We're on the brink of a massive food crisis (go plant a garden!)

Well another cheerful reminder of how precarious our way of life has become, this time from Lester R Brown, a much respected author on the topic of imminent agricultural collapse. Feel free to cut to the full article on TreeHugger .

We have seen for the last few months consistently record breaking increases in the price of food. December's prices shattered the record previously set during the 2007-08 price surge. January, in turn, tackled the December record by 3%... I will assume that come March we will hear something similarly dreadful about February price increases. So that's why my celery is $2.89 per bundle....

Now I'm not going to sooth your growing concern by telling you that a "Victory Garden" is going to save your soul. The solution is no longer that simple, nor was it ever, really. (But please do so anyway, it will help!)

The reality is that should the agricultural product of 2011 be anything but a great success we are likely to see civil  unrest, war, and, possibly, the collapse of many governments around the world as shortages of food drive people to action. Countries depend on conditions that are no longer reliable; over-worked aquifers, petrochemical inputs, and consistent climate. In short many countries like India, China, the entire Middle East, and, to a lesser extent, United States are already facing problems with supplying their farm lands with what they need to survive.

Water tables are dropping substatially all over the world as aquifers are being pumped at hundreds of times their recharge rates. Oil is beginning to get scarce, and prices are as volatile as ever. This means that pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer prices are going to keep going up, straining already strapped farmers to the breaking point. Not to mention the cost of transporting, processing, and packaging those beloved processed foods is going to skyrocket. To top this trifecta off the climate is beginning to shift, leading to all sorts of dramatic events. Droughts, floods, hurricanes, extreme temperature swings, etc, have all become a reality.

So what does this mean for us now?

We have a rising demand for food, because of the increase in population. More mouths at the table means greater inequalities as portions are given out. And no amount of humanitarian aid is going to help people out this time. Technology, try as it might, is about twenty years away from being able to roll out, en mass, any sort of solution.

So its time to grow a garden, raise it sustainably, and pray our leaders can hold the rest of the world together.

Planning with Intent: Planning my Intentional Community

So planning for a long term intentional community might seem like a big and scary task. Something that might easily overwhelm any person who was to take on such a venture, but for as complicated as it is, to plan such a community isn't insurmountable. I have been kicking around ideas to plan, build, and make profitable a intentional community aimed towards self sustainability, agricultural education, and a farm stand/store. Below is my starting five year plan.

The Compound....(Yea I know its kind of intimidating but we haven't figured a name yet)

• Year 0
• Membership:
• 4-8 central starting members
• Likely to be divided between major financial contributors and major labor contributors.
• Planning will be equally shared and voted on, so a odd number of people would be best.
• Full-time, live in staff responsible for labor, building, and management.
• Part-time, non-live/seasonal live-in in staff responsible for finance, legal, PT-labor.
• Central members set goals and a overarching vision for group/project.
• Plans that set guidelines and expectations for years 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.
• Combine initial investments and incorporate as a group.
• Search for a suitable land investment:
• 150-200acres
• Good water, (lake, ponds, streams, rivers, quality ground water)
• Good initial soil and slope for farming
• Reasonable timber resources for building and sustainable timber operation
• Proximity to local municipalities
• Proximity to major towns and/or cities
• Access to local grid (phone, power, network)
• Standing structures are a bonus
• Previously farmed land is a bonus
• Set final plan for farming and long term expansion of farming efforts
• Viable crops, cash crops, subsistence
• Crop rotation
• Agricultural style (organic, no-till, etc)
• Make initial contacts with Timber management company
• Early income potential
• Begin initial equipment investments
• Basic tools
• Tractor and attachments
• Portable Sawmill? (would be excellent for structure building)
• Power generation equipment (solar or small scale wind)
• Water storage
• Power tools
• Year 1
• Establish residency.
• Initially part time
• Rehab of standing structures and construction of small scale residences 
• Initial structure building prep
• Season timber for building (why we would use/need a sawmill)
• Establish structures for farm facilitation and equipment storage
• Clear/prep land for farming.
• Establish green manure/composting/soil building program at this time to effectively recycle cleared materials.
• Soil tests for pH and mineral contents to plan amendments and initial cover crops
• Cut and dry firewood for future
• Establish water and waste systems 
• water conservation and protection
• water acquisition
• if a well is needed have it dug
• water storage (cistern or catchment system)
• waste water recycling. (earthships model)
• waste recycling (composting)
• Establish subsistence farm
• provide food to residence
• provide crop effectiveness feedback
• Plan and establish initial animal husbandry
• chickens are easiest!
• plan for sheep, pigs, horses, cows, or whatever animals are desired for draft and food purposes.
• Begin contacting schools for initial internship possibilities and planning
• cheap labor
• agricultural education is positive for the community
• get kids out of the cities and off the streets for the summers
• provide skills, training, and food for good, honest labor on the farm
• Years 2-3
• Establish living quarters for full time residents and a bunkhouse for visitors.
• Living spaces would be best if shared initially via a large common farmhouse or lodge.
• Built from harvested timber for year before, and built with recycled or locally sources materials. Strawbale would be best, in my opinion.
• Expand farm to commercial scale. 
• Expand residential food garden too support a local farm stand and farmers market stand. Possibility would exist to create a CSA out of farm should that be desired at the time.
• Cut and clear more land, expand crop variety.
• Management of farm must be efficient if venture is to succeed
• Begin implementation of internship program to staff farm through the summer months
• This would also be a good time to begin looking for people to "buy in" 
• Expand animal husbandry and seek a facility to process animals locally or on site if possible.
• These years will be critical to success of venture because of initial dependence on the success of the farm and related commercial ventures. If revenue from farm is substantial enough to see a profit then profit should be reinvested into the farm in order to expand and streamline production. Larger farm=larger return.
• Begin development of processed foods such as syrup, honey, cheeses, preserves, pickled vegetable etc as an expansion of agricultural market.
• Years 4-5
• If things with farm are on an even keel this would be time to begin planning of other investments on site. 
• Suggestions include: meeting spaces, artists retreats, artistic facilities and work spaces, bed and breakfast, restaurant etc.
• These must be viable businesses that stand alone from farm financially. Financial interdependence could be a dangerous web should one venture or another fail.
• Lodge and surrounding full time residences should be complete along with workshop spaces, equipment sheds, water storage and processing, bunk houses, part time residences etc. These should have power and facilities independent of one-another.
• Development of a CSA group to better facilitate farm growth.

So this is where my ideas begin to stretch and get foggy. However, this is just because I have been more preoccupied with the details of the initial buildup that I haven't developed a solid plan that extends further than five years. So here is where I want your input and suggestions. What can be developed further? What can be added? What should be changed? What risks do you see? What could potentially make for a more sound idea? Anything you wish to contribute would be appreciated! Thank you!

Skills that everyone should have. Part 1: Finding water

Well as you can probably figure from the title of this post you are about to learn a skill you should have. This is a weekly installment of The World According To Mr. K where I'll teach you something different every week. This week you are going to learn about water; how to find it and why it is important.

We all need water no matter what, we need to keep our bodies hydrated. Without water we begin to shut down. Headaches, nausea, depression, disorientation, poor judgement, and even hallucinations are just some of the effects of dehydration on the body. Most people say that you should consume about 4 liters or one gallon of water a day. This is in the most ideal of situations and in fact most Americans are considered chronically dehydrated because we consume more soda, coffee, lattes, alcohol, and other liquids over water. In a situation where you don't have water you can begin to feel the more severe effects of dehydration in as little as a day. Granted some people have lasted as much as ten days without water but there are few of us out there who could pull this off and not be permanently harmed.

What does this have to do with anything? Well in a situation where water supplies could become scarce you will need to know what to expect and what you need to have in order to continue on living. Water shortages are already happening all over the country and in a post-oil economy we could see much larger spread water shortages. And don't forget that water supplies are easy targets and terrorists both foreign and domestic have in the past targeted water supplies.

So how do I find water in an emergency? What do I need to know to prepare for such an event? Well its pretty easy to prepare for the even of water shortages. Stocking up on water or putting together a large scale rainwater catchment system are easy enough, the latter will be discussed as part of a agricultural posting in the future. But being able to find water is equally as important.

Knowing your local area is the easiest way to find water. If you live near water sources such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, etc., you are in luck. It is easy enough to collect water in a pot of bucket, boil it or otherwise purify it and use it for drinking. Beyond common sense some less obvious ways to find primary water sources include watching the sky, following animal paths, observing insect populations, follow birds (especially water foul), observe changes in vegetation, and use snow, ice, and slush.

Observing the sky can lend you more than just a nice view of clouds, it can inform you of the relationship between clouds and the color of the sky and large water sources. Now this skill is something that takes practice and I myself am no expert however I do understand the basics of this method of water location. By noticing the changes in color of the sky a skilled observer can see that the sky directly over a water source often is much bluer than the rest of the sky. This is because the sky is reflecting the water source. Also looking for early morning clouds and mist are easy ways of finding water sources as low lying clouds often hang directly over water sources. If you ever have looked over a pond or lake at 5:30am in the summer or spring you know what I mean!

Following animal trails is also a useful way of finding water. Now this is by no means a sure fire way of finding water BUT animals need water too. Any hunter, trapper or skilled woodsman knows that if you were to plot animal trails on a topographical map the intersections of these trails forms a V which often will point in the direction of a water or food source. Following these paths takes skill and patience, I suggest talking with a seasoned hunter or trapper before looking for game trails because you will likely not know what you are looking for.

Insects can also point the way towards water. I you do any hiking during mosquito season you understand this very well even though you might not know it can save your life. Beyond swarming insects like mosquitoes, bees are never very far from water and may be a good indicator that water is near by, usually within a mile or two. Ants also need water and will sometime find it in trees. If you see some ants around a damp log or hole in a tree there is a decent chance that you will find some water in these locations.

Birds love water, especially grain eating birds and water foul. Anyone from the northeast that owns property with a pond or lake on it likely have a flock of geese that stop by every fall for a few weeks. But simply following birds is not enough to find water. You need to know that birds are likely nearest to water early in the day or late in the afternoon/evening. This is because like us they sleep, only they often congregate at or near water sources to nest and sleep. If you follow the flight paths of these birds in the early morning go to where they are coming from, of in the evening where they are going to. Good luck and remember to filter that water before drinking it. Birds are to careful where they urinate or defecate, and you don't want giardia.

Finding water by watching the changes in vegetation is also very straight forward and almost obvious. To find water by looking at plants look for denser, greener vegetation thatn the norm. If you are finding a very heavily vegetated area look around your probably close. You might have to dig even but you are close.

Well folks I hope that his have been some what educational for you. At the very least you now know something you didn't. My next installment of Skills will be about more complex ways of finding water where there isn't an obvious source.