA are not so common elsewhere. Plastic grow bags are more regularly available worldwide. In the past, ceramic pots were used followed by metal cans which can be appropriate in our situation, as well as re-purposed containers from the recycling bin, seed pods from other productive crops, biodegradable pots, and many banana-like leaves or palms rolled into a tube and secured with a palm spine.
NATURAL POT OPTIONS
- Coconut
- Cacao
- Cupuaçu
- Sapucaia nut
- Brazil nut
- Macambo
- Rolled Palm Leaves
- Rolled Banana Leaves
A reliable, relatively clean water source is one of the most important factors in keeping nursery stock alive. We require built-in redundancies to ensure that a broken pump, a split pipe, or a dry creek don’t spell the end of our nursery stock. We work to ensure there are at least three different ways to get water to our plants so that in difficult situation we can minimize loss: piped water, stored rainwater nearby, and buckets from the creek.
We also pay attention to where water goes after it leaves the nursery. Nutrients leaching from pots can become a pollutant if not consciously managed. The nursery has been designed with a series of very slight crowns that guide excess water to curtain drains. These curtain drains lead to a water recirculation system or to a canal filled with productive filter plants.
POTTING SOIL
It can be challenging to develop a perfect soil mix in remote areas with limited materials. In wet areas, a more free-draining mix is preferred and in dryer areas a more retentive mix is best. Light and fluffy mixes allow for rapid root penetration and growth. In tropical or warm areas many types of organic matter “burn out” of soil mixes surprising quickly, leaving a brick of soil at perhaps half the original volume. Volcanic cinder, if available, is an excellent material and corrects this problem.
POTENTIAL POTTING SOIL INGREDIENTS:
- Rice hulls
- Coconut coir
- Composted aquatic plants
- Charcoal
- Black volcanic cinder
- Crushed coral
