Mark Shepard's presentation on Restoration Agriculture 101. For more information about restoration agriculture, broad acre permaculture, and keyline design, visit http://www.forestag.com/.

1. Mark L Shepard
Forest Agriculture Enterprises
forestag.com
On Facebook: Mark Shepard,
restoration agriculture
Restoration Agriculture:
Real world Permaculture for farmers

2. PERMA (permanent)
(agri) CULTURE
• “Permaculture is an ecological design methodology
where we create relationships between materials,
plants, animals and humans in order to optimize
function and yield. The aim is to create systems
that are ecologically sound and economically
profitable, which provide for their own needs, do not
exploit or pollute and are therefore sustainable in the
long term. Much of the design is taken from nature.”
(Bill Mollison)
• (Permanent- Latin: per- throughout + manere- to remain; Culture- Middle English:
cultivation, tillage; from Old French; from Latin: cultura, from cultus- cultivation, from
Germanic: skel- to cut)

3. Bill Mollison
Permaculture
Wrote the book:
A Designers Manual

5. QuickTime™ and a
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Why Restoration Agriculture?

15. Angkor watt

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Pedal to the metal, baby!

30. • Why does everyone seem to be working
so hard to create and maintain
something that doesn’t seem to be
working very well?

31. Permaculture Design Principle:
Observe and imitate Nature.
Work WITH nature rather than fight
against it.
KNOW YOUR BIOME !

32. In order to OBSERVE and INTERACT
you must first know the difference between an:
OBSERVATION
and a
CONCEPT

33. -Prior to European settlement, this piece of planet was
photosynthetically productive and supported a rich variety of life
for a brazillion years; all without the input of any fossil fuels, with
no commercial fertilizers, no pesticides, no herbicides, no fungicides
and not even any tillage!
-Can we we design a farming system to operate this way?
-Can such a form of agriculture provide the staple foods
(carbohydrates, proteins and oils) currently provided by annual
crops?
-Can such a farm be economically viable within the current economic
system?

34. Identify your biome(s) and keystone species

35. Identify your biome(s) and keystone species
Earthworks/ water management

36. Identify your biome(s) and keystone species
Earthworks/ water management
Establish edible woody polycultures

37. Identify your biome(s) and keystone species
Earthworks/ water management
Establish edible woody polycultures
Build fences & roads

38. Identify your biome(s) and keystone species
Earthworks/ water management
Establish edible woody polycultures
Build fences & roads
Establish Agroforestry practices

39. Identify your biome(s) and keystone species
Earthworks/ water management
Establish edible woody polycultures
Build fences & roads
Establish Agroforestry practices
Manage for eternity!

63. Fagacea:
Oak,Chestnut, Beech
Apples
Hazelnut
Prunus:
plum, cherry,
peach
Raspberry, grape, currant
Forage, animals, fungi

73. Chestnuts…Corn on Trees!
Chestnuts: Corn on trees!

74. Food, juice, vinegar, alcohol

75. Hazelnuts!
Protein & Oil
Oil + alcohol = Diesel Fuel!

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82. A highly productive, pest and
disease-free home garden.
Can you find 10 different types of
garden produce?

83. The Apple Orchard:
Grapes on Chestnut over Hazelnut
next to Rose behind Apple over
Daffodil, Iris and Comfrey and
more…

84. OK… Do the math:
Potentially 3-7 times the energy capture per acre
Improving resource base
Perennial: reproduces itself
No plowing, cultivating, pest or disease control once established
Year-round harvest. Multiple yields/products
No erosion, non-toxic and BEAUTIFUL!
Working WITH nature

85. Degrading resource base: Soil erosion, chemical contamination
Plowing,herbicide,pesticide,fungicide,fertilizers
7 times less energy capture than a Savanna!
YEAR after YEAR after YEAR!
One Crop, one market, total risk exposure
Degraded landscape, small towns, culture,
Where does this lead?
OR….

87. Thank you for Farming (and EATING!) in
Nature’s Image!
forestag.com
Newforestfarm.net
RestorationAg.org
On facebook:
Mark Shepard,Restoration Agriculture