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!

Those Evil Red Ants

Fire Ants. Carpenter Ants. Biting Ants.

Red Ants.


Just thinking about them made me, well, antsy.

Especially because there is a huge colony of them in my backyard. I was concerned for my pets, who are quite oblivious to these fellows, and of course, for my garden.

But now I have seen the light!

The ants in my yard are western thatching ants. It turns out that these bad boys eat herbivorous insects, especially aphids, which means that they can act as a police force protecting nearby plants that might otherwise fall prey to excess herbivory. That they are already established is a bonus: by including them in my plans for the garden, with some knowledge of their habits and behavior, I can do what permaculturists do best:

Turn unwanted ants into another ally in the garden.

Huzzah!

My garden design is evolving and becoming more detailed every day. With this new information, I have one more concrete goal to help the design gel: I want to surround these ants with plants that need protection from pests. I also want to ensure that they have adequate water supply, so I will elongate a burm that I've designed into the garden, bringing it right past them. I will also cut off the possibility of negative ant-pet interaction by fencing off the donut of delight that will be: THE ANT GARDEN.

There will be an offering of raspberry bushes and / or milk thistle very close to the colony (as close as I can get without becoming terrified of bites and running away) for them to 'ranch' their aphids. These bushes will likely suffer as the aphids are encouraged by the ants to eat them, become plump with nectar, and then become food themselves. Around those I'll put plants that are less attractive for aphid ranches, but may become prey to slugs or beetles. My theory is that the ants will find those pests during their rounds, and hunt them for food, thus protecting the plants in the long-run. Finally, I'll put a fence around the whole donut to keep the dogs out!

I'll let you know how it goes.

It is supposed to be sunny for a few days after nearly a week of late-season snow. Can't get to get outside and start building!