In April 2023, around 10 p.m., I saw the headlights of a truck coming down towards the farm where my partner and I were finishing our meal. It was...

It was the beekeeper, Joan. The bees 🐝 were starving to death and Joan was coming to collect the hives to take them elsewhere.

That evening I was filled with sadness. Powerless in the face of the withering vegetation and the silence left by the absence of insects and birds. The suffering olive trees were showing bright yellow leaves. But two days later, I was with my pickaxe ⛏️, digging the first water reservoir 💧💪!

In the summer of 2023, we dedicated six weeks to creating 40 water retention basins! When the rain arrives, these small infiltration basins fill with water. And the water seeps into the ground for weeks after the rain, replenishing the water table. Around the basins, life thrives! Plants, insects, and birds flourish.

This summer we also spent six weeks creating a rainwater retention system 🌦️ on the south slope.

Thanks to this work, we will plant 300 trees and shrubs of 9 varieties (almond, pistachio, hazelnut, mimosa, mulberry, tagasaste, etc.) in October and November. This allows us to test different varieties and configurations.

The moral of this story? It all starts with water 💦… and a little perseverance.

Thanks to the PermaLab team for the hydrological design and their kindness.

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