permaculture

[Sean Maley <semaley@yahoo.com>]

----- Original Message ----
From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." 
<lfl@intrex.net>
To: permaculture 
<permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 4, 2007 
3:59:35 PM
Subject: Re: [permaculture] The Long Emergency and Financial 
Planning

> Problem locating marketing opportunities for sustainably 
grown produce.

Laura C Frazier wrote:

> Hello folks,
> 
Our biggest conundrum right now is how to approach
> financial planning 
including investing and subsistence living in the 
> face of a "long 
emergency."  We live in the Southeastern USA: North 
> Carolina.  I wonder 
how others are shaping their financial futures at 
> this time.  What kind 
of trends do people foresee?


I know my neighborhood wouldn't be 
typical, but the concept would be the same.  There are hundreds of families 
per 
block who all have poor food choices from sources they don't really know much 
about.  The CSA locked out new members at 80 last year (it was a favor to 
accommodate 
more than 50), so it wouldn't be outrageous to have hundreds of familiesto 
start another CSA with proper promotion (deliver to the park and be on your 
way, as 
neighborhood volunteers organize the rest).

Rural areas have food, but 
poor economics.  Urban areas have money, but poor food choices.  You'd think 
the 
two would get together.  If only I had the time to do the website to 
facilitate 
this.  With an 8 million person population, it isn't hard to find volunteers 
here.  
North Carolina may not have a city of this size, but the dynamics should be 
the 
same.  All you need is one poorly served high density neighborhood to package 
100 families paying $400 up front in May and then bring them a week of 
seasonal 
veggies.  Would $40,000 make it worth driving into the nearest city once a 
week during the summer and some of the fall?  Our CSA already comes in for 
the farmers markets, so this is just money in their pockets before the seeds 
finish sprouting.

Another thought:
  
http://potluck.com/media/the-unsustainability-and-origins-of-socioeconomic-increase.pdf

Form 
a small steady-state economy.  One can start with the CSA model and slowly 
pool 
funding into this "small economy".

Example collection of 100 families 
we'll call a rhizome:
  1.  Each family contributes $100 every month 
($10,000/mo or



       $120,000/yr).
  2.  By 
lottery or whatever makes sense, pay off each families debt with
       each
still paying that debt, but back into the rhizome (rhizome 
now
       grows ~10% beyond monthly contributions).  (+$12,000 year 1, 
       +$25,200 year 2, +$38,520 year 3, etc actually more, but for
       conveying the point of compound growth 
> $400,000 after 3 years)
  3.  While a 
target savings approaches, hold monthly potlucks, learn cottage
       
industry skills, and have fund raisers (sell off your consumer economy
       
bobbles like the TV, Stereo, record/CD collections, etc).
  4.  If rhizome 
funds exceed debts, consider starting businesses that lead
       towards 
self-reliance, allow members to leave conventional  jobs, or raise
       
funds for the rhizome.  Use the funds to support these ventures.  The 
idea
       will be to take the urban dwellers disproportionately higher 
salary and
       siphon it from the global economy to secure a network of 
private

       economies.
  5.  A first 
major rhizome purchase will secure a food producing land base,
       if a 
CSA farm hasn't already become a part of the rhizome through
       
partnership (buy out the farm in this case).  While not recommended,
       the $10,000/mo contributions will support a $1M mortgage if you feel
       like we are really close to the edge of the cliff.
  6.  Work towards transitioning the urban 
dwellers $600/mo food budget

        into the 
rhizome economy.
  7.  As funds become available, secure homes/pay off member 
mortgages
  8.  Members never charge each other money/time from within the 
rhizome
  9.  Help other rhizomes form and work towards a rhizome 
network
 10. As the network matures, the labor pool will shrink.  A defense 
plan will
      be needed for the network to prevent conscription by the 
global economy.
      The race is between a shrinking labor pool, fresh water 
supplies, energy
      productive capacity, natural disasters, and hierarchy 
just plain collapsing.



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