Rensburg’s approach brilliantly demonstrates how strategic, long-term ecological investments can transform arid landscapes into self-sustaining ecosystems. It is a masterclass in leveraging natural cycles to achieve permanent agricultural resilience.
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Deep Dive
The One with the Permaculture Legend part 1Added:
Good morning you beautiful people. So we are in Kolkat is about 70 kilometers away from Oarangu very famous for the amount of dam people staying here and then there's horses and donkeys and things like that everywhere.
And uh we are on our way to a permaculture farm farm that's placed in swelles. We actually have no idea what to expect. Um, but we're really looking forward to come join us and let's see how it goes.
>> Come little Pumba. There's the other ones coming now. He's going to take his chance and decide whether he wants to come in.
>> They're coming.
>> Oh yeah. Yeah. Three of them.
>> I wonder where his friend tomorrow.
>> He missed the hole.
>> The hole is here.
>> Mhm.
I wonder if you I think I should do it.
>> There's another hole.
>> Oh, yeah.
>> Pretty tall.
>> Yeah, they normally have a lot more respect in this. They run like crazy when they see people normally. These ones don't care. They They obviously don't get hunted.
>> Cool. That was a nice sighting.
>> I don't know who's going to sit in front with me. That's it.
>> I think probably Lisa.
>> Okay, Lisa is right.
>> And the rest of us sits on the on the back of the bucky.
>> And um been in the defense industry. And then I had a very interesting guy in my life that changed actually my whole journey and that's a guy called Clive Norton. He was a Scientologist and he said destruction is easier than creation.
>> Yeah.
>> And that left me quite bethered because we did the Roy you know you right on top there I did the helmet site like your Apache you guys got the pachy we stole with our eyes. We couldn't take the stuff like that >> and we built our Roy. So that's where I come from. So that's a little bit of that background you guys. He chose me then amongst all 8,000 engineers and technicians they said please come help me >> and we need to do the first sustainable village in the eastern cape and then what happened there we started then close to a dam with a lubic dam we started with a sustainable village >> and a sustainable village I I've got a whole picture of it everything how you got bio gas uh wind turbines completely where you create an economy >> how how big of a area >> uh that is quite big We we tackled a a huge area. The guys when I came to the project, they had already 23 villages in it. It's crazy. It's completely nuts.
Far too big. You don't get all people under one umbrella. You come up with the N6 from East London, which I drove uh every week. I flew in and everything from Hoten always. And I had to travel up to uh Queenstown and then go out to the Lubes dam. You can see the exact lines where the white people are and where the where the Africans are. They chopped everything up because it really gets chilly there. It gets really cold there.
>> You need the charcoal.
>> Yeah. To heat themselves. I mean, if you haven't got cowdong anymore, later on you take your environment and you can see exactly the two. I did then these projects for about 10 years is then we we did that and we did various other ones. But we could not really ever get it off because people always say with the funding particularly if you help them whatever with development is very very difficult.
that I did also calcul with funding people it's like a how long is a piece of string when people come to me on that that's why I don't even get into these things anymore they stop your funding and your cut and you're done finish you can't get actually the thing going it's it's it's really a problem >> from what I understand is um NOS's have been trying to come into Namibia for decades and they won't let them in >> for reasons what they do >> so I know one of the some of the NGO now >> will come in and for sustainability in in trade for the carbon credits.
>> See, there you are. Okay, there you got that.
>> So, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing or >> to us it was a very bad one. Again, another story short, my dad got sick. I had to come back and yeah, um Dr. Art Krueger said to me, u don't try to reinvent the wheel like I did with my PhD and all that. It's all written. He comes from Tasmania and I did then he says do it at your home instead as a first thing.
>> Mhm.
>> And then you go bigger and then I went large because we had a bulldozer with our mine which my but then took over otherwise I would have continued um on that one and yeah and then I created this here. So that's it. The big trees were on on the yakaranda tree that was just now we can just now go in there but you will see the the trees outside here.
That's everything I started in 2004.
Wait, I came eight. I started in 14 and I battled to get Ebo. I tell you was another story to get him. It took me I think two and a half years. But when I had him, I mean we I mean it was fantastic and you Pringle also and then I mean he brought so many.
>> So this that he's talking about is a a professor at one of the universities >> and so he um what is the guy from Australia again? What was his name?
>> Yeah. Um um Peter Andrews. Peter Andrew went came to visit him >> and then you guys they toured this property and this was a one of the case studies >> exactly >> that they did.
>> Yeah.
>> So Peter Andrew was here with Dr. in there.
>> Also, >> U Levelvel, sorry to interrupt you.
Uvel, who's a bio quantum physic um agricultural guy, he was also here. He unfortunately dropped his body as well.
He's also no longer with us. So, they were all here. So, they >> So, yeah. Anyway, let me take you then through what I then did. As you see, I fenced in first thing because my parents, we had a swimming pool, everything. I just let it be first for a time. It's got a cricket and I just left it. But then I basically fenced it in because we had warthogs on the lawn there which I rented a farm out when I was in South Africa for a bit. So that didn't make it >> and then I put swells in here all over because you've got about from that >> I see like Yeah.
>> from that fence about when you come in to the other side about 1 m drop. So all my water runs exactly like that. So I can show you pictures here that that just this rain season when I was here it's like incredible. It's incredible.
>> And how much water you harvest?
>> Sure. I harvest it. Nothing walks out of this and and I tell you 40 mm nothing goes out. I tell you let's go inside and then we can go out because the water comes in there. Then I'll show you guys.
