There is a lot of work to be done so the plan has been separated in different phases which include short, medium and long-term plans.
Given that the land has not been cultivated for a very long time an initial plan of soil regeneration and fertilization is the first step to undertake. The work will be done using permaculture techniques and no modern pesticides, chemical products or industrial farming procedures will be used. There is a pre-installed power supply structure in place which has to be legalized and connected. Until electricity is available the power source for running the well pump and other light machinery will come from solar energy panels, which must be purchased and installed. Water tanks for irrigation are also needed. There is a well with large amounts of water. According to current legislation the well needs a water meter and a full hydrography study to become operational.
There are three small buildings, which used to be the housing in the original project, which are intended for storage, seed farming and shed. These need to be conditioned for their purpose. Some earthworks are projected such as swales, ponds and paths. Heavy machinery will be needed for this.
Due to the size of the land we are planning to separate it in allotments which will be used for different productions varying in growth and harvest times. The first objective is to monetize the production until it becomes sustainable and covers the basic running costs. We plan to designate spaces for seasonal vegetable patches and fruit trees as well as cover crop and plants for production of fertilizer and mulch. We will use a chicken tractor system to help boost fertility and productivity and of course egg production. Long term food forest will be started as soon as possible. Preparations will be made for keeping sheep and cattle on a small scale which will also aid the fertilization and long term food production.
Other resources such as worm farms, beehives and carbon pits will be projected at this stage. A green house, or poly-tunnel, will be installed alongside the seed nursery.
Even though the education aspect of the farm is the last phase it is an ongoing part of the project and we intend to document, from the offset, all the work that is carried out on the farm via written blog entries and video blog which will be made available every week to track our progress and will serve as a reference and guidance to anybody who is interested in what we are doing. We also intend to commence short courses and volunteering work as soon as possible. Once production is in full swing and the basic needs of the farm are consolidated we will begin running longer courses and immersion camps to raise awareness and encourage this work in other communities around the world. We will also hold seminars and conferences in matters of ecology, sustainability, regenerative farming, establishing community, animal farming, nutrition, herbal medicine and natural therapies as well as Islamic teaching and Quran.
