As I have read excellent articles such as the ones
referenced here, I have increasingly noted a "missing link", between
sustainable, local, gardening/farming and our personal diets. Until a
few weeks ago, my own understanding of what is required for a healthy diet was
stuck in the ' 70s. Although I have learned a bit, I think it would
benefit many to better understand the linkages between our gardening
efforts, what we eat, how it gets to the table, and the implications to our
health and fitness.
There is plenty of information against industrial
agribusiness, and plenty of "healthy diet" books, but I haven't
found much directly supporting the benefits of eating what we grow. Or, put
another way, what should we grow in order to eat well?
Are there such books or websites? Seems to me
that it would be a good addition to Ken's or Harvey's website (like they're not
already doing their part!).
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 12:15
AM
Subject: [Livingontheland] Ken
Hargesheimer on Raised Bed Agriculture
This is from Ken Hargesheimer website page Raised Bed
Agriculture, http://minifarms.com/rba.html . See
the rest of the article at that link.
- Food Production -
Traditional & Historic - Five Principles -
Benefits - Applications - New Crops -
Urban RBA - Rural RBA
For home gardening raised bed
agriculture means: less work, less irrigation, improved soil, higher yields
and no poisons. For market gardeners, mini-farmers and mini-ranchers it
means all the above plus profits. People can have a comfortable income, a
high quality lifestyle, provide a great service to their community and it's
a great way to raise children.
RBA creates a healthy soil to grow
healthy plants to provide healthy food to feed healthy people. For the
human population to be healthy, we need to consume healthy foods [organic]
which come from healthy animals eating healthy plants grown in healthy soil
[C Scheaffer, VMD/holistic].
Health: People suffer due to very poor
diets. The greatest benefit of RBA isn't the increased yields but the
better nutrition provided to the families. This reduces their medical needs
tremendously.
Food Production Agriculture is in a crisis
worldwide. The Green Revolution is not ecologically sound, economically
viable or socially responsible. The "Green Revolution", which attempted to
impose inappropriate crops and techniques in the Andes, has been a
miserable failure. [The same is true around the world. KH] Srs. I.
Garaycochea and J. Palao refer to the remains of twisted windmills, cracked
irrigation canals and rusted out tractors littering the rural countryside
as the "archaeology of development". It is ironic that the groups promoting
the Green Revolution had to destroy ancient agriculture fields, to
introduce the inappropriate technology and capital-intensive farming
practices.
"The prehispanic raised fields are
classified on government maps "for wildlife use only". It is a good thing
that those ancient farmers didn't have access to those
maps!" C. Erickson, UPA.
The Green Revolution
makes farmers depend on, even economic slaves to, agribusiness and
multinational corporations: Cargill\Monsanto, ConAgra, Novartis\ADM and
others. Their goal is to increase profits and to control the world's food
supply from research to production to consumer by controling seed,
fertilizers and chemicals. These seeds must have chemicals sprayed on them
to produce and the seed can not be saved for the next
crop.
"These companies tell the US patent office
that the plants are novel and unique to get a patent but they tell the
FDA/EPA that that they are natural and not new and not subject to
regulations." [S. Ogden, Straight-Ahead Organics, 1999].
Other
corporations are beginning to market irradiated food which may be dangerous
to our health. Most governments, USAID, most ag extension services and ag
universities in most countries help the companies by promoting the use of
their products. They are more interested in export crop production than in
food crops to feed local people.
"If I had taken
what I learned about agriculture at Texas A & M University to a third
world country, I would have starved to death". Mike Sullivan, ECHO, Ag
Missions Conference 1998, quoting his son.
The world's farmers can
produce all the food the world's population requires, regardless of how
high it goes, using RBA.
Note: A salesman promotes chemical
fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, etc and gets paided by the chemical
company from the sale. Promoters of organic gardening and farming have
nothing to sell. Top of Page
Raised Beds - Traditional
& Historic They were used in Asia [Indonesia, China, Vietnam, PNG],
Latin America [Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru], Europe [France] and USA
[Indians] for centuries. They are now being used in Kenya, Nigeria and a
few other countries. I saw a few in the 60's while living in Guatemala.
They are being restored in Peru and Bolivia.
"It
was proven that labor costs were low, harvests were bountiful, production
was sustainable and the technology could be managed by individual families
using available tools." [Bolivia] C. Erickson, UPA.
On the Web: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cerickso/applied.html
http://archaeology.about.com/msubfarm.htm http://archaeology.about.com/blinterviews.htm
Top
of Page
Five Principles of RBA Regardless of the quality of
the land, these principles will make it
highly fertile.
1. Maximize
organic matter production 2. Keep the
soil covered 3. Use zero
tillage 4. Maintain biological
diversity 5. Feed plants through the
mulch.
Roland Bunch, COSECHA
Organic: All gardeners and farmers were
organic until the use of chemicals in WW II [to kill people then, insects
now]. They kill soil micro-organisms and worms. No one has the right, moral
or legal, to poison the air, soil or water.
"Organic gardening and farming is more than avoiding chemicals. The organic
method requires a change of attitude and a different thought process." [H.
Garrett, DMN]
RBA does not require the purchase of any outside inputs.
The present generation knows nothing about raised beds or organics because
their fathers and grandfathers have used chemicals since the 1950s.
Therefore, they must be taught. [Read: From The Good Earth, by M.
Ableman, http://www.dirtdoctor.com]
RBA
allows people to feed themselves on a local basis that provides
total community food security and is a proven food production system that
is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially responsible
and Biblically based. Top of Page
Benefits of RBA A.
Organic, biointensive, double dug, permanent raised beds which can double
or even triple the yield while reducing the labor by half compared to
traditional gardening. Using this, a family can grow all their food for a
vegetarian diet on 300 M². http://www.bountifulgardens.org This
works [USA: Chadwick Garden & market garden, Ecology Action;
CET, Chile; Manor House Ag Center, Kenya; ECOPOL, Mexico; IIRR, Baptist
Rural Life Center, Philippines] and the proof is there for all to see. This
is used by home gardeners and small market gardeners.
B. Organic,
permanent raised beds can increase yields, stop erosion and reduce labor.
Land sloping up to 75% can be farmed without erosion. I saw them in
Honduras after hurricane Mitch. This works [COSECHA &
CIDICCO, Honduras; M Fukuoka, Japan; Centro de EducacÃon y
TecnologÃa, Chile; IIRR, BRLC, Philippines; M Cain, USA; Vietnam:
VACVINA] and the proof is there for all to see. [read Plowman's Folly, by
E. H. Faulker; Weeds-Control Without Chemicals, by Walters. Video:
Necessity of Organic Resides, by R. Parnes]. This is used by home
gardeners, market gardeners and mini-farmers.
Hand labor with hand
tools is used such as hoes, shovels, rakes, digging forks, machetes. Hand
tools: Scythe - cuts grass, harvest grain; Hedge clipper - long handles for
trimming/cutting back growth of hedges, trellises, etc; Lopper - long
handles for cutting limbs; Wheel Hoe - walk-behind with various implements;
Planter - walk-behind which drops seed; Spreader - walk-behind which
spreads fertilizer, etc.
The above boasts two advantages which no other
production system can claim.
First, it is easier on
the soil than mechanized methods. Second, it is the least expensive method
in terms of capital outlay. For mini-farms this method is not only
economically viable but superior to the alternatives. Jeff Rast,
Countryside, Nov/Dec 98.
C. Alley-cropping: Raised beds between rows
of trees [food, oils, chemicals, medicinals, spices, beverages, crafts,
lumber, forages, firewood, windbreaks, industrials, etc] which are a
planned crop. http://www.winrock.org http://www.treesftf.org http://www.unl.edu/nac This works and the
proof [USA; Nigeria, IITA; Philippines, IIRR, BMRLC; Costa Rica] is there
for all to see.
Bucket drip irrigation kits should be used during the
dry season or in areas of low rainfall. The kit [US$15 + Postage &
Handling] irrigates 200 feet of vegetables by filling a five gallon bucket
each morning and each evening. Two kits will produce all the vegetables
needed for a family of seven on a vegetarian diet [Kenya]. Bucket drip kits
can be adapted to use with trees. [video: Third World Irrigation Update,
free with first kit or US$5 ppd.]
Seed:: Use open pollinated,
organically grown if possible. Save your seed. Exchange with others. http://homepage.tinet.ie/~merlyn/seedsaving.html
RBA
can be used to produce flowers, dyes, vegetables, nuts, fruits,
trees, grains, fibers, herbs, spices, medicinals, oils, teas,
sweeteners, fragrances, crafts, seeds, ornamentals, bamboo, industrials
[lubricants, brooms, gums, waxes, oils, rubber, emulsifiers, paper],
forages, feed grains, animal medicinals, livestock. http://www.echonet.org
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