Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@gilanet.com>]

(from another list) 

Nathan,
 
Your plan for applying John Jeavons growing techniques as the  best
strategy 
for the future of meeting mankind's simplified needs is  solid.  We have 
practiced Jeavons growing techniques on our farm and have  developed and
lived food 
and energy self-reliant strategies for 15 years at our  current homestead 
with 15 additional years of experience in one other homestead  we sold.
See our 
farm photo album at 
_http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=7367si3.yj7f1or&x=0&y=xa8jr0_
(http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=7367si3.yj7f1or&x=0&y=xa8jr0)  .
 
We're in the position of being able to help a great deal of  people 
transition their lifestyles into sustainability, but we need more
personnel to help us 
set up educational infrastructures for meeting the demand  which is coming.
 
We would like to communicate with others who would be  interested in
pooling 
their energies with our own in an educational  center.  We also have land 
neighboring our own which we are willing to sell  to the right people.  Do
you or 
anyone else in this group have any  leads for us?
 
Best Wishes,  Daniel & Patti

I offer  part of my plan for the future.  One simple book.  "How to  Grow
More Vegetables: And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops  Than
You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine" by  John
Jeavons.  See also http://www.growbiointensive.org/  and
http://www.johnjeavons.info/ .

One thing Arkbuilders seems to be  trying to do is to boil things down to
their essence.  We want the  best strategy, the best choices, the best
sources and guides.  Cut to  the chase, as it where.  For example, "all
you need to know about  investing is buy physical silver, but here's the
evidence to verify it for  yourself (insert references) and some
additional details (like where, when,  and from whom to buy)."

Well John Jeavons is to agriculture what silver  is to investing.  I may
eventually choose to follow another path in  organic agriculture, but
Jeavons will be where I start my journey.   Why?

Food growing following Jeavons' techniques offers the  following
advantages from a Peaker's perspective:

1. Zero fossil  fuel input of any kind required, long term sustainable
2. Virtually no up  front investment required in terms of expensive
machinery or draft animals  or other complexity required.  You can get
started right away with  your only costs being some basic hand tools and
seeds.
3. Highest  agricultural yield for given input of human labor.  I imagine
the  energy calorie output for energy calorie input is probably the best
ratio  you can find in agriculture as well; which is another way to keep
costs  down. Making food growing less labor intensive is a good thing!
4. Most  space efficient--you don't need to own a lot of land.  We are
all poor  right? and we want to hold as debt-free land as possible,
right? It's all  part of making preparations to deal with the eventual
unavoidable  conventional unemployment we most likely will have to face
sooner or later  or that our children might face.
5. Very adaptable to small scale, hobbyist  approach.  We can all
practice on a 5 foot or so square garden all of  Jeavon's techniques
during the transition period while we keep (currently  more profitable)
conventional jobs as we try to acquire silver for that  small land
purchase.  Practice on a small scale now, then scale up  later as you
have some land and resources and as it becomes more profitable  and more
necessary.

What's the #1 skill to learn to deal with the  long term Peak Oil food
production collapse?  Grow your own  food.  Sure, for example, bicycle
repair is an excellent Peak Oil  skill which we all may eventually learn,
but wouldn't you rather be in the  position to trade some of your
*surplus* food for bicycle repair services  rather than being in the
inverse position of trying to trade bicycle repair  skills for food in an
environment of ever shrinking food  supplies?

What's the #1 business and job to get into?  Grow enough  food to feed
your family, and have surplus to sell and trade.  Right  now today, some
individuals are making modest but successful incomes  selling surplus
food from Jeavon's technique to restaurants and farmers  markets.  You
can to.

Jeavons techniques will require study,  practice and skill.  Mastering
them sooner will put you in a the  advantageous leadership position of
being a teacher to others later.   Valuable skills and knowledge is the
best investment you can make for the  future.

Tate's right.  You probably need a 10 year learning curve  for organic
agriculture and several years to properly cultivate your land  for
productivity and fertility.  Might as well get started on those  gigantic
projects as soon as you can in whatever manner that you  can.

-Nathan