Semilla Besada
Location: Lanjarón. Granada, Spain
Start Date: 1999
Expected Completion Date:
Project Concept
 To create a working model of a triple-bottom-line (people, planet, profit) sustainable pastoral farm in a dryland environment, which exemplifies the following:
- the involvement, integration and empowerment of all stakeholders
-
the identification of all social, environmental and economic resources to be managed sustainably
-
the application of self-regulation
- the use of observation, action and feedback to respond to change
-
the rigorous testing of all management decisions for sustainability based on consensus of all the stakeholders
-
the design of social, economic and environmental landscapes that:
o promote ecosystem health
o produce no waste
o create complex, stable and integrated communities
o value diversity
o capture and store energy
o work from principles to practices
Detailed Project Description
The landscape
Semilla Besada in middle distance in the
height of the summer drought |
Semilla Besada comprises 8 hectares of land in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park, set at 1300m above the town of Lanjarón, south of Granada in the province of Andalucia, southern Spain The landscape registers about 8 on the Savory Brittleness Scale
and is particularly prone to desertification. It is classified as a maquis/garigue landscape, typified by the presence of Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) and perennial shrubs such as Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum) Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer) Common Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and Horehound (Marubium supinum). A complete list of wild plants
identified at Semilla Besada and climate data can be seen on-line.
The pre-purchase development history
Sorghum and squash with
cherry tree in background |
About 30 years ago Semilla Besada provided a subsistence living for a family of 10, but by 1979 the farm was abandoned and the farmhouse a ruin. More detailed information on the history of the area is available on-line. When Semilla Besada was bought in 1999, the farmhouse had been restored and about 200 mixed fruit and nut trees had been planted. Approximately 2 hectares of the land had been fenced but no further development was planned. The owner wanted to move closer to town to better support his established guitar-making business.
Project development history – management framework
Two articles about the early development of Semilla Besada were printed in the Permaculture Magazine - Summer 2003 Issue 36 Lessons from the edge of time and Autumn 2007 Issue 53 Lessons from a Brittle Landscape.
The management framework used for the sustainable development of Semilla Besada involved:
-
the identification and delineation of the social, economic and environmental parameters of the project
-
the identification of the decision-makers and decision-influencers
-
the drafting of a consensus-based statement by all the decision-makers that outlined the sustainable social, economic and environmental holistic goal that was being worked towards, comprising:
o a quality of life statement
o what needed to be done to achieve that quality of life
o what the future needed to look like in order to sustain that quality of life
-
the creation of sustainable policies, strategies and objectives that reflected short, medium and long-term development in line with the holistic goal
-
the implementation of sustainability testing questions to ensure that the decision-makers consistently moved towards their holistic goal in a way that ensured indefinite environmental sustainability
-
the creation of holistic financial, management, landscape and animal movement plans that reflected the holistic goal and long-term environmental sustainability
-
the implementation of a monitoring and feedback process that ensured that the decision-makers identified any deviation from the plans and took timely remedial action
The complete documentation of policies, strategies and annual objectives is available here.
Comparison between neighbouring land and Semilla Besada (closest) at the same time of year
Project development history – completed objectives
Since 1999, the following objectives have been achieved:
Environment
-
landscape
a. The establishment of a landscape design that incorporates the production of food, fodder, shelter and firewood in the short, medium and long-term (Zones 1-5)
b. The creation of 6 annual vegetable growing areas to be managed organically and holistically on a 5-year rotation
c. The building of a perennial Permaculture plant nursery where 1,000 plants can be seeded on an annual basis and maintained during the summer drought for autumn planting
d. The adaptation of the perennial nursery to strike plant cuttings and seed frost-tender annual vegetables in modules to mitigate climate variables
e. The extension of the existing vineyard from 50 to 100 vines of other varieties more particularly suited to dryland environments
f. The establishment of six 2m diameter dryland composting silos for use in the annual vegetable and perennial nursery areas
-
 animals
a. The creation of an environment that suits free-range non-hybrid chickens, including housing, nesting and natural brooding facilities, based on a carrying capacity of twenty
b. The development of a flock of Andalucian Blue rare-breed chickens that are mild-mannered, forage well, lay an average of 1600 eggs a year and rear their own young.
