Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - [Livingontheland] John Jeavons growing techniques

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@gilanet.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] John Jeavons growing techniques
  • Date: Sat, 30 Apr 2005 23:47:36 -0600


(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










  • [Livingontheland] John Jeavons growing techniques, Tradingpost, 05/01/2005

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page