Re: Seeking a model organic farming community

Aloha,

 > This cost reduction will we
> believe enable small farmers in places like BayanLoco, Kafanchan and
> the surrounding villages in Nigeria to better compete with larger
> agribusinesses.

Create a local food economy and make the agribiz irrelevant.

Cooperate with each other rather than compete with agribiz.

Agribiz only come cheaper for now because of all the subsidies...so also 
work to eliminate subsidies.

 > More people will be able to make a living as
> small farmers and will not be forced to flee to urban regions

Only if they have outright access to land (e.g. land that is not "owned" 
by someone else).  How is that situation where you are talking about 
implementing your projects?

> Their work also involves another 80 year old veteran of
> sustainability
> Dr John Craven of  the Common Heritage Corporation
> (CHC) http://www.aloha.com/~craven/allabout.html. While the main
> purpose of CHC is in developing environmentally sustainable ocean
> resources it has applied its work to convert cold ocean water into
> energy other areas including a way to use the cold temperature of
> deep ocean water pipes to create a healthy soil environment suitable
> for countless plant species to grow and thrive in the harshest of
> tropical, coastal conditions.  This system can also be designed for
> geothermal applications.
> 
> “The cooled soil creates a constant springtime condition, promoting
> vigorous growth of plants from virtually any climate zone. This CHC
> innovation allows for soil temperature control and plant dormancy,
> enabling multiple crop production per year. And it requires little,
> if any, additional irrigation, as the cold pipes spawn abundant
> freshwater condensation. We have all seen beads of water on the
> outside of a glass of ice water.

A good example of how completely bankrupt the word "sustainable" is...

OTEC (now renamed, can't recall to what, NELHA or NELA I think) is doing 
that here on the Big Island over on Kona side.  Doing what, for whom? 
Well, for people who are rich enough to fly to Hawai'i and eat 
lobster...not Hawai'i lobster, mind you, but Maine lobster 
*airfreighted* live to Hawai'i and then kept happy until dinnertime in 
Atlantic-temperature water tanks cooled by pumping deep ocean water up. 
  Also growing cold-water fish like trout, and cold-water shrimp, 
etc....in Hawai'i, in tanks by the nice warm ocean.

"Sustainable?"  Not a chance.
Industrial and fossil-fuel dependent, definitely.

Just another case of forcing "nature" to be how we want it instead of 
understanding, appreciating and working with what is.


-- 

John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
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