Can we feed the Earth while we feed Ourselves?

Honeyberry getting settled in its new home:
my garden's berry spiral.

When talk about food security and the future of humanity comes up, there is inevitably mention that 'the only way' to feed everybody is totalitarian agriculture. All we have to do is turn even more wild land into chemical drenched monoculture fields, and everyone will be fed.

For a while.

We've reached and surpassed critical mass in our population through the use of totalitarian agriculture. If there are food surpluses, animal populations go up. Whether we like it or not, we are governed by those rules. Now, we have a whole lot of mouths to feed. Personally, I would really like to find a way to feed them without sacrificing any more non-human lives than we have to.

To me, this is where permaculture comes in.

I can already hear some of you guffawing with the sad laughter of hopelessness and cynicism. What a buffoon! you chuckle, How naive!

Chamomile, Strawberry and Onion sprouts
peaking through the winter mulch in my
'high production' garden beds.

In some ways, I agree with you. And perhaps I am naive. Given the state of things in our world, I certainly hope that I am.

There is, however, evidence to support my claim. In Russia, there is a movement inspired by a reclusive forest dweller that has the government encouraging individuals and families to grow their own food on 3-5 acre family plots.

Get this: In 1999, about half of the country's food was grown on these plots. And that is just the beginning.

According to the article above, in 2003, Russia enacted the Private Garden Plot Act to give one to three hectares of land (about 3-5 acres on average) to Russian families for lifetime use with right of inheritance. The produce grown is not subject to taxation.

That's right. Free land to grow free food, for free.


Put that in your Gross Domestic Pipe and Smoke it.

These family plots, or Kin's Domains in the words of the Ringing Cedars of Russia, the book series that has spurred the international movement, do more than provide food. They provide a motherland. A home. A piece of the Earth to which humans belong just as much as the animals and plants that grow there.

The family dogs, MJ and Maggie, enjoying some shade.

When we consider the difficulties of feeding humanity, I believe that it's important to remember the hidden hungers of a being as spiritually and mentally complex as we are. It's a blessing and it's a curse, folks: if we don't take care of these appetites, we will become sick, broken, listless, and just plain sad.

I'm talking about the need to feel connected and alive. The need to feel safe and comfortable. The need to laugh with people who know you, and who you care for. The need to snuggle. The need to be heard and understood. The need to follow that mute, pure part of yourself that points tirelessly in the direction of your destiny.


What does all of this have to do with gardening?

We all have the ability to feed ourselves. Today, that ability is being compromised by the systemic exploitation of human labour, fossil-fuel dependent global transportation, and a brutal disrespect for the integrity of the Earth.

This is where the naivety comes in... maybe. I think that it's not too late. For me, permaculture design offers a way not just to grow my own food, but to grow my own home. I believe that others can do it, too. In cities, in the country, everywhere.

In the words of The Ringing Cedars...

Me examining the bark of a Limber Pine, the namesake of my publishing company.

Take Back Your Motherland, People!

Ant Garden Design: Sunflowers to the Rescue!

I was reading this really interested article about urban agriculture in Cuba, which is full of concrete, easy to imitate examples of permaculture in practice.

The use of 'traps' to contain pests without resorting to toxic chemicals in particular caught my eye. I had already heard of confusing pests with very aromatic but predominantly pest-resistant plants like chives, but had yet to come across something so brilliant as sequestering aphids by giving them a free meal: sunflowers.

And that's when it hit me.

"Self!" I said to myself, "Aphids are what the western thatching ants ranch! I could use sunflowers in my ant garden!"

Well, suffice it to say that I agreed.

My hubby loves sunflowers, but I'm not sure if our growing season is going to be long enough for them to produce edible seeds. This is a great opportunity for them to play a very useful role in the garden beyond aesthetics, whether or not they produce.

Hurray!

Project Bumblebee

Bumblebee's wings are so small, compared to their bodyweight, that they shouldn't be able to fly.

In spite of this, bees are one of the most important species on the planet. In many ecosystems, they're the glue holding the rest of life together: they pollinate, buzz around, look adorable, etc.

Einstein estimated that the extinction of the bumblebee would give humanity 4 years before extinction. That's right. We rely on that little bumbler for our very existence.

To me, bumblebees are a poignant reminder of nature's tenacity, resilience, beauty... and fragility. By the laws of nature itself, these little striped crusaders shouldn't be able to do their vital work, but they do anyways.

Given the immense complexity of every single tiny ecosystem on this planet, it seems equally impossible that living land communities could survive, let alone flourish, while under ever greater attack by human activities. But all around us, in cracks in the sidewalk, empty lots, parks and protected areas, and so many other places, living things are working to restore the balance of the world.

Project Bumblebee

If given the chance, I will buy land in ecologically fragile areas to give the life of those areas a chance to flourish. My focus will be on farmland that has been rezoned or is for sale at a decent price; large hobby farms / acreages (5 acres and over); and previously protected land that is now available for development. Using permaculture principles, non-invasive planting techniques and native species, I will help these pocket-ecosystems to mature into a self-sustaining state.

If possible, these land communities will include one species that is native all over the world: humans. There are many people who would love to live in ecovillages on their own plots of land, growing much of their own food in a sustainable way that mimics natural ecosystems known as the forest garden. I know that I want to. And if given the chance, I'll make it happen.

In the meantime, my half-acre in the ghost watershed will have to do, and I'll build it up with living things and nutrients as best I can. I'll also make sure there are lots of flowers for you, bumblebee. You keep on buzzing.