Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability
This is a topic of vital interest both currently and historically; to people from all walks of life, of all ages. It is something needed to figure out the answer to a questions as simple where your next meal is coming from. It implies that you can take care of your own needs, without being dependent on another.
BOOK RESOURCES
1. In the mid-1900s the series of 'Foxfire' books were published, the first in 1972, the twelfth in 2004.I own about 6 of the 12 books in the series. Wikipedia states 'Members of the 1970s back to the land movement used the books as a basis to return to lives of simplicity.
Err, that would be me, among many others, homesteading in West Virginia. We moved there in 1979. Everyone had one or more of the Foxfire books kicking around on their shelves.
Amazon still sells them for about 13.50 each. They were written by a group of secondary school students in Georgia as part of a writing course. They truly read like the production of VISTA volunteers sent to the Appalachians to preserve the culture there.
One of the best features of the Foxfire Series was the interviews and personal narratives preserved in the text. This is also the style of Carla Emery's work- teaching through narrative. What is preserved is not just the skills, but also the spirit of place and time. This is nature's teaching.
2. Of more practical use to me was the paperback 'Five Acres and Independence, a handbook for small farm management', by M.G.Kains.
While this was originally written in 1935 and contains the assumption that the farmer is of male gender and is interested in 'making his farm pay' it is nonetheless useful for its scaling of activities to fit within the '5 acres' mentioned in the title. That's a good size chunk of land for ultra-small scale farming in most ecosystems. And for its present paperback format (397 pages), it is truly encyclopedic in scope. Amazon sells it for $8.95.
3. The Family Cow by Dirk Van Loon, copyright 1976 (I had this one practically hot off the presses in 1979)- available from Amazon for about $12.00. This book nicely complemented the practical teaching I got in West Virginia from those folks who went 'back to the land' a few years sooner than I. It was a great place to learn.
4. Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living; this is truly my all-time favorite for an encyclopedic guide to subsistence farming. The late Carla Emery devoted her life to learning, recording, and passing on the knowledge and skills she recorded in this tome. If you can do it or make it on a farm, it's in here, along with a running commentary on her life and times. The publication date is a bit nebulous, as she produced it chapters at a time on a mimeograph machine and then sold these at fairs as she toured. The first chapters were published in 1970; the first entire book in 1974.
I like this one so much that I keep 2 copies. One is the reference copy that stays in my home. The other is a circulating copy. (I actually try to do this with all of the best books rather that lose them without a trace.) Amazon sells it for 19.77. There is a website for it; http://www.carlaemery.com/country-living-book.htm . Carla died in 2005, having helped an entire generation of folks who had gone 'back to the land'. I wish I had had a chance to meet her. I hope her book never goes out of print. I reproduce two sentences from the website concerning the characteristics of a (modern) 'homesteader'.
'...The new meaning of "homesteading" is a lifestyle of choices that are frugal, healthy, sustainable, self-reliant, and good for the wider community. For most homesteaders the fulfillment of those goals includes a dream of living on the land and trying to produce at least some of your needs at home, especially food.'
Thus, self-sufficiency, as defined by one who helped me work to achieve it.
5. The words of Srila Prabhupada; from Ranchor Prime, in 'Hinduism and Ecology'.
'...The last twelve years of his life, from 1965 to 1977, were spent ceaselessly traveling the world, broadcasting his message to anyone who would listen. During this time he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, dedicated to practicing and spreading the message of Krishna. He gained many followers and initiated over 8,000 disciples. To them he was known as Prabhupada, 'master among masters'. He founded twelve rural communities in Europe, North America and India where the way of life he taught could be demonstrated. In 1976 he wrote to one such community:
"...That you are growing all your own grains is very good. It is my ambition that all devotees may remain self-dependent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits and flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in hand looms. This simple life is very nice. Simple village life saves time for other engagements like chanting Hare Krsna."
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
6. http://www.foodfirst.org/
7. http://theholliesonline.com/ The Hollies Center for Practical Sustainability in West Cork, Ireland
8. http://opensourceecology.org/ and http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Category:Guiding_philosophies . You may have to build it yourself, but these guys want you to know how.
9. http://windward.org/
10. Donella Meadows and Cobb Hill
http://www.donellameadows.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donella_Meadows
http://www.cobbhill.org/
http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/donella-meadows-and-cobb-hill-cohousing/
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111030/GREEN01/110300309/Cobb-Hill-transformative-power-community-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Food is one our basic needs; Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' is usually quoted as starting with 'the big three'; food, clothing, and shelter. The homesteading experience includes engagement in providing all of these. It is indeed a humbling and yet empowering experience to work through those first lessons of planting and cultivating; I came to the conclusion with my first garden that it was a good thing the grocery store wasn't far away and that I had a job with income to buy what I couldn't grow.