Fantastic. So I play the game right here at at home and with people and give you the whole story >> um from there and you guys can stop me at any time. So you wanted to say just now something.
>> No. No. Um, >> so rare plant >> I'm sure I I wanted to, but I I can't remember.
>> Rare plant collectors in the US would go crazy over this plant.
>> This plant right here would $10,000.
>> They come from our mountain.
>> This is where they start the whole thing. Jim, you see my dad had these ones. That's the Emily me did that later. But can you see I just broke them through.
>> Oh, I see.
>> Yeah. I show you now the water. comes right through from that just that one roof with 40 mm. I show you pictures just now. The whole it's just water. The whole place is just you can see them all going.
>> I like the ground cover.
>> Yeah. No, this is that is done. That came we we nicked it from you can >> make up please take a couple of sticks there and put it on the back of the car.
>> Yes.
>> And and and what it is and you will see I put indigenous trees. There's a marula there in the car. I brought you guys marulas along because my first trees now I've since that time started dropping marulas and they told me all they can't grow here and for all these things.
>> Is it too cold or did they say it's too cold or what did they say?
>> Don't even believe in people what people tell you just get on with it. You're on the right track. Trust me I walk that way. So >> cuz I'm scared my >> No, they don't. They they I'll show you now. They they take a little bit longer when you now drive back.
>> Yeah.
>> You came now up from Swag.
>> Yes.
Do you observe the nature when you travel around? Yes. Where is the last Marula tree from the north to to Swagmund?
>> Oh, there's some in town >> where >> in in in Oango.
>> There used to be one at the church.
>> Yes.
>> And then there's one just as you come out of town.
>> Exactly. Here. When you travel now here, that's it. Okay. When you carry on, you know where's Wid between and and and and >> Caribbe Oh yes. Okay. There is one huge one there.
>> Oh, really?
>> Yeah. Yeah. Have a look when you travel again on the left. A huge one.
>> I travel that road but not often but >> Yeah. No, obviously then you don't. I travel it a lot down there.
>> Those are like birds.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, they also I'll show you just now. It's all part of the picture. So, as you guys can see, it comes in here. All the water from that roof comes here. I catch it and and it comes in here. So, you have to obviously watch it. All the water comes in here.
Obviously, we fixed everything because I the farm was with my niece for three years. So, I took it back now after four years. So, I refurbished everything again. I had all the devil's glow from at the time in here. They took it out because of the kids because it's for ground cover. I had the complete thing done finish. It was done finished.
Anyway, now I'm just bringing it back to it again. So, >> are you bringing devil's claw back as well?
>> No, not devil's claw. No, I don't know where I will take it now in the moment, but it could be as well. So, all the waste we we kept in here. So as as it comes in here, you will see that under the fence comes in there and then it runs in here, runs in through Yaza Marula as you guys can see.
>> Oh yeah.
>> So let's go through here and then you will see the >> So the Marula is where that liquor is made from, but it's also one of the most expensive seed oils currently produced in the world.
>> Correct. I've got for you guys four seats in the car. I brought them from our lodge. So fantastic.
>> So it comes all in here. So it floods it completely out here as you see also in there it comes a lot and from the east comes I take you right through and you see here's the first swale which I did then it comes in here and we go then walk this way then so as we running from from east to west >> so this is all waters I show you just now pictures all >> so when it's when that fl is filled all of this fills up >> it's alsome yeah Alice Alice it fills everything because it blocks it with this thing and then there is the other exit >> okay your love bird you guys wanted to know come closer See? Yes. Yes. That's where they go in and out. You just let them breed also only once.
Just let them breed. Okay. Yeah. It happens occasionally with with with a cold. So, yeah.
>> So, he says, if I understand you correctly, once they've bred, then they come back to the same place.
>> Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So, and and you make this little thing which you then close and Yeah. You just >> close it at night though.
>> No, no, no, you don't. Nothing at all.
And >> yeah, nothing.
>> They they you close it like that. Are you with me? Yeah.
>> And that's it. And you build it in before and then you later on just leave them and they breathe in tunnel.
>> That's the tunnel. That's where they go in and out. You will see all of these one also the one line. It's it's young ones >> and it happens sometimes that they kick them out or whatever or bite them. That does happen. But you just give them the sunflower seeds and that's it.
>> Yeah.
>> So it runs through here. Um so all this get covered. So you give it a level.
So and I did the whole whole yard is like that. I had um I started I was with the guys from the agriculture. Um you guys know Pet um Pit House. We were the first people with um um Peter Kron.
Okay.
>> We did on the farm. That's where we started the Helvong group. Yeah. I was on it and they called me in because of the water. Many have been here. That's how that whole thing came came on WhatsApp.
>> On WhatsApp. Yeah. It's it's from all the commercial farmers. Okay.
>> And we growing. I mean the people really >> How many people do you have on there now?
>> Sure. I have to check. I think we go close to >> I have to I can check just now.
>> So means sort of roughly translated something like regenerative.
>> Regenerative. We've got it. Yeah. I was on that group because I was the first one that did this this far and then I found out there's two more farmers that are a little bit older than me. um Emmo who's done also exactly contours on his farm also and he's close to um um basically that's a mountains when you come in from winter mountains that I really like >> that means your bums from the back there you know the heros I speak the language also of them so yeah I speak two indigenous languages also yeah >> good all right and it comes through here you guys can see there's other passage there >> coming through there we can walk it come here and then you guys can see much better. So, this always had to be kept clean or busy. So, it runs right through here. And also you guys can see and the the garden was started by my parents. They had it but I obviously planted more and more trees.
