Designing for Sustainability Using the BioIntensive Approach Topic 1- Introduction to the Method Steve Moore Agroecology and Founding Director Peace Corps Prep Program Elon University, Elon NC 336 278 6271 – [email protected]Design for Resilience and Sustainability in Smallholder Farming Systems August 4, 2015, Webinar
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Designing for Sustainability Using the BioIntensive Approach Topic 1- Introduction to the Method Steve Moore Agroecology and Founding Director Peace Corps.
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Designing for SustainabilityUsing the BioIntensive Approach
Topic 1- Introduction to the Method
Steve MooreAgroecology and Founding Director Peace Corps Prep Program Elon University, Elon NC 336 278 6271 – [email protected]
Design for Resilience and Sustainability in Smallholder Farming SystemsAugust 4, 2015, Webinar
What is BioIntensive Farming?
• Millennial old production technique
• Permanent beds and pathways
• Low-tech hand-based production
• Typically organic
Russian Dacha
Basic Elements
• Soil Quality and Deep Soil Structure• Closed Loop Fertility/Effective Composting• Intensive Plant Spacings• Multicrop Efficiency and Biological Effectiveness• Growing Fertility - Carbon Farming• Customized Complete Diet• Open-Pollinated Seeds• Whole System Method
Volume Composition of Soil
Root Depth of Selected Vegetables(from “How to Grow More Vegetables”)
Soil pH and Nutrient Availability(from “Methods for Assessing Soil Quality”)
(from “Lazy Bed Gardening” Jeavons and Cox)
¼ of the land area required for an entire personal diet (1,000 sq.ft.)Temperate USDA Zone 6 PA
Form 9 Compost Crops and closing the Fertility Loop
• Carry over of Carbon materials from Form 7• Determine additional carbon and N needs• Calculate the C:N ratio for built compost• Calculate approximate cured compost• Determine the total farm area• Calculate the volume of cured compost/unit
area• Determine “Bed Crop Months”
Carbon and Calorie Crops
Guiding Land Use Percentages for Diet and Compost Crop
Open Pollinated Seeds
• Seed saving• Localized plant breeding for
• larger genetic pool• Local adaptability
• for specific pests• climate change• Multicropping systems
• Increased viability and vigor
Calories produced per gallon of water
Cassava
Flax
Parsley
Fava Beans
Kale
Cerial Rye
Sunflowers
Amaranth Grain
Barley
Turnip
Jerusalem artichoke
Garlic
Sweet Potato
Salsify
Leek
Tomatoes
Corn
Sorgum
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00
0.02
0.64
0.82
0.85
1.58
1.64
1.90
2.10
2.89
3.40
3.80
5.60
7.50
9.10
9.70
11.90
15.00
27.00
Energy use (LCA)
• Embodied energy of numerous hand tools• Calculating activity levels for various farm
tasks• Factor in climate, gender and workers age• Calculate EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio)
PLANTSSUN
FARMER
GARDEN WASTECOVER CROP
(COMPOSTED)
COMPOST CROP
FOOD FORRETAIL STORE
OFF FARMSALES
WASTE FOOD
FOOD STORAGEFOOD PREP.
FOOD PROCCESSING
COMPOST
WASTE FROMSTORE
LEAVES,MANURE, ETC.
HUMANURE(not approved at
this time)
SIFTEDCOMPOST
PRICK OUT SEED
DIRECT SEED
TRANSPLANT
PRIMARY PREP.~U-BAR -SINGLE DIG
~DOUBLE DIG~SURFACE CULTIVATE
RAKE
PERENIALS
SECONDARY PREP.~WEEDING
~CULTIVATING
WATER
SEASON EXTENSIONAIDS
HARVEST
HARMONY ESENTIALS / SONNEWALD NATURAL FOODS
ENERGY FLOW CHART
WOOD FORFLATS
COMPOST
FOOD ANDWASTE FROM
OUTSIDE SOURCECOMPOST CROPS GARDEN WASTE
TURNING(3)
GARDEN BEDS
SIFTING(3)
FILLFLATS
(2)
MATERIALS ANDCONSTRUCTION
OF FLATS
HAULING (2-3)
LOAD+HAUL (3)LOAD+HAUL (3)LOAD+HAUL (3)
LOAD+HAUL (3)
MATERIALS ANDCONSTRUCTION
OF SIFTER
COMPOST ENERGY FLOW CHART
Harmony Essentials: Dedicated to the Vision and Practices of a Sustaining Food System, Steve and Carol Moore, 1522 Lefever Ln.., Spring Grove PA 17362, Phone 717 225 2489, FAX 717 225 6007, E-mail [email protected] REVISED 2/10/2004
INITIAL PILEBUILDING (3) WATERING (1)
COARSEUNSIFTABLE
COMPOST
HAULING (2-3)
VALUES IN PARENHESIS INDICATE ACTIVITYLEVEL; (1) IS LIGHTEST; (4) IS HEAVIEST
OFF FARM PLANTSALES
HAULING (2)
GERMINATIONCHAMBER, COLD
FRAME ORGREENHOUSE
HAULING (2)
Determining Caloric Value of Labor
