Rainwater harvesting around the world - How to achieve sustainable food production for increased profit and well-being

Australia

‘From the Ground Up – Regenerative Agriculture’ [28.07.2019]
New South Wales: Inspired by Charles Massy’s best-selling book “Call of the Reed Warbler”, filmmaker Amy Browne set out across the dry farming country of South East NSW to meet Massy and the other trailblazing farmers bringing new life to their land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQW8Tl_KLc&feature=youtu.be

Is “natural sequence farming” the secret to restoring our water-starved continent? For more than a decade, two farmers have shown that parched landscapes can be revived. And finally, Canberra’s listening. Australian Story explores the potential solution to Australia’s drought crisis.

A New Beginning for the Australian Landscape – Natural Sequence Farming with Peter Andrews OAM [15.05.2018]
Natural Sequence Farming (NSF) is a system of regenerative farming based on the science of the old Australian landscape and principles developed by Peter Andrews OAM.
NSF takes a holistic view of water, air, soil, plant and animal interactions in the landscape. It uses natural functions where possible, or careful mimicry of them and their natural sequences, to address soil and water degradation and biodiversity loss. Interventions to restore or enhance natural function are made either through implementation of structures or by changes to farm layout and animal management. The implementation of Natural Sequence Farming at the Mulloon Creek at Mulloon Creek Natural Farms is using Peter’s techniques to recreate the chain of ponds that would have existed in its undisturbed state, and through this raising the streambed and the level of water in the floodplain.
Find out more at http://www.peterandrewsoam.com or email Peter Andrews at peterandrewsoam@gmail.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj4nwzscuZ0&feature=youtu.be

Zaytuna Farm Tour [09.05.2017]
Zaytuna Farm Tour Rough Cut With Geoff Lawton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFujalK2jHg

Greening Australia – Restoring Landscapes for People and Nature [09.07.2015]
We started conserving and restoring Australia’s landscapes in 1982 and haven’t stopped since. With teams in 30 locations around the country and over 150 staff we’re a proudly independent not-for-profit organisation. Our team uses the latest science to guide what’s best for our landscapes and the people and wildlife that live in them.
Find out more at www.greeningaustralia.org.au
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SsI37AG2Uc&feature=youtu.be

Australia’s largest biodiverse reforestation ‘carbon sink’. [02.07.2015]
Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor – the Preston Waters Project in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia Native mixed species plantings. Creating a forest on marginal and degraded farmland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ6lQKSvDFU&feature=youtu.be

Yarra yarra: Biodiverse reforestation project [4 05.2015]
Carbon Neutral’s Biodiverse Reforestation Project is helping reforest degraded farmland while acting as a massive carbon store for the next 100 years. It is planting trees and bringing life back into the wheatbelt of Australia
https://youtu.be/eTf6YF2F2S4

Bolivia

Article:

Droughts, floods and extreme weather have forced Bolivia to find new ways to save and use water.
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,158224…

Video:

The role that retention basins are playing in the Bolivian Highlands to ensure farmers can remain on their land [20.03.2012]
Precipitation in Bolivia has become unpredictable – rainfall is heavier but shorter than it once was. That leads to periods of both flooding and drought, posing major challenges for rural regions where farmers are losing their entire harvests. Now, an initiative to improve the country’s water management and irrigation systems is aiming at helping farmers adapt to the challenges of climate change. A pilot project in the Andes has helped set up a network of water tanks, canals and a reservoir, and it has also spurred the planting of new trees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmOdvr0MveY

Burkina Fasso

This latest short video from 1080 Films updates the story of Yacouba Sawadogo, ‘the man who stopped the desert’. The director, Mark Dodd, filmed Yacouba on his visit to South Korea in 2011 for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification conference. Then in July 2012 we revisited Yacouba on his far https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TINihXa0TYY . Thanks to a new farmer training initiative funded by donations, Yacouba is now able to visit many more villages in his region to spread his Zai techniques.

Yacouba Sawadogo: Protecting the Legacy [11.10.2018]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TINihXa0TYY

Interview with Yacouba Sawadogo – GLF Bonn 2018
Article:
https://www.globallandscapesforum.org/video/interview-with-yacouba-sawadogo-glf-bonn-2018/

The forests of Lilengo [12.01.2016]
The word “Lilengo” actually means “barren soil” in local languages in Burkina Faso. A name that doesn’t quite fit the town anymore after the planting of trees brought environmental and social improvements.
For more information on this project visit: https://www.weforest.org/newsroom/lilengo-3-years-later-how-planting-trees-helped-entire-town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siIW0LG5Du0

TerrAfrica: Zaï planting pits [19.05.2014]
Instructional video: Zai planting pits combined with stone lines and compost manure increase vegetable productivity. In Niger, Zaï planting pits are combined with demi lunes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZImijf3gflo

Watershed Management Group: Gabions for watershed development [15.01.2013]
WMG partners with several communities in Burkina Faso, West Africa. This video highlights some of work there using gabions – a simple practice used to prevent erosion and capture water off the landscape. In 2012 we hosted a workshop to train farmers how to manufacture gabion baskets so that they could restore their watershed and generate income by selling the gabion baskets to other local farmers. For more information visit watershedmg.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uo_mfZguDw&feature=youtu.be

TerrAfrica – Stone Lines [16.03.2011]
Burkina Faso (the Sahel), Mali, Niger, Senegal: Using stone lines for soil and water conservation is based on a tradition — with technical improvements — that makes use of locally available resources. This video shows how to construct stone lines and explains the principles behind this low-cost technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO16g4LgBjI

Canada

Water Harvesting Swale In a Pasture [07.04.2012]
Alberta – A great example of a water harvesting swale off of a highway ditch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTUH4mevtnQ&feature=youtu.be

Chad

Chad Sand Dam Video [12.05.2014]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuF5ns_CIbw&feature=youtu.be

Chile

Researchers at MIT’s School of Engineering, working with colleagues at the Pontificial University of Chile in Santiago, are harvesting potable water from the coastal fog that forms on the edge of one of the driest regions on earth. Using a simple system of suspended mesh structures, placed on hilltops in areas with persistent fog and prevailing westerly winds, local Chilean communities collect fog water for drinking and agricultural use. Fog collecting technology is still in its infancy but laboratory experiments have shown that variations in the mesh spacing as well as the size and the wettability of the fibers in the mesh all affect the volume of water that can be collected each day. Through engineering analysis and optimization of the mesh geometry and its surface chemistry the team has been able to increase the fog collecting efficiency of existing designs by 500%. The technology holds great promise as a locally deployable and scalable alternative to other energy-intensive desalination technologies. Mesh-based Fog Harvesters are passive, inexpensive to fabricate, with close to zero operating costs, and can be deployed in similar environments throughout the world.

China

5 useful methods china uses to convert desert into productive lands rich with crops [4.05.2019]
China is well-known for its continuous action and efforts to slow, prevent or reverse desertification. In fact, parts of its desert regions have now become productive lands as a result of China’s continuous efforts to transform or convert desert into productive lands. Methods include: Polylactic acid sand barriers, the Green Great Wall of China, plant cellulose paste, planting grape in the desert, forestry and terracing (Ningxia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nur35fnjDA

Smithsonian Channel: This Ingenious System Brings Water to the Chinese Desert [30.04.2019]
In western China, the Karez – an ancient underground canal irrigation system – is a modern-day engineering marvel and a prime example of a native people working with, not against, the forces of nature to deliver their needs – in this case, water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rQAXaaU1v8

For more than 15 years, cameraman and ecologist John D. Liu – maker of Hope in a Changing Climate – has been working on his worldwide mission to green deserts and to restore biodiversity. He visits Jordan, (working with Princess Basma Bint Ali, Geoff Lawton), Ethiopia (Legesse Negash, Professor of Plant Physiology at the Addis Ababa University), Rwanda (restoration of degraded hillsides), China (the Loess Plateau).