>> Yeah.
>> So, and embezzle of them as well. This is fantastic. I I really hope that they can grow them.
>> They yo parakit they will be in there.
>> Oh, really?
>> They going to eat this. That is the you guys call vo. Yes. leg ish. And this is amongst the biggest ones they've got.
And you will see it's a twin. And you don't cut it apart. Here you can see it nicely. So can you see the water runs in right through here. It comes through and through the middle as well. The palm trees. And this was for my parents. Now that they planted that when they arrived here in ' 62, that's when we came to the farm. And then you can see it here. It comes through here. So all the waterways you can see more marulas. And they obviously with winter they go down but they come back again. So don't worry as long as your roots are there. So just carry on.
Fantastic.
>> No problem.
>> And I and when they die with winter do they carry? Do they ever fruit?
>> They need to be bigger.
>> Yeah.
>> I show you now the biggest one here on the yard I show you just now. They need to go quite a little bit bigger and then they start carrying.
>> But on the leaves I remembered it but I forgot it now. You can see which one's a male and female. That's the only thing.
>> I might be able to Google that or have a look. Um so that's it. Yeah. So and uh trust me and the ones that are around here if they start bearing fruit mean it's bay you >> yeah they carry >> no they they chuck they do they're abundantly and then interestingly from Ibu this is this is the um >> tree >> correct they come out of rivers Lisa um very interesting and they used to very dry conditions this one right here >> this is what B is telling me I need to get plenty of >> get plenty of them they what they do very well and up I I start the experiment. There's lots of that that works on here. Obviously, we all getting with our age on as far as let me not stand with the back towards you. Is it that's this supposed to bring back oxygen and you know carbon and things back to their roots. I'm very Yeah, that's it. Why you put it there so that you bring it for your orange trees which I've got I've got them in combination there with Ibu. I said here I these thorns they like they kill you.
>> He says let's let's try. So I don't know where else that was done in Namibia, but yeah, there they are. So and they obviously all got Can you see there? We just Desmond fixed so nicely all the the swells from me again, everything. And then you can plant anything in the garden. I mean you name it. It was all covered and now we don't we just scoff.
We just and we you leave the seeds and everything so that we just come back to the >> So I put here here are 14 different um tux. What is it? Um >> 14 different >> 14 types. Yeah, >> no way.
>> Yeah, I promise you. Yeah, >> I would like to buy some leaves from you.
>> No, it's it's good way you can do that.
I cut them now all out. I just jumped in when I came now back in. I did. So that's why I say the time runs.
>> I would really love to buy some some different leaves from you because we've got two species, I think.
>> Yeah. Yes. 14 of different ones as you see.
>> This is this all?
>> No, no, no, no. They go I show you now.
The whole garden is because then a nice uh winter barrier. You can put it as a barrier also. So I can come also at your place there. You know, we played with so many ideas and um look here's another Marula. So, I'd love to prosper.
>> Yeah. No, no, this is that's a that's called and they go totally down and sometimes they go totally down too and then they start again.
>> No, don't worry. They they remember it's in in in in Namibia. That's what people say it can't be done. It can be done.
Just just it's uh take the tea away. It can be done. It's like >> uh Oh.
>> Mhm. Sorry. I was going to ask if that was termites or an animal.
>> Um I think probably more the dog that's here.
>> No, it's got there's like sand come being pushed up.
>> Okay. Yeah, that's that's probably we've got Vietnam reclaim stock stack is >> like a little uh >> squirrels. The squirrels squirrels.
Yeah, ground squirrels. They're here. So I cut all these trees with my guys again. You see they're coming out already again to recover because you couldn't come in. You got a red uh umonga ves and we burn it and we cut everything.
>> So I put order then back again into it.
>> So yeah >> yeah these ones malanis my parents brought them from our other plaza up.
>> Now how cold does it get you?
>> Um very good question. We go if we go down with temperature we go hardly to I think I've never had here more than minus2. We go on on zero. Nothing more than that. We're far from rivers.
Although this is at a at the lowest point you will see just now from the on the mountain when we go up there. Yeah.
says we go to minus 5 sometimes.
>> We are very cold like we have 5° colder than remember when we spoke the first time and and I mean he's gone.
>> Yeah, >> he's hasn't sold yet. He wants to sell.
He hasn't.
>> Yeah, he's trying to sell but he hasn't sold yet.
>> Yeah, because he's right even closer to the river. you can really transform the Anyway, there you guys see then um the the lawn and and the swimming pool. And then we go around here. Here is a kai apple planted also. Okay.
>> Yeah, I've got a couple of babies of them as well.
>> Okay, good. So, um yeah, >> we want to use them as a hedge.
>> Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Nothing will come through there. Nothing.
>> This is This is fantastic age hedge plants.
>> They're not very friendly. See this Lisa?
>> Mhm.
>> Yeah. And he wants to use an agave too to hedge.
>> Yeah, absolutely.
>> Spiny. Absolutely. Now when you just keep cutting them, whatever. Yeah.
>> So these trees where the this comes from my parents. Um the interesting one this farm in particularly the other one has got very good water. But this one is very very very difficult. It's I'm going to I got now I found now eventually guy after two years he came back to me Greg Cristles. Um so to assist me he made all our Namibian maps. I got them through my they all come from their water Namibian water organization. They all had the beries engineer >> and he is a hydraologist. He's like everything. So and he did our water maps for Namibia and he comes visit.
>> Is that the map that um you can pull up to see the water on your land now?
