This video, recently recorded and narrated by Allan Savory, shows a new wetland developing at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM) in Zimbabwe.
At this location, a wet vlei (seasonal marsh) would often occur after a heavy rain but then dry up quickly. Over the last few years, this new wetland has been developing and is even higher upstream this year than previously observed in similar conditions. With small fish, geese breeding, and other small birds flocking to this new wetland, this is — to the best of Allan's deep local knowledge — something quite unique.
"I can find no record of open water here from any past record or old timer remembrances," says Allan "including having once owned this land and being familiar with it since the late 1960's. As far as I know, this is the only case of so improving the water cycle using livestock and our Holistic Planned Grazing process that wetland is developing."
At a time when anti-livestock advocates clamor about how many gallons of water are needed to raise cattle (side note: more than 95% of that water usage is rainfall, not irrigation), the solution to our broken water cycles is standing right in the pastures in front of us. Further, it is well-established that a 1% increase in soil organic matter can store an additional 20-25k gallons of water across an acre of land, with the exact amount dependent on the soil's bulk density.
So how exactly did Allan and the team at ACHM bring about this wetland? It is commonly believed that droughts cause bare ground, but the truth is the opposite — a broken water cycle starts with bare ground. Sure, you can invest loads of manpower on water-harvesting earthworks projects or building swales to trap water in your soils, but the most resource-efficient way to fix a broken water cycle is to ensure there is maximal vegetative cover, and in a grass-based environment this is best accomplished through holistically managed livestock.
For ACHM, establishing this wetland cost nothing yet it resulted in both increased production and income. It's a win-win-win scenario for the land, the wildlife, and the local community.
