Permaculture - Organic gardening

Water harvesting

If you make windings (turnings) in your brook or river (that's called swale), the streaming slows down and the water gets time to enter the ground.

If you place trees on the south side, between the water and the sun, the trees provide shade and the water doesn't damp away that quick.
If you also place bushes on both sides of the water, the wind doesn't habe much influence.