c. The development of an environment that suits free-range geese, including housing and pond, based on a carrying capacity of three
d. The creation of a rabbit warrenry along the model introduced to England by the Romans based on a carrying capacity of twenty
 e. The creation of an environment to support milking sheep, including housing and the re-establishment of bio-diverse perennial grasses, based on a current carrying capacity of five
- energy
a. The installation of a solar energy system that covers all household, guest and student requirements
b. The installation of a wind turbine to augment solar energy during cloudy days
c. The installation of a solar water heating system that covers all household, guest and student requirements
d. The building of a solar oven to minimise use of bottled gas for cooking
e. The establishment of solar drying frames for the preservation of fruit, vegetables and meat
-
 water
a. The installation of a grey-water recycling system that uses all waste water produced by the household, guests and students
b. The installation of composting toilets for household and student use
c. The minimisation of guest water-closet water usage through a dual-flush system and the offer of composting toilet facilities
d. The building of a water reservoir of 500,000 litre capacity
e. The renovation and maintenance of two existing springs
f. The maintenance of the existing irrigation system
g. The installation of drip-irrigation systems for annual vegetable production and non-dryland fruit and nut trees
Social - all these aspects have been initiated but continue to develop
-
community
a. The establishment of contact with local Green Party members, organic vegetable producers and organic wholefood retailers
b. The establishment of contact with the local English ex-patriot community that have rural dryland properties
c. The establishment of contact with dryland gardening clubs
d. The creation of economic relationships with the local community based on the New Economics Foundation’s – an independent ‘think-and-do-tank’ founded in 1986 by the leasers of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) - framework Plugging the Leaks.
e. The establishment of contact with holistic dryland practitioners and educators in Europe, Australia, Africa and America
 education
a. The creation of environmental educational material in both English and Spanish and both electronic and in print
b. The offer of local and international educational programmes
c. The opportunity for the local community to visit the farm at an annual Farm Open Day
d. The dissemination of information through a free on-line newsletter
e. The offer of volunteering and internship opportunities-
research
a. The establishment of contact with the conservation research agencies at the Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ) in Granada, the Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC) in Zaragosa, the Estación Experimental de Zonas Aridas (EEZA) in Almeria who are working on the DESIRE project and Instituto de Ecologia Aplicada (IDEEA) in Madrid.
 Economic ~ some of these aspects have been initiated but continue to develop, others have been completed and are marked (C)
- eco-tourism
a. the establishment of an eco-lodge for walkers and bird-watchers which is triple-bottom-line sustainable (C)
-
educational services in sustainable stewardship
a. the establishment of international residential seminars in Dryland Permaculture Design, Holistic Management and Sustainable Stewardship (C)
b. the offer of local skill-building workshops to local English-speaking residents that are new to dryland environments (C)
c. the sale of publications about the experience gained at Semilla Besada
-
products
a. the sale of a sustainable quantity of:
i. beeswax candles from our own hive wax (C)
ii. lip balm and uni-wax from our own beeswax, herb oils and local olive oil (C)
iii. organic, holistically managed free-range eggs (on a direct farm-to-customer basis) (C)
iv. organic, holistically managed pastured lamb (on a direct farm-to-customer basis)(C)
v. organic, holistically managed warren-bred rabbit (on a direct farm-to-customer basis)(C)
vi. seasonal vegetables for which we have organic status with the organisation CAAE (C)
b. the further development of:
i. organic artisan sheep’s cheese
ii. organic costa wine
iii. organic dried fruit and vegetables
Project Duration & Schedule
 The project short-term goals were scheduled for completion within 10 years and they have been achieved almost a year ahead of plan.
The next time-frame is for the succeeding 10 years in which additional land will be fenced to remove it from the impact of unsustainable goat herding management and bring it under our direct control. This area will be restored to perennial grasses, with surrounding indigenous trees, with areas for cultivation of cereal crops for both our and animal use. Additional objectives are to continue developing zones 2-5 and sustainable economic enterprises.
This will be followed by the next 10 year plan, in which the work of the preceding 20 years will be fine tuned.
Project Needs:
|