>> Um I'm not sure. I'm not sure if this is the same one but it could be. There's a there's a satellite map. I don't know what it's called. I've got a link to it.
And from there, you can see moisture collections on the land.
>> Mhm.
>> And on my land, you can now see all of a sudden it became blue.
>> You're serious?
>> Yeah, you can you can from satellite, you can see it from here. But I should send you a link and maybe >> you could maybe see what's happening on your land.
>> Neighbors say their bore holes have never been so full.
>> Exactly. This is it. It comes and you will see with mine. When I started this, Iring and everybody that does it in Australia big. I mean there two two two Caterpillar uh graders that run like that through the desert and do that because of what we did here. So he could print could immediately go implement that side and he's got huge success and they didn't head and whatever >> I watched them on YouTube.
>> Oh did you? No you no he's he learned here with me with our bulldozer with our machines everything what's what the grader and all these things we played around with now. So yeah, so I kept in these I left in this comes from even before my parents were here. But these palm trees my mom and we planted them.
So that didn't So this is a natural.
Let's go around here. I don't know. Then you can see we come back and as you guys see, can you see the the swells always?
So the water comes running right right through. Right through. And this last one everything here I show you was under water. No.
>> So it stops here. It doesn't go out. Can you see?
>> Oh yeah. I see. There's a swell. There's a last swell there. You can see it that runs there. Desmond fixed it there again so that nothing can run out anymore.
Nothing. And you see here we took all the old trees that are broken as well.
You know you love always said just cut it off and leave it. But this one has collapsed already. So we took it out. I said guys let's just clean the whole place. So and then we leave things. You know this we take the mulchi or the harder stuff out but the rest we leave.
You can see as I cut we just take that one out still. And here here's the biggest one on the on the property itself. is a lot of marula.
I planted obviously much of thing here was guava in here and everything but yeah if you don't >> how old is this marula now?
>> Um good question. I planted it after that. Um I guess that one would be we started 14. I um I think I planted this about 2012.
>> 2012. So just over that's 14 years old.
>> So this is it. and he hasn't yet given um um >> fruit.
>> So yeah, they will come. They will come.
You need to give them because of the cold. It takes a little bit longer, but can no just they become gigantic these days.
>> Rocks are gorgeous.
>> Yeah, they come. My dad we brought them.
He was on 50 farms. My dad um with his kettle because of the extreme droughts we had. I mean this area is like it's no mercy now. I mean globally I think we all agree weather conditions change completely. Um I see in South Africa I see it here. We had here rain last year in October already. The guys told me because I'm in Ptoria I going to go down. That's why I said to Donna let's do it pop still in otherwise we don't going to make it then we have to wait till I come October again.
>> So yeah.
>> So what do you what do you do in South Africa engineering?
>> No no I do I do my Scientology there.
Okay.
>> So yeah I do that sideline. That's >> what's what's what do you mean you do Scientology? Do you >> It's a study.
>> It's a study.
>> Yeah. Yeah. It's it's an interesting one. It's it's the only or in religion the only one that with your soul where you can actually do the study and the handling of yourself. Okay. So it's a very interesting map >> in America. It's quite big. I mean >> so good. All right. There you are.
Murberry. Yeah. That I planted malberries.
>> Yeah. And and this I can't get right yet. Um um this thick thick trees. Yeah.
>> So yeah. And um um I don't know.
>> I struggled with them. And then you need to just push one into the ground and now it's a big tree.
>> Tell me what must I do here?
>> Just get that planted close to your washing water.
>> You're kidding. Just water.
>> Washing water. The >> It's a lot of water.
>> She planted it where our washing water runs onto the ground. She planted it like like a meter away.
>> What the hell? Why doesn't this baby want to come? And it's I love them. You can hear everything. It's just you know and and here from all the guys in permaculture that being on the farm they say plant don't ask where it goes just plant and should be abundant of it you know so that you've got so much um that that everybody can with you go forward you know so >> I had even beehives there but that didn't work as well which you need there as well so that's the boxes there >> now we've got now 21 boxes >> from darcu yeah placed them there I'm allergic to bees. I tried to >> to avoid them.
>> To avoid them a little bit.
>> Yeah. No, super. And then also we did a what we did. Um >> that's not a lot.
>> Not not much. That's why I say we here double this. So that's why I say shoot San Diego. So it's a dry area. No, there you are. That's if you really do water conservation. Yeah, you can do that. So >> just catch you in after this grapefruit. I will change them. It's very interesting. Um Fauca Maya was also on that group with us and here for example can you see this tree is not lea and also that other one there and they just short basically minerals and folk then said to me something he's also in permaculture he saw it here and he changed his whole garden in Brav if you ever go I give you focus number you check what he did in Brav completely changed near >> so how did he add the minerals so what did you do >> clip salt you know your rock salt and you take it you make crush it crush it and you put one teaspoon on um one I've got the recipe. One or two teaspoons of salt. Mix it in the water twice a week and you leave it because it's got everything in it. That's it.
>> So, the Korean natural farmers also adds um salt to their mix. They've got like a tea they make and I'm thinking salt in the garden. It just doesn't seem right.
>> Exactly. Magnesium. Everything in there.
That's >> No, he's talking about normal like we feed to the cattle.
>> Rock salt because it's magnesium calcium. There's everything in it. There is. It's exactly what you say.
>> But you just make it very very diluted.
>> You You just crush it and let it stand a bit and then he he did it twice one week and then the next week again.
>> One teaspoon on. How many?
>> I'll give you Exactly. I've got it. I'll send it to Fantastic.
