Floating Garden Agricultural Practices

Sending supporting thoughts to all during this challenging growing season, and hoping that the rains have subsided by the time this newsletter is published. While the Texas-Arizona area is dealing with extreme heat and drought with non-stop 110-degree Fahrenheit weather, we are experiencing extreme rainfall and flooding in the Northeast.

According to the Weather Prediction Center, CNN reported that the seven-day rainfall totals across much of the Northeast as of July 10, 2023 are already at 300-500% of normal levels. New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut have all been experiencing flash flooding followed by unprecedented rainfall as a result of climate change. "Rainfall in West Point (NY) totaled more than 7.5 inches in a six-hour period Sunday afternoon, according to preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s a 1-in-1,000 year rainfall event for the area, according to a CNN analysis of NOAA’s historical rainfall frequency data."

How does this affect our livestock, our crops, our farms? And what can farmers, ranchers, and growers do to help mitigate the impact and prepare for these changed weather patterns? Farms in New England, and in much of the Northeast region, tend to be concentrated in river valley areas that boast fertile soils. These farmlands, however, are now subject to extreme flooding with climate change. How is this going to affect food security in the Northeast region? The New England State Food System Planners Partnership, under the New England Feeding New England Project, has set a goal for New England to feed 30% of its population by 2030 in alignment with the 2014 New England Food Vision developed by Food Solutions New England with a goal of feeding 50% of its population by 2060. Currently, in 2023, New England is only able to feed 24% of its population.

Histrov, Degaetano, Rotz, et al published a journal article about the effects of climate change on livestock farming in the Northeast and strategies for adaptation dating back to 2017. USDA dedicates some of its web pages to flooding and its impact on agriculture and farming in the floodplains of New England as a result of climate change. USDA references a 2014 case study that interviewed 36 farmers and residents in the Deerfield River watershed in western Massachusetts with the goal of finding ways to figure out strategies and solutions to the changing weather patterns. While some ideas could help balance ecosystem conservation, agricultural production, and community needs others may be more damaging. Planting trees, changing crop types, restoring riparian vegetation can help lessen flooding impacts on farmlands as well as downstream areas. However, dredging or straightening rivers, stabilizing streambanks, constructing levees, regrading fields, and enhancing drainage may help the localized area, but these practices may actually increase the intensity of water flow, degrade the river ecosystem and watershed and exacerbate flooding downstream with greater community impact.                                                                                         

FLOATING GARDEN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

It is important to maintain or restore the balance of the ecosystem for the well-being of all. Should flood waters become more permanent and remain for longer periods of time before they are able to drain, we might learn from ancient farming practices of indigenous communities in other parts of the world like Bangladesh. Bangladesh has a rich and extensive history and expertise in floating garden agricultural practices. The local population uses submerged lands for crop production of biodiverse vegetables, herbs, and spices. Plants are grown on the water in a bio-land made of a floating bed base -- water platforms or rafts made of water hyacinth and other aquatic weeds -- on top of which cow manure is added. These bio-lands are used for production of fish in the open water, and for crop production on top of the floating beds. The bio-lands provide excellent shelter for growing and feeding a variety of shellfish and fish larvae, hatchlings, and fry. In the wintertime, when the waters recede, the floating beds are dismantled and used as natural soil fertilizer for the inland winter crops. This creative food production system is the major means of production for about 60-90% of the local population year-round ensuring sustainability, agrobiodiversity, balanced utilization of natural resources, and multiple uses of land and water with numerous social, economic, agricultural, and ecological benefits.

Some of the agricultural benefits of this practice, which contributes to food security, are:

  • Additional space for vegetables cultivation and seedling raising in the wetlands;
  • Early production of seedlings of winter vegetables;
  • Increase in vegetable supply in the area and the surroundings;
  • Crops require shorter time to mature when cultivated on floating platforms;
  • Prime nutrient elements, namely nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are available in water hyacinth comparable with cow-dung;
  • When the flood waters recede, the dismantled floating platforms are used as organic fertilizer. In this way the system enhances eco-friendly agricultural practices to cultivate the winter crops during the winter. season.     

 

Photo credit: The Ministry of Agriculture, People's Republic of Bangladesh

 

References & Resources