Natasha Abrahams

Looking forward to it :)

Dear Dr Redhawk, I saw this and thought of you. Could it be that you hold the key to stabilizing the planetary ecosystem? :) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-soil-microbes-slow-climate-change/
https://aiche.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ep.12946

Dear Rufaro, here is a video on how to make your own solar cooker. You can do it first from cardboard and then when you have made one or two you can try using wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5CdNH3sQT0

There is also an entire rocket stove forum here on permies - rocket stoves are designs that allow you to use less wood, even twigs and brush rather than logs. A heat preserver (Wonderbag) is also a piece of equipment that meets speedy uptake in the communities I have worked in.

You can also go really old school and heap some thick rocks in a hollow and line with foil. They will get hot enough to fry an egg in, don't worry.
I am sad for the trees and the climate, but more than that it seems only a matter of time before they are all gone. Might as well start working on the solar cookers while you still have time because it is the inevitable option. There will be plenty of sun this summer.

Hugs, Yvette

Actually the worst problem is saltwater infiltration of wells, that is why the people are moving from Vanuatu. Apparently Miami is having the same problem.  Nature abhors a vacuum. The more groundwater being extracted the faster it happens. Obviously one can desalinate, but it is costly and creates a waste problem with your leftover salt. Bottom line is that the economics of climate change tend to trigger a crisis long before environmental extremes occur.

Bettet to face the fears head on than to live in denial. Another new skill I am learning is to see possibilities where I used to be blinded by privilege.  You are going to be ok - and more fortunate than most

Rene please draw the conclusion of your own observations. Climate change means the system is collapsing. Everybody I know is struggling, including the salaried supposedly safe and secure options. A trader cannit be richer than her market, so one of the new lifeskills I am learning is how to do more with less. How is reality going to affect your plans?
Adaptability is the heart of permaculture. Indeed Nathanael is right, the most important thing you have to teach may be how to survive under adverse conditions. Not how to carry out the original plan as if climate change was not there. I too would focus on food first, and decent shelter. Everything else is optional.  Except also medicinal plants - one of the obvious consequences of global warming that we seldom think of is how viruses and bacteria can multiply faster because of warmer moister conditions. Sounds to me like you should still be convalescing. Rest and meditation will do much towards a calmer state of mind so you can cope better.  Find the resources within you that you are looking for out there.

Dear Rufaro you are, as ever, an inspiration!

Thank you people! We are having the same problem here with massive floods in the east. It is easy to feel overwhelmed.  You give me hope

That is good to hear!

Dear Rufaro, how are you? It is good of you to check in! Your harvest looks delightful! Well done!!!
I hesitate to alarm you, but it is only fair to tell you that there are rumours down here that the amount of water in Mozambique is so high the secondary rivers are flowing back into the Cahora Bassa Dam. They are going to have to open the sluices of the dam sooner or later, it is only a matter of time. And choosing whether a slow inundation is better than another flood.
I have no way of checking if the rumour is true, nor do I know where you are in relation to the dam, but wanted to warn you in case you need to do anything to prepare for flood and to warn your neighbours. At least beware when you cross dry rivers so no lives are lost.

Your thread should be renamed "too much, too little water" :)

With your sandy patch I see nothing that more humus cannot improve. Making it the focus of your compost building efforts should make it the ideal mealie field, especially if it is at the bottom of your slope where you can slow down the flow of water off the field, always with an easily removable midpoint in case of flood. This site has many discussions of the pro's and cons of hugelkultur swales, I have never had the opportunity to try it on my dry land, sunken hugels are the only thing that works for me. Still, I suggest you look into whether it might be a possibility for your land.

Praying for you!