>> He did it. So, >> so what we've started adding now seaweed to our mix and seaweed contains some sea salt as well.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. Yeah. You see your sod and can you see that other one? Come here. I'll show you. Then we can go through here. Have the kids got now. I am the >> just careful from the phone.
>> And look at this one here.
>> We can ask Desmond. There he is. And there's another one. It's just And and and you guys know the wonderful trick what you do with your cell phone. You can see exactly what tree that is. You know how you identify a plant?
>> Well, just taking a picture for Google or >> No. Come on. I show you. You put your Wi-Fi on. Set your Wi-Fi on. And then you go to the thing here. You put it on and then you go to your thing here.
And then come show this exactly to you >> and you put your Wi-Fi Google on.
>> I see that >> Google. And when you go to Google, it says here there's a camera, guys. Guys, can you see that? There's that camera there. Okay, there's that camera. So, you push on this thing and you go onto this plant now and you wait. Now, I closed my thing. Let me just open it.
And you put it on there and you take a picture of it. See, can you see there?
You have to get that triangle in there.
Duo, have you seen that? And then you take a picture >> of Google lens >> and then it says to you what is it?
Okay, thinking. So AI is thinking now and then you here can give it and that gives you the leaves and immediate symptoms consistent of severe nutrition deficiency. So all of them can you see the iron shortage and it gives you what citrus it is everything. Fantastic.
>> Get you the whole >> tells you what you can feed them maybe.
>> Als Yeah. Yeah. No, they give you everything. They give you everything.
>> So you guys got that one. So that's the nice thing on Google. Yeah. Then I mixed also with neem trees everything. And you see then the the Anna Anna here. Can you see the came through?
>> How old are these Anna trees?
>> They that's when we started 200 when it No, I started this immediately when I came back. So this is about from 2000 Anna when I got Ebo I think from 2010. That's how old they are.
>> Okay. So 16 years.
>> Yeah. 16 years. That's okay.
>> I I watered them at the beginning. Now you can see that's it.
>> They put oxygen. They really put oxygen back into your uh soil. And you can see here now and pomegranates if you ever grow just leave them in the sun. They need serious serious sun there. More sun beating them the better.
>> Okay.
>> So that's it. If you and there I met guys in Israel but Okan Scientology Okis they grow them there in the and in South Africa too. So yeah you can and you see the birds and >> the birds really enjoy them.
>> They enjoy them for everybody.
>> It's now you have to just go abundant and that's it. I will when I come back I will cut.
These are all nachi trees at the back here. I planted them about also 10.
That's what I did.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah. So, yeah. And then the normal race bits, there's not much they done and because Yeah. They all let it die. So, I just put a little bit of live tech. But when I'm back again, you know, it's easy to get it back again.
>> Yes.
>> I've got all the things there inside going. I had worm plantation.
Everything's cracked. My people haven't got the same vision than you. It's like, >> yeah, I I think it's >> forget it.
They don't understand it. It's unfortunate. that and that's raised bed and here we can go in the back here I've got some tomatoes that are coming onions and all our um as it goes in compost >> I see >> and you just plant it there and then you can see your >> but yeah it needs you have to also he's a new guy the other guy that I had was some people have got green hands other ones haven't he's learning it quick or northern guys have got it >> yeah the oshivamus has It's a planting planting culture.
>> Mike, I have a question.
>> Yes.
>> It seems like you have figured out how to live with the termites >> and I think they figured out to live with me but we use some they use some vicious I show you um a poison here which from Agra um they did it's all nothing is sprayed so you guys can eat.
>> So do you use theite poison?
>> I don't know what to do with them. They they went into the house. I mean, they they clubpped us and uh Yeah. Really?
We've got I've got still a problem. Who hasn't got yet?
>> Lo, do you want your own one?
>> I'll take that one.
>> Okay. Go for it.
>> Then the children can share success with planting.
>> Mint around anything. He plants plants mint.
Otherwise, the termites just kill the trees.
>> Yes. what we've got here. I'll show you now the trick that I did for that that they don't go to my trees. I'll show you now.
>> Um, garlic.
>> Garlic.
>> Garlic.
>> Wild garlic. Yeah. I mean, I've been propagating wild garlic.
>> Come, I'll show you.
>> Um, to add to to everything as well.
>> Growing society garlic.
>> No, no, that's wild.
>> The purple flower.
>> We looked at it >> at the at the um at the spaghetti garden. Is that what do you call it?
>> Society garlic. It's an ornamental.
>> Well, I've been eating it. You eat everything.
>> You eat everything.
>> Come I show you this one here which we plant here.
>> Well, you've actually been eating that as well whenever I've been cooking with you. That's maybe why you're so sick.
>> I here. Can you see? You can plant most potatoes. Actually, you can plant anything.
>> The wine I made a mistake. This one I cut too early. You should prune it or you know in after winter thing. So I did it with Desmond because it wasn't done since then. So I and there's a faf that works at agano.
>> Okay.
>> And you can speak to him. He's very good on wine.
>> On wine.
>> Oh yes. On vineyard.
>> Culture.
>> What? Um you can plant it.
>> We just spot some grape vines.
>> Is it? Yeah.
>> No, you can't.
>> Where where did you say he's >> he works at Agra in the back road?
>> Okay.
>> Very good on on >> Okay. What does he do there?
>> Um no. So he he's been employed now. He couldn't with all his degrees. He couldn't get a job and then Yakulo gave him the job and he runs now the manager.
>> Okay. Yeah.
>> So he's there.
>> Okay. That's very interesting. I think I I've seen him.
>> No, you will see him a ba younger guy. I know him from school. They were all in the same boarding school.
