During this evening, Mark Shepard (Restoration Agriculture Development) will highlight his approach to water management within an agricultural landscape, as described in his book Water for Any Farm: Applying Restoration Agriculture Water Management Methods on Your Farm. His main principle is to guide every raindrop to where it is needed by first slowing the water down, then allowing it to infiltrate and store in the soil, pools, and other water elements, and ultimately integrating more water into living organisms like crops.
Going beyond just agricultural applications, his principles and technical insights can inspire broader landscapes to manage water properly, creating a resilient and regenerative environment during both droughts and floods.
Mark Shepard is globally recognized as a pioneer in agro-ecology, outlined in his book Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers, translated into Dutch as Herstellende Landbouw: Agro-ecologie voor Boeren, Burgers en Buitenlui. He practices regenerative agriculture worldwide through Restoration Agriculture Development.
Beforehand, Jan Staes (Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development - University of Antwerp) will contextualize the water issue on various scales and in different applications within the Flemish region. Jan Staes is a professor at the University of Antwerp, involved in projects exploring ecosystem-based adaptation measures to mitigate the effects of climate change and improve ecosystem services. He is the coordinator of the TURQUOISE research project (2021-2025), which examines the effectiveness of ‘Blue-Green Measures for Climate Adaptation’ in rural areas. He was also part of the 'Droge Delta'consortium, exploring opportunities for landscape redesign based on blue-green measures.
The evening will be introduced by Stefanie Delarue (Futures through Design - HOGENT)
When
Thursday, October 17 at 6:30 PM
Who is it for
For students, designers, researchers, and anyone looking to work with water in our Flemish (agricultural) landscapes in a regenerative way.
Where
Aula S.R.014 (City Campus, University of Antwerp)
Rodestraat 14, 2000 Antwerp
Schedule
- 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Welcome
- 7:00 PM - 7:15 PM: Introduction by Stefanie Delarue (Futures through Design - HOGENT)
- 7:15 PM - 8:00 PM: Lecture by Jan Staes (Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development - UA) + Q&A
- 8:00 PM - 8:15 PM: Short Break
- 8:15 PM - 9:30 PM: Keynote by Mark Shepard (Restoration Agriculture Development) + Q&A
This evening is organized by Futures through Design (HOGENT) and the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (University of Antwerp).