"FARMING WITH NATURE" "A CASE STUDY OF SUCCESFUL TEMPERATE PERMACULTURE" "The Siberia of Austria, Lungau." "A hundred kilometres south of Salzburg and the country coldest region." "Winter here in the valley is harsh and begins early." "The unusual ground profile suggests a very different approach to farming here on the Krameterhof." "At fifteen hundred metres above sea level mountain farmers Sepp and Veronica Holzer have created a garden of Eden." "On this farm everything is little different from neighbouring farms." "Their Turopolje pigs for example are rare and resilient breed from Croatia." "Here they are happy living outdoors all year round." "Sepp Holzer remarkable success is a result of the constant nurturing of his forty five hectares farm." "The story of that success was featured at expo 2000 in Hanover." "The expo exhibit demonstrated the concept of sustainability for agriculture in mountain regions." "Over the past thirty years the Krameterhof has become a symbol of what permaculture can achieve." "It demonstrates well how the community can be fed without degrading the land while the farmer makes a decent living." "Since he started Sepp Holzer has overturned every rule of conventional agriculture." "Here he sets an example for farmers the world over." "Judging by the number of visitors who flocked to his farm his unorthodox methods generate huge interest." "Cherries, there are still cherries growing, all different types." "At between eleven and fifty hundred metres altitude his cherry trees almost reached the tree line, unheard-of." "The fifteen types of cherries planted at different altitudes ripen at different times of the year." "For the farmer this means a more leisurely five month harvesting season from June to September." "A fruit garden at fifteen hundred metres and such surprising variety." "The chinese kiwi plant, it normally needs a lot of warmth." "The (marrony?" ") tree too, normally grows on warmer climates." "Lemons, yes, here at alpine altitude you will find remarkable abundance of Mediterranean produce." "How could this be?" "What is Holzer's secret?" "All life is sustained by a delicate balance between ecological systems." "If that balance breaks down so this nature's ability to provide for our needs." "Plants and insects cooperate naturally." "Observing their interdependence teaches the farmer how to be more efficient without degrading the soil." "Understand this process and you understand the underline philosophy of permaculture." "The farmer applies this learning by creating self-sustaining ecological partnerships." "The needs of all the partners: the animals, the plants and the farmer can all be satisfied." "So permaculture's diversity brings a rewarding harvest without degrading the resources of future generations." "Unlike today's industrialized agriculture the soil becomes richer each year, its fertility and integrity constantly improving." "In conventional agriculture the soil is frequently ploughed and treated with chemicals." "Compacted by heavy machinery it can't breathe and becomes poorer every year." "Monoculture or single crop planting demands high doses of fertilizers and pesticides." "It's a constant fight against nature." "The effects: many plant and animal species die away, the ground water is poisoned, the taste and nutritional value of the produce is lost." "In the long term the communities diet suffers." "Ironically intensive farming is inefficient." "It uses more energy and resources than it produces." "The high cost of production, storage, transportation and marketing rise every year." "The energy input is much higher than the calorific value of the harvest." "Today's monoculture comes with the price stake." "It can only exist with the help of enormous subsidies." "Every year nearly fifty per cent of the U.E. budget is pumped into keeping inefficient modern agriculture afloat." "And nature too pays a high price." "Local ecosystems are destroyed, soil is lost through erosion and lack of nutrients." "The landscape becomes evermore bear on." "Monoculture culprit Sepp Holzer home valley." "An endless forest of fir trees." "For Holzer the problem is that fir trees have flat roots." "They can't stabilize the steep hills of the Lungal." "The effect of this fir desert as he calls it: soil erosion and floods in the valleys." "Dams are needed to prevent the inevitable disasters." "As far back as the sixties Sepp Holzer has decided to switch to permaculture." "For nearly forty years he has fashioned a fertile landscape of ponds and terraces." "The terraces were inspired by the rice paddies of Asia where they prevent rain water run off and the loss of important soil nutrients." "Springtime in Langau." "Sepp is taken the lease on a new piece of land." "Five hectares of sloping green meadow." "First he makes terraces, one of the rare occasions when he uses his heavy equipment." "The digger terraces the hill so that the soil erosion is stopped and the soil and humus stabilized." "When I get a new piece of land just like this one here it has to be terraced." "It costs of course, but it's very economic because I don't have to irrigate or fertilize and I don't need expensive equipment." "Once this job is done it's stays done for generations." "Even while the digger is still making terraces the planting begins." "More than fifteen hundred fruit trees will be planted here." "A fruit tree forest with many varieties." "Now I'm planting plums, apples, pears and so on." "The tree gets planted, dug in and when I have stones I add them." "And then I add the seed mixture." "That's the most important thing." "The seed mixture: that's vegetables, support plants, flowers, wild flowers, very rare ones." "There are about forty to fifty different plants." "Sowing the simple way." "The seeds are thrown wherever there's space." "It's good for the soil." "The diversity of plants and their wide network of roots will stabilize the earth, preventing erosion." "The work of springtime is done." "Now it's time to watch everything grow and blossom." "After only a few weeks there are signs of growth along the terraces and ponds." "For over thirty years the Holzers, Sepp and his wife Veronica have worked