permaculture

[Mark <mpludwig@facstaff.wisc.edu>]

Folks,
At the risk of being labled an ass, I must say this project seems down 
right nutty, specific comments follow later  in the document...


At 03:20 AM 10/8/02 -0700, you wrote:
> On Fri, 9 Aug 2002 07:15:10 -0600, in alt.agriculture.fruit "Berkano
> Berchta" <berkano[nospam]@netzero.net> wrote:
>
> ===============================================================
> Primitive Sustainable Agriculture and Survival Research Project
> ===============================================================
>
> === AKA: The Berkano Project ===
>
> Many people seem to be interested in the viability of a
> lifestyle with minimum impact on the ecology and environment.
> It is suggested by countless studies and hypotheses that more
> reliance on agriculture and less reliance on sevice and
> technology will actually increase the overall quality of life.

Like what studies?  I like the 21st century, farms, factorys, cars, 
computers a mix of medical approaches etc etc.

> Mainstream research has been done on methods of farming,
> sheltering, production, and consumption, and the common trend
> is toward economic efficiency with little or no practical
> emphasis on sustainability or gestalt ramifications.
>
> I am dissatisfied with the data currently available and I
> believe that too many issues are left empirically
> unqualified.  Therefore I am beginning the documentation of a
> lifelong study on sustainable and ecologically harmonious
> living.  The purpose of this study is to gather the results of
> attempts to live sustainably and publish those results for the
> benefit of research.
>
> This is a request for assistance from all parties interested in
> the research, preparation, execution and documentation of every
> stage of a Primitive Survival and Sustainable Agriculture
> venture that I will personally execute. The full experimental
> phase of the project will commence after I have gathered a
> satisfactory base of information deemed cogent and thorough
> enough to ensure the success of the experiment and to minimize
> hardship to myself.  Please read on for clarification and to
> determine if you can help or be benefitted by helping supply
> the information I request.
>
> There are many modes of obtaining shelter, food, healthcare,
> and satisfying basic human needs.  Current human civilization
> reflects myriad variations of means to these ends.  It is my
> task to determine scientifically what means are the most
> efficient from a total world view and from a total individual
> view.

How?  What do you mean by "total world view" and "total individual view"?

> Current capitalist societies and economies seek to deliver a
> maximum amount of goods and services to the individual, while
> entirely ignoring the long-term effects on the individual when
> supplying him/her with short-term goods and services under the
> description of essentials for survival.

A little simplistic IMO.  Capitalism is the "ism" that starts with the 
proposition that capital (money/means of production/owners) drive the 
system via markets which set prices.  and BTW there are no pure 
capitalistic systems in operation, all of them have socialist aspects 
(welfare, social security etc.)  This blurb is also pretty simplistic...

>  I believe that it is
> necessary for an individual to test and experiment with all
> means of production available for supplying all basic needs and
> the maximum amount of wants on an entirely individual level,
> using every sustainable means possible, with exacting attention
> to the long-term cost/benefit analysis in every action and
> transaction.

what will this prove?  What is the broader application beyond proving you 
can do this?

> *** A. Experimental Hypothesis:
>
> 1. It is possible and desirable for the means of production to
> remain based on agriculture with a minimum of technological
> innovation.

Possible yes, desirable to whom?

> 2. An agrarian lifestyle is the most natural and healthful
> lifestyle for the individual.

Agriculture is a dangerous occupation.  Granted machines kill most farmers 
these days, but it used to be bulls.  Subsistence farmers are one bad year 
from starvation.  I will agree it's a pleasant way to live most of the time.

> 3. If one is to witness dramatic improvements in the
> life-quality of the individual, one can generally assume that
> the individual actions that promote that life-quality can be
> applied to a group or society, if exported for social economy.

Flat wrong.  2% of the US population farms these days, the other 98% range 
form those with romantic and unrealistic views of ag to those who have no 
desire to get dirty whatsoever


> 4. No society has lived a PURE agrarian lifestyle in recorded
> history, with a handful of exeptions on which there is very
> limited and obscured data.  Therefore, an individual living a
> PURE agrarian lifestyle is stepping into rediscovered territory
> that will cause effects on quality of life that are heretofore
> unqualified by historians and researchers.

Baring a planet killing sized asteroid strike there is really little point 
to this project beyond the anthropological,   The sample size of one makes 
even this a bit questionable.

> 5. The definition of 'pure agrarian lifestyle' can only be
> codified by the experiment itself.

More like possible pure agrarian lifestyle.

> 6. Minimum discovery and emphasis on acute observation are the
> order for successfully embarking on pure agrarianism, if it is
> at all possible and sustainable on an individual level.
>
> 7. An individual can subsist in absolute self-sufficience and
> self-reliance with the proper education and discipline.  Any
> mode of living is generally learned by experience, example, and
> trial-error.

I'd add proper tools and genetics to the list.

> 8. A pure agrarian lifestyle will impart hardiness, health, and
> longevity far in excess enjoyed by a technologically advanced
> individual or group.  Less-than-pure agrarianim will not likely
> have these benefits.

Bull.  scurvy and pellagra ring a bell?  I agree that working hard and 
fresh air are healthy, but there is plenty of evidence that ye olde 
subsistence farmers last about 30 years and drop dead from the accumulated 
assaults of a hard life.

> *** B. Control Group:
>
> 1. Society, including all people, businesses, entities, ruling
> bodies, contracts, laws, mores, and everything that makes
> society.

whoa!  Lots of analyses time once you come down from the hills.

> *** C. Experimental Group:
>
> 1. Myself, Berkano Berchta, all my ideas, beliefs, convictions,
> actions and all input gained pursuant to this experiment.
>
> *** D. The Experiment and Factors of Focus:
>
> 1. Goal: Live primitively on the land for a period of no less
> than 5 years and gather data on all means of production and
> survival during this period.
>
> 2. Restrictions: Subsist entirely via agricultural means
> without the benefit of any technology above the stone age, with
> a few exceptions that will be noted.  When enough skill with
> stone age technology is obtained, dispense with any newer
> technology and continue experiment.  Kill no animal of any kind
> for food, clothing nor shelter.  Procure all necessities from
> plant or earth sources.

We learned how to kill animals for a good reason, it makes the stone age 
much more pleasant to have a good source of protein and fat.  Furthermore 
it allows subsistence in extreme environments.

> 3. Goal: Maintain optimum health without any modern medical
> intervention, including treatment of possible injuries.

Good luck!

> 4. Goal: Attempt to limit contact with other individuals to
> zero if possible.  Above that, take every reasonable measure to
> limit contact and note the psychological effects.

I hope your mental health is really good, this is pretty extreme...

> 5. Compare all results to the results obtained by general
> modern society and try to explain the differences and
> similarities via evidence.

It's the evidence part I have trouble grasping.  You are a sample of one, 
not generally considered sufficient in science.  Perhaps you should think 
of this as demonstration rather than science.

> 6. The survival experiment will take place in a remote and
> rugged region in the Rocky Mountains, situated near the alpine
> level where rainfall is normally at least double that in the
> arid lower valley and chapparal regions.  Shelter and farming
> will commence in close proximity to a clean, natural water
> supply.  I will plant staple foods and attempt to live as best
> as possible without any type of cooking, and without heat
> preservation of food.  The winters are long and harsh, while
> the summers are short and alternately hot and cool.  It is
> generally a cold climate but farming is possible and not too
> difficult.  Emphasis on food will include subsisting as much as
> possible on the local edible wild plants, and farming will be
> more for winter foods than spring and summer foods.

This is where you really head off the deep end.  You will IMO starve with 
this plan.  Alpine meadows produce good grass for animals and I think you 
need to seriously consider eating meat and jerking quite a bit of it for 
the winter.  A traditional food like pemican (basically berries meat and 
fat) will be essential for the winter to get the 4000 calories a day you 
will need.  Cool season veggies that store well like turnips and rutabaga 
will do alright if your area has the soil for it and you can get enough N 
on it.

> *** E. Precursory Data Mining: (Here is the area where other
> individuals can best assist).  Any suggestions for the
> following queries will be greatly appreciated.  When posting to
> the Usenet, please courtesy copy to
> berkano[nospam]@netzero.net, as some Usenet servers are
> unpredictable and do not reliably propogate posts to and from
> other servers.
>
> 1. What wild plants will serve as food sources, and during
> which seasons?

Barssicas, berries, take a field guide to Western wild plants.  Burn it to 
keep warm after you know it well.
t

> 2. How are plant food sources identified?

see above

> 3. How are poisonous plants avoided?

see above

> 4. What are the best methods for harvesting wild plant food?

by hand, acquire digging stick.

> 5. What are the best plants for winter food storage, and how
> are they preserved?

Generally large storage roots hold up well if cashed in pits or rudimentary 
root callers.


> 6. What varieties of garden vegetables and fruits will grow
> best in the enviroment, and which ones are least likely to
> upset the local wild ecosystem?

You need cool loving crops, brassicas, onions etc.

> 7. What varieties of garden foods are best for winter storage
> in primitive conditions without using fire heat to preserve
> them?

roots.

> 8. How can one increase resistance to cold to minimize the use
> of firewood for heat?

get fairly fat in the summer, dress well.  Please stock plenty of fire wood 
at least your first year.

> 9. How can clothing be made from plant sources without tools?