>> So there's my um worms. They they no longer they didn't make it easy their journey when I was gone.
>> Listen, just tell me and I'll give you some more. Eh, >> I've got some worms for you.
Because that water is fantastic.
All right, let's go here. I had a nursery. I had everything. But um I stopped it and later on this this was our swimming pool that we started with.
We had our grass here before my dad built that one there. You see the lawn also not looking. There's your >> D.
>> There's your answer. But this is what I'm planting.
>> That's exactly one that works perfect.
That's the one we use for you.
>> Every single one.
>> You can you can do that.
>> Yeah. So, we've been using been using it in cooking.
>> It replaced our garlic. But that's why my wife doesn't want to kiss me.
>> I smell I smell like this.
>> Obviously, what you can took was parsley.
>> Well, the working great too.
>> Pardon?
>> You can see everywhere they are. Every single one I put it because of termite.
>> Yeah.
>> And uh do you feel that it's see that it's working?
>> The duns they don't come.
>> They they don't come. Yeah. So that >> they come to my house and all other things but they don't come to my garden anymore.
>> Yeah.
>> So and I put it everywhere.
>> That's the strategy.
>> I have to paint plant it around your foundation.
>> Yeah. Correctly. Correctly.
>> Okay. Well, that's that's then what we're going to be propagating quite a lot of.
>> Can you see there they are? Yeah. They he black somes his ne.
>> Yeah.
>> So I call them I call them bastards.
>> Yeah. Yeah. You can call >> Yeah. You call them blacks.
>> Bastards and square because they destroy.
>> Yeah.
>> And then obviously um crafting I will start with that because some of the trees that I don't want I do in the crafting. I don't know if you done that bit with crafting.
>> No, I'm not good yet.
>> Not yet. Me too. I going to do it.
There's some trees that I want to change.
>> I will do that. But you see I inter crop I use like all different things because I knew from at uh Krueger and Bernardet how who is really a fantastic farmer and everything he did in England he studied there. Bernardet how helped me with all the water contouring. We built the most beautiful um gravity feet water system because remember in in where the kas are the different villages >> tita and at at Lubisi and there are so many rivers. Yeah. We 90 mm water um coming down there and and giving about um what is it that areas about a kilometer by kilome water just by sprinklers just by gravity feed. Now we did the most amazing stuff.
>> He just sold a piece of property to some people that has earth works on it and it's doing great and they want to flatten it all.
>> Yeah, people are nuts. There you are.
Don't look at me like that.
>> Like hundreds hundreds of thousands of dollars that's just gone.
video though. No, it's it's No, no, you can't just leave.
>> I saw you you I saw that when >> you saw my videos.
>> I saw your video with the with the big dams and everything >> and everything they want to level.
>> Yeah.
>> When their ba when their b holes are dry.
>> Bottom line in Africans, as a mo saying what you say, we translate it for >> they're going to see their asses without a mirror. Sorry.
Let them do.
>> Yeah, >> let them do.
>> They're going to be buying water.
>> No, people don't understand this.
They're just unfortunate.
>> So, um, can you see how the text player they go all around? Can you see?
>> I see. Yeah.
>> So, we cut them all out. Even this one we cut back again because there was no control over it. Can you see the swells how they're coming?
>> But I would love I would love love love >> when they come when I'm October. Just you better >> October I come and I come for harvest >> and and you you get your just >> this is the one that's sort of uh >> they say is invasive. This one here >> they go wild. They were here.
>> Yeah. But you have to like you control them. That's fantastic. See they've got little purple fruits on there that you can make jams and things of >> Yeah. You can do everything in this garden produce for you. And and Desmond is wonderful. I need to introduce you.
He he takes he takes charge of all these things. You know how they grow.
>> Yeah.
>> There is like forever trimming these things.
>> Let's go around this way.
>> So I haven't seen any lucina wonder boom.
>> I haven't seen any lucina or wonderboom on your phone yet. Or do you have some >> net? Not my friend.
>> Not your friend.
>> Not my friend. You don't like it?
>> Boom. You plant. I show you one, but it does >> disaster for me.
>> Oh, why?
>> And plants it just goes, man.
>> Yeah, that's what I want.
>> They're here as animals.
>> Yeah, >> that's why here I don't want them in here. I'll show you. I've got one.
>> Yeah, >> one. And I always regret.
>> You're too scared. You're too scared of it to grow.
>> Can you guys see?
>> Oh, fantastic. Yeah.
>> Yeah, they're doing very well. So, they call it do >> they say to us also? Yeah, >> there they are. I planted for his and his wife two in the in our first piece there.
>> Yeah, >> there also I don't think with our time we will handle everything. How old is that?
>> That is also about 2010. Everything >> 16 years.
>> 16 years ago.
>> Yeah. So, we might not live to see the end of the food forest.
>> But it's it's it's still a nice thing to leave. I think >> if you if you got it that big before you died, I'd be happy.
This is mine. He's really just something.
>> Is he the one of the green thumbs?
>> Oh, he learns cooking.
Africans, but you won't English. He doesn't speak. So, yeah. Okay.
So proud Africans and say proud but she's from America >> and she doesn't you know Donald Trump that's where she doesn't like him she doesn't like >> Desmond keeps really this going >> I hear you have green thumbs >> three green so that's it now he does um except for um of all the things that he's cutting and trimming and he cleaned the whole garden together. So we have lots of oak trees here. So yeah, >> this is a wonderful >> Yeah.
>> wonderful drunker.
>> He put everything as a Desmond. The next three years just kuna kuna all over.
