System of Crop Intensification - in Chao Sobral

 

 http://independentsciencenews.org/un-sustainable-farming/how-millions-of-farmers-are-advancing-agriculture-for-themselves/

SRI methodology is based on four main principles that interact in synergistic ways:

• Establish healthy plants early and carefully, nurturing their root potential.
• Reduce plant populations, giving each plant more room to grow above and below ground and room to capture sunlight and obtain nutrients.
• Enrich the soil with organic matter, keeping it well-aerated to support better growth of roots and more aerobic soil biota.
• Apply water purposefully in ways that favor plant-root and soil-microbial growth, avoiding flooded (anaerobic) soil conditions.

Picture above: preparing the growing bed terrace, a fitness-socializing-aerate-addmanure-soil-massage.

 Pictures above: careful&socializing weeding and aerating the soil around the maize plants, using small hoe tool.

 Picture above: a few weeks after seeding - 0,4-0,6 mt wide per 4 mts long, sunken beds on countour - fish-bone irrigation pattern. Growing warm-dry season flood irrigated crops - pumpkin, maize, kidney-beans, sunflower, on sloped ground in Chão Sobral.

Water are we doing?

Time tested, permanent and seasonal structures to hold water.
Water storage in creek beds in dry season and water storage in tanks, and more.

Pic. 1 - View to the creek dam "door" open. this is a stacked dry stone structure/wall on the left and right side of the door. The door is closed in the beginning of the dry season to fill the dam with water to be piped and channeled in earth and stone waterways to the crop fields-terraces.

 

 Pic. 2 - View from the inside of the creek dam. Pebbles and gravel acumulates inside, brougth down by the strong stream during the rainy time.

 

Pic. 3 - View to inside of the left part of the creek bed wall.Gravel, sands and silts acumulate on this side.

Pic. 4 - View to inside of the right part of the vegetated creek bed wall. Stones and pebbles acumulate on this side.

Pic. 5 - View from above to the water spring dam. Dam wall composed of dry stone, soil and natural-spontaneous vegetation.

Pic. 6 - Another view from above. On the left side of the dam wall we can already see the water channel that takes water to both sides of the valley, on a gentle off-contour water way. Where we see a red dot there is a entrance of a "on the valley bed rock" water channel-tunnel built with dry stone under the soil of the 2 lower terraces and takes water to third terrace below.

Pic. 7 - Another iew from above to the spring water dam. Corn field terrace, row of grape vines, and very steep grey and black slope in front. Grey and black after the fire....

Pic. 8 - View to the outside of a creek bed concrete wall with metal door.

Pic. 9 and 10 - View to the mortar and stone wall tank, built on the ridge above the hamlet. During the wet season it grows moss on the water.

Pic. 11 - View to the seasonal creek bed dam. The dam wall is composed of 2 or 3 flat xist, slate pieces and soil to fill the gaps in between. On the right there is a walking path and a terrace retaining wall. Grape vines and another terrace retaining wallcovered with hebs on the left.

The Compost Shower Workshop at Aldeia das Amoreiras (Odemira)

For more pictures showing in detail how it was built:

https://plus.google.com/photos/100549245946323259121/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/100549245946323259121/albums/5742502890583528481

after potatoe picking - earthworks for cabbage seedlings

We are in the mid of dry season, potoates were harvested.

In the same soil cabbage will follow and get the kickstart of end summer heat and grow and thrive through the frosty wet season

Compost was not added at this start stage for the cabbage.

The preparation was to open about 12-14 swales, 30 cms apart, 4 metres long, 20 cm deep and wide.

After, seedlings were planted in the trench and flood irrigated until the return of the rainy season (1 to 2 months after).

 Pic. 1 - Row of vines along the edge, on a 90º angle to the contour line. Swales are nearly ready to receive cabbage seedlings.

 Pic. 2 - Soil is soft and it is easy to open these swales.

 Pic. 3 - Another row of vines parallel to the swales and a roll of wire mesh on the corner, to fence goats, as some of this area will become pasture in the wet season.

 Pic. 4 - Row of grape vines on the left (for home made wine), and still growing corn field in front.

3 generations picking potatoes - recalling last summer holidays

For hundreds of years grandparents, parents and children would live together and there was no separation between work and play time!
This photos are from last summer - August 2012 - family gathering for potatoe picking, that lasted for about 2 hours.
All this children (grandsons) were in the village for summer holidays in the grandparents home. For the rest of the year they live in the city.

Potatoe plant stems and leaves (some already whithered) had been cut a few days before and used to feed the goats. After being cut they wither for 1 or 2 days and only then are given to the goats or sheep.

Picture of potatoe plant roots.

