Planting Water:
Keyline Design and On-Farm Earthworks
Planting Water: Keyline Design and On-Farm Earthworks
A Two-day Workshop with Benjamin Fahrer
Sunday, November 24, 2024, 9am-5pm
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 9am-5pm
Join us as we prepare for the winter rains and learn how to steward water in a way that replenishes the hydrology of the landscape.
This two-day workshop introduces principles and practices for holistic land stewardship based on the Keyline Design system. Participants will participate in the 4 main stages of the design process, learn observation techniques for reading the landscape, and practical skills for building scale appropriate water harvesting earthworks for planting water into the landscape.
On November 24, our main topics are soil and water health, design, tools, and layout. First, we’ll take a deep dive into the Keyline Design system. We will look at case studies and how this system, coupled with different permaculture design strategies, work together to create the best approach for a site. Participants will understand the assessment and vision phase of design and the different techniques and applications to apply to create a conceptual design. We’ll introduce strategies including surveying tools such as the A-frame and laser level as well as earthwork tools ranging from hand-scale (shovels and picks) to farm or broadacre scale (the Yeoman’s plow and excavator). From Concept to Detailed design we will then lay out the design and demonstrate the steps to implement and build a small water harvesting structure.
During the time between November 24 and December 15, our crew will be implementing our design at the appropriate scale. While this time period is not part of the workshop, students are welcome to come back to visit, observe and interact.
On December 15, we’ll begin by observing, assessing the work that has been done since we were last together on November 24, and discussing what monitoring of these systems looks like over time. We will also complete a specific water harvesting earthwork and demonstrate the importance of handwork in combination with machines. Also, this session will explore the function of roads/access as water harvesting structures and agroforestry in Keyline systems.
Learn more about the Keyline system in these videos from permaculture teacher Andrew Millison
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to…
- Understand Keyline design and how to read the landscape with attention to detail.
- Use the Scale of Permanence to create successful permaculture designs aligned with natural patterns.
- Design water retention landscapes and rainwater harvesting earthworks across multiple scales, from broad-scale to hand-scale.
- Construct decentralized water retentive landscapes including water harvesting swales, basins and spillways, and Keyline designs.
Registration
Pricing
- Full Tuition: $325 – Register by 11/23
- Early Bird Discount: $315 – Register by 11/17
- Super Early Bird Discount: $295 – Register by 11/10
- One Day Only – $175 – Register by 12/14
Your Guide For This Course
Benjamin Fahrer has over 25 years of experience as a permaculture designer, farmer, consultant, educator, and public speaker. During that time he has worked at or helped establish, manage, and/or teach at some of the best permaculture-infused institutions in our region including the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Oceansong, Esalen Institute, and the Deep Medicine Circle. He holds a Permaculture Diploma and teaching credential from TAGARI and the Permaculture Research Institute and has designed and built dozens of ecological farms. Benjamin believes that water is the driver of design and has integrated Keyline design and practices at multiple scales. He is also is founder of Top Leaf Farms, a licensed contracting company which designs and builds innovative, ecological rooftop farming systems and green infrastructure. He views land stewardship and farming as a way to assist nature in building ecosystems for us to build culture and solutions to the dynamic times we face both ecologically and within our social cultural context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please use the registration button above.
Cancellations up to two weeks before the course begins will be refunded, excluding a $150 processing fee. No refunds are given after that date.
Participants are welcome to defer their enrollment to the next session of the course.
The course is held on our 26-acre farm north of Davenport, CA, 20 minutes north of the Westside of Santa Cruz and 1 hour from San Jose or San Francisco.