Drylands Farming Company is owned and operated by husband and wife team Doug and Lisa Richardson. Bringing sustainable, productive, low water use agricultural crops to California and other states in the North American Southwest including Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, where water conservation is increasingly necessary. In addition to water conservation these crops protect our soils from erosion, our creeks and oceans from agricultural runoff and our lands and homes from wildfire.
Doug Richardson Horticultural & Agricultural Consultant, Nurseryman
Doug became interested in Agaves and Prickly Pears many years ago but became more intrigued in recent years as the California drought has persisted, populations have grown and the need for new agricultural practices became more apparent.
He started collecting and propagating Agaves and Prickly Pear in earnest in the late 1990’s and the concept of Drylands Farming Company developed. Lover of fine tequila and mescal and formulator of a rainbow assortment of Prickly Pear margaritas added to Doug's incentive to see California distilled Agave spirits from California grown plants. His knowledge, experience and skills are well utilized in our consulting services.
Lisa Richardson
Lisa has strong roots in natural food, home gardening and natural healing having been raised in a home with all of those things. Trained as a Massage Therapist and Nutritional Consultant and apprenticing with a Therapist/Herbalist in the late 1980s, she worked as a healer and bodyworker for twelve years. Taking all of that experience with her into other ventures she continued to develop her knowledge and experience in the kitchen and garden, growing and using medicinal herbs for home remedies she shares with friends and family. Lisa enjoys the opportunity to work with clients interested in growing medicinal herbs and also kitchen and flower gardens. She has a good/bad habbit of saving every seed and sprout. Connecting with nature, wildlife, plants and trees feeds her soul, she loves fragrant flowers and her beautiful rose garden. She has had a life-long love affair with horses.
In the early years with Doug at Seaside Banana Garden Lisa enjoyed selling at the farmer’s market and at their retail roadside palapa developing all kinds of banana recipes including a killer banana chutney. Later she owned her own restaurant and retail gift store developing her management skills, culinary creativity and cultivating a talent for merchandising to create visual appeal and pleasing spaces.
Lisa pairs her sense of design and aesthetics with a desire to create beautiful surroundings that are productive. She is keenly interested in the culinary and medicinal uses and health benefits of the Drylands plants, and their contribution to the health and well-being of our soils, our earth and our people.
Doug has over fifty years of experience in the field of horticulture as nurseryman, farmer, landscape designer and contractor. He was chairman of the Environmental Horticulture Department at Santa Barbara City College where he taught horticulture and related classes of soils, irrigation, landscape construction and water efficient and fire wise design. He now uses his vast experience and education in the field of horticulture and agriculture as a consultant. Doug has a strong sense of place and appropriate uses of land in a given climate and geographical area.
Doug has always been a pioneer in his field. Ahead of the times with California native plants, edible landscaping, the first US organic banana farm, utilizing Vetiver grass and the Vetiver System in California and promoting and implementing sustainable and ecological land design.
Doug’s complete resume available on request.
Our 28 year old rescue mare, Ellie, has been part of our family for 17 years. She contributes her share with her manure! This adds a biodynamic element to our composting and plant propagation program. We compost the horse manure and use it in our soil mix for our nursery.