From the homesteading perspective, it is difficult to understand these latter days of urban living, food stamps, and epidemic obesity. Put simply, it just seems wrong.
From the standpoint of biological thrift, the system- the ecosystem, the human system- is being hugely mismanaged.
I do not have a systems solution to this glaring problem, but on a personal level, I am working (throughout my operation) with that concept of biological thrift. As you read this part of my website ('learn all you can..'), you will see that half of the topics are directly related to some type of food production. When this effort is put together with the concept that this *is* an ecosystem rather than simply a farm, biological thrift becomes an agenda throughout the system. At that point it becomes appropriate to take up the topic of 'ecological footprint'; ie what amount of resources are required to sustain the individual. Wikipedia's article on 'ecological footprint' (see that section) is enlightening.
Among other efforts I am trying to come up with production of foodstuffs in portable form to cover basic daily nutritional needs. Empirically this is in my flat bread production; what grains to grow and grind for the most nutritious and digestible crust and what toppings would yield balanced nutrition. I have yet to do the formal search on 'calories required by the average human per day for basic subsistence', and then extrapolating to the actual caloric content of my finished product. This is really the kind of experiment I like best- you get to eat the results. Wine and beer making are also on my 'favorites' list.
BOOK RESOURCES
1. In the mid-1900s the series of 'Foxfire' books were published, the first in 1972, the twelfth in 2004.I own about 6 of the 12 books in the series. Wikipedia states 'Members of the 1970s back to the land movement used the books as a basis to return to lives of simplicity.
Err, that would be me, among many others, homesteading in West Virginia. We moved there in 1979. Everyone had one or more of the Foxfire books kicking around on their shelves.
Amazon still sells them for about 13.50 each. They were written by a group of secondary school students in Georgia as part of a writing course. They truly read like the production of VISTA volunteers sent to the Appalachians to preserve the culture there.
One of the best features of the Foxfire Series was the interviews and personal narratives preserved in the text. This is also the style of Carla Emery's work- teaching through narrative. What is preserved is not just the skills, but also the spirit of place and time. This is nature's teaching.
2. Of more practical use to me was the paperback 'Five Acres and Independence, a handbook for small farm management', by M.G.Kains.
While this was originally written in 1935 and contains the assumption that the farmer is of male gender and is interested in 'making his farm pay' it is nonetheless useful for its scaling of activities to fit within the '5 acres' mentioned in the title. That's a good size chunk of land for ultra-small scale farming in most ecosystems. And for its present paperback format (397 pages), it is truly encyclopedic in scope. Amazon sells it for $8.95.
3. The Family Cow by Dirk Van Loon, copyright 1976 (I had this one practically hot off the presses in 1979)- available from Amazon for about $12.00. This book nicely complemented the practical teaching I got in West Virginia from those folks who went 'back to the land' a few years sooner than I. It was a great place to learn.
4. Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living; this is truly my all-time favorite for an encyclopedic guide to subsistence farming. The late Carla Emery devoted her life to learning, recording, and passing on the knowledge and skills she recorded in this tome. If you can do it or make it on a farm, it's in here, along with a running commentary on her life and times. The publication date is a bit nebulous, as she produced it chapters at a time on a mimeograph machine and then sold these at fairs as she toured. The first chapters were published in 1970; the first entire book in 1974.
I like this one so much that I keep 2 copies. One is the reference copy that stays in my home. The other is a circulating copy. (I actually try to do this with all of the best books rather that lose them without a trace.) Amazon sells it for 19.77. There is a website for it; http://www.carlaemery.com/country-living-book.htm . Carla died in 2005, having helped an entire generation of folks who had gone 'back to the land'. I wish I had had a chance to meet her. I hope her book never goes out of print. I reproduce two sentences from the website concerning the characteristics of a (modern) 'homesteader'.
'...The new meaning of "homesteading" is a lifestyle of choices that are frugal, healthy, sustainable, self-reliant, and good for the wider community. For most homesteaders the fulfillment of those goals includes a dream of living on the land and trying to produce at least some of your needs at home, especially food.'
Thus, self-sufficiency, as defined by one who helped me work to achieve it.
5. The words of Srila Prabhupada; from Ranchor Prime, in 'Hinduism and Ecology'.
'...The last twelve years of his life, from 1965 to 1977, were spent ceaselessly traveling the world, broadcasting his message to anyone who would listen. During this time he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, dedicated to practicing and spreading the message of Krishna. He gained many followers and initiated over 8,000 disciples. To them he was known as Prabhupada, 'master among masters'. He founded twelve rural communities in Europe, North America and India where the way of life he taught could be demonstrated. In 1976 he wrote to one such community:
"...That you are growing all your own grains is very good. It is my ambition that all devotees may remain self-dependent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits and flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in hand looms. This simple life is very nice. Simple village life saves time for other engagements like chanting Hare Krsna."
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
6. http://www.foodfirst.org/
7. http://theholliesonline.com/ The Hollies Center for Practical Sustainability in West Cork, Ireland
8. http://opensourceecology.org/ and http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Category:Guiding_philosophies . You may have to build it yourself, but these guys want you to know how.
9. http://windward.org/
10. Donella Meadows and Cobb Hill
http://www.donellameadows.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donella_Meadows
http://www.cobbhill.org/
http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/donella-meadows-and-cobb-hill-cohousing/
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111030/GREEN01/110300309/Cobb-Hill-transformative-power-community-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Food is one our basic needs; Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs' is usually quoted as starting with 'the big three'; food, clothing, and shelter. The homesteading experience includes engagement in providing all of these. It is indeed a humbling and yet empowering experience to work through those first lessons of planting and cultivating; I came to the conclusion with my first garden that it was a good thing the grocery store wasn't far away and that I had a job with income to buy what I couldn't grow.
From the homesteading perspective, it is difficult to understand these latter days of urban living, food stamps, and epidemic obesity. Put simply, it just seems wrong.
From the standpoint of biological thrift, the system- the ecosystem, the human system- is being hugely mismanaged.
I do not have a systems solution to this glaring problem, but on a personal level, I am working (throughout my operation) with that concept of biological thrift. As you read this part of my website ('learn all you can..'), you will see that half of the topics are directly related to some type of food production. When this effort is put together with the concept that this *is* an ecosystem rather than simply a farm, biological thrift becomes an agenda throughout the system. At that point it becomes appropriate to take up the topic of 'ecological footprint'; ie what amount of resources are required to sustain the individual. Wikipedia's article on 'ecological footprint' (see that section) is enlightening.
Among other efforts I am trying to come up with production of foodstuffs in portable form to cover basic daily nutritional needs. Empirically this is in my flat bread production; what grains to grow and grind for the most nutritious and digestible crust and what toppings would yield balanced nutrition. I have yet to do the formal search on 'calories required by the average human per day for basic subsistence', and then extrapolating to the actual caloric content of my finished product. This is really the kind of experiment I like best- you get to eat the results. Wine and beer making are also on my 'favorites' list.
A Consideration of Profit
For almost everyone, the concept of farming is inextricably linked with the concept of profit. In contemporary society, there is rarely a time when the potential profit is measured in anything other than dollars. In July of 2010, I was harvesting winter grains. I had been considering the amount of time and energy I was spending and what my yield would be. The words 'How many mouths will it feed?' popped into my head. I later sat down and wrote;
FARM ANALYSIS July 2010
A. Cost analysis
1. How many mouths will it feed?
2. How many hands does it need?
3. How much time will it take?
If and when you are operating on a level that does not measure cost vs benefit in dollars, you need to find some other medium of analysis. If you are dealing with other people and are trading, you need to have some medium of exchange.
Looking at the cost analysis above, it is obvious that at a minimum, you have to be able to produce enough food with one set of hands to feed your own mouth. And you have to do it in real time. Otherwise you fail at your task. You starve. Anthropologically speaking, it is not surprising that we are social animals, and omnivores. If the grain harvest goes poorly, there is always the hunt.
B. Another analysis with a bit more of a perspective towards disaster preparedness;
1. What are the needs?
2. What are the skills and resources?
3. What is the portability?
4. What is the fall-back plan?
The underlying implication of this list is the understanding that you might build a marvelous all-hazards edifice of preparedness- only to have it flooded or otherwise rendered unusable. So; in your planning stage you do well to reflect; if you had to pack it out of there, what could you carry? How would you survive while traveling, setting up, or in a new place? Think about it *now*. Think also, about cultures with a largely, or intermittently, nomadic lifestyle.
FARM ANALYSIS July 2010
A. Cost analysis
1. How many mouths will it feed?
2. How many hands does it need?
3. How much time will it take?
If and when you are operating on a level that does not measure cost vs benefit in dollars, you need to find some other medium of analysis. If you are dealing with other people and are trading, you need to have some medium of exchange.
Looking at the cost analysis above, it is obvious that at a minimum, you have to be able to produce enough food with one set of hands to feed your own mouth. And you have to do it in real time. Otherwise you fail at your task. You starve. Anthropologically speaking, it is not surprising that we are social animals, and omnivores. If the grain harvest goes poorly, there is always the hunt.
B. Another analysis with a bit more of a perspective towards disaster preparedness;
1. What are the needs?
2. What are the skills and resources?
3. What is the portability?
4. What is the fall-back plan?
The underlying implication of this list is the understanding that you might build a marvelous all-hazards edifice of preparedness- only to have it flooded or otherwise rendered unusable. So; in your planning stage you do well to reflect; if you had to pack it out of there, what could you carry? How would you survive while traveling, setting up, or in a new place? Think about it *now*. Think also, about cultures with a largely, or intermittently, nomadic lifestyle.