Desert Borderland to Oasis – Abundant Agroforestry!
Demonstrating that a diverse food supply can be produced without chemicals, whilst building healthy soil, even on marginal lands.
An Interview with Berdnadette Millard of ‘Lizq Oasis’ – Oman
Episode 12.
Published on 16th June 2022
Interview With:
Bernadette Millard
Lizq Oasis
Bernadette and husband Redha farm a diverse 15-acre plantation.
Their aim is to demonstrate that, even on marginal land, a diverse food forest can supply abundant pesticide-free food, build healthy soil, and mitigate the worst effects of a harsh climate.
Do You Have Any Questions?
Let me know in the comments below. I’ll look to create or link to resources above that cover any common questions asked.
Watch the Series of Mini Intro Animations!
In this interview I’m joined by Bernadette Millard to discuss her journey of establishing an organic family farm in the desert borderlands of Oman.
Show Notes:
In previous discussions I’ve repeatedly been informed of the alarming rate that intensive agriculture is depleting soils across the globe. This means that the quantity of organic carbon within the soil is being reduced year on year, which dramatically impacts the land’s ability to support plant growth and retain water. It’s a devastating issue that can escalate to the point that farm land becomes more like a desert, and the effect this has on the climate is just as worrying as loosing all of that productive space.
So this discussion is hugely inspirational. It’s a case study in taking things in the other direction; from unproductive desert land, to a thriving, abundant oasis!
It’s proof that we can turn things around.
And what’s even more encouraging is it’s a project that was set up without prior experience.
Of course it’s a journey of continued discovery and I’m delighted that Bernadette was able to share the steps that they’ve been on along the way.
We discuss how they made a start at this challenging location, and learn about the variety and abundance of produce that’s now being grown – all organically, and in methods that are building soil and increasing production every year.
We also consider the potential to scale these traditional approaches to agriculture and the need to build better routes to market for small scale organic farmers.
Use the time stamps below to get a sense of what’s included:
00:00 – Intro
02:26 – Bernadette’s background
03:50 – Site landscape and starting conditions
06.56 – Retreat to farm – why a change of plan?
09:15 – Basins for establishing trees
11:50 – A microclimate from trees
13:53 – The water catchment
16:40 – Deciding to grow organic food
20:58 – Layers of Oman’s traditional oasis agriculture
24:09 – Observations on plant relationships?
26:50 – Establishing the planting zones
27:56 – The varied produce from the trees
32:00 – Can desert lands become self sufficient?
34:39 – Methods for the annual crops
37:12 – Farm grown pest control
37:48 – The potential & challenges of scaling
42:00 – Increased productivity every year?
43:00 – Products and distribution challenges
52:01 – Livestock on the farm
54:12 – Full circle to a beautiful retreat
55:38 – References and advice for new projects
Previous Episode:
Data for Transition – Decoding Soil Biology! – With Adrian Ferrero
Watch the Series of Mini Intro Animations!
Interview With:
Bernadette Millard
Lizq Oasis
Bernadette and husband Redha farm a diverse 15-acre plantation.
Their aim is to demonstrate that, even on marginal land, a diverse food forest can supply abundant pesticide-free food, build healthy soil, and mitigate the worst effects of a harsh climate.
Do You Have Any Questions?
Let me know in the comments below. I’ll look to create or link to resources above that cover any common questions asked.
Watch the Animations!
I’m creating short digestible videos to help illustrate some of the key concepts that we’re exploring!
Every month or so you’ll find a new one added here.
The Latest Animation:
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Listen On Your Favourite Outlet!
Helen Fisher
The Host
I take a very holistic view of the world and find enormous hope when we expand our thinking outwards and consider our issues as interconnected.
So it’s a huge delight for me to have the opportunity to speak with so many varied personalities here.
I hope you’ll enjoy learning along with me as my guests allow me to pick their brains on the diverse topics explored by this project!
Excellent and informative interview on desert lands being put to perfect use in Oman
Thanks Liju, I’m pleased you found it interesting 🙂