Turns out there’s a farming revolution going on! Within the last 10 years, biologists and designers have brought ancient organic farming practices back to light in an effort to rehabilitate our land and seas. The result and heart of this movement is known as permaculture – a sustainable design science, rooted in nature.
In a nutshell, permaculture mimics naturally occurring systems, methods, and materials to create an environmentally friendly, eco-conscious mode of living. Therein, we not only halt the damage we’ve done, but actively work to undo it.
Fortunately we don’t have to wholly give up our current ways of life. The first principle of permaculture asks that we carefully and quietly observe. Nature guides us in the development of farming technologies. Central to permaculture are the three ethics: care for the earth, care for people and share the surplus. As an unincorporated community, Port O’Connor has a unique opportunity to collectively cultivate nature’s own technologies that allow us to retain our standard of living. It can be done in an environmentally harmonious, responsible manner, all the while eliminating pollution and food supply contamination. Say gourmet!
Where do we begin? We can start by getting a good feel for our local wild edibles. Most of us have wild canopies of Muscadine grapes trailing through the mesquite mottes. And there’s certainly not a shortage of seasonal blackberries. But what is that mushroom in the yard? What’s that bee sipping on? How many times has that soil been tilled? Does it have earthworms? Are these seeds genetically modified? Educational community field walks, wild food forest trails and botanical art classes could give us an upper-hand.
Speaking of botanical art, wildcrafting, a facet of permaculture, is the art of responsibly foraging wild edibles and transplanting them into a home garden in a similar fashion to its original location. So you may plant seeds from a wild plum along with grasses that grew by the mother tree. If you want to try wildcrafting on your own, be sure to leave more than 2/3 of a wild plant population to avoid overharvesting… and save those seeds! True heirlooms are becoming more scarce than ever due to corporate patenting. Should this be legal?
Diversity is key to permaculture, just as nature intends. Case in point: The great potato blight of Ireland. The Irish brought a few potato varieties home from Peru and had great success for a several generations, until the bugs adapted and wiped out all the crops, leaving thousands to starve to death. Now we see the same thing happening with the russet potatoes in Idaho, except nowadays, farmers are government subsidized to spend millions on pesticides to treat the bugs. The native Peruvians, Incas, had it right though. They grew over 200 varieties of potatoes, all on one mountain top – some on the north side, some on the south. No pesticides. Just potatoes, sprouts, beans and a few other symbiotic herbs.
Surprisingly, permaculture requires less work too! The “no-till” technique of lasagna layering compost and turned crops with decomposers like mushrooms and earthworms slowly creates a micro-climate in the soil, leaving it impervious to diseases and invasive “weeds.” Another amazing permaculture design technique is the floating garden, also known as the Aztec Chinampas. Floating clumps of water hyacinths lay the foundation for beds of compost. Water is wicked into the soil through the river water. The hyacinths clean the water and when the rivers flood, the gardens float! Maybe we can apply the same gardening technique to our estuaries to naturally remove pesticides from upstream water sheds. As for the hyacinth – one man’s weed is another man’s gold.
There is much to discover as a community. If there is a collective shared interest, we could grow food forests and make the bays even more hospitable to the magnificent wildlife that makes Port O’Connor what she is, the fluttering heart of the Texas coast.
If you’d like to get involved or learn more, search for “Wiv Luv Natural Farm Collective – Port O’Connor, Texas” on Facebook, email bloom@wivluv.org or call Amanda Raby at 214-316-0441. Popular interest and support could result in a community garden, community food forest nature trail, farm coop or a community supported agriculture (CSA) food delivery program! Do we have harvest jubilees in our future!?
-Amanda Raby is a 4th generation Port O’Connor native. She is the chief and founder of Wiv Luv-Humanitarian Entertainment, a non profit that utilizes digital media, music and circus arts to educate rural communities about sustainability and heart-based living.