• Assign an activity level: 1-4• Climate factor• Weight and gender of worker• Measure time required per task
1 2 3 4
VERY LIGHT WORK LIGHT WORK MODERATE WORK HEAVY WORKCal/lb/hr: men .68, women .60Cal/lb/hr: men 1.32, women 1.17Cal/lb/hr: men 1.96, women 1.88Cal/lb/hr: men 3.81, women 3.52Cal/kg/hr: men 1.5, women 1.3 Cal/kg/hr: men 2.9, women 2.6 Cal/kg/hr: men 4.3, women 4.1 Cal/kg/hr: men 8.4, women 8.0
wt(lbs or kg)xCal/lb/hr= wt(lbs or kg)xCal/lb/hr= wt(lbs or kg)xCal/lb/hr= wt(lbs or kg)xCal/lb/hr=example: Steve 190 lbs 190 x .68 = 129 Cal/hr 190 x 1.96= 251 Cal/hr 190 x 1.96 = 372 Cal/hr. 190 x 3.81 = 729 Cal/hr
VERY LIGHT WORK LIGHT WORK MODERATE WORK HEAVY WORKCal/lb/hr: men .68, women .60 Cal/lb/hr: men 1.32, women 1.17 Cal/lb/hr: men 1.96, women 1.88 Cal/lb/hr: men 3.81, women 3.52Cal/kg/hr: men 1.5, women 1.3 Cal/kg/hr: men 2.9, women 2.6 Cal/kg/hr: men 4.3, women 4.1 Cal/kg/hr: men 8.4, women 8.0
wt(lbs or kg) x Cal/lb/h r= wt(lbs or kg) x Cal/lb/hr = wt(lbs or kg) x Cal/lb/hr = wt(lbs or kg) x Cal/lb/hr =Steve (S) 190 lbs 190 x .68 = 129 Cal/hr 190 x 1.96= 251Cal/hr 190 x 1.96 = 372 cal/hr. 190 x 3.81 = 729 Cal/hr
Carol/Elaine (E) 125 lbs 125 x .60 = 75 Cal/hr 125 x 1.17 = 146 Cal/hr. 125 x 1.86 = 233 Cal/hr. 125 x 3.52 = 440 Cal/hr.Sarah 70 lbs 70 x .60 = 42 Cal/hr. 70 x 1.17 = 82 Cal/hr. 70 x 1.86 = 130 Cal/hr. 70 x 3.52 = 246 Cal/hr.Rose 45 lbs 45 x .60 = 27 Cal/hr. 45 x 1.17 = 53 Cal/hr. 45 x 1.86 = 84 Cal/hr. 45 x 3.52 = 158 Cal/hr.
DAILY ACTIVITIES
WO
RK
ER
S
NA
ME
ex
ampl
es
WE
IGH
T(L
BS
or
KG
)
FARMING AND
GARDENING ACTIVITY
B C D E I G H I N O P Q
We
igh
t (S
tee
l) lb
s
(B) X 6,816 Cal/ tool for Steel Produced*+(B) X 912Cal/tool steel manufacture and assembly* u
se
ful life
(y
ea
rs)
[(C) ÷ (D)] steel embodied energy per year(Calories) W
eig
ht
(wo
od
) lb
s
(F) X 1100 Cal./ tool for harvest and transport**+
(F) X 1320 Cal/tool for
drying, working and
assembly**Plywood
1128 cal/lb us
efu
l life
(y
ea
rs)
[(G)÷(H)] wood embodied energy in caloriesper year
[(E)+(I)]TOTAL EMBODIEDENERGY PER TOOL(Calories/year)
Numberof timesa tool isused perbed /yror farm/yror# of beds
Total numberof beds X (O) numberof times the tool is used per bed/year= Cal/tool/bed/year(365days)
CROP NAME / Variety OnionDATE 2003 LOCATION SNF and Harmony Essentials; PA,USA
YIELD (Energy Output)
PRODUCTION (Energy Input)
ENERGY INPUT TOTAL (embodied + fuel + Labor) 1672 100%
72,000 high 60,000 low
US ave. .9 Relationship 54 times (high) 45 times (low)ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATIO (Output / Input) 43 high 36 ave.
(1) from "Activity Levels and Calories Burned… Worksheetpg. , (2) from "Solving the Diet"
Additional Benefits of BioIntensive/GrowBiointensive
• SOM and Carbon sequestration• Reducing GHG emissions from agriculture• Urban farming needs• Biodiversity enhancements• Food sheds and food sovereignty• Climate change adaptability• Enable environmental and political refugees• Plant breeding, genetic material diversity and seed ownership• Economic options• Social context (community based)• Water infiltration and retention• Accruing soil capital (building soil quality on a human time scale)• Adaptable to farmer to farmer transfer of technology
Sustainable Food Production Design ToolsGrowbiointensive.org and Biointensive.net
G-BIACK GROW BIOINTENSIVE AGRICULTURAL CENTER OF KENYA
Global Utilization
Additional Slides
Goal
The GrowBioIntensive goal is to create food security and food sovereignty via a resilient and sustainable food system by
growing a complete diet, enhance soil quality in a closed looped system, maximizing biological activity via multicropping and using
open pollinated seeds, while using the least amount of resources, including land, water, energy and soil amendments.
Tomatoes 194 18,430 18,430 1 47.5 25.395
• Thinking in terms of nutrition not just yield• Land use efficiency• Kitchen efficiency (nutrient density: i.e. calories per lb of food)• Compost crop efficiency• Categories of crops: Vegetable, special root and calorie dense (seeds)
Data found in How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons