Why swales?

Swales and dams are probably two of the most iconic permaculture structures there are.  I'm not one to do something just because it's permaculture-y, lol.  I have to have a good reason, especially if it's going to involve lots of money, time, and effort.

Remember, in permaculture the problem is the solution.  I have a couple of problems.  Our property slopes gently, about 1-2% towards the northwest corner.  We live in Florida, which means that we get torrential downpours during the summer monsoon season.  At times we can get five inches of rain in a single day.  When this happens, debris from the front part of our property washes down the slope and gets deposited right in front of our house.  Not pretty.  Not to mention the erosion that is happening on our land.  

The second problem is that our soils are very sandy, and do not hold water very well.  At all.  So, it seemed to me that swales are my solution.  A swale is basically a ditch on contour with a berm on the downhill side.  Rainwater is harvested and held in the swale, so that it can slowly permeate the berm and downhill areas.

from “Gaia’s Garden” by Toby Hemenway

 Score on both my problems.  The swales will stop the erosion and help hydrate the soil.  Since swales are mainly tree-growing systems, I can also plant fruit and fodder trees on the berms.  Now if I add my livestock to the equation, I also have "grazing cells" in between the swales, lined with food on the berms - fallen fruit for the chickens, ducks, and turkeys, and overhanging fodder trees for the sheep.  Function stacking!!!   See why I love permaculture?