How China pushed back the desert and turned it into green space [7.04.2019]
The 1m x 1m straw checkerboard method
For decades, the inhabitants of Zhongwei City in southwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region watched a sea of sand ebb closer and closer to their homes, covering their streets, crops and roads, cutting them off from trade, transport and prosperity. They were helpless against the rising tide of the Tengger Desert. Farmers were forced to leave their homes as the sand engulfed their properties. In the 1950s, scientists and locals joined forces in perhaps the most ambitious anti-desertification project of the 20th Century. Without any cutting-edge technology, machinery or chemicals, hundreds of people worked over the decades, turning the desert into land capable of cultivating apples and trees

The ‘Yellow Dragon’ is advancing, forcing many local families to flee as climate refugees. How to confront desertification is key to ensuring local communities remaining on their land.

“The whole ecosystem is in danger”, states Li Hong Jun, a Gobi resident. Though his family have left, Li refuses to abandon his ancestors’ lifestyle. Despite horrific sandstorms and arid soil, Han Meifei is among those seeking to rejuvenate the land. His innovative procedures have developed ways of growing plants without water, preventing the dry desert from spreading, and preserving the seeds of plants close to extinction for a greener future.

Dubai

The Groasis Technology is a water saving anti desertification planting technology to reforest deserts. Trees are planted in such a way, that they can grow without the use of irrigation afterwards. In this instruction film Pieter Hoff shows you how you have to plant in order to reach this result. The video was taken in the Dubai desert and the trees grow well as you can see on the end.
لرجاء زيارة http://groasis.com لمعلومات اكثر. جرويسيس هي تكنولوجيا لتوفير المياه و مكافحة التصحر و تشجير الصحاري. الزراعة بهذه التكنولوجيا تمكن الأشجار من النمو و الحياة بدون الحاجة إلى الري. السيد بيتر هوف يشرح في فيلم التعليمات هذا كيفية الزراعة للوصول لهذا الهدف (أشجار لا تحتاج للري). هذا الفيلم قد صور في صحراء دبي و الأشجار تنمو بشكل ممتاز كما ترون في نهاية الفيلم.

Egypt

The Amazing Forest in the Desert | Global 3000 [19.11.2013]
Fertile land is scarce in Egypt. All of life depends on water from the Nile River. 85 million Eyptians are settled along its banks. The rest of the country is desert. Egyptian and German scientists have now found a way of cultivating forests in the desert sand. It looks like a fata morgana. But the forests in the Egyptian desert are real. They’re watered with processed sewage. 24 such forests have sprung up across the country over the past eight years. The sewage is rich in nutrients and fuels the growth of plants like mahagony, eucalyptus and sisal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOSFKGay5Hg

Vision for desert greening in Egypt [21.02.2013]
Animation of the IBTS Desalination Greenhouse in Egypt – an engineering concept reclaiming and regenerating the Sinai desert and Northcoast in Egypt in 2011. The project was aborted due to political, economical and geopolitical instability in Egypt. …the IBTS is an industrial scale desalination power plant. It uses 0.45 kilowatt hours for the generation of one cubic metre = 1000 litres of distilled water. This is ten times more energy-efficient than state-of-the-art desalination and 1000 times more energy efficient than state-of-the-art atmospheric water generation. The required energy is proprietary and generated on site from regenerative energy sources. Investment cost is 1/4 of comparable desalination power plants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPNBIbRfquk&feature=youtu.be

Mount Sinai Permaculture

https://www.facebook.com/Mt.Sinai.Permaculture/

Greece

Articles:

Local rainwater harvesting solution gives boost to water-scarce island’s economy [10.09.2019]
https://smartwatermagazine.com/news/global-water-partnership/local-rainwater-harvesting-solution-gives-boost-water-scarce-islands

Rainwater harvesting programme in the Greek islands [17.02.2014]
https://www.gwp.org/en/GWP-Mediterranean/WE-ACT/News-List-Page/RWH-Programmes-in-Greek-Islands/R

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) programme [16.03.2016]
https://www.gwp.org/en/NCWR/ncwr-programme/NCWR-Programme-Mediterranean/Programme-in-Greece/

Fresh water resources
https://www.climatechangepost.com/greece/fresh-water-resources/

Water shortages in Greece echo concerns in the American West [13.07.2015]
https://earthjustice.org/blog/2015-july/water-shortages-in-greece-echo-concerns-in-the-american-west

Greece struggles with water shortages [03.08.2007]
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/world/europe/03iht-dry.4.6976449.html

Videos:

Greece suffers critical water shortages [08.06.2013]

Cypriot water crisis [16.07.2008]
https://youtu.be/3cP_8XUZXSQ

Honduras

USAID COSECHA Water Harvesting Program in Honduras Implemented by Global Communities [16.08.2018]
The effects of climate change have brought disastrous consequences to the agricultural sector in the southern zone of Honduras. Utilizing a controlled trial (although not a randomized one), Cosecha has constructed 4 reservoirs and delivered agriculture kits for the sustainable production of corn, watermelon, squash, beans, and other vegetables. In doing so, the program will strive to provide evidence to policy makers and donors on supporting agriculture in the southern zone of Honduras.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5vF1imLCjQ

India

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to India to film the epic work of the Paani Foundation’s Water Cup Competition. We tour the village of Garavadi, in Maharashtra, who competed in the 2019 competition to install the most amount of water harvesting structures in a 45 day period. Guided by Paani Foundation’s chief advisor, Dr. Avinash Pol, we visit the work and see the effects of a watershed-scale groundwater restoration project that has dramatically improved the lives, economy, ecology and stability of this village, all in 45 days!

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to India to film the epic work of the Paani Foundation’s Water Cup Competition. We tour the village of Velu, in Maharashtra, who won the 2016 competition to install the most amount of water harvesting structures in a 45 day period. Guided by Paani Foundation’s chief advisor, Dr. Avinash Pol, we take a ride through the village watershed and see a massive water diversion and groundwater recharge project that has dramatically improved the lives, economy, ecology and stability of this village. Although the Paani Foundation doesn’t use the word Permaculture to describe what they do, we examine why their work has turned into the biggest Permaculture project on Earth!

When a mass movement informed by science and motivated by the desire for public interest succeeds, streams flow again, and barren, parched land becomes laden with crops. That’s the effect of the Water Cup 2018 in which over 4,000 villages took part. The journey of the third Water Cup is documented in this video.

USA TODAY | Pumped Dry: The Global Crisis of Vanishing Groundwater [14.08.2018]
In the Punjab and Maharashtra supplies of groundwater are rapidly vanishing and wells are failing. As aquifers decline and wells begin to go dry, people are being forced to confront a growing crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjsThobgq7Q

The power of one [2018]
Meet Naina Chinche, a resident of Khadki village in the Kalamb taluka of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. Naina, who has lost her mother, has the responsibility of tending to the household chores and helping her younger brother with his studies. Though already burdened, Naina accepted the responsibility of drought eradication in her village. But another obstacle popped up in front of her. What was it? And could she overcome it? Moreover, did Naina’s example enthuse her village to follow suit in this initiative? Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao find out in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=wxUNAHihFnA&feature=emb_title

Kinnaur is one of the twelve administrative districts of the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India AD Negi is a retired bureaucrat who has voluntarily planted and nurtured a 65 ha of lush green forest in a cold dessert area of Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.

Poor farmer Rich farmer -A story of a labourer who became a successful farmer [24.07.2017]
A story of a Kadwanchi village farmer in Jalna district who by adopting water conservation techniques – rainwater retention ponds – became rich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0twSYfASAU

The battle against drought {2016]
The Paani Foundation: In 2016, 116 drought-stricken villages from three talukas in Maharashtra competed for the first edition of the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup. While the competition itself was a success, it had results beyond what we imagined. It showed us that it was not just a competition, but a transformative force that could lead to a drought-free Maharashtra. Watch the story of the first Water Cup here.
https://youtu.be/qXwzaPtCJsI

Rain Water harvesting at low cost [28.07.2016]
Video in Hindi only/केवल भारतीय में वीडियो
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIaGJLhdtaw&feature=youtu.be

Traditional water harvesting structures for climate change adaptation [16.01.2016]
The Integrated Water Resources Management project aimed at establishing and replicating models of improved water management practices, institutionalising processes for community managed water resources and increasing access to entitlements in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The project was possible thanks to the financial support of the European Union and Viva con Agua.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=sILOmuU3a-8&feature=youtu.be

1) PERCOLATION OF RAIN WATER TO INCREASE THE GROUND WATER TABLE
2) TO RECHARGE THE DRIED UP BORE-WELLS.

15.08.2015 Telangana and Andhra Pradesh state, India.
Overexploitation of groundwater using borewells has led to severe water depletion. A rainwater recharge program was introduced by Shramajeevi after most of the open well and boreholes were dry. Techniques used include desilting (39,030 cm3 of silt removed to farmland), farm ponds for storing rainwater, and open well recharge and deepening.

Saving rain water / Making Swales / Water irrigation in the tropics [23.06.2015]
Instructional video: Ammas Ashram, Kerala, Southern India. In this video we learn how to save water by digging ditches and making swales. In hot climates it is essential to manage water and conserve as much as possible. Amazing skills and a good example of how growing food can made easier through some simple water management processes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzHlQ88jnQ4&feature=youtu.be

Water Conservation Project using water storage [31.05.2015]
Rejuvenating ground water levels in Maharashtra via a volunteer driven project. Heavy rainfall falls in a short span of time – 75% of rains happen in 13-15 days duration of the rainy season. Large cement check dams at 300 – 400 m help to retain this water as well as a percolation tank and widening and deepening of nullahs (stream, or watercourse, a steep narrow valley, characteristic of mountainous or hilly country where there is little rainfall) leading to increased water availability for the villagers, livestock and agriculture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sTZgv229wU

The Power of Shunya : Rainwater Harvesting – Season 2 # EP – 8 [28.10.2014]
70 percent of planet Earth is covered by water but India has a meagre 4 percent. India, though has 16 percent of the world’s population but hardly any share of the world’s water sources. India is dealing with a severe water scarcity. The World Bank estimates that soon 14 million Indians will face severe domestic, agricultural and commercial water shortage. In a country where per capita consumption of water is pegged at 135 litres per day, one can only imagine the amount of stress on our groundwater resources. Erratic rain and climate change keeps these water mines from charging fully. But Ayyappa Masagi is busy implementing methods that can ensure zero water shortage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTC79i2XHXo&feature=youtu.be

Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India: Watershed Development [11.07.2014]
Instructional video: A simple low cost method (boulder checks – an overflow structure to allow water to flow over it) using locally available natural resources for watershed development. During the monsoon season a lot of rain flows away as runoff. The key is to make this rainwater become available for a longer period of time to a village. Manmade interventions can reduce the speed of runoff and to trap silt and recharge the groundwater table, which all helps to green the landscape and improve livelihoods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOEWM6XzWGo

Water Harvesting for Climate Resilience: The Maharashtra Story- WACREP [22.05.2014]
Under Water & Climate Resilience Program, India Water Partnership (GWP-India) documented story of Marathawada regions (8 districts), Maharashtra which were the worst hit by drought in 2013. The story tells about the simple techniques followed by institutions and communities in dry land areas which made every drop of water count. This is the story of what and how they did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=VxkDYvtweEE&feature=emb_logo

West Bengal: Check Dam for Rain Water Harvesting and Prevention of Saline Water [23.04.2014]
The saline water of rivers and water bodies in the Sunderban region in West Bengal is unfit for irrigation. Paddy, the predominantly grown crop in the region, is heavily dependent on the monsoon. The need of the hour was to harvest sweet water for cultivation of other crops. Resources Development Foundation designed a special low-cost check dam to harvest rain water and prevent entry of saline water from river into drainage canal. This dam obstructs the flow of saline water from river to canal and allows collection of excess rain water from paddy fields up to September. This is suitable for harvesting Kharif crop and growing crops from October to March. The dam has a self-operating mechanism allowing to fro movement of water (both saline and sweet) during the monsoon as well as stores sweet water from the month of September for raising subsequent crops, without creating any negative environmental impact. This dam also helps raise multiple crops, increase production and productivity, generate income and rural employment, ensure food security and help improve growth of rural economy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckvHXqx3-sY&feature=youtu.be

Soakage Pit सोख्ता गड्ढा Using brick blast, gravel, course sand and jute bags. All the waste water is now going to underground. This method is not expensive and very helpful for the villages. Approx 500-600 litres of waste water is now saved and it is helpful for saving water and conserving the environment.

Constructing a recharge well – simple steps to achieve water sufficiency [04.04.2014]
Instructional video: Rainwater harvesting is mainly done for two reasons – one, to store the water for later use, and two, to recharge the ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBKctWEzy0c&feature=youtu.be

Motegav panlot water conservation success story [09.05.2013]
Video in Hindi/यह वीडियो हिंदी में है
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dgRkqUxHTA&feature=youtu.be

WOTR India: Watershed development from ridge to valley – a holistic watershed perspective 12.03.2013]
Our environment is progressively getting degraded because of overexploitation of natural resources. In a degraded landscape with little or no tree cover, and subsequently little soil cover, rainwater is not able to percolate into the ground. We lose rich top soil with this running water, which flows away into the streams. It is a vicious cycle — no top soil, no vegetation, increased run off of water and further erosion of top soil. Holistic watershed development is the answer to break this vicious cycle.
This video film explains the importance of the ‘Ridge to Valley’ approach for watershed management. It explains the various area treatments in non-arable waste land, cultivable land and also speaks about drainage line treatments. This video film highlights the technical and social components and the reasons why watershed work should start from the ridge and progress downwards towards the valley.
Non-arable wastelands: WAT – water absorption trench, CCT – continuous contour trench/trees, grass and shrub planting, stone bunds – where the soil is rocky and minimal soil
Cultivable land – farm bunds, contour bunds (with masonry or pipe outlets)
Drainage line treatment – gully plugs with spillway, loose boulder structures, gabion structures (wire meshing), nala bunds with spillway, check dams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBGommXHXg

Water conservation project in India [06.01.2013]
How this community developed project was established in Ghopalpura village from October 1984.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–AuJ3up8Xs

How Anna Hazare greened Ralegan Siddhi via a communal watershed development project [13.05.2011]
The trees were all cut down, 20% of villagers were eating one meal a day, and a perennial water crisis plagued the village (15 – 16“ of rain). First the village percolation tank was repaired, and then small water harvesting structures built on the hillsides. All the villagers contributed their voluntary labour and were involved in the planning and design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBfjsdICGT0

Lying in one of the worst drought-prone regions of India, the village of Hiware Bazar (pop. 1,300) battled many decades of sparse rain and failed crops. However, 20 years ago, the entire village came together to script a silent revolution by designing a rainwater-harvesting model that saved every drop of the scanty rain they received. Today, the village is literally an oasis in the middle of the desert, boasting of bumper harvests, dairy co-operatives, millionaire families and visionary farmers.

Thousands of years ago, Persians created an ingenious system to provide water across their arid landscape. They tapped aquifers at the heads of valleys and designed tunnels that utilized gravity to send the water to settlements. It’s now estimated that the combined length of all the underground channels, known as qanats, in Iran is equivalent to the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

A Kariz كاريز is one of a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by gently sloping tunnels. They create a reliable supply of water for human settlements and irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates. The qanat technology is known to have been developed by the Persian people sometime in the early 1st millennium BC and spread from there slowly west and eastward. The value of a qanat is directly related to the quality, volume and regularity of the water flow. Much of the population of Iran and other arid countries in Asia and North Africa historically depended upon the water from qanats; the areas of population corresponded closely to the areas where qanats are possible. Although a qanat was expensive to construct, its long-term value to the community, and thereby to the group that invested in building and maintaining it, was substantial.

Israel

Drought and Water Solutions In Israel — Environmentalism and Water Management [30.10.2018]
There is a growing need for Water Management and Solutions to Drought. See what Israel is doing to remedy these environmental and global concerns by exploiting desalination plants, deep drilling of aquifers, hydrophonics, water recycling and additional reservoir development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-McUZXKuu0

Over the past few years in Israel, the country’s water shortage has become a surplus. In ten years, Israel has built 5 desalination plants at a cost of $400 per plant, which now provide 50% of Israel’s water. Through a combination of conservation, reuse and desalination, the country now has more water than it needs. And that could translate to political progress for the country in the Middle East, one of the most water-stressed regions in the world.

Made in Israel: Water [4.09.2013]
Because more than half of Israel is desert, the lack of clean water is a life-or-death issue. Gordon Robertson examines several of the ways that Israel conserves water, including desalination, drip irrigation and recycling. Currently, 450 million m3 of water are produced in a day in Israel, and the country recycles 80% of its wastewater, much of which is used to drip irrigate its crops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7G9v6JdYwc

Jordan

Celebrating 10-Years at the Greening the Desert Project, Jordan [25.09.2018]
The project started in 2008, and the association working on it was created in 2011. Jordan is hot and arid, so the systems applied help with water conservation. At the same time, they save money by not relying on chemicals and, instead, utilizing natural process. While chemicals seem beneficial at the offset, they ultimately kill the soil and destroy fertility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI9wMtTvWps

Kenya

Rain water Harvesting in Kenya [29.08.2017]
Off grid water harvesting using ground gutters in regions of Kenya in Africa that get less than 12-13″ of rain per year. Most of these are DIY systems that are custom made to specific regions. Kenya Rainwater Association is engaged in the activity of helping water poor regions in Kenya harvest rainwater for farm and domestic use. This documentary shot in Baringo, Laikipia and Kiambu counties encapsulates its engagement with members of the communities in these areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALh8riuXuU&feature=youtu.be

East Pokot is a Pastoralist community within Baringo Sub-County. East Pokot have few alternative livelihood opportunities available and they remain highly vulnerable to droughts. They lack early warning and preparedness measures to cushion them from shocks, and as such the populations recurrently faces the negative implications of adverse weather conditions. Hifadhi Africa captures the plight of women of East Pokot and how a sand dam will transform their lives.

Sand Dams, retaining rainwater in Kenya [16.06.2016]
As a member of the WASH Alliance International, Amref Health Africa is working on sustainable access to sufficient and safe drinking water. In the Kajiado district, a dry area in the rift valley of Kenya we achieve significant results by building sand dams and retaining rainwater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dUGlcy6sJ8

Furrows in the Desert – Turkana, Kenya [5.11.2015]
‘Furrows in the Desert’, a project in which KKL-JNF is partner in Kenya, is teaching the Turkana people how to support themselves through sustainable Israeli agriculture, enabling them to independently attain food security in a harsh semi-arid region.
For more information: https://www.kkl-jnf.org/international-cooperation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp2rRp3J9io&feature=youtu.be

Christian Impact Mission has developed a 7 point community transformation model in Makutano- Yatta, a community in the semi arid part of Machakos county in Eastern Kenya, an area of 1059 square kilometres. . The initiative has sought to combat the existing challenges brought about by the constant drought and famine experienced in the area.

In this episode Bishop Titus Masika of Christian Impact Mission is featured. He started Operation Mwolyo [Relief] Out, a program promoting sustainable agriculture in arid Yatta,Ukambani Machakos County. It has done away with dependency on aid

The Farm Pond: USAID Brings Rainwater Harvesting to Makueni County [15.05.2014]
USAID is partnering with Fintrac, Inc. and the Kenya Rainwater Association to help farmers in Eastern Kenya conserve and harvest rainwater, a good agricultural practice that will improve productivity and build farmers’ ability to cope with drought and erratic rainfall. This short documentary examines the impact of the Farm Pond, a rainwater technology that has allowed farmers in Makueni County to diversify production and produce crops year-round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4hhx1NyQU&feature=youtu.be

Canadian Foodgrains Bank: Dancing on Water: Sand Dams in Kenya [06.09.2011]
See how sand dams are making a big difference in Eastern Kenya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZhG_vxLCR8

Scott Wilson Millennium Project – Kenya Sand Dam Video 2010 [16.07.2011]
17 volunteers from engineering and environmental consultancy Scott Wilson fly to the dry community of Malaika in Kenya to build a sand dam – a simple concrete structure built across the river bed to capture water and seasonal rain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vz2kaL2bs4&feature=youtu.be

TerrAfrica: Fanya juu Terraces [16.03.2011]
Instructional video: Fanya juu terraces have provided the framework to eastern Kenya’s very successful soil and water conservation programme and are an insurance against climate change. This video shows how the terraces are built and maintained.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80jirXONSpY

Excellent Development – Legal firm SJ Berwin gives a sand dam [03.06.2010]
It takes several rainy seasons for a sand dam to fill with sand and mature, but in the meantime, communities have plenty of water to set up tree and vegetable nurseries, water their animals and irrigate their crops. Since this sand dam has matured, the Wendano wa Ngomeni community have invested in sustainable land management and farming with the support of our partners, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation. The women in the group have benefited especially from establishing vegetable nurseries, which, thanks to the sand dam, are now generating a surplus of food which can be sold at local markets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7dNejvYiSg&feature=youtu.be

