Category Archives: socioecological intelligence

saga of the water leak, part 1

Posted on December 31, 2015 by rainshadowfarm

We’ve got a drought-time water leak saga happening here at Rainshadow Farm. Life was going on as usual around here a week ago, with a lot of my own angsting about whether or not to sell RSF and when and … Continue reading →

Posted in agroecology, climate change, community, dryland restoration, ethnobotany, family, Nature, resilience, socioecological intelligence | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

farming the desert?

Posted on July 11, 2015 by rainshadowfarm

No. Not really. Yesterday I received a couple of messages on Facebook about “farming the desert.” I think it may have been because I have been posting internet links concerning California’s current and long-lasting drought. More than one inquiry that … Continue reading →

Posted in agroecology, climate change, dryland restoration, Nature, resilience, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education, sustainable agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

emergency…

Posted on February 18, 2015 by rainshadowfarm

I’ve been dealing with my own food issues lately, along with body/mind stuff. I seem to be heading into a perfect storm of autoimmune issues along with the usual health-related matters I sometimes discuss here. More on that another time. … Continue reading →

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skateboard learning

Posted on July 5, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

Check this out. Everything you need to know, you can learn from skateboarding. I have worked on my farm with skateboarders. My son-in-law and some of his friends are skateboarders.  Skateboarders are amazing, creative, and bright people. I once interviewed two … Continue reading →

Posted in community, education, Nature, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education, sustainable agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

leaning toward permaculture ideals

Posted on June 8, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

Modern permaculture was inspired by Chinese-derived wet-rice and tree-crop systems employed in Southeast Asia, which remain reasonable models of sustainability. Southern China, on the whole, has done less ecological damage in 8,000 years of agricultural history than Western practices have … Continue reading →

Posted in agroecology, community, ethnobotany, Nature, resilience, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education, sustainable agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

California fires, landscapes, and traditional ecological knowledge

Posted on May 24, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

Fire season in southern California used to begin late in summer, maybe right before autumn. Last year our first fires came before June. Every year over the last decade they’ve been arriving earlier. Last week, mid-May, San Diego was on … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, ethnobotany, fire season, Nature, resilience, socioecological intelligence | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

an irrigation tower for drylands gardening, part 2, and some drought thoughts

Posted on March 31, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

Here’s the latest. Saturday, March 22, we met and continued work on our gravity-fed irrigation “tower.” The frame for our prototype tower was built. We repurposed some wood that was here at the farm and we bought a few 2x4s … Continue reading →

Posted in agroecology, climate change, community, dryland restoration, Nature, resilience, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education, sustainable agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

an irrigation tower for drylands gardening

Posted on March 4, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

One of the new farm day participants (but someone who has been following our work for a long time) has initiated a new project. We began construction on Saturday. At Rainshadow Farm, we have hand-watered from the get-go. We do … Continue reading →

Posted in agroecology, community, dryland restoration, resilience, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education, sustainable agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

storm watch

Posted on March 1, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

It’s raining here. That’s good news, at least for the time being. California is experiencing a serious drought. Our reservoirs are appallingly low. Our population is high. We are certainly overpopulated for the amount of water we have available, even … Continue reading →

Posted in agroecology, climate change, education, fire season, Nature, resilience, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education, sustainable agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

backyards are the beginning…

Posted on January 30, 2014 by rainshadowfarm

Backyards are the beginning of a bioregion for a child. My backyard (and my front yard too, for that matter) in a rust belt city held all the wonders that helped make me the person I am today. Nature helped … Continue reading →

Posted in family, Nature, socioecological intelligence, sustainability education | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments