WHAT
WE DO
Terra Firma
International
Short and Long Term Training, Reconnection and Consulting with Publicly Funded NGOs, Foundations and Government Agencies
Terra Firma
Solutions
Building Collaborative Partnerships with small local groups funded through private donations.
Save this space! We are currently applying for 501 (c) 3 status to give you a chance to participate.
Nutrition-Focused Permagardens
Providing daily access to nutrient-dense complementary foods to combat early childhood stunting and to enhance maternal health and wellness. Climate smart creation allows daily nutrition access throughout the year, regardless of seasonal variability, thanks to subsoil moisture recharge, deep digging and close plant spacing to achieve a closed canopy of vibrant foliage year round.
Regenerative Agriculture
We need to move beyond sustainability when it comes to working with overused and degraded landscapes. The Terra Firma process guides the gardener to choose to perform the same soil building actions on the farm scale if she has access to larger parcels and makes the choice to do the work and manage the results over the long term. Yield increases and soil life, structure and health is regenerated rather than destroyed.
Ecosystem Restoration
and Resilience
Reforestation, Watershed Management and Wildlife Habitat Creation are mere wishful thinking unless there is regular food on the table and money in the bank. Once Permagardens and Regenerative field cropping is established, less space will be required to grow crops. This in turn will allow formerly farmed land to return to its natural condition or be reforested and protected through direct tree planting and creation of water retention landshaping features such as swales.
Terra Firma Training: The Process is the Product
Assess x Capture x Protect x Produce x Manage
Optimal Timing: At least 2 months before the expected beginning of the dominant rain season. This allows learners to go home and create a 'learning garden' in time for daily observation and the vital subsoil moisture recharge to occur.
This is a Suggested Training Agenda Only
(it will be modified to meet organizational and learner needs)
Monday: Community ‘Haves Assessment’; Walk and Talk and Gather (Assess)
Tuesday: Garden Placement and Water Management ‘Six S’ Design (Assess/Capture)
Wednesday: Soil Health via Double Digging, Compost, Pest Management (Protect/Produce)
Thursday: Garden Bed Expansion, Landscape Swales, Live Fencing, (Produce/Manage)
Friday: Bio-Intensive annuals and perennial planting, garden management (Manage/Extend)
Saturday: Landscape Adaptation. Reflect/Report. Travel to the next venue. (Evaluation)
The Training and Reconnection Model assures higher rates of individual adoption and extension.
Following the initial 'Permagarden Creation Training' it is highly recommended to plan for a 'Reconnection Visit' within three weeks. This allows for careful monitoring of the progress seen in the training garden as well as the Progression of Change seen at each training participants' home. The only 'cost' to attend one of our trainings is the promise to go home and create a Permagarden and Compost within one week of the training. This planned return visit has been a key reason for the high rates of adoption of Terra Firma Permagardens and Landscape Actions.
Within THREE MONTHS, the ideal scenario would allow for a 3 day Reconnection and Assessment Training. This would involve the training team having the opportunity to pay a return visit with all participants to assist with their individual evaluation and impact assessments of their own gardens; as well as those of whom they taught. Greater training content would include nutritious cooking, storage and overall human and ecosystem wellness as well as ongoing garden care, replanting and extension from neighbor to neighbor. It is this 'Multiplier Effect', and the Rule of CLOSE that is strictly followed with every training, which is what makes Terra Firma unique.
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