permaculture

[Laura C Frazier <lauracfrazier@earthlink.net>]

Sean and Lawrence,
Thank you for the wonderful systemic examples!!!  I can see there is a  
lot of work to be done here in the Central Piedmont and I will want to  
get in touch with you, Lawrence.

I'm also wondering more specifically how folks are thinking about their  
money: retirement funds, stock market investments and such.  Part of me  
just wants to take everything out of those traditional investments and  
bury it in a jar in the woods.  And what about health care?  As you can  
tell, my husband and I are standing on the precipice looking over and  
not seeing any familiar nets.  I'm one of those kinds who had rather  
die happy in my 60's than throw $1200.00 a year at the insurance  
industry.  My first thoughts are that health care would be part of the  
CoOp that is established.

Thoughts, musings, experiences...?

Thank you So much!

Laura

FarmGirl Arts & Consulting
Laura C Frazier, M.A., M.Div.
Kernersville, NC  27284
(336) 971-3834
http://my.care2.com/farmgirl4nature

> ------------------------------
>
> Laura C Frazier wrote:
>
> > Hello folks,
> > I've been reading the entries for 8 months or so with great interest
> > and have learned a lot.  Now, it's time for me to post a question.  My
> > husband and I are shaping our future homestead via permaculture
> > principles as a result of our reading _The Long Emergency_, _Power
> > Down_ and other peak oil literature.  We also bring to our adventure a
> > deep love of the land, farming and a commitment to sustainable
> > practices.  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?
>
> Problem locating marketing opportunities for sustainably grown produce.
> I have 4 acres worth and have no idea where I will be able to sell,
> at any price, most of what I can grow. This has a lot to do with long  
> term financial security.
>
> The answer is to develop a local and regional production and services  
> marketing and exchange network
> and coop and CoOp CSA(community supported agriculture)/CSS(community  
> supported services)/CSP(community supported
> production), owned and operated by the participants. A true support  
> network. I would like to be involved in starting
> one of these in our area, Central Piedmont NC.
>
> LL
> --  
> Lawrence F. London, Jr.
> Venaura Farm
> Chapel Hill, N.C., 27516
> lfl@intrex.net
> http://market-farming.com
> http://market-farming.com/venaurafarm
> http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com/
> http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007 06:57:11 -0800 (PST)
> From: Sean Maley <semaley@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] The Long Emergency and Financial Planning
> To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID: <20070105145711.79951.qmail@web52805.mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ascii
>
> ----- 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.