Future Farmers - preparing the land for a post-peak oil society

[BridgeTheGap]

Ben Falk is growing rice in Vermont. In the fall of 2009 he carved two flat paddies into a hillside above the Mad River Valley, then excavated a small pond at the top of the hill. The pond catches rain and meltwater from the upper part of his 10 acres. Three ducks, which provide eggs and eat the slugs that would otherwise overwhelm his vegetables, often use this pond as their bathroom, so the water is rich in nutrients. It also gets a lot of sun, so it’s warm, like bathwater. A simple garden hose brings the water downslope to the rice paddies, keeping them wet and mucky.

Last July, the rice was bright green, obviously thriving. Falk says he’ll get about 150 pounds of brown rice from these two paddies, enough to take care of the grain needs of a family of four for a year. He also has berry bushes, fruit trees, vegetables irrigated with rainwater, and natural fences of black locust that can be cut for firewood. Portobello and shiitake mushrooms grow on the downed trees in the woods, and sheep graze just about everywhere, herded from field to field with portable wire fencing.

The complex is reminiscent of a wilderness homestead, from a time when there weren’t grocery stores down the road and a family needed to survive on what they could grow, gather, and store. And that’s exactly the point. Falk is founder of Whole Systems Design (WSD), a landscape consulting firm that is planning and implementing projects for a post–peak oil society.

Read more: http://www.utne.com/Environment/Future-Farmers-Post-Peak-Oil-Society.aspx#ixzz1VOpj0veq

[Denninmi]

1. Um, well, Agaricus bisporus isn't really a stump/log fungus.

It's terrestrial to my knowledge,so I think the author got it wrong when he said the man is growing Portobellos on stumps, from what I know of them, they are cultivated in soil beds with manure. Shitake on stumps/logs, yes.

Honestly, local production of food is going to be so vital in the future, IMHO, that I wish everyone were doing it. I do as much as I can.

[bvar22]

2. K&R

I love the idea of growing rice irrigated from a hilltop pond with ducks,
but after the Summer Drought we had here (West/Central, Arkansas),
I have doubts about using it here. :(

In 2006, my Wife & I sold everything, moved to The Woods, and started growing our own.
Heath and Sustainability benefits aside,
we would have done it all for the taste alone.
The stuff they sell in the markets today tastes like cardboard.

:hippie: