Water is something most of us lucky enough to be sitting in-front of our computers reading blog articles don’t really need to think too hard about. Thanks to the miracle of indoor plumbing we have tap water on demand any time we care to or, if we want to be a bit fussier in our water quality, can always pay for a huge range of bottled waters.
Still, getting out the Evian during a dry spell is probably not a solution for all but the smallest scale of growers. While you might be able to give your indoor bonsai tree the water it needs with the occasional sprinkling of highland spring water, it’ll very quickly become prohibitive for any serious agricultural concerns.
Whether or not a person believes in the mountain of evidence for climate change, one cannot deny that the weather is inherently an unpredictable thing giving you floods one day and the warmest May on record the next. As much as we don’t like a family BBQ being ruined by an unpredictable and sudden downpour, plants don’t like sudden or extreme fluctuations in precipitation.
Drought is a serious problem for growers. Be they farmers, gardeners or ranchers, the significant absence of water over a prolonged spell can spell doom for agricultural businesses and prize gardens alike. Governments, councils and utility providers increasingly turn to hose pipe bans, restricting the use of water during period of anticipated or actual drought meaning that access to previous water can be turned off when it’s needed most.
It is not just drought. With the fluctuation weather patterns of recent years floods have become as much of a threat as lack of water. Unseasonable and unpredictable tides have threatened flocks and crops on an almost unprecedented scale worldwide with 2013 being particularly bad in the UK.
That’s why Water Conservation is such an important issue for anyone involved in the agricultural sector, whether in a commercial or hobby capacity. Ensuring self-sufficiency in water supplies by, for example taking care to store rainwater in prepared barrels until needed, is an essential act to ensure access to water when it’s needed most. It’s something anyone who lives in an area prone to dry spells should be carrying out.
Indeed, access to and storage of water is something key to the principles of sustainability and permaculture. You cannot build an ongoing sustainable garden project without giving proper and serious thought of what your plants and animals will drink during lean periods of low rain.
That’s why Water Management is an essential part of several of our courses. As the essential liquid for life for plants, animals and people, you need to learn to work with water and if you need to work with water you need to know how best to do so.
Fortunately ADL boasts a range of courses ideal to get the ideas flowing on how best to manage your watery needs. While many of our courses emphasise the importance of water management and include some aspects of it in their teaching, our Water Management and Conservation course focusses on the matter intently, giving you the knowledge and skills you need to keep your project hydrated.
Quench your thirst for watery know-how, with a course for Water Conservation from ADL.