The use of sand dam technology for both saving and recharging water in Kenya [16.07.2009]
Instructional video: Sand dams are a key technology to improve water supply in semi-arid regions. A sand dam is a reinforced concrete wall built across seasonal river beds – 2 to 4 metres high and up to 90 metres across. Over one to three seasons, the dam fills up with water, then sand, which filters water clean and protects it from evaporation and parasites. About 40% of the volume behind the dam is water, meaning that sand dams can hold an incredible 2 to 10 million litres of water! Sand dams are combined with land terracing and tree planting to improve the conservation of both soil and water, enabling farmers to grow more food on their land. This holistic approach to development creates a positive cycle of improvement which allows people to change their lives sustainably, moving away from a situation where water and food are in short supply, towards water and food security.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjzcfPax4As

Lebanon

Lebanon Reforestation Initiative – Grow Forests Change lives Part 1 [07.08.2018]
Since 2011, Lebanon Reforestation Initiative have planted more than half-a-million native tree species all over Lebanon. This video will take you on a green trip to showcase some of the successful planted sites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ0SzajyhNk&feature=youtu.be

Lebanon Reforestation Initiative – Community commitment to sustainable reforestation in Lebanon [27.05.2013]
LRI is a project funded by USAID and implemented by USFS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElpCNxa2mpo

Mexico

Gabions: Rain Water harvesting [16.09.2013]
Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation initiated this activity in Mexico and in Southern Arizona. A new modification of the “trinchera” activity, which has had the same beneficial effect but on a much larger and wider scale, is the “gabion”. This approach requires more elaborate engineering and manpower to impliment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhAoh3O2mPM&feature=youtu.be

Rain Water Harvesting: Trincheras [11.09.2013]
Inspired by a 30 years’ experience project on watershed restoration by Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation. Simple, time honoured, effective rain water harvesting techniques that promote risk management in flood as well as drought condition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEXAOaLwxjk&feature=youtu.be

Website:

Rainwater harvesting – Consecha de Lluvia en Coahuila
In Spanish/en español
Ofrecemos, de manera gratuita, métodos económicos y prácticos para aumentar la producción casera de agua y comida, siendo estos la cosecha de lluvia y la Jardinería Optimizada. /
We offer, free of charge, economic and practical methods to increase the homemade production of water and food, these being the rain harvest and the Optimized Gardening.
https://www.ciclicoahuila.com/

Morocco

1.12.2010 Bit by bit, Moroccan farmland is turning into desert. It’s a big problem, as half of Moroccans live from agriculture. The fight against encroaching desertification is a matter of survival. A reforestation program has been introduced to slow down soil erosion. Water is dwindling in the country. Climate change only makes the situation worse. Ever-longer dry periods pose an enormous challenge for the country. And the forecast for the coming decades is dramatic. Annual average temperatures are set to increase by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius from 2021, and by as much as 4 degrees from 2071.

Growing up on Mount Boutmezguida in southwest Morocco on the edge of the Sahara desert, Khadija Ghouate never imagined that the fog enveloping the nearby peaks would change her life. For hours every day and often before sunrise, Ghouate and other women from nearby villages would walk 5 km (3 miles) to fetch water from open wells, with girls pulled out of school to help and at risk of violence on the lonely treks.
But with groundwater levels dropping due to overuse, drought and climate change, the challenge to get enough water daily was becoming harder, and almost half of people in the local area sold up and quit rural life after generations for the city.
As the future of the traditional Berber region by Mount Boutmezguida floundered, a mathematician whose family came from the area had a eureka moment gleaned from living overseas – using fog to make water. Now Ghouate’s village is connected to the world’s largest functioning fog collection project, alleviating the need to collect water that fell mainly on women, and with state-of-the-art equipment setting an example for other projects globally. Click on the link below to read the full story: http://news.trust.org/item/2018051700…

In the Lesser Atlas range, water is a scarce resource. The region is one of the driest in the North African country, even though heavy fog is a regular occurrence. That gave an NGO the idea of trying to harvest water from the air with large nets.

The global water supply is constantly and increasingly threatened by climate change, overconsumption and poor management, among other forces. In an effort to bolster it, scientists around the world are leveraging familiar scientific principles with modern technology to capture water from the moisture in fog. John Yang reports on these innovative efforts to address the worsening water crisis.

The edge of the Sahara desert seems an unlikely spot for an organic farm, but that didn’t stop a group of poor villagers in the village of Hart Chaou, 300 kilometers southeast of Marrakesh, from planting one. Reporting for VOA, Solana Pyne describes a Moroccan community farm that could be a model for other drought-prone regions.

The Oriental Region of Morocco is one of the country’s poorest and most water-scarce areas. This restricts farmers’ ability to produce additional crops and meet growing food demands. Climate change and frequent droughts increased water scarcity, causing many people to leave the region. Farmers in remote villages rely on traditional irrigation methods, such as centuries-old canals, to water their crops. Improving water management is a key to increasing the crop yields, food security and incomes of the people who live and work in one of Morocco’s most important breadbaskets.

Water is getting scarce. Agriculture is the number one user of water worldwide. If dry areas of the world aren’t careful, their agriculture will soon be in big trouble. Morocco is a good example of a country that has woken up to its water problems.

Mozambique

Mozambique Sand Dams and Gardens [23.07.2015]
Instructional video: In arid Tete province of Mozambique, rural community-built sand dams store water for vegetable gardens that transform the lives of farm families.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSM-emNIj7s

Sand dams in Tete province, Mozambique [28.11.2014]
Local farmers work with United Church of Canada and partners using small local dams to create farmland in an arid landscape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPUHfkKgxDU&feature=youtu.be

Namibia

Nepal

Rainwater Harvesting Project [6.05.2015]
During the dry season from October to June, villagers have little or no water for their buffalo, kitchen gardens and household use. This forces women to carry water from springs down the hill. They often spend more than half the day carrying water. The household investment is to dig the pond with plastic lining and provide gutters and pipe to collect water from their roof tops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WestXQW6OLw

Niger

TerrAfrica: Zaï planting pits [19.05.2014]
Instructional video: Zai planting pits combined with stone lines and compost manure increase vegetable productivity. In Niger, Zaï planting pits and combined with demi lunes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZImijf3gflo

The effectiveness of zai planting pits
This documentary is an insight into the work of soil and water conservation expert, Dr Chris Reij. In June 2012, he returned to communities in southern Niger. This area is right on the edge of the Sahara and yet growing in the sandy soil are an abundance of vegetables, cereal crops and trees.

Peru

The Peruvian capital of Lima is slowly running out of water. Lima is becoming one of the driest capital cities in the world. Daily water shortages are a real problems for Peru’s poorest residents. Lima authorities believe ancient methods are the solution

Strategies of Adapting though Reforestation Activities: The Mountain Planting

Capturing water from the fog in Lima, Peru. Peru is our first country of operation and Lima serves as our proof of concept.
The climate in Lima is very good for this solution and problems with water are huge. In Lima, one out of every five families doesn’t have access to safe drinking water!
Creating Water worked together with almost 500 families on the installation of 60 fogcatchers. Together they can capture up to 10.000 liters per day! The families we work with, start to improve their lives by building their own fogfarm. We support them by financing the materials, training on fogfarm technology, urban agriculture and water utilization.
Water from the fog – clean drinking water – urban agriculture – clean energy – sustainable solution Creating Water Foundation – Lima, Peru – 2016 Visit our website: www.creatingwater.org Instagram: www.instagram.com/creatingwater/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/creatingwater/

Philippines

As the population of the Philippines has more than doubled since the 1980s, lands for farming decrease in size to make way for new developments. To compensate, farmers resorted to harsh farming practices that increased their yield but were harmful to the environment. To address this issue, the World Agroforestry Centre and its partners developed a new farming system called Conservation Agriculture with Trees. This system can increase and stabilize crop yields for smallholder farmers with modest investments.
For more information, visit our website: www.worldagroforestry.org

Organic Farming in the Philippines: Living Asia Channel Documentary Organic Negros Occidental [6.08.2014]
Negros Occidental showcases its top Agri Tourism sites and showing why it is the Organic Food Bowl of the country in this 2014 Living Asia Channel Documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ellOhJCNIns&feature=youtu.be

Conservation Agriculture in the Philippines [13.06.2014]
This beautiful video details efforts made by SANREM Innovation Lab’s LTRA-12 team, led by Dr. Manuel Reyes at NC A&T. This video, directed by Jun Mercado, talks about their efforts to spread CAPS (conservation agriculture production systems) in the Philippines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc_Atfap-EA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SptQJfsP-dk

FAO’s 2011 State of the World’s Forests report, published to coincide with the International Year of Forests, highlights some positive and encouraging trends. Asia and the Near East are showing an increase in forest regeneration and replanting projects.One such project is the “Advancing the Application of Assisted Natural Regeneration for Effective Low-cost Forest Restoration” project, carried out on the Philippine Island of Bohol. Presented in this video, it highlights the vital role of local communities in managing, conserving and developing forests. In particular, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) partnered with the Philippines government to promote ANR (Assisted Natural Regeneration) as a way of regenerating the forests

Agroforestry – Conservation Farming with Natural Vegetative Strips (Let Nature Take Its Course) [9.09.2011]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt8Vc2mwBfw

Watch “SALT Sloping Agriculture Land Technology” [26.09.2010]
Developed by Dr. Harold Watson to improve farming methods for hilly to mountainous areas farmed in tropical to subtropical areas of the world
https://youtu.be/y9D-gWk4S5U

Portugal

Construção de um muro em gabiões/Gabions wall construction [13.11.2017]
Instructional video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcB3B2G5uFY&feature=youtu.be

WATER IS LIFE – The Water Retention Landscape of Tamera [14.09.2011]
Instructional video: Sepp Holzer (an Austrian mountain farmer and global water consultant) and Bernd Mueller explain the construction, the effect and the basic ideas for the construction of a water retention landscape: a local and natural solution to the global problem of disturbed water balance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hF2QL0D5ww&feature=youtu.be

Sahara and Sahel Deserts

What If We Terraformed the Sahara Desert? [28.05.2019]
In an effort to fight climate change, the Sahara Desert could be going green… literally. Plans are being made to terraform the entire Sahara desert; changing it from a dry, barren landscape to a lush green space. If successful, the transformation could remove 7.6 billion tons of atmospheric carbon yearly. How could we change the nature of such a vast, isolated landscape?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH_OK6OGr80&feature=youtu.be

The Great Green Wall of Africa – the World Bank/ Global Environment Facility Contribution [7.04.2015]
The Sahel & West Africa Program in support of the Great Green Wall of Africa is the World Bank and GEF’s contribution to transform the Sahel into a stable, sustainable, resilient region through improved management of natural resources, land, water, and climate risks. Developed under the TerrAfrica program, the US$ 1.1 billion program includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Togo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWs2WBjPKd0

Saudi Arabia

The Al-Baydha Project in the south-west of the country

2.06.2020 The final update from Al Baydha Project Co-founder Neal Spackman, 9 years in. How desertification resulted from the loss of an indigenous land management system, and how the land has changed since all inputs to the project were ceased in 2016. Neal moved on from Al Baydha in 2018 and can now be contacted at regenerativeresources.co

Introduction to Al-Baydha Project [13.01.2011]
Instructional video: Following the settlement of bedou by the Saudi Arabian government, a once forested area has been destroyed by overgrazing, and the local population are having to buy in barley and hay as the deforestation continues. A project is trying to teach them a new economic system that allows them to retain their culture and animal husbandry instead of them being forced to move to the cities. The al-Baydha project encompasses many different aspects of rural development, but here project manager Neal Spackman talks about the main issue and its solutions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6LmVDujYWY

Abdul Razaq Al Aduani on Desertification in Al Baydha [15.05.2018]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqJi95wLUfk

Functioning Earthworks in Al Baydha [19.11.2015]
A view of some of the leaky dams on the Al Baydha Project’s demonstration site during rain in September, 2015. These dams function by slowing down the water and catching the silt eroded from upstream. As they develop they will be planted with very hardy trees–ziziphus, acacia, & Faidherbia, that will biologically moderate flood flow once they are established. This slows down floods, allowing them to be directed into swales and other earthworks once the water hits the flood plain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuqiTAeK5U

Taken from one of the high points of the Al Baydha Project’s demonstration site, this shows the growth of the project’s agroforestry system. Two years were spent on constructing earthworks up in the mountains, and the first trees were planted in early 2012. The earthworks will catch and store up to 20,000 cubic meters in the earth, while the rate of irrigation is approximately 500 cubic meters per month. In summer of 2015, enough water was caught to irrigate the system for over 4 years. Thus if it rains within 4 years, the system will be passively increasing the amount of water in the water table and shallow aquifers.

Arid Swales Update 20 Months After First Planting [20.10.2014]
Instructional video: After 20 months of growth, and 4 years of observing patterns in Al Baydha, Neal Spackman walks you through the swales and flood plain of the Al Baydha Project’s demonstration site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUnQ4GeUZUA&feature=youtu.be

Reversing the Cycle of Desertification[1.02.2014]
After waiting for three years for rain, Al Baydha Project finally got a second test of its water system, and the results were fantastic. As we increase the tree cover, we will decrease evaporation, increase wind break, shade cover, soil biota, and the soil’s capacity to absorb water. Thus we can reverse the cycle of desertification and replace it with a cycle of regeneration, until the land can support fruit trees, grazing animals, honeybees, and other desert produce.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_ImV8U6Lk

Terrace building in the desert [28.03.2011]
A description and view of some of the terraces built in Al Baydha, Makkah by local bedou. Terraces, in addition to swales and gabions, are some of the earthworks used in the Al Baydha Project to slow down water flow in the mountains, as part of a strategy to control flash floods, prevent erosion in the mountains, store water in the earth, and reforest the landscape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=529YqY2BdoY

Gabions/Check Dams for slowing down desert flash flooding explained [13.01.2011]
Instructional video: A look at one of our gabions after a good rain, along with an explanation of their role in flash flood management/desert water harvesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW1jcY3OtM8

Terraces to Gabions [13.01.2011]
A look at one series of gabions/check dams for slowing down water flow running from the top of the mountain through a gorge down to the main wadi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp1nwt_XmY0

Senegal

Northern Senegal defends against desertification with trees
Great Green wall initiative in Sahel that borders the Sahara Desert and the African Savannah. Trees are the first line of defence against desertification – 11 m. ha of trees are to be planted across the width of Africa to improve the lives of semi-nomadic communities. This is combined with education and action on better land use. Land is prepared for planting by a team of women and drip irrigation used.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgmWQ7f6Xqw

Singapore

Water crisis: What’s the best solution? [15.03.2018]
Cape Town isn’t the only city facing a water crisis — in fact many around the world have been trying to find ways to conserve the invaluable resource; that led CBC News to ask: Is there a best solution to solving a water crisis? Singapore has become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of water reuse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHL-uTB0w54

From droughts and dirty rivers, to clean running water – this didn’t happen by chance. Here’s all you need to know about our water story, and a good reminder of why every drop counts.

