Interested in people who improve the world?
@Auntylou (4264)
Oxford, England
November 6, 2015 9:02am CST
I have just watched a marvellous short video produced by Natureworks about a farmer in Burkina Faso who turned an area which had become a desert into a thriving and productive farm.
His method was to dig hundreds of small pits so that he could collect as much rain as possible in the rainy season. Inside these pits he put seeds, dung and organic matter.He built walls to avoid run off and used termites, which made underground tunnels all over the land, which helped with water retention. In just one year he had food to feed his family. Planting many trees helped produce an improved micro climate and helped reduce the blow off of topsoil by strong winds.
After some decades his farm now feeds a village and his methods have been copied by thousands.
Here is a link :
Nature Works Everywhere, a project of The Nature Conservancy
38 people like this
39 responses
@DeborahDiane (40324)
• Laguna Woods, California
7 Nov 15
What a wonderful thing this man is doing. We all can change the world a little bit and, all together, we can change the world a lot!
4 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
7 Nov 15
oh so he really did that? That's neat, and i hope others learn from that and try. I want to add some fruit trees myself.
3 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
7 Nov 15
@Auntylou I would love to be able to supplement the budget with home grown stuff.
1 person likes this
@vickyrose (2235)
• Cooma, Australia
7 Nov 15
I like to join people who help sustain nature and helping unfortunate people. I can't see the link on your post. Warm welcome to you.
3 people like this
@RasmaSandra (80906)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Nov 15
@Auntylou People like that are needed all over the world. Delighted to hear a story full of so much hope.
2 people like this
@Kazemononoke (248)
• United States
6 Nov 15
Me and my husband talk all the time about how much could be produced of natural resources that are wasted. That includes deserts that are barren being used by solar panels for free energy.
2 people like this
@inertia4 (27960)
• United States
8 Nov 15
That is innovative. But there is a balance in the ecosystem. What would really happen if they took all the desert areas in the world and made them viable to planting and growing trees. Wouldn't that change the climate and tilt the odds off it's axis? I think so. But who really knows. Maybe those scientists know something about this.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61101)
• United States
7 Nov 15
It makes you wonder doesn't it why this simple method isn't used worldwide. welcome by the way.
2 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
7 Nov 15
A good idea can be worth more than a bucketload of money. Most of us are allergic to new ideas, but desperate people such as this fellow are much more willing to try something innovative. Good to hear this inspiring story.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
16 Nov 15
That was one very smart man and teacher. Amazing results from creative gardening.
2 people like this
@workguddu (155)
• Shillong, India
7 Nov 15
I realky aporeciate and congrats that farmer for taking initiative to turn desert into cultivated land .
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (83150)
• United States
7 Nov 15
How interesting to read this. Amazing what a little ingenuity can accomplish. Welcome to MyLot
1 person likes this
@Pattitude (1287)
• Newton, North Carolina
8 Nov 15
I love reading success stories like this!
1 person likes this
