Permaculture for Farmers 2009

Permaculture for Farmers Ecological Production by Design

Benneth G. Phelps, Mosaic FarmEthan C. Roland, AppleSeed Permaculture

RegenerativeDesign Group

ApiosInstitute

Permaculture for Farmers

Permaculture Design

• Origins - Ethics - Principles

The Permaculture Pie

perennial vegetables

coppice woodcrafts & biomass

composting & compost tea

biochar/terra preta

apiculture

aquaculture

edible forest gardening

mycoscaping

bioremediation

earthworks

keyline

natural building green architecture

management-intensive grazing

alternativecurrencies

food forestry

Ethics of Permaculture

Developed in 1980’s, over 1,000,000 people certified, active in 140+ Countries, more than 4,000 projects on the ground

1. Earth Care 2. People Care 3. Resource Share

Ethics of Permaculture

Developed in 1980’s, over 1,000,000 people certified, active in 140+ Countries, more than 4,000 projects on the ground

1. Earth Care 2. People Care 3. Resource Share

Ethics of Permaculture

Developed in 1980’s, over 1,000,000 people certified, active in 140+ Countries, more than 4,000 projects on the ground

1. Earth Care 2. People Care 3. Resource Share

Ethics of Permaculture

Developed in 1980’s, over 1,000,000 people certified, active in 140+ Countries, more than 4,000 projects on the ground

1. Earth Care 2. People Care 3. Resource Share

Ethics of Permaculture

Developed in 1980’s, over 1,000,000 people certified, active in 140+ Countries, more than 4,000 projects on the ground

1. Earth Care 2. People Care 3. Resource Share

Principles

Design Tools

Zones of Use

Camp Epworth

Zone 1

Zone 2

Zone 1

Zone 3

Zone 2

Zone 1

Zone 3Zone 4

Zone 2

Zone 1

Sector Analysis

Sector Thinking: Windbreaks

Keyline Design

Keyline: Catch and Store Energy

Source: Permaculture: A Designers Manual

Catch+store

Yobarnie

Yobarnie, 2007

Source: Permaculture: A Designers Manual

Yobarnie, Layout, 1988

Keyline Plow

Coulter, Tip, Shank

seeding

Soil conditioning

1. Plow to 2” below new root depth

2. Remove stock for 4-6 weeks

3. Just at onset of flowering:

Hard graze to 2-4”

Existing Condition:

Shallow, Compacted, Drought-Prone Topsoil

1. Soil Test & Remineralise

2. Plow to 2” below hard pan

3. Remove stock for 4-6 weeks

4. Just at onset of flowering:

Hard graze to 2-4”

1. Plow to 2” below new root depth:

Max out at 12-15”

2. Remove stock for 4-6 weeks

3. Just at onset of flowering:

Hard graze to 2-4”

Yeomans Keyline Plow – Plowing for Rapid & Cheap Soil Development (Pasture)

And Another Thing:

1% increase in Organic Matter =

63 ton/ac capture in Atmospheric CO2 !

(That’s twice your total annual emissions)

Keyline Pattern

[DD keyline design]

LittleSeed CSAChatham, NY

3-Shank Plow

Shank & Weed-Knives

Carbon Farmers of America

Cimarron FarmSwanton, VT

5-Shank Plow

Italian Ryegrass

www.carbonfarmersofamerica.com

Rodale Whitepaper

• A 40% reduction of global carbon emissions is possible with a switch to regenerative organic agricultural practices on the world’s 3.5 billion tillable acres.

• Agriculture contributes 20% of Carbon emissions in the US, and 12% worldwide

Rodale Institute Regenerative Organic Farming: A Solution to Global Warming

• A 40% reduction of global carbon emissions is possible with a switch to regenerative organic agricultural practices on the world’s 3.5 billion tillable acres.

• Agriculture contributes 20% of Carbon emissions in the US, and 12% worldwide

• Soil holds twice as much carbon as terrestrial vegetation

• Midwestern soils that in the 1950s were composed of up to 20 percent carbon are now between 1- and 2-percent carbon.

• Forests and grasslands generally are 6 to 10 percent organic matter, well over the 1- to 3-percent levels typical of today’s agricultural field systems.

• Because soil organic matter is primarily carbon, increases in these levels will be directly correlated with carbon sequestration. While prevailing farming practices using synthetic inputs typically deplete SOM, regenerative farming practices, including the integration of crop and animal production, build it.

Carbon Farming

• August 25 -September 16th.

• The Farm, Summertown, TN

Carbon Farming

• August 25 -September 16th.

• The Farm, Summertown, TN

• Next one in Hudson Valley?

Design Patterns

Animals & Aquaculture

Deseret Ranch, AZ

HM Grazing

Deseret Ranch, AZ8 years later

Tractors

Polyface Farm

CH_CS_fish1

Photo: Ethan Roland

Aquaculture & Aquaponics

Cascade SystemsWadenswil Agriculture Research Station, Switzerland

Tilapia

50

CH_CS_view01

Photo: Ethan Roland

CH_CS_waterflow

Photo: Ethan Roland

CH_CS_parsley

Photo: Ethan Roland

54

55

CH_CS_papaya

Photo: Ethan Roland

CH_CS_waterflow

Photo: Ethan Roland

CH_CS_banana

Photo: Ethan Roland

Ecosystem Mimicry

• Land Institute

Ecosystem Mimicry

• Kazakh Food Forests

Ecosystem Mimicry

• Kazakh Food Forests

Perennial Vegetables

Perennial Vegetables

• Permaculture Principle: Least effort for large effect• Plants w/ a 3-3000+ year lifespan• Not destroyed by harvesting• More Common:

– Asparagus, Rhubarb, Horseradish

• Human Uses: 7 F’s

• Ecosystem Functions:– Beneficial Insect Attractant & Habitat– Aromatic Pest Confusion– Dynamic Accumulator & Soil Builder– Carbon Sequestration & Water Conservation

Perennial Vegetables

LOW MAINTENANCE• Only plant once• Years of harvests• No digging or tilling• Resist pests, weeds, drought• Extend harvest season• Excellent yield/time

Slide: Eric Toensmeier

Perennial Vegetables

Nettle

Urtica dioica

Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Rhubarb

Rheum x cultorum

French sorrel

Rumex acetosa

Some (More) Common Perennial Vegetables

Slide: Eric Toensmeier

Top Ten Perennial Vegetables

Climbing Spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides)

Photos: Eric Toensmeier

Good King Henry (Chenopodium bonus-

henricus)Photos: Ethan Roland & Eric Toensmeier

Skirret (Sium sisarum)

Photos: Eric Toensmeier

Multiplier Onion (Allium cepa-aggregatum)

• Shallot, walking onion, chive, garlic chives

Photo: Eric Toensmeier

Sea Kale

(Crambe maritima)Photos: Ethan Roland

Sea Kale

(Crambe maritima)Photos: Ethan Roland

Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus)

Photo: Kathryn ConwayPhoto: Eric Toensmeier

Turkish Rocket (Bunias orientalis)

Photos: Kathryn Conway & Eric Toensmeier

Water Celery (Oenanthe javanica)

Photos: Eric Toensmeier

Welsh Onion (Allium fistulosum)Photo: Kathryn Conway

Salad Hedge

Salad Hedge

Small Fruits & Nuts

Currants(Ribes spp.)

Hardy Kiwi(Actinidia arguta)

Seaberry(Hippophae rhamnoides)

Hazelnuts(Corylus spp.)

Sandraberry(Schisandra chinensis)

Agroforestry & Forest Gardening

Agroforestry & Forest Gardening

Tree Crops & Agroforestry: 2:15-4:15 Resource Center

Design Patterns

Summary Example: Threshold Farm

Keyline

Keyline

Perennial Vegetables

Forest Gardening

Chive, sorrel, anise hyssop, and chicory starts

TBD understory

1 season later

Harvest bins

Apples, Pears,

Peaches

Animal Integration

Permaculture for Farmers

Business Design

• Mosaic Farm

• Econ Ag Tool

Mosaic Farm

Benneth PhelpsNorthampton, Massachusettsbphelps2@gmail.com

Allphotos:BennethPhelps,2008

Mosaic Farm

MISSION STATEMENT Offer unique vegetables, fruits and nuts, produced with sustainable methods, and provide a diverse, seasonal, year-round diet to local customers, while developing a model farm for the future, including investing in a carbon neutral energy supply, building ecological capital on site, utilizing a mixed food forest system of perennial crops, and a low-input, self-regenerating, high-yielding system where crops and products are byproducts of improvements in the site ecosystem.

Mosaic Farm

LANDSCAPE MOSAICA geographic group of site-level ecosystems (Bailey, 1998).

Food Forest Farm

Goal#1:Acquire15‐25acresclassIorIIsoilinonetotwocon=guousfieldswithinrangeofwillingcustomerbaseforexperimentalCSA.Longtermlease,renttoown,orpurchase.Wateraccess.Goal#2:LaygroundworkforCSAopera=ononsite.

Objec/ves:A:Ini=alSoilImprovements(GreenManures)Q32010B.Ini=alInfrastructureImprovements(barn,water,greenhouse)Q12011C.Ini=alEquipmentAcquisi=on(Tractor1and2)Q42010D.LandUsePlan&NurseryGardenQ32010

Mosaic Farm

Goal#3:Meetenergyneedsinacarbonneutralmanner

Objec/ves:A.CompleteEnergyPlan,withsolarspecsandbudget(CompletedQ109)B.SolarelectricsystemonbarnroofC.SolarelectricforheatingreenhouseE.Research,evaluateandconductelectrictractorsandtractorconversions

Goal#4:Createa150memberCSAthatservescustomersyearroundandoffersnewandexci=ngfruits,vegetablesandnuts.

Objec/ves:A.Signup100shareholders,Q22011

Mosaic FarmFARM PRODUCTS - beginning in years 1-2 Annual vegetable production Winter greens Storage roots and alliums Mushrooms Solar energy

FARM PRODUCTS - beginning years 3-5 Fruits Perennial Vegetables (greens, alliums, roots etc…) Perennial Flowers

FARM PRODUCTS -beginning in years 10-25 Nuts

Mosaic Farm

Benneth PhelpsNorthampton, Massachusettsbphelps2@gmail.com

Allphotos:BennethPhelps,2008

Eco-Ag Design Tool

Next Steps• Resources: Handout

• Northeastern Permaculture Wiki:

• www.nepc.wikispaces.com

• Forest Garden Immersion Series

• www.appleseedpermaculture.com

Northeast

Questions?

Benneth G. Phelps, Mosaic FarmEthan C. Roland, AppleSeed Permaculture

Permaculture for Farmers Ecological Production by Design

Benneth G. Phelps, Mosaic FarmEthan C. Roland, AppleSeed Permaculture

RegenerativeDesign Group

ApiosInstitute