Look at it the whole thing. That's him.
So yeah.
>> So Desmond. Yeah. Then you know okay this is the engineer that keeps us going here. Thank you Desmond. Let's go this way.
And obviously what changed that my parents said he layur what is leur >> uh channels like build out channels >> channels with cement.
>> Yeah >> but that is um and obviously they brought it also from the dam the other side with the 40 mm in there but with a coke and you know when you start farming yeah >> the line is lime is a big problem. Yeah, >> it's it's it's a big challenge here. My parents how they started from here.
Everything started from from this property here. That was the first building they built in in ' 62. My dad I fixed with my guys all the Yeah. But it it just it was okay. But you know, you have to do always preventative maintenance all the things. Can you see here's the next contour again? So I catch it again. All the water from here and the yakaranda and all them all of them is is winter now when you see them with this we had vicious winters so I think it's at zero and then they obviously fluff them there so >> m look not planted look how they tackle the yakarana >> there you can see me >> so no no garlic and that >> nothing this is it And that causes the termites.
>> Unfortunately, they are just >> It's strange that these ones climb up the bark. Ours just eat the the roots.
>> No, they go there. Look here. Even in here.
>> I wonder if it's a different different species >> what >> of termite. The ones that climb up there. Yours and ours.
>> Same same b >> same.
And then you guys can see I made a whole line here with the first one. So my other water here, you guys will see when we go on the mountain here.
>> I had Emma at the time wanted a duck a duck pond. You know the rain water comes down >> because we had it our house lies low here and when I came back we had a rain about 50 mm in Scott. There's enough shade here and what happened is then that basically the water was running right in here into the house.
>> So I said that's it. you have to now jump now to have finished because I did then this fence and then I said okay permaculture here it comes because it's now it's emergency because you can't drown here whatever and then I pushed that wall was here but then you bring and I them because your water because your water level it's still moist moist because it's with termites and all that >> you have to take it back and I said okay guys and move it where because >> they are now the guys are really I mean ebo >> nobody's talking about we then extended the house And that one was to go you know because they go really big my brother I show you when you go up to the thing there you can see his man that thing is huge that's a landmark that thing that when you go out to uch you know where could there >> so the ter leave the palms alone >> it's see so far remember I changed now this place should be a lot of water there going to be interesting particular because the whole area there I did all this I did all that all around the house I did the entire So >> well swelles >> swailes swels. Yeah. So the water here runs nothing away. Next done finish. And it's funny how nature the ball holes and me have got a different feeling about that ball hole there. He reckons it's because we got that big rock out. I believe it got to do with that swell there. But it doesn't matter. The water is there. I show you now just now. It it was my dad battled it. It was um about 100 liter.
>> It's 2 liters now.
>> Two cubes.
>> Two cubes. It was 800. So that doesn't come from nowhere. I remember exactly the numbers. He let a listister run there. You know, like you say, the good Donald Trump story there. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Each night and he just started it for 5 days the the week. And um yeah, and we've I've gotten our solar in there about at 80 mters in there. You don't tap it out and I leave it at 2 mters because we want to sustain it. You know, if it's even three, why must you explore more? And it never had it. It had it somehow captured it. So, and GA with his big machines, he cuts here between it's quite interesting to see.
He goes along the contours. It's quite wonderful to cut the grass. Huge machines to cut the grass.
>> To cut the grass. I show you. Yeah.
You'll see. We saw your grass.
>> Can you see that in my hands? I planted them. Can you see there is pel forums?
There's a neem there. Everything there.
I leave the acacas in there. Also on your BMS on the Yeah, exactly. On the on the swells. On the BMS. Yeah, I had to lucky I've been with so many Americans and Australians together my whole life and also at CSR so I know that story. So that's where our water comes from the other farm in there and it feeds till this farm. That's why I got this guy uh Greg Crystal is coming from name water to to hopefully find something here.
>> Isn't it nice when your when your uh neighbors don't care about capturing water and you get it? I know just as they're cleaning out air, but they they will keep everything there because they've got so much grass it can't run there. They got they got almost 400 H pork there. They keep about thousand cattle there.
>> What what they what they do very well is they they start putting in charcoal into the land.
>> This is it. That's what they do now.
Yeah.
>> Um so they they are also very the neighbors um are very environmentally >> very much also how they cleaned out. I like very much. a conscious envir environmentally conscious and they are extremely perfectionistic farmers. I don't know if you've seen the >> things. You cannot believe the amount of detail they put in something as simple as a cow water drink place.
>> How they engineer it so it doesn't leak and cattle can't get in and it's just incredible. They're also incredible.
>> The problem they use herbicides and all that.
>> Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know what I must do. I need to do something. I need to take a action on this on these things.
Sorry on the invasives invas goats. You just tether the goat in the area you want the invasives taken out.
>> I I hear you. Stefan Albat at the time mentioned it to us because Stefan V. You know Stefan Albat?
>> I know I know a couple of a couple of Stefan.
>> Yeah. Okay. He was he he was with us our professional hunter here for a long time and then Martin Dickmar gave him a better offer so he left with us but he stayed with goats. My problem is only it's like also orics they eat it also also the sickle boss which is that invasive one >> but you don't let them go you don't let them just eat whatever you they want.
>> You have to stake them so they can only go to what you want them to eat.
>> But the the main thing about the main thing about the problem of land is >> and and the size. So, uh, to have 100 goats in an area like this is possible, but if you I mean, how many actors do you own? How many acres is your farm?
>> This one is five.
>> 5,000. They're all five.
