How do you make rain? It is possible that rain dances did actually contribute to rain making. Fires on the ridge line might have seeded clouds by providing a condensation surface. There are more reliable ways of making rain, though. The best way to create rain is by planting trees on a ridge line. The water condensation from a body of water can then be trapped there and form rain clouds. This also helps restore the soil since the trees will help bring minerals back, which can restart a nice cycle of regenerating the soil. Additionally, trees along the ridge slow the water down, which ensures that plants around the trees get hydrated.

The big challenge on ridges, of course, is wind. Wind blowing against a hill or mountain will create a vortex on the other side. It’s best to create a windbreak that is angled toward the wind. It should be permeable, thus pacifying the wind rather than stopping it (because the wind would then create vortexes somewhere else).

And if you don’t believe me, check out this video. At about 15 minutes into the video, Willie Smits talks about the rain machine they created in Borneo when they rebuild the forest there… I guess it’s called rain forest for a reason…