Dear friends of Terra Livha,
It’s a pleasure to be able to share with you the latest progress, directly from the land. The month of May has been rich in collective effort and has resulted in some very fine achievements!
At the beginning of May, a group of volunteers worked very hard on a number of very important tasks. Joëlle, Jocelyne, Zora, Jérôme and Dominique put their hands to work to look after the plantations from last November. We checked several thousands of plants to make sure they weren’t suffocated by other vegetation or that their soil was not too exposed. It has been a lot of work, and a pleasant surprise, as the vast majority of the plants are in excellent health 🙂 Only one very wet area has been a little more ‘visited’ by local wildlife, but it’s still very good and the results are very encouraging. It’s very pleasing to see the plants growing, with good health, and the baby cork oaks coming out of the ground.
We also cleaned a room in the old farmhouse where the roof had collapsed, in order to set aside the tiles that were still in good conditions, and to make space so that we could later better protect the house’ structure, until we are able to start the renovation. We’ll no doubt be putting in place new systems to protect the exposed walls and the remaining roof, to preserve the building as much as possible until the renovation can begin.
After, and following the olive harvest in December, we took care of the olive trees. There were a large number of shoots and suckers at the foot of the olive trees that had not been pruned for several years, and it was important to remove them to preserve the growth of the trees. So, we pruned them off the 150 olive trees, a job that gave everyone a great deal of pleasure, because we could feel at first-hand how good it was to keep them healthy. All these branches were collected and left directly on the soil to create a source of organic matter that will enrich and nourish the roots.
Thanks to the arrival of Marie-Laure, who is an architect and a great help with the project, we’ve also done some very attractive landscaping by the lake. Access to the lakeshore wasn’t very comfortable and it was obvious that a small path along the edge of the lake would be very useful and would allow us to make the most of this magnificent part of the land. So, we got out the picks and shovels, and set to work on a job that required lots and lots of energy 😅 By hand, we traced a path on one side of the lake, then the other. The path was made with great care, so that its design would be harmonious and allow us to walk close to the water. Stakes have been placed to reinforce the edges, and we’re delighted to be able to walk along it. Eventually, we plan to continue it so that we can walk along almost the entire length of the lake (some passages will be preserved because they are small “nests” of very rich ecosystems).
This work also enabled us to prepare for the last very important task planned for this month of May: the installation of a drip irrigation system for the syntropic plantations near the lake. There are 3 lines of plants, each 150 metres long, on the north side of the lake, which will essentially serve to protect the lake from the wind and thus limit evaporation. It is therefore important that these plants have a high success rate. To achieve this, we decided to install a pump and a complete irrigation system, which gives water directly down to the roots, so that each plant has enough water to live through the dry season. It’s a very well-designed system, which we were able to put in place thanks to a generous donation 🙏 This irrigation system was studied with great care and preparation with the help of Rémy and a specialist in France. Rémy brought a large part of the equipment, and the pump was purchased from a shop near the land to make it easier to maintain.
With the first group of volunteers having finished their already busy stay, it was with a second group that we carried out this work. The pump was placed on a level platform near the lake, and the suction tube secured at a safe distance from the edge of the lake so that it could pump the water to the right depth, without taking in too many sediments. Thinner tubes were installed along the entire length of the 3 lines, and mini-tubes inserted to bring the water to each plant. Everything was well organised and fixed securely in place by metal hoops at regular distances. It’s a very fine piece of work that has been put in place, and what a joy it was to see during the first test that the whole system worked perfectly straight away! All 450 plants receive the same flow (up to 8 litres per hour in drip mode), without a hitch! This first water system was a great success, and we would like to thank everyone who took part of it: Corinne, Rémy, Nathalie, Sylvain, Marie-Laure, Claire, Füzi 💛🤗
Sylvain and Rémy even installed a small shelter for the pump to protect it from the elements, a fine piece of group work, done with great care.
And that’s it for the latest news from this month of May, which has been rich in encounters and joyous moments in the land. See you soon for new adventures 🤗
PS: from October, we will once again be able to welcome groups of volunteers in the land, so if you’re interested in taking part of it, don’t hesitate to contact us via the website’s contact page, you’re more than welcome 😊 You can also support the next actions, in particular the next plantations and the purchase of equipment, by making a donation to the Livha association: https://my.livha.org/product/make-a-donation-project-portugal/