NEWater: A Singapore Success Story [2.08.2016]
NEWater, a pillar of Singapore’s water sustainability strategy, is high-grade reclaimed water. Produced from treated used water that is further purified using advanced membrane technologies and ultra-violet disinfection, it is ultra-clean and safe to drink. Visit www.pub.gov.sg for more information on NEWater. Wafer Fabrication footage courtesy of SSMC (Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Co. Pte. Ltd.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWU-8_4wu0&t=18s

Somalia

Sand dams save lives- Fatima’s story [04.05.2017]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DDeULB2ocw

South Africa

They make the desert bloom [09.03.2015]
Karsten Group South Africa, Karsten Farms, Stefan Botha Productions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRckxnHZHb4&feature=youtu.be

Harvesting African Rain [11.12.2009]
2nd Africa Water Week (November 2009 – Johannesburg, South Africa)
– Highlights of Rainwater Harvesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81gJljbTmW4

Spain

AlVelAl – The concepts underlying regenerative agriculture including soil restoration, water harvesting, the relationship between biodiversity and a resilient economy, and the revitalisation of rural communities.
/ Presenta los conceptos básicos de la agricultura regenerativa, incluyendo la restauración de suelos, la cosecha de agua, la relación entre biodiversidad y economía y la revitalización de las comunidades rurales.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF9ZU2Bg1d0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkShm1YRE1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrC731oCTzc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf5VCMPg7QU&t=5s

Reforestation anti-desertification in Los Monegros Desert Zaragoza Spain with Groasis [09.12.2017]
Find more info at www.groasis.com . The Monegros Desert is a desert in the North of Zaragoza – Spain. The soil consists of 50% stones and 50% dry sand, the sand has no water holding capacity. Temperatures go up to +35°C (+95°F) during Summer. They go down to -10°C (+14°F) during Winter. Annual rainfall is around 300 mm (12 inches). The planting was done in the Summer of 2011, during the hottest period of the year. The most dangerous period for the trees, is the first Winter. Heavy cold winds of -10 C° – called Tramontane – fall down in the area. It is then when most of young planted trees die. This planting has had an survival rate of 95%. The Monegros Desert can easily be restored with the Groasis Ecological Water Saving Technology. /
Encuentre más información en www.groasis.com/sp . El Desierto de Los Monegros es un desierto en el norte de Zaragoza, España. El suelo consiste en 50% de piedras y 50% de arena seca, la arena no tiene capacidad de retención de agua. Las temperaturas suben a + 35 °C (+ 95 °F) durante el verano. Bajan a -10 °C (+ 14 °F) durante el invierno. La precipitación anual es de alrededor de 300 mm (12 pulgadas). La plantación se realizó en el verano de 2011, durante el período más cálido del año. El período más peligroso para los árboles, es el primer invierno. Fuertes vientos fríos de -10 °C – llamados Tramontane – caen en el área. Es entonces cuando la mayoría de los árboles jóvenes plantados mueren. Esta plantación ha tenido una tasa de supervivencia del 95%. El desierto de Monegros se puede restaurar fácilmente con la Tecnología Ecológica de Ahorro de Agua Groasis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzTB4ZDwPaI

Spain replants after centuries of deforestation [22.05.2013]
https://www.dw.com/en/spain-replants-after-centuries-of-deforestation/a-16774319

Groasis participates in the Life+ “The Green Deserts” project. This project takes 5 years of investigation with 32,000 Groasis Waterboxxes. We cooperate with six Spanish partners and one Belgium partner. We plant on 7 extreme places in Spain. It is extreme hot, extreme cold, extreme dry, extreme rocky, we suffer from extreme winds and we plant on extreme slopes of mine sites. The experiments are done under the supervision of the University of Valladolid. The video shows how serious the scientists of the University of Valladolid work. It gives an excellent view of the results until now.
Español Encontrará más información en nuestro sitio web www.groasis.com. Groasis participa en el proyecto Life+ “Los Desiertos Verdes”. Este proyecto lleva 5 años de investigación con 32.000 Groasis Waterboxxes. Cooperamos con seis socios españoles y un socio de Belgica. Plantamos en 7 lugares extremos en España. Es, extremo caliente y seco, extremo frío, extremo rocoso, sufrimos de vientos extremos y también plantamos en extremas y dificiles pendientes de mineras. Los experimentos se llevan a cabo bajo la supervisión de la Universidad de Valladolid. El video muestra como serio los científicos de la Universidad de Valladolid trabajan. Le da una excelente vista de los resultados hasta ahora. Português Você pode encontrar mais informações quando visita o nosso website www.groasis.com. Groasis participa do projeto Life+ “Os Desertos Verdes”. Este projeto leva 5 anos de pesquisa com 32.000 Waterboxxes de Groasis. Nós cooperamos com seis parceiros espanhol e umo da Bélgica. Nós plantamos em 7 lugares extremos em Espanha. É extremamente quente e seco, extremo frio, extremamente rochoso, sofrem de ventos extremos e plantamos em encostas extremas de minas. Os experimentos foram realizados sob a supervisão da Universidade de Valladolid. O vídeo mostra como os cientistas na Universidade de Valladolid trabalham muito sério. Ele dá uma excelente visão dos resultados até agora.

Sri Lanka

Rainwater Harvesting : Tamil : Groundwater Recharge [18.02.2017]
– video in Tamil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES6-fkz4Nlo

Sivagangai farmer shows the way for rain water harvesting | Tamil Nadu | News7 Tamil |[03.07.2015]
– video in Tamil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlYAYT_rEeA

Rain Water Harvesting [08.06.2012]
National Science Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2My5VF1p6Q&feature=youtu.be

Sudan

PA -FSL project water harvesting infrastructures for agriculture reasons in Audrout catchment [18.11.2019]
– video in Sudanese Arabic/ فيديو باللغة السودانية العربية
Practical Action eastern Sudan Program, Integrated Improvement of Household Food Security in Gedarif, Kassala and Red Sea States, Sudan project, water harvesting infrastructures for agriculture reasons in Audrout catchment / برنامج عملي عملي لشرق السودان ، تحسين متكامل للأمن الغذائي للأسر في ولايات القضارف وكسلا والبحر الأحمر ، ومشروع السودان ، والبنى التحتية لحصاد المياه لأسباب زراعية في مستجمعات المياه في أدروت
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oloyva5U9HY

Water Harvesting Systems in Sudan [9.11.2018]
Assoc. Prof. Abu Obieda gives a presenatation on water harvesting systems in Sudan [slides in English/talk in Sudanese Arabic]
More info: spate-irrigation.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI62XY0M37Q&feature=youtu.be

Sudan: Water Harvesting [28.08.2017]
The Darfur region of Sudan has experienced, over the last half century, rapid population growth, periodic drought and a cycle of conflict that has displaced millions from their villages, many of whom now live in Internally Displaced Person camps near towns – putting pressure on the region’s already strained natural environment. Since competition over resources has contributed to conflict in the first place, worsening the natural environment so many depend on is neither sustainable nor supportive of recovery and peace. In an effort to address this, UN Environment and partners, North Darfur State Government and Practical Action Sudan, show how effective and inclusive natural resource management can improve livelihoods and achieve peaceful relationships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzFNIFM3gAs&feature=youtu.be

Taiwan

This firm was produced by SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION BUREAU in Taiwan. It records some particular farmland measures at slope areas in past 50 years, as well as it introduces the history of the Bureau.
https://youtu.be/4It9NwND-zI

United States of America

16.09.2013 Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation initiated this activity in Mexico and in Southern Arizona A new modification of the “trinchera” activity, which has had the same beneficial effect but on a much larger and wider scale, is the “gabion”. This approach requires more elaborate engineering and manpower to impliment.