Let animals eat them.  Kill the animals, use their skins.  Ferment your 
urine to make ammonia for the tanning or use the brains.

> 10. How can tools be made from natural, non-animal sources?

digging stick is simple.  might char the end of it.  I suppose you could 
make stone tools.

> 11. How can well-insulated shelter be made without tools?

Lash the frame with vines, pile on lots of boughs.  Take some tools with 
you as a backup.

> 12. What are the best fruit and nut trees for high-elevation,
> cool climates?

don't know, but even on my 12 foot deep silt loam they take 2 to several 
years to get going.  You need to scout your site well for food 
resources.  Be prepared to at least eat insect foods like grubs and honey.

> 13. Which fruit and nut trees have the fastest yield time?

Not relevant to your situation.

> 14. What are some methods for preparing soil for seed?

you again will have to scout for decent soils.  build a big fire on the sod 
to kill it, rake hot coals around to get the most mileage from your 
burn.  Take a pig with you and tether it out, let it chew up the sod for 
you.  As a bonus, eat the pig.

> 15. What are some useful natural methods of pest control to
> minimize crop damage?

your fingers.  try bugs for palatability.  Study up on the local 
vegetation, may be a pesticide for you in one of them.

> 16. What types of domestic animals can live in the Rocky
> Mountain Climate with a minumum of human care for their feeding
> and upkeep (such as work animals for plowing or animals for
> companionship)?

Scottish highland cattle would probably make it, though you then need to 
make fodder for them.  I think you will have enough trouble feeding yourself.

> 17. Can any indigenous creatures be tamed, and are any good for
> productive use other than using them for food?

no.  10,000 years of native American occupation and not one decent beast of 
burden tamed.

> 18. How can natural paper, ink, dies, and cloth be made in the
> region?

I think you need window screen or similar material for paper 
making.  Cloth?  I doubt you have the time, though I guess winter will be 
long.  leather is easier for sure.

> 19. What medical issues such as prevention, treatment, and
> medicines can be explored?

fix all bad teeth before departure, take basic safety gear along (glasses, 
sunglasses, knee pads, back brace)  take an ace bandage or two, rubber tube 
for tourniquets, and epinephrine pen in case you go into anaphylaxis shock 
from an allergic reaction.  a good supply of beta dine or similar strong 
antiseptic, aspirin, at least one course of an antibiotic suitable for 
grerardia.  Take a signal mirror and flare too.

> 20. What location (anywhere in a mountainous region of the
> Western United States with afforesaid climate) could be best
> for this experiment, and why?  What is the best way of
> minimizing costs for a land purchase?

Don't buy at all.  do it in a national forest.  I would look for some place 
on the edge of a recently burned over area.  this will give a broader 
diversity of habitat and you're less likely to get burned out of it in a 
dry year.
> *** F. Summary:
>
> Basically, I will be taking a minumum of supplies, such as
> seeds, first aid equipment, and writing paper to a remote, wild
> area and will attempt to live as primitively as possible for as
> long as is feasible.  Therefore it will be necessary that I am
> equipped with a wealth of information and skills for
> accomplishing this.  I did a similar stint of about 6 months,
> but that was for fun, not for gathering data.  I expect to do
> this for several years unless some emergency or disaster
> requires me to quit the project.
>
> One can expect me to live in a sturcture analogous to a wigwam,
> tent, teepee, or yurt, depending on which will be best suited
> to the situation.  Although I do know how to build a log cabin
> from the ground up, I do not anticipate doing this as it would
> be very, very labor intensive and time consuming.  I want
> instead to focus on attaining the maximum amount of simplicity
> so I can devote attention to the agricultural and health
> aspects of such a lifestyle.
>
> Please submit as much feedback as you feel compelled to offer.
> I will attempt to answer all questions as soon as possible.
> Please be sure to post to Usenet and email me a courtesy copy
> of any posts, to ensure everyone can see the discourses on this
> subject.
>
> I have started a website to chronicle this project, but it is
> under construction and hardly worth looking at at this time
> because I am still trying to code the look and feel of the
> site.  The URL is http://www.veg.101main.com.  In the futrure
> the site will have a page and discussion forum for this
> project.

The irony of a web site for this is fabulous.
Overall I think you need a more realistic plan, more gear, more meat, 
plenty of books,  and ideally comrades to stave off insanity and lighten 
your load.  I also don't think this is science or really even social 
science, but it sounds kind of fun.  Good to be in a free country where 
such things can be tried.  Good luck, and I'll be happy to comment further 
if you like.

> Thank you,
>
> == Berkano Berchta ==
>
> berkano[nospam]@netzero.net
>
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Mark P. Ludwig
Poultry Research Lab
University of Wisconsin -Madison
608-262-1730 WK
608-846-7125 HM