“Clip from the new “Surviving Collapse – Designing your way to Abundance” is a story on how Geoff Lawton discovered permaculture and what he did to prepare for any global crisis.
Landscaping
High Tunnel Greenhouse Construction
A polytunnel (hoop) greenhouse like this would be faster and easier to build than a dome. This particular polytunnel design is low cost, strong and easy to build. A greenhouse this size would provide more than enough fruit and vegetables for one family. Instead of bending galvanized pipe for the hoop sections, consider using gray plastic pipe or electrical conduit (polybutylene). I’m not sure how durable it is, but I have seen it used on hoop houses and it would be much easier to use.
A Do-It-Yourself GeoDome Greenhouse
“You don’t have to spit far these days to hit an urban garden. The trend, says the New York Times in an article about an Urban Farm in Milwaukee, has everything to do with the recession and the growing awareness of the impact that shipping food long-distance has on our climate and our pocketbooks. Of course, not all of us will be able to feed ourselves with what we grow in our back yards during the lean, mean growing season here in Southern Colorado. But there are ways around it, and John Sondericker has built an inexpensive Geo-Dome greenhouse in hopes of growing enough vegetables to supply his family of 5 for the better part of the year, if not year-round. We visited John and his dome for a brief tutorial on how he did it and how it’s going thus far.”
6,000 lbs of food on 1/10th acre – Urban Farm – Urban Homestead
“Since 1985 … Pioneering a journey towards self-sufficiency … One step at a time.
Over 6,000 pounds of food per year, on 1/10 acre located just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. The Dervaes family grows over 400 species of plants, 4,300 pounds of vegetable food, 900 chicken and 1,000 duck eggs, 25 lbs of honey, plus seasonal fruits throughout the year.
300% Increase in Agricultural Income on 8.6 Million Acres
Here’s some very good news. Learn how to turn degraded land into highly productive land.
“Large, decimated ecosystems can be restored. Bringing large areas back from environmental ruin is possible, and the results are key to stabilizing the earth’s climate, eradicating poverty and making sustainable agriculture a reality.
Backyard Farmers by Necessity: Self-sufficient & Debt-free
“When Myrna and Earl Fincher married 53 years ago they started farming their yard “out of necessity”. Today, the Finchers make a living selling their organic produce to restaurants and at the local farmers’ market twice a week for much of the year. They had no experience as farmers, but learned by trial and error.”