Potatoes were planted in April, the soil around them was raked to kill weeds and break soil water capillary evaporation and were mulched only before the first flood irrigation, and then continued irrigated in June, July and August, until one week or so before harvest.

After picking all the potatoes from the soft soil, it was prepared to plant palm cabbage seedlings. Compost was not added at this start stage for the cabbage.

The preparation was to open about 12-14 swales, 30 cms apart, 4 metres long, 20 cm deep and wide.

After, seedlings were planted in the trench and flood irrigated until the return of the rainy season (1 to 2 months after).

Chão Sobral com a Village Life Experience

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Village-Life-Experience em Chão Sobral de 1 a 7 de Abril

VILLAGE LIFE EXPERIENCE

em Chão Sobral

Uma semana na aldeia : é esta a proposta que aqui lhe dirigimos.
Do acordar ao deitar, são cinco dias repletos de actividades que além de lhe provar que a vida no campo floresce de oportunidades, é também uma forma de lhe transmitir um conjunto de práticas. Pelo meio, atravessam-se refeições partilhadas num espírito de convívio bem como uma série de actividades nocturnas que vão dos contos tradicionais a outras artes da lareira….
De fora não ficam ainda as suberbas paisagens que funcionarão como mote para muitas das propostas que aqui lhe dirigimos.


Onde

Aldeia de Chão Sobral: uma pequena aldeia aninhada entre os 600 e 700 metros de altitude na Serra do Açor, de onde se avista a Serra da Estrela e a Serra do Caramulo. Dista 16 kms da aldeia histórica de Piódão, 11 kms do Monte Colcurinho (miradouro e local de peregrinação a 1242 metros de altitude), 3 kms do notável Santuário de Nossa Senhora das Preces, e 10 kms de Aldeia das Dez.

Residem em Chão Sobral cerca de 140 habitantes e uma população jovem muito ativa na Associação local para a realização de atividades variadas de animação cultural e recreativa, onde se incluem Passeios Pedestres e Passeios em Bicicleta Todo-o-Terreno - BTT.

Embora a maioria dos trabalhadores estejam a sair, e a voltar diariamente, para prestar serviços fora da aldeia, existem aqui diversas atividades com base nos recursos naturais locais: aguardentes de medronho e de bagaço, enchidos, compotas, queijo de Ovelha e de Cabra, produtos hortícolas, mel, artesanato em madeira e de xisto, facas “Corte-Real”, tapetes de fitas, tapeçaria de Arraiolos e lenha.


Programa

- Dia 1 de Abril
Chegada


- Dia 2 de Abril

Manhã:
Pastoreio de cabras na serra - José Mendes
Roçar mato para os animais - Cuidar das ovelhas e coelhos - Mário

Tarde:
Enchidos parte 1 - Preparar a carne – Isabel
Pão de milho - Luciana


- Dia 3 de Abril

Manhã
Horta na serra - Raimundo
Facas - Cecília e José

Tarde
Forja – Agostinho
Tapetes de fitas - José Martins


- Dia 4 de Abril

Manhã
Fazer lenha com machado - José Silva
Plantar árvores, podar e enxertar - José Dias

Tarde
Enchidos - Encher as chouriças - Isabel
Xisto criativo - Artesanato em Xisto - Vítor Curinha


- Dia 5 de Abril

Manhã
Raízes Criativas - Artesanato em Madeira - Nelson
Fazer muros/socalcos com pedra seca - Manuel

Tarde
Queijo de cabra - Luciana
Fazer muros/socalcos com pedra seca - Manuel



Dia 6 de Abril

Manhã
Ciclo do Medronho - Armando
Queijo de ovelha - Conceição

Tarde
Ciclo do Medronho - Armando
Coscureis - Bolos Tradicionais - Maria Clara


- Dia 7 de Abril

Dia livre para passeios e afins


Custos e Condições


>> 220 EUR + IVA em regime de alojamento e pensão completa para a semana toda
>> 60 EUR + IVA por dia em regime de alojamento e pensão completa
>> 50 EUR + IVA por dia sem alojamento mas com acesso às formações e refeições.
O acesso a cada ateliê requer uma inscrição prévia dado que o número máximo de participantes por actividade não poderá exceder os doze participantes, pelo que serao admitidos um níumero máximo de 24 participantes a esta edição da Village Life Experience.

Inscrições


Agradecemos que todos os interessados nos contactem através do mail farmerslifeexperience@gmail.com ou dos seguintes números de telefone: 216 073 905 e 926 506 033


Links

>> www.farmerslifeexperience.com

>> http://tradicional.campingcarportugal.com/locais/local17.htm

http://www.facebook.com/events/324226377625451/

Mais sobre Chão Sobral
http://chaosobral.org/hlcdomeuchao.htm

Grato pela divulgação,