America’s Water Crisis: From contamination in Flint to water shortages in the southwest (28.01.2020)

12.09.2013 Inspired by a 30 years experience project on watershed restoration by Cuenca Los Ojos Foundation. Simple, time honored, effective rain water harvesting techniques that promote risk managmant in flood as well as drought condition.

Catching Water in the Desert [19.03.2017]
An animation project about water harvesting in stream channels. How has the landscape in the dry grasslands of Arizona changed over time? How have humans affected the stream channels? In this region, most groundwater is recharged through the sediment at the bottom of stream channels. So how might changes in the channel affect the rates of infiltration (floodwater at the surface soaking into the ground) and recharge (the infiltrated water traveling down to the water table and being stored)?
More information at the USGS Aridland Water Harvesting Study: https://geography.wr.usgs.gov/science…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTd2nL_eWw

Swale Garden Construction, Start to Finish [14.04.2017]
This is the first attempt at such a garden at the farm. It is about 80′ long and 4′ tall. It lies on a south facing slope in central Indiana. Be sure to check out my other videos to see how things progress!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETbSv4GtIlU

Zambia

Conservation Agriculture [06.09.2012]
A quarter of a million small-scale farmers in the country have adopted this system (2012) and is on track for half the country’s farmers by 2015. Cooperation between Zambia and Zimbabwe and intensive training initiatives between extension officers and lead farmers has ensured the success of the program. Uganda farmers are now following suit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRh6FCvx91g

Zanzibar

Off the coast of East Africa in the Zanzibar archipelago, lie the island of Pemba and islet of Kokota. When Mbarouk Mussa Omar visited Kokota a decade ago, it was teetering toward the brink of collapse. Deforestation and climate change had wreaked havoc on the tiny islet. He recognized that his island of Pemba could suffer the same fate and was determined to do something.

Zimbabwe

Running out of Time | Documentary on Holistic Management [01.05.2018]
Burning 1 ha of land is equivalent to the emissions from 6,000 cars. This in-depth documentary explores how Allan Savory and his wife Jody Butterfield – who have set up the Africa Centre for Holistic Management – have used Holistic Management to completely transform his land in Zimbabwe – key to HM’s success is a carefully structured grazing programme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7pI7IYaJLI

Water harvesting principles & the story of an African rain farmer [21.02.2017]
“You must plant the rain before you plant a seed or tree!” proclaimed rain farmer Mr. Zephaniah Phiri Maseko of Zimbabwe. By doing just that, he and his family turned a wasteland into an oasis, raised groundwater and well levels even in dry years, reduced flooding in wet years, and enhanced the fertility of the soils. This inspiring story will be shared along with the strategies used, and more importantly, the guiding principles that informed the choice, placement, and implementation of these strategies into a more integrated and productive system. These principles work in any climate experiencing a dry season or drought. And they help us see and act more holistically by asking us questions that direct our attention to important aspects of water and fertility systems we might otherwise overlook.
Presenter: Brad Lancaster is a dynamic teacher, consultant, and designer of regenerative systems that sustainably enhance local resources and our global potential. He is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book series Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6_WZ789lpM&feature=youtu.be

Large parts of Zimbabwe – that were once forested – are now semi-arid.
The video describes the experience of Zephaniah Phiri in improving dry land management using rainwater retention techniques.

General

The Economist: Climate change: the trouble with trees | The Economist [18.09.2019]
Tree-planting has been hailed as a solution to climate change. But how much can trees really do to tackle global warming?
https://econ.st/32HXvXY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXkbdELr4EQ

How the Bedouin harvest rainwater – Dead Sea area [29.11.2017]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxdJU1qwK50

Sand Dams: Transforming Lives in Drylands [25.09.2017]
As of 2017, Excellent Deveopment (http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/) had enabled the build of nearly 1,000 sand dams in 8 countries (including Kenya, India, Mozambique and Zimbabwe), providing over close to 900,000 people with access to safe water, and it is Excellent’s vision to enable 1 million sand dams to be built for 500 million people by 2040 (supporting the world’s poorest people to transform their own lives through sand dams, soil and water conservation).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkq540gsq2M&feature=youtu.be

Check Dams (gully rehabilitation and reclamation) [2.02.2016]
Instructional video: Soil erosion is a challenge throughout the world. Soil erosion results in the loss of soil and loss of usable land. If left unmanaged erosion will result in gullies. It is important to manage erosion in order to prevent the loss of valuable soil and to maintain the area of usable land. One technique for managing soil erosion and gullies is the construction of check dams. The check dams trap the sediment behind the check dam and slowly reclaim the land. This also helps to prevent downstream impacts. Eventually the land can be reused. There are different types of check dams depending on the severity of the gully and the rate of flow of the water e.g. simple vegetation barriers, to more hardy stone based check dams. This video demonstrates how to construct check dams in erosion channels or for gully reclamation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nKc5wEjWrY

UNCCD: Land for Life Award Winner: Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration – World Vision Australia [23.09.2013]
World Vision Australia pioneered the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration land restoration technique, popularizing the concept and training thousands of farmers in 14 countries on how to cultivate underground root systems to restore productivity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXOHGs9DHwI

Managing Water for Climate Resilience in Africa [8.05.2013]
This video is about the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) in Africa which the Global Water Partnership implements for the African Minister’s Council on Water. WACDEP has been created to support the integration of water security and climate resilience into development planning processes and the design of financing and investment strategies. Water is the principal medium through which people, ecosystems and economies will experience the impacts of climate change. WACDEP can enable successful planning for better water use in a world that would otherwise be severely affected by climate change and poor development planning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQLOEwQIcO0

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration [16.03.2013]
Programme 10 in the series on Sustainable Land Management in Africa looks at the use of farmer managed natural regeneration of trees for sustainable farming. Filmed in West Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP0wTNLXKgo

“Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert,” begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And terrifyingly, it’s happening to about two-thirds of the world’s grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it. He now believes, and his work on 50 million ha across 5 continents so far shows, that a surprising factor – livestock mimicking nature and planned grazing – can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.

Sahara Forest Project 1 [30.11.2012]
Sahara Forest Project (in Qatar), a great project to show the world what is possible with sun, seas and desert and a lot of ingenuity. A great example of a growing green cities project for Floriade2022. A great way to learn from others who tackle geographical challenges in other parts of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcHsVrX-80k&feature=youtu.be

UNRISD: Green Economy and Sustainable Development: Bringing Back the Social [3.01.2012]
Discussions about Green Economy often ignore the Social – this short 10 minute video addresses this issue.
http://www.unrisd.org/greeneconomy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5lBwrJcUOk

Excellent Development – Soil and Water Conservation [05.06.2009]
Lack of water is the biggest threat to the lives of people living in dryland Africa. In addition, soil erosion further threatens their ability to grow enough food to eat. In this short film, we expalin how communities work together to conserve soil and water to create true self-help development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmPLGBy14CM&feature=youtu.be