permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

A friend sent me these links today and there's more to be found with
searches using keywords like "russia sustainable farming"
or "peasant farming in russia" "or "natural organic agriculture in Russia".

1) If you’ve already been through an economic collapse, you might know a
thing or two about how to feed your family with little money. More
importantly, you might know how to do it without pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides, and GMO seed. On a total of about 20 million acres managed by
over 35 million Russian families, Russians are carrying on an old-world
technique, which we Americans might learn from. They are growing their own
organic crops
<http://www.collapsenet.com/free-resources/collapsenet-public-access/news-alerts/item/10824-russians-proving-that-small-scale-organic-gardening-can-feed-the-world>
–
and it’s working.
According to some statistics
<http://reclaimgrowsustain.com/content/russians-proving-small-scale-organic-gardening-can-feed-world>,
they grow 92% of the entire countries’ potatoes, 77% of its vegetables, 87%
of its fruit, and feed 71% of the entire population from privately owned,
organic farms or house gardens all across the country. These aren’t huge
Agro-farms run by pharmaceutical companies; these are small family farms
and less-than-an-acre gardens. (etc)
The Russians Prove Small Scale Organic CAN Feed the World
http://naturalsociety.com/russians-prove-small-scale-organic-can-feed-world/
A recent report from the United Nations report, *Agro-ecology and the Right
to Food,
<http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20110308_a-hrc-16-49_agroecology_en.pdf>*
says that organic and sustainable small-scale farming could double food
production
http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20110308_a-hrc-16-49_agroecology_en.pdf


2) When it's suggested that our food system be comprised of millions of
small, organic gardens, there's almost always someone who says that it
isn't realistic. And they'll quip something along the lines of, "There's no
way you could feed the world's growing population with just gardens, let
alone organically." Really? Has anybody told Russia this?
On a total of approximately 8 million hectares (20 million acres) of land,
16.5 million Russian families grow food in small-scale, organic gardens on
their Dachas (a secondary home, often in the extra urban areas). Because
growing your own food happens to be a long-lived tradition in Russia, even
among the wealthy. (etc)

Russians Proving That Small-Scale, Organic Gardening Can Feed the World |
Reclaim, Grow, Sustain
http://reclaimgrowsustain.com/content/russians-proving-small-scale-organic-gardening-can-feed-world

3) Imagine living in a country where having the freedom to cultivate your
own land, tax-free and without government interference, is not only common
but also encouraged for the purpose of promoting individual sovereignty and
strong, healthy communities. Now imagine that in this same country, nearly
all of your neighbors also cultivate their own land as part of a vast
network of decentralized, self-sustaining, independent "eco-villages" that
produce more than enough food to feed the entire country.

You might be thinking this sounds like some kind of utopian interpretation
of historical America, but the country actually being described here
is *modern-day
Russia*. It turns out that Russia's current agricultural model is one that
thrives as a result of the *millions of small-scale, family-owned and
-operated, organically-cultivated farms* that together produce the vast
majority of the food consumed throughout the country. (etc)

Russia's small-scale organic agriculture model may hold the key to feeding
the world
http://www.naturalnews.com/037366_Russia_home_gardens_food_production.html#

4) Family Farming in Russian Regions, Small-Scale Agriculture and Food
Supporting Russia’s Food Self-Sufficiency (pdf).

In the paper is argued that the potential role of small-scale Russian
agriculture and food is underestimated. Based on an overview of Russian
agriculture the position of family farming is illustrated. The scope of
small-scale-agriculture is broader than food production. It has
opportunities also on employment, rural livelihoods, ethic, social and
cultural diversity and ecological values. Illustrated by a number of
examples it becomes clear that small-scale agriculture is a strong
potential factor in local and regional development of Russia. The question
how to stimulate small-scale agriculture and food is answered by
elaborating five focal points: stimulating a chain and a network approach,
modernization of small-scale agriculture and food, increasing regional
capacities, and governance, both at a regional, national and international
level. In the paper the results of a Case study in Krasnodar of a private
organic/natural agriculture and food chain are presented. This shows that
basic principles of working in local chains and networks are already
practiced in Russia. Moreover it shows that there is a good breeding ground
for application of the recommendations, presented in this paper.

http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/resources/Family%20Farming%20in%20Russian%20Regions.pdf
http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/resources/Family%20Farming%20in%20Russian%20Regions.pdf

-- 
Lawrence F. London
lfljvenaura@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/avantgeared/