A Farm for the Future

This week, I gave the students in one of my classes an assignment to watch a BBC film entitled A Farm for the Future. This film discusses the idea of peak oil, and the fact that our agricultural system is closely tied to fossil fuels (from the fuel for machinery to synthetic fertilizers to pesticides... all of which require oil). This means that as our fossil fuel supplies dwindle, we will have to come up with a new system of producing food to support the masses.
The idea this film presents is moving our agricultural system towards permaculture. Permaculture is a way of growing food that mimics natural ecosystems. So instead of clearing land and planting things in long rows, you design your garden in layers that includes trees, shrubs, vines, understory and groundcover. All of the plants you choose have a function, whether it is food production, mulch production, nitrogen fixer, insect attractor, or pest control. And the way you design your garden allows these plants to do jobs for each other to maximize your production of food. What this means for the humans is that these gardens take a lot of time and energy to plan and prepare (as one must gain sufficient knowledge of how plants work and interact, and then put that knowledge to work in the design phase). However, once the garden is planted and established, it will require very minimal care as plants will be there to fertilize and mulch and you don't have to do it yourself.
Permaculture can produce immense amount of food off of minimal land (as having so many layers allows for constant food), however, our main staples, like grains, do not grow well in a system like this. So, switching to permaculture requires not only a shift in how things are grown, but also a shift in what people are going to eat.
I think the concept of permaculture is fantastic, and we are actually (very slowly) turning our yard into a permacultre-based system. However, due to our very small lot size and minimal funds, it is happening piece by piece over time and not all at once. I think shifting our entire agricultural system to permaculture is still a ways off, as it would take convincing the masses to change the way that they eat, but as oil supplies continue to be depleted, we may soon have no other choice.
A great intro to permaculture is the book Gaia's Garden, which I have already written a review of.
You can currently watch the film A Farm for the Future online here, or google "Farm for the Future" and look for an available link. If nothing else, it will at least open your eyes to a new way of food production! Pin It Now!

A Review of Gaia's Garden

I recently finished reading Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. Permaculture is a way of living that was developed in the 1970's. The main idea of permaculture is to create human settlements that mimic those of nature. And, because nature is so efficient, these human systems based upon nature end up being quite self sufficient and much more sustainable than traditional human creations. This book focuses on how to design your yard based on the theories of permaculture. Doing so eventually results in a landscape that requires less maintenance, less inputs (and therefore less money) and is much more kind to the environment.
I thought this book was absolutely lovely. It took me quite a few weeks to get through it, mainly because there is lots of information to absorb, and because I am the type of person who is always reading 4 or 5 books at once. But, I loved (almost) every minute of this read.
The author teaches you about the importance of soil and water (in a lot of detail, but not at all boring... at least to me, I am a scientist!). He walks you through the basics of composting, the importance of wildlife and insects to the garden, and includes the human-need for beautiful spaces and plants that yield fruit and food. He explains how to design gardens that improve the soils on their own and landscapes that minimize the need for water.
I love how this book is also quite focused on the yard as a garden, and wanting to grow things that will provide for you. Now that I live in Portland, the land of gardens, and have a garden of my own, this was very relevant information for me (I am still in the serious learning phase pf gardening!). The author talks in detail about how to create food-centered communities in your yard and ways to group plants together so that all of the niches are filled. My one complaint about this book is that I found it to be very centered on folks who live in the suburbs and have at least 1/4 acre of yard to devote to gardens, landscape, compost areas and water features. My entire lot is less than 1/10 of an acre, and once you add in the house, driveway, covered patio and dog area, there is not a while lot left to work with, and I feel like I do miss out on many of the awesome features he has included in this guide.
Our yard is currently in transition, and I am so happy that I read this book before we made any major decisions on what to plant where. This book will allow me to choose plants that work well together and provide a low-maintenace alternative that is better for my family, wildlife and the planet. I would STRONGLY recommend this book to anyone who is considering making major renovations to their outdoor space, even if you are only changing a small area of your yard. Pin It Now!