their land together." "Agriculture is their way of life." "Every walk on the farm is a walk of discovery." "Every square metre is harvested." "Even lettuce grows along the ponds." "Sepp Holzer has learned everything simply by observing nature." "His experience is the only source of knowledge he trusts." "Even as a child, Holzer secretly made small gardens and observed nature at work." "He discovered the bigger the variety of plants the fewer parasites there are and a more stable assistant." "He applied this understanding on the Krameterhof by grouping all the plants into what he called plant families." "Thousands of fruit trees and berry bushes are surrounded by lettuce, vegetables, corn and a variety of spices and medicinal herbs." "Next to the fruit trees you'll find the digitalis purpurea." "This colourful chaos has a purpose." "In a plant family the plants provide each other with the support they need." "Humidity, oxygen and nutrients." "What's extracted by one plant is taken in by another." "That's how farmer Holzer saves himself a lot of work." "The plants fertilize and provide moisture for each other." "If you have the proper vegetation, doesn't matter whether it's fruit trees or vegetables, you can see that the plants regulate themselves wonderfully." "You need plants with deep, middle and flat roots." "Deep rooted plants bring up humidity and nutrients from three to four metres depth and sweat it out on top." "They give shape to the ones with flat roots." "So they won't dry out." "That's the exchange, one plant helps the other." "You don't need to worry about it being too dry or too wet if you work with the earth properly." "You have to listen and observe, that's the most important thing." "Unlike most farmers, Holzer likes stones." "They can be found all over his terraces and bring their own benefits." "Underneath there is humidity which is useful to the surrounding plants when it's dry." "This edible mushroom enjoys the humid and warm enviroment of the stones." "Stones store the sun's heat acting as a central heating for neighbouring plants." "Take this rocky cliff, it generates it's own microclimate which makes it possible for the very sensitive plants to thrive at higher altitudes." "At thirteen hundred metres you'll find plants you would never expect up here." "Pumpkins on rocky ground." "Sepp Holzer calls these rocky niches, heat traps." "He experiments with plants that love warmth." "Grapes on the mountain side." "Thanks to the stones." "Weeds or parasites, Holzer makes no distinction." "Every plant and insect has an useful function." "The Krameterhof is an organic farm, completely free of chemicals." "Holzer uses no fertilizers or pesticides." "A harmonious balance plant community is the key to success." "Their diversity prevents anyone plant dominating." "Even so called weeds fulfil useful roles in the plant community." "Here is a plant Holzer appreciates, cow parsnip." "Here we can see an important principle of permaculture." "Every species fulfils several useful functions." "She's useful in so many ways." "Up to three metres high it provides a lot of biomass." "The huge blossoms provide nectar for the bees, and the bees bring Holzer honey." "He harvests the long stems when they're dry." "They can be used to collect ants eggs which he feeds to his fish or sells to pet-shops." "The dry stems are good for firewood too." "It even makes a possible Australian didgeridoo." "Animals too have a role in permaculture." "Holzer has observed the lifestyle of field mice, rabbits and deer." "He plants their favourite lettuce and herbs, so they leave his crops alone." "As this teeth marks show, the distraction works." "Why eat corn when you can have salad." "The field mice thank him for it by loosening the soil and propagating his plants everywhere by spreading the roots all over the place." "Why shouldn't pigs leave like dogs (?" ") too." "They can with permaculture." "Holzer's (?" ") pigs enjoy life up here." "They live outside all year round saving him a lot of work." "Constantly looking for food." "They loosen the soil between the fruit trees and raised beds and prevent the earth from getting too compacted." "After they done their work in one orchard they let to the next, they just keep on digging." "Farmer Holzer funnily calls his pigs: his best farm workers." "The permaculture farmer loves experimenting with new methods, always pushing back the boundaries of the possible." "Even rooting tree trunks have a role to play." "It's here Sepp sows mushrooms spores." "In a few months he will harvest shiitake mushrooms right here." "Holzer used to being told that he's attempting the impossible, but he knows that he can harvest his own chantrells in places conventional farmers wouldn't dream of." "Water gives life and Holzer is well aware of his importance to a healthy ecosystem." "When he took over the Krameterhof he decided to buy all the wells on the nearby land." "Over the thirty years of his custodianship he has put the water to good use." "He has established more than seventy ponds and water gardens with the surface area of more than three hectares." "Ponds, ditches and pipes." "Holzer uses his extensive water resources in various ways." "The hydropower feeds his own power generator producing enough electricity for the whole farm." "The ponds and the wetlands are tingling with life." "A huge number of fish, frogs, water plants and insects are homed here." "Holzer designs his ponds like natural habitats, with tree roots and flat zones." "Here the young fish can find shelter from their natural predators." "Most predators and prey are naturally sustained without Holzer having to feed them." "The fish like to use the flat zone to spawning grounds." "Even exotic fish such as the Japanese koi can live in these altitudes." "The water temperature in Holzer's ponds is unusually warm." "Thanks again to the rocks, which he places in every pond." "Heated by the sun they slowly release warmth back into the water." "Running warm water, the water plants love it." "The climate up here is strongly influenced by the ponds." "The sun reflects of the water surface on to the hill side." "A unique microclimate is created." "The heat trap is turned on again." "Just right for the cherries." "The raised beds also have their own microclimate." "They are designed to keep the prevailing wind off the crops, therefore retaining warmth and humidity." "Covered by bug wee blossoms the raised beds are hardly recognizable in summer." "Holzer plants old resilient potato varieties." "The seeds are very hard to find." "He also grows new crops spread potatoes with exotic colours." "Propagating potatoes from seeds is virtually unknown on farmers these days." "These are the seeds of potatoes, they're used for generative propagation." "For creating new varieties, two types of potato plant are pollinated by insects," "and then crossed." "By selecting the varieties to be pollinated I can create the most exotic colours." "These are truffle potatoes." "I have different ones: completely violet, dark-blue, black and these have white edges." "A cross between two vegetables: courgette and pumpkin." "Black maize, an old robust variety, once a staple of native Americans." "And this colourful plant is edible, wild spinach." "Summer turns into autumn on the Krameterhof." "The Russian corn is right for harvesting." "Thirty years ago it's started with one kilo of corn." "Today the Russian corn grows all over Holzer's farm." "In the forest, on each hill, even along the ponds." "This plant family includes many different vegetables such as:" "lettuce and this blossoming chicory." "Each supports the corn in his own way, like for example serving as food for wild animals." "Even when harvesting Holzer goes his own way." "He uses as little machinery as possible." "Expensive equipment is not economic for a farmer he says." "Saving the cost of purchasing and maintaining too many machines." "The couple harvest its valuable corn traditionally by hand." "It can be used in many ways." "The corn is either ground for bread making or sold as grain." "The new straw will serve as bedding for seminar guests on the Krameterhof." "It also makes a soft bed for transporting new pumpkins which are harvested at the same time." "Collecting seeds is a regular part of the seasonal work on this farm." "Many of the more unusual plant seeds are harvested to preserve the species long into the future." "The seeds are dried and stored in sacks." "Producing his own seeds helps Holzer remain independent from the big agribusinesses." "In fact he sells seeds." "Rare types such as this gentian seeds are very popular with his clients." "The Holzers love nature, but they must also be tough in business." "In order to work economically they follow the permaculture principle:" "minimum work, maximum effect." "Sounds like paradise, but there is still a full day's work to do everyday." "Variety is king in harvest time." "Many varieties: mushrooms, vegetables, fruit, corn, herbs and fish are sold." "Unlike many these colleagues Sepp Holzer doesn't rely on only one crop with an erratic market price." "His income is more stable so he needs no subsidies." "Holzer also sells his trees." "He sells them with the earth they grow in, which of course contents their plant families." "That way he can guarantee each tree will grow." "Produce is stored in earth cellars." "They built into the hill and offer ideal temperatures." "Here the fruit can remain fresh, all year round." "Holzer rents out his three mountain cabins to people who like to live a simple life in the midst of nature and eat the produce they find in the land." "Grow locally, sell locally." "Is another technique of permaculture philosophy." "Holzer's clients come to see him personally so transportation is minimal." "Radishes and pumpkins for a local restaurant." "The cook insists on the highest quality and appreciate Holzer produce." "That evening the guests enjoy fresh local produce." "For the last three years the Krameterhof seminar have drawn increasing numbers of curious people." "They learn all agricultural techniques such as harvesting and grinding their own corn, baking bread and making butter." "Sharing his vast knowledge with other people is another string to Sepp Holzer's bow and a good source of income." "More and more farmers now join his guided tours and seminars." "Farmers are starting to understand that the time has come to rethink their practices." "They cue for Holzer's advice on the best way to convert to the permaculture method." "Sepp Holzer has a great sympathy for these farmers." "He wants to help them get back to working with nature and to realize the potential for using their land in a beneficial and productive way." "He tells them:" "Create natural cycles, then nature will work for you." "Every plant, every animal." "Observe the processes." "Then you won't need big areas of land." "You don't need a hundred hectares." "With much less you could live a good life as a farmer." "Cooperate with nature, don't confront it." "Forty years ago, long before the word permaculture was coined" "Sepp Holzer started to build his dream." "A commercial viable ecological sown farm." "Today he has one of the biggest working permaculture businesses in Europe." "He has transformed his fir tree desert into a farm producing a healthy service of food for the community." "Water, energy for the farm and an environment that sustains animals, plants and the soil." "He wants the other farmers in the valley to join him in creating continuous permaculture panorama." "Climatically and economically the Longal is a disadvantaged area." "Concepts Holzer's plan give new hope to the people here." "Local farmers, foresters and the regional authorities seem to think so." "They're keen to develop his ideas." "Their regular meetings seek wise to bring them to fruition for their common benefit." "Permaculture as practiced by the Holzers on the slope of the cold Longau valley shows that the sustainable future need not be a dream." "If they can achieve such remarkable results just think what may be achieved on typical low-land farms all over Europe." "They have demonstrated that sustainability is a practical option." "And looking at the damage modern farming is doing to our land it is an option that should be taken very seriously very soon." "Realised in the year 2000"