Ecological Rainwater Management (with video)
Whether you live on an off grid farm like us, or a city block, there are many simple ways to stop wasting rainwater and use it as the precious resource it is. Here I demonstrate a few accessible ways that we catch, filter, conserve, and use rainwater on our land regeneration project in Ecuador.
In the video below, I explain how to:
Dig simple trenches to channel rainwater away from structures and into a natural filtration wetland
Use thirsty ground cover plants to soak up excess water
Catch rainwater from our large kitchen roof and shuttling to our fish ponds
And always build soil with organic matter to make a living sponge The best place to conserve water is in the soil
At Sueño de Vida we work in a meaningful way to heal land ravaged by deforestation. How meaningful? According to a recent UN Foresight Brief on climate change,
--It is of the utmost importance to stop deforestation and to increase reforestation efforts around the world. Agricultural practices should focus on soil building, year-round soil cover with plants and the use of agroforestry methods.
That is exactly what we do here at SdV. You can help by helping us do what we do every day: plant forests that nurture soil, people, and community.
Click HERE to donate directly to our reforestation fund OR make a monthly pledge on our Patreon.
Thank you.
Kristen Krash is the director and co-founder of Sueño de Vida, a regenerative agroforestry farm, education center, nature reserve in Ecuador’s Chocó Andino Cloudforest. Prior to moving, Kristen was known for her guerrilla gardens — productive green spaces she created in any available space. Now an urban transplant in the South American rain forest, she has adapted her urban gardening and sustainability skills to large-scale reforestation of degraded land. She takes a practical and accessible approach to helping others achieve more balance and self-sufficiency in their lives.
Kristen’s articles and interviews have been featured on popular sustainability platforms like Abundant Edge and The Mud Home, and in the Rainforest Regeneration Curriculum at the Ecological Restoration Camps.