Food security

[Acala]

Let's talk about food security.

Having a few months of food stashed for emergencies is a good idea. But you simply cannot stash enough food to carry you through what I think is coming economically. Think decades of austerity. So what to do?

Producing your own food on your own land is great, if you can do it. But it is really a challenge. Even granting the purchase of things like salt, how many people are truly self-sufficeint on their land? Don't think hunting is going to save you - wildlife populations would be wiped clean in a season in all but the most remote wilderness in a REAL downturn.

To do well in the long term in an economic catastrophe, we need to develop community-wide networks of food producers and consumers that will resist the breakdown of transportation and monetary systems. We have some partial prototypes already in place.

There are private food groups that make group buys of bulk food. They buy beef by the head directly from the rancher, eggs by the hundreds, honey, coconut oil, etc. They buy large quantities and from the producer, if possible. This allows them to control quality and save money. Groups that get large enough can even direct the producers what to produce - for example instructing them what vegetables to plant.

Community Supported Agriculture is a similar program, but the members of the group pay the farmer in advance for a share of the produce. Because the farmer is getting cash in advance, to use for seed, fuel, etc, this system can cut banks, which typically loan the funds for the upfront costs at interest, out of the process. And because the CSA members buy a share in advance rather than a specified amount of produce - say 500 eggs - they share the risk of a bad harvest with the farmer. They also share any bumper crops. CSA members typically save money and can control food quality.

Both systems have their advantages and I encourage everyone to get involved. The more such systems we have in place, the more we help build a resilient, localized food production system. But there is a disadvantage in that neither system insures a continuous supply of food once the existing contract terminates. In fact, nothing prevents the farmer from breaching the contract and selling to a higher bidder.

My idea for the next phase in setting up local consumer/producer food networks is to have buying clubs invest in the capital of food production itself - most probably land. The way I see this working is the buying club forming a partnership that buys agricultural land and then leases it to farmers with whom the club already has a relationship. The farmer plants vegetables or runs livestock on the land and pays the buying group with a share of the produce. Essentially this would be a form of sharecropping. Because the buying group partners would actually OWN the land, they would have a secure claim to the produce from that land and could, if need be, lease to differnt farmers as needed.

Raw agricultural land is surprisingly cheap in many states. Of course things like irrigation (if needed), fencing, property taxes, and such would need to be paid for by the partnership, but the major investment would be up front and the payment in produce would be like a perpetual, inflation-proof dividend.

So my idea is to move to an area with lots of ag land surrounding a small city and begin organizing networks like this. The fantasy would be to have the community so directly involved and invested in local ag that nobody will even miss a meal when the dollar collapses.

Thoughts?

Has anyone done this?

[amy31416]

We live in a town so small it doesn't even have a supermarket, only a crappy Dollar General.

Strangely, we can not get fresh fruit/vegetables/meat even though we're surrounded by farmland (without a 15 mile drive). So I've started doing research into ways to resolve this for the local area and to hesitatingly quote Hillary "it takes a village."

A regular supermarket doesn't work out here, and what does (at least in other rural places) are co-ops where a good part of the local folks have a stake in the success of it. I'm still considering opening a place where local producers can sell their wares and become members who will actually profit from selling locally. It's pretty complicated and I'm trying to come up with a business model that keeps things as simple as possible.

I'm searching for the articles I've read, and though this is a "business plan," it's just as much a network like you're looking for. The potential profit is also motivation for more local agricultural production. I'll post again when the internet isn't so disagreeable with the searches I'm trying to do.

[jmdrake]

Two words. Aquaponics. Oops, that's one word. Grow your own veggies and your own meat in your own backyard. Encourage your neighbors to do the same. Trade the excess with outsiders.

[TonySutton]

You might be interested in what these folks are doing.

http://slowmoney.org/

A friend actually posted this on Facebook last night. It was the first I have heard of them even though they apparently have a presence fairly local to me. Currently I belong to a buying club to get pasture raised meats and other good healthy foods.

[Acala]

We live in a town so small it doesn't even have a supermarket, only a crappy Dollar General.

Strangely, we can not get fresh fruit/vegetables/meat even though we're surrounded by farmland (without a 15 mile drive). So I've started doing research into ways to resolve this for the local area and to hesitatingly quote Hillary "it takes a village."

A regular supermarket doesn't work out here, and what does (at least in other rural places) are co-ops where a good part of the local folks have a stake in the success of it. I'm still considering opening a place where local producers can sell their wares and become members who will actually profit from selling locally. It's pretty complicated and I'm trying to come up with a business model that keeps things as simple as possible.

I'm searching for the articles I've read, and though this is a "business plan," it's just as much a network like you're looking for. The potential profit is also motivation for more local agricultural production. I'll post again when the internet isn't so disagreeable with the searches I'm trying to do.

Interesting.

[Acala]

You might be interested in what these folks are doing.

http://slowmoney.org/

A friend actually posted this on Facebook last night. It was the first I have heard of them even though they apparently have a presence fairly local to me. Currently I belong to a buying club to get pasture raised meats and other good healthy foods.

Interesting! It sounds like they are thinking along the same lines.

[thoughtomator]

I started learning to grow my own vegetables a couple of years ago. While I don't supply all my own needs, it certainly does help to cut down on my expenses, and the quality of what I grow is far preferable to the stuff you get in a supermarket.

[bunklocoempire]

*snip*

...community-wide networks of food producers and consumers that will resist the breakdown of transportation and monetary systems. We have some partial prototypes already in place.

Has anyone done this?

In a sense yes, but so much more to do! Our 'system' is way less organized -kind of a good thing IMO. More of just a 'who ya know and who they know' system. The monetary system is already pretty much phased out in most all cases. In our area nobody likes to take money for food or help outside the norm of government approved transactions, but trading is what happens -either on the spot, the next day, or further down the road. It's that aloha thing you hear about.

Money? Forget it if you can. When it comes to open ocean fishing with friends/aquaintances volunteering their services on a boat for a chance to take home fish money is involved big time -boat fuel is crazy. Nobody eats fish caught from the boat until the expenses of the boat owner are paid. Sell fish, pay the expenses, divy up what fish is left.

If what is coming is really as bad or worse than we can imagine I'd want to stay far away from any kind of real centralization formal organization.

The ahupua'a system is what we fell into when we located here on the Big Island (not so much when we lived on Maui -although we still 'knew people who knew people' our own contribution to the system had more to do with services than goods -also very important but it's hard to eat our services. ).

Have a look, maybe it will give some ideas/inspiration. One of our favorite topics along with the history of the land & people that goes along with it.

Ahupua'a
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahupua%27a
http://totakeresponsibility.blogspot...nt-system.html
http://www.oiwi.tv/live/channels/ole...fishponds-loi/ video

WIKI

The ahupuaʻa consisted most frequently of a slice of an island that went from the top of the local mountain (volcano) to the shore, often following the boundary of a stream drainage. Each ahupuaʻa included a lowland mala (cultivated area) and upland forested region.[6] Ahupuaʻa varied in size depending on the economic means of the location and political divisions of the area. “As the native Hawaiians used the resources within their 'ahupua'a, they practiced aloha (respect), laulima (cooperation), and malama (stewardship) which resulted in a desirable pono (balance)”.

The Hawaiians believed that the land, the sea, the clouds and all of nature had a certain interconnectedness which is why they used all of the resources around them to reach the desired balance in life.[7] Sustainability was maintained by the konohiki and kahuna: priests, who restricted the fishing of certain species during specific seasons. They also regulated the gathering of plants.[8] Ahupuaʻa is derived from Hawaiian language ahu, meaning "heap" or "cairn", and puaʻa, pig. The boundary markers for ahupuaʻa were traditionally heaps of stones used to put offers to the island chief, which was often a pig.

Each ahupua’a was divided into smaller sections called ‘ili and the ‘ili were divided into kuleana’s. ("kuleana's" equivalent today often means "your own concern") These were plots of land that were cultivated by the common people. These people paid weekly labor taxes to the land overseer. These taxes went to support the chief. <--- Boooo! hissss!


[8] There may have been two reasons for this kind of subdivision:
travel: in many areas of Hawaiʻi, it is easier to travel up- and downstream than from stream valley to stream valley
economy: having all climate zones and economic exploitation zones in each land division ensured that each could be self-sufficient for a large portion of its needs.


The Hawaiians maintained an agricultural system that contained two major classes; irrigated and rain-fed systems. In the irrigated systems the Hawaiians grew mostly taro (kalo) and in the rain-fed systems they grew mostly uala (sweet potatoes), yams, and dryland taro in addition to other small crops.[2] This dryland cultivation was also known as the mala. It also consisted of (Kalo) Taro, (Niu) coconuts, (ʻulu) breadfruit, (Maiʻa) bananas, and (Ko) sugar cane. The Kukui tree was sometimes used as a shade to protect the mala from the sun.[3] Each crop was carefully placed in an area that was most suitable to its needs. <--- We're discovering just how important and how much sense that makes, mainly because of our 'thrifty' and 'hang loose' attitude. We're "upland" and "rain-fed" and don't fight it to grow/raise things that don't do well.

Hawaiians raised dogs, chickens, and pigs that were domesticated. They also made use of personal gardens at their own houses. Water was a very important part of Hawaiian life; it was used not only for fishing, bathing, drinking, and gardening, but also for aquaculture systems in the rivers and at the shore’s edge. [2][4]

[fr33]

My best advice is, that if you can, GET OUT OF THE CITIES! Get out of the cities, get out, get out, get out!

I don't buy into the extremest survivalist scenarios but I do know about the logistics of getting the food to the people and how intertwined our failing government is in the system. If you live in a big city, ask yourself how all these people around you will react to the stores' shelves being empty.

I work on my family's farm/ranch and, sure, some practices might be frowned upon by the anti-factory farm people. Again I say to you; look around at all the people in your city. Those factory farms are a logistical solution to feeding all of these people in cities that are stacked on top of each other. If you want to end factory-farm practices, set an example and do something about it.

Back to the logistics and why you might find the grocery store shelves empty. Here's an example. I've heard grumblings from beef producers over the current sequestration issue. There is a threat of thousands of USDA inspectors being furloughed. Meat packing plants cannot legally operate without USDA inspectors. See how the government is intertwined in our food system? This is just one example.

[SpreadOfLiberty]

Learn how to garden and do it well. Know the skills. And buy some seeds. Don't have land? If crap hits the fan find some of the extensive federal land that is sitting there unnoticed and spread out some crops.

This website sells some 10-year seeds that do reproduce (non-GMO): http://www.directive21.com/product-c...om-seed-banks/

While we are talking about food, WATER is even more important. Have several sources for it. Dig a well if it is viable.

[fr33]

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/ is what I use for my garden. 100% organic, non-GMO.

For people that listen to podcasts, I recommend http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/
The dude is really intelligent and not some "doomsday prepper".

[SpreadOfLiberty]

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/ is what I use for my garden. 100% organic, non-GMO.

For people that listen to podcasts, I recommend http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/
The dude is really intelligent and not some "doomsday prepper".

Lots of good people on youtube too: southernprepper1, engineer775, sootch00

Highly recomended, especially southernprepper1

[Eagles' Wings]

We live in a town so small it doesn't even have a supermarket, only a crappy Dollar General.

Strangely, we can not get fresh fruit/vegetables/meat even though we're surrounded by farmland (without a 15 mile drive). So I've started doing research into ways to resolve this for the local area and to hesitatingly quote Hillary "it takes a village."

A regular supermarket doesn't work out here, and what does (at least in other rural places) are co-ops where a good part of the local folks have a stake in the success of it. I'm still considering opening a place where local producers can sell their wares and become members who will actually profit from selling locally. It's pretty complicated and I'm trying to come up with a business model that keeps things as simple as possible.

I'm searching for the articles I've read, and though this is a "business plan," it's just as much a network like you're looking for. The potential profit is also motivation for more local agricultural production. I'll post again when the internet isn't so disagreeable with the searches I'm trying to do.

You might find this guy interesting and he may have ideas for you.

www.willwinter.com

[Tod]

You might be interested in what these folks are doing.

http://slowmoney.org/

A friend actually posted this on Facebook last night. It was the first I have heard of them even though they apparently have a presence fairly local to me. Currently I belong to a buying club to get pasture raised meats and other good healthy foods.

This month there are two presentations at the local university about slow money. I'm planning on going.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/...-money-concept

Forums in Ashland to focus on 'slow money' concept
ASHLAND — Two public programs this month will focus on local entrepreneurship development and how it benefits the local economy and community while exploring the concept of “slow money.”
“Slow the Money: Invigorate the Economy” will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Ridenour Room of Ashland University’s Dauch College of Business and Economics. Leslie Schaller, director of programming for the Food Ventures program of the Athens-area Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, will use her work with specialty food firms as an example of local business development.
Schaller provides assistance for start-up assessments and the start-up process. She also provides technical assistance and coordinates the expertise of the Food Ventures team to provide innovative product ideas, marketing strategies, business plans and financial management systems to businesses already in existence.
She will share replicable “Slow Food, Slow Money” strategies from southeast Ohio and other national innovators who are reinventing approaches to community investing in local food enterprises.
The second program, set for 7 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Ridenour Room, will feature a panel of local entrepreneurs led by Sandra Tunnell, executive director of Ashland Main Street, who will discuss “The Ashland Project: How Local Merchants Can Work Together to Slow the Money in Ashland.”
Local business owners will talk about what it takes to develop a successful local business in Ashland and how the community provides support for their efforts.
Tunnell has been involved in downtown revitalization in Ashland since it was a task force objective in the 2010 countywide strategic plan. When that group decided to join the national Main Street organization in 2011, Tunnell became director of Ashland Main Street.
Both forums are sponsored by The Ashland Center for Nonviolence. For details, call 419-289-5313.

[fr33]

Bump.

This topic is right up donnay's alley. Hopefully they will see it.

I started breaking up the ground in our garden today. We still haven't bought a tiller. It's good exercise to use a pick and a hoe. You don't have to pay to go to a gym
I have plows but they're too big for our garden.

[donnay]

I don't know how I missed this but this is an excellent topic indeed. +rep

I like the concept of co-ops. In my town there are lot's of farm co-ops.

HOW TO START A COOPERATIVE FOOD BUYING CLUB
http://www.coopdirectory.org/bp003.htm

Here is a great site to help find your local ranchers and farmers: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

I definitely like using hydroponics to grow my veggies and herbs during the winter.

[heavenlyboy34]

My best advice is, that if you can, GET OUT OF THE CITIES! Get out of the cities, get out, get out, get out!

I don't buy into the extremest survivalist scenarios but I do know about the logistics of getting the food to the people and how intertwined our failing government is in the system. If you live in a big city, ask yourself how all these people around you will react to the stores' shelves being empty.

I work on my family's farm/ranch and, sure, some practices might be frowned upon by the anti-factory farm people. Again I say to you; look around at all the people in your city. Those factory farms are a logistical solution to feeding all of these people in cities that are stacked on top of each other. If you want to end factory-farm practices, set an example and do something about it.

Back to the logistics and why you might find the grocery store shelves empty. Here's an example. I've heard grumblings from beef producers over the current sequestration issue. There is a threat of thousands of USDA inspectors being furloughed. Meat packing plants cannot legally operate without USDA inspectors. See how the government is intertwined in our food system? This is just one example.

That's one of my major goals. I live in a suburb of phoenix (mostly tract housing and small-medium size businesses and a few schools-gov'ment and private-around. The big city is quite a ways off)-would you say that's as bad as living in a big city?

[Keith and stuff]

The should be able to grow all of your food needs on an acre of land attached to your house. What you cannot grow, you can exchange with people that live near-by and grow it. Maybe you grow 2 fruits, 1 grain and 10 veggies in your yard. Someone 2 miles away grows 2 different fruits, a different grain and 5 veggies. You exchange a little and get a well balanced diet. If you want sugar, either have bees or maple trees. If you want high quality protein have chickens or a cow. The key is that you have enough water. You could use your own food and personal waste to fertilize it. As long as you have an acre of land and live in an area with a lot of water, you should be good. There is way more than enough land to feed everyone in the US. If things slowly get worse, more people will have animals. In fact, people with chickens is on the rise where I live.

[Schifference]

I definitely like using hydroponics to grow my veggies and herbs during the winter.

I have dedicated some time and dabbled with hydroponics. I have built indoor and outdoor systems. Experimented with several types of systems. There are drawbacks with hydroponics. First is the cost of the nutrients. If you expect to have organic nutrients plan on paying big dollars for your nutrients. Hydroponics require electricity even the most basic systems. If the electricity goes out for a short time your entire crop can get wiped out. One must be attentive to the needs of the crop. You don't have to be a chemist but you cannot just keep dumping in premixed nutrient solution into your system because on hot sunny days with big plants, the H20 evaporates leaving the nutrient salts condensed in the solution. A knack of being able to recognize and quickly give your system what it needs is important. During cold weather you either need a heated green house with supplemented lighting or just lights. The cost of heating and running lights spins the meter beyond the practical cost of the produce. Another cheaper more practical alternative for gardening is straw bale gardening. Google that for info. I believe the best system would be to start out with some hay or staw and create a haven for worms. Compost as much as you can and feed the worms. The worm castings will supply ample nutrients for your crop.
Lastly I have been to co-ops and found them to be kind of expensive and yuppieish. I think the best of all would be an internet co-op where the need to organize with neighbors in not necessary. Maybe start a co-op where everyone is an owner and contributes xxxx toward the cost. A manager and IT person and purchasing agent is hired by the group at set salaries. Members could get neighbors involved by organizing large shipments to minimize transportation costs.

[donnay]

I have dedicated some time and dabbled with hydroponics. I have built indoor and outdoor systems. Experimented with several types of systems. There are drawbacks with hydroponics. First is the cost of the nutrients. If you expect to have organic nutrients plan on paying big dollars for your nutrients. Hydroponics require electricity even the most basic systems. If the electricity goes out for a short time your entire crop can get wiped out. One must be attentive to the needs of the crop. You don't have to be a chemist but you cannot just keep dumping in premixed nutrient solution into your system because on hot sunny days with big plants, the H20 evaporates leaving the nutrient salts condensed in the solution. A knack of being able to recognize and quickly give your system what it needs is important. During cold weather you either need a heated green house with supplemented lighting or just lights. The cost of heating and running lights spins the meter beyond the practical cost of the produce. Another cheaper more practical alternative for gardening is straw bale gardening. Google that for info. I believe the best system would be to start out with some hay or staw and create a haven for worms. Compost as much as you can and feed the worms. The worm castings will supply ample nutrients for your crop.
Lastly I have been to co-ops and found them to be kind of expensive and yuppieish. I think the best of all would be an internet co-op where the need to organize with neighbors in not necessary. Maybe start a co-op where everyone is an owner and contributes xxxx toward the cost. A manager and IT person and purchasing agent is hired by the group at set salaries. Members could get neighbors involved by organizing large shipments to minimize transportation costs.

I understand what you are saying about the hydroponics. It does take a motor and electricity. I am hoping someone will come up with a solar/wind design soon. As far as nutrients, there are plenty of homemade recipes to make the nutrients. I go to this site to get some great ideas. I also go to this site to learn how to make my own nutrients.

Other sources to look at:
http://www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-or...nutrients.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Make-Your-...nts&id=2804636
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organ...#axzz2LAnk7oCO
http://our.windowfarms.org/groups/homemade-nutrients/
http://www.slideshare.net/hydroponic...nics-made-easy

How to make your own hydroponics: http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Homem...oponics-System

I particularly like this man so I am going to throw him into the mix with regards to growing things chemical/synthetic-free:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Organic-Re...made_vq204.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnlCNYz6oTA
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Synthetic-...ence_vq131.htm

[fr33]

That's one of my major goals. I live in a suburb of phoenix (mostly tract housing and small-medium size businesses and a few schools-gov'ment and private-around. The big city is quite a ways off)-would you say that's as bad as living in a big city?

That's a lot better than living in a high rise apartment or even near one. You've got some land to grow things and you can get out of Dodge if need be.

[Schifference]

I think an easy inexpensive method to stockpile delicious food is to build a solar dryer capable of drying large amounts of food in a single day. Click the link below and download the pdf. Everyone here has the ability to purchase food cheap when it is in season. Soon I will be able to buy strawberries very inexpensively. If I buy them and dry them I did not even have to grow them. In the fall apples are abundant. Dried fruits and vegetables are awesome and retain much of the original nutrient content.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...42553238,d.dmQ