>> So, it's it's like beyond comprehension, sizes, pieces of land that you try to manage and try to improve all at the same time.
>> It's We've got just on the on the floor farms, we've got about 2,200 kilometers of head. That's It's >> 2,200 km. It's from here to Victoria.
No.
>> So, what about the guy that's taking this arm bush and making the mushroom blocks?
>> Yeah, you can do that.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Yeah. So, so what most of the people do is they make charcoal. I don't know.
What did you do with the ones that you took out here? Cuz I see there's been a >> look. No, there they lying there. You will see them.
>> Oh, so they're just busy.
>> They're just composting. Just composting.
>> Just composting.
>> But they've been taken out mechanically.
>> Mechanically that's what we do. And it's I can't anymore. I have to do now. I have to break my own thing and I don't know yet what to do.
>> Your own rule. It's just too expensive to do it mechanically.
>> It's just the labor with it's almost 4,000 rand you pay a guy now.
>> I mean it's like >> and obviously the diesel diesel has gone up a little bit.
>> Yeah. But but temporary you haven't got them permanent. Mine are permanent.
>> Well hopefully they're temporary but >> yeah no I know that because it comes in and out temporary.
>> And look same plant than the other ones there.
>> They don't grow in shade. forget that.
Can you see the contra? The two things up.
>> Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, cuz that's why my wife's freaking things are growing so much faster than mine because she's got more sun.
>> No, she's I have it at my house growing in the shade and they're growing like crazy.
>> Really? Cuz I planted mine in the shade and they're like they grew up like this size and then the took one. She just goes and boop. I put you on here and then it goes.
>> Yeah, absolutely they do. That is that's the mom. Remember when the kids go running out there they p it's like that they just feel and say come Io and then they go and look and they feel these things that's what you and me >> we'll come we'll come to it no problem all right let's go around here and then we go and look at the >> I say there's so much to see I give you my that you get it intensely so that you get it >> yeah in here also means everywhere up is just shake so I mean and then the house also when we build it I put lots of if you guys ever start building renovating kamas for example Many things I learned at CSR from all because I did mechanical engineering but I'm there we've got 12 divi different divisions how you know housing um wind tunnels you know where you aerodynamic stuff and food anything so I could learn due to that project we interacted with all divisions so I met the most awesome guys I mean wonderful look here something very interesting I still use it >> see how incredible this tree is >> don't eat it I want to take it out this is exact Exactly. The one here is a problem. It's a big >> Why? Because everywhere.
>> Yes. They're all over. You have to pull them all over. Ask Desmond. He really I I chase them. Everything goes out now.
All of them. Because if they come this thing, it's a problem.
>> Yeah. I planted with my parents. It's me putting it here. Nobody else. Because I said, "Don't worry. That's the answer."
Ha.
>> And And all these trees, why they're so chopped and everything? Because this fence wasn't around. My dad at night, we chased porcupines. That was our sport.
>> But they destroyed all our they just didn't make it. So >> this is a sarin.
>> Sarin exact. I don't know what you call.
But there's so beautiful things. But you see, I put it next to the appies because I think it will won't make it. And funny with this entire permaculture approach, they all flourish and prosper.
Look at this one. This one was gone. It had bees in it. And then I cut it down to pieces. And look at it. Look there.
How the termites they shouted to all pieces. I thought this thing will never recover. Look at it.
>> Here was termites in here. Termites shouted up. I thought this tree will never make it. And yeah, I planted these things around. I didn't put now the the garlic around it >> and it came back.
>> So, what's so funny is this ground cover >> at my house. It takes a ton of water and a ton of fertilizer. And look at >> No, he has nothing in it. It just does it its own.
>> It's It's crazy how >> It's rain. It's just water.
>> Trust me.
>> Well, like I have pomegran in the shade at my house.
>> You're kidding.
>> No. In fact, I took it out and I didn't get all of it and it came back up and you should see it right now. It is covered in flowers.
>> Wow.
>> Look here. Here's the biggest pome. It's like the house.
>> And I don't water it. I don't pay any attention to it. This one I harvest I've got for the kids one. It's a it's a pomegranates but the birds um you know it's here that's the biggest one. It was like full I would say easy 30 40 of them.
>> Wow.
>> It's leer and I don't know how how he will do after the the aries will come. I I had very close by and they would have fallen on the roof everything and I had to cut a big yakarand like these ones and that one end there and then I planted in that replacement them and took them further over the house. So that's what I did on that one. Can birds quickly my hands.
>> What do you want to do?
>> Can we?
>> Yeah. Here. Here. Here. Come. I'm driving right here. I get in there. I've got two for you. Come. I give. Leave that. Oh, but take it. The birds will take it. Good idea. You can walk in there. You can see this one. Can you see the foot? Go. Turn it. Just turn it off for you. Take it alone. It's always better when you >> pluck it yourself. Um to our close.
>> We are sitting on the back of a bucky.
>> Yeah. I believe pickup truck >> with the kids and the army that you guys having. So, yeah.
So this is farm farm pickup.
>> So D, now we go >> that mountain. I'm going to stop in front of the mountain. Okay.
>> I first going to show you in the valley >> and then we go up there. Then you can take the picture of that entire system there.
>> Fantastic.
>> There Mik, what do you what does a mushroom say when you chase him out of the bar?
>> I don't know. He >> says, why? I'm a fun guy.
fungi on a stick fungi.
>> All right, folks. This is us editing and there's us reading a story there. I'm here. Um I'm going to see you in the next half of this of this video. Um have a wonderful day and see you tomorrow.
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