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On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 12:15:52 +0000, Peter Duncanson
> wrote: >On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 10:51:29 +0000, "Pete (Ώ)" > wrote: > >>Many of us could live quite happily off the produce from an >>average size garden, if we had to. In fact some of our dearly departed >>even lived in mud huts! > >Is this garden self-sufficient in water? Bore holes, wells or rivers. The world managed quite well for many millennia without taps! >Does it have a well? Does it have sufficent rainfall? Does it have >sufficient storage capacity to provide a daily supply adequate for >the needs of the people, animals and plants on every day of the year >regardless of season and weather? > >Alternatively is there access to a shared water source - a river or >well perhaps - that provides a reliable all-year-round supply? > >If not, the people, animals and plants are likely to be "stuffed" >(and shrivelled). I suspect you have no interest in learning. However lets take a look here for starters. http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vv70/vv70pfaf.html Plants for a Future by Harry Mather, Vegan Views 70 (Autumn 1995) PLANTS FOR A FUTURE, (an article about them appeared in VV 55 of Winter 1991/92) is now over 4 years old and what started as an experiment along the lines of vegan self-sufficiency and permaculture is proving a success. Ken and Addy took over a 28 acre barley field in Cornwall and, with some volunteer help, planted hedgerows and thousands of trees, which are now growing, thriving and fruiting. They first spent years researching plants suitable for vegans, to further increase the variety of the diet by using long neglected trees and plants and those used in countries outside Britain; and not only edible plants but also those that would help the vegan lifestyle for clothing, lubricants, oils, paints, waterproofing, ropes and wood preservatives, also medicines. They also want to maintain the diversity of plants and counter the trend towards relying on ever fewer species that could lead to disaster if ever one species failed due to world climate changes, for instance. They are already growing hundreds of different species of edible plants from temperate and sub-tropical zones around the world and would like to selectively breed some of them to improve their usefulness or taste (e.g. reduce bitterness). Yams, Oca and quinoa are part of their diet. They grow many herbs with medicinal properties, including some common ones: Thyme maintains the vigour of body cells, Sage is good for mouth ulcers and sore throats, Camomile for children's stomach upsets, and garlic acts against Candida. They wish more research would go into plant-based remedies as an alternative to drugs. Flax is the well-known fibre plant for producing cloth (the oil from its seeds is also beneficial) but stinging nettles, hop stems and lime tree bark are some of a number of plants that yield fibres for cloth, rope or paper making. Indian Hemp (not the Marijuana variety) also produces very strong fibres and hemp clothing was recently an expensive fashion item. Amongst many interesting uses for plants that they have come across a a bulb that, dried and grated, is used for soap flakes, a dandelion that yields high quality rubber, a tree whose sap makes an excellent varnish, a fruit with a waxy coating that makes aromatic candles, a plant that makes a pot scourer and a bulb that yields a strong adhesive for paper. Plants for a Future are forming a basis for a vegan future, cruelty-free, environmentally sound, without exploiting other countries and using renewable resources - agriculture avoiding large fields that can only be sustained through artificial fertilisers, pesticides, etc. They have also replaced open fields with trees that are the lungs of the planet, maintain soil fertility and stabilise the climate. Trees not only provide renewable fuel and construction material but provide food, oils and often medicine. Ken and Addy had to overcome the initial disappointment of not being allowed to live in the large hut that was on the site, but, as they were about to be evicted from it, a rented house became available in the nearby village. Local people were at first not friendly to these eccentric-seeming intruders but have not failed to be impressed by the results. A recent Open Day attracted many visitors. Two people in the village have turned vegan and several vegans have moved in to nearby houses - so the dream of a local vegan community is taking shape. They have even appeared briefly on TV. The presenter, who was doing a programme on food, said this was all very praiseworthy but he could not give up meat (a familiar excuse) and spent the rest of the programme exploring Cornish fishing villages and their produce. Plants for a Future is a non-profit making organisation. A centre supplying information on useful plants and, where possible, supplying the plants themselves. All plants are grown without the use of artificial fertilisers, sprays or animal products (vegan organic). They have a number of leaflets on various plants and subjects and a catalogue is available of plants they have on offer. They are grateful for any donations, investments or legacies, large or small. Visitors are welcome, but please be sure to make an appointment before coming. Plants For A Future, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 0NG. Tel. Bodmin (01208) 873554 or 872963. Website: www.pfaf.org - - - - - - Recently, a farmer who farms organically with dairy cattle said he was struggling to maintain his family on 60 acres (admittedly he had 7 children). In Plants For a Future they have 28 acres and Ken intends to leave half of this as a nature reserve - for the non-human animals, as he puts it. On the remaining 14 acres he claims he could maintain 30 people, who, when the project is fully established, would only have to work 2 or 3 hours a day, leaving plenty of time for leisure and crafts. If dairy farmers were to change over to production of vegan foods, it seems as though they would make a financial gain. Related Vegan Views articles... Cross-reference: Growing Fruit & Veg http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vvcrossref.html#grow -- Disclaimer Pete has taken all reasonable care to ensure that pages published by him were accurate on the date of publication or last modification. Other pages which may be linked or which Pete may have published are in a personal capacity. Pete takes no responsibility for the consequences of error or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information published on any of these pages, and such information does not form any basis of a contract with readers or users of it. It is in the nature of Usenet & Web sites, that much of the information is experimental or constantly changing, that information published may be for test purposes only, may be out of date, or may be the personal opinion of the author. Readers should verify information gained from the Web/Usenet with the appropriate authorities before relying on it. Should you no longer wish to read this material or content, please use your newsreaders kill filter. |
Posted to uk.business.agriculture,uk.politics.misc,alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian,uk.rec.gardening,alt.food.vegan,rec.food.veg
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On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 13:01:19 +0000, "Pete (Ώ)"
> wrote: >On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 12:15:52 +0000, Peter Duncanson > wrote: > >>On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 10:51:29 +0000, "Pete (Ώ)" > wrote: >>On Sun, 4 Feb 2007 00:22:38 +0000, Sandy > wrote: > Stem Farmers' Suicides with Organic Farming > ------------------------------------------- > > by Sam Burcher > Science in Society > Issue 32, Winter 2006 > > > Amid a rising epidemic of farmers' suicides in > India, an organic farmer appeals to the father > of the Green Revolution to embrace organic > agriculture. > > >UN slams India for farmer suicides > >India has enough food to feed her population of one billion, yet hunger >and food insecurity at household level increased at the end of the 20th >century. A new UN report casts doubt on the government's claim that >poverty declined from 36 to 26 percent between 1993-2000. It criticizes >the shift to cash crops that reduced the cultivation of grains, pulses >and millets for household consumption. The report slams the rise of >farmer suicides in India and links them to the unremitting growth of a >market economy that does not benefit all Indians equally. > > >Impassioned plea to India's government > >Bhaskar Save is an 84-year-old farmer from Gujarat who has petitioned >the Indian Government to save India's farmers from exploitation and >worse. In an open letter to Prof M.S. Swaminathan (chairperson of the >National Commission on Farmers in the Ministry of Agriculture) he puts >the blame squarely on his shoulders as the 'father' of the 'Green >Revolution' that has destroyed India's natural abundance, farming >communities, and soil. He writes: "Where there is a lack of knowledge, >ignorance masquerades as science! Such is the 'science' you have >espoused, leading our farmers astray -- down the pits of misery." > > The Green Revolution defines the forty years after India's >independence in 1947 when technology was widely introduced into >agriculture. Farmers came under intense pressure to provide marketable >surpluses of the relatively few non-perishable cereals to feed the ever- >expanding cities. Since then, India's integration into the global >economy has served transnational corporate interests championed by the >World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO, but not her farmers. Fifteen years of >market reforms guided by the international financial superstates have >unleashed a second wave of agrochemicals, biotechnological seed and >pesticides into the Indian countryside with devastating effect. > > >A silent revolution of suicide > >Mumbai and Bangalore have benefited from the boom in the information >technology sector that contributes an eight percent growth to India's >economy each year. The two cities are now poised to take advantage of >the boom in the biotech industry. The picture of "India shining" touted >by an expensive government backed media campaign is considerably clouded >by the rural areas being torn apart at the roots by biotechnology. The >countryside is home to 70 percent of India's population. > > The second 'Gene Revolution' in agriculture is proving more deadly >in the wake of the first. The cost of taking on the extra burden of >gene biotechnology is too much to bear. Farmers unable to pay back >debts incurred by the purchase of seed, pesticides, fertilizers and >equipment, kill themselves at a rate of two per day. In despair some >drink the chemical pesticides, while others burn, hang, or drown >themselves. At a help centre set up to monitor farmer suicides in >Vidarbha region in the central state of Maharashtra, black skulls mark >the number of dead farmers on the map. There are 767 skulls clustered >together that were pinned up in fourteen months to August 2006. India's >agricultural minister Sharad Pawar acknowledged in Parliament that a >total of 100 000 farmers have committed suicide between 1993-2003. A >further 16 000 farmers per year on average are said to have died since >then. > > "You, M.S. Swaminathan ... More than any other person in our long >history it is you I hold responsible for the tragic condition of our >soils and our debt-burdened farmers, driven to suicide in increasing >numbers every year." Bhaskar Save writes. The cost of cotton kills >farmers > > Nearly all who died farmed the once profitable cotton crop known as >"King Cotton" from the days of the British Raj. Now it's called "Killer >Cotton" not just because the cost of inputs has increased, but the state >also cut its guaranteed purchase price by 32 percent, and bu >>>Many of us could live quite happily off the produce from an >>>average size garden, if we had to. In fact some of our dearly departed >>>even lived in mud huts! >> >>Is this garden self-sufficient in water? > >Bore holes, wells or rivers. The world managed quite well for many >millennia without taps! > >>Does it have a well? Does it have sufficent rainfall? Does it have >>sufficient storage capacity to provide a daily supply adequate for >>the needs of the people, animals and plants on every day of the year >>regardless of season and weather? >> >>Alternatively is there access to a shared water source - a river or >>well perhaps - that provides a reliable all-year-round supply? >> >>If not, the people, animals and plants are likely to be "stuffed" >>(and shrivelled). > >I suspect you have no interest in learning. > >However lets take a look here for starters. >http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vv70/vv70pfaf.html > > >Plants for a Future by Harry Mather, Vegan Views 70 (Autumn 1995) >PLANTS FOR A FUTURE, (an article about them appeared in VV 55 of >Winter 1991/92) is now over 4 years old and what started as an >experiment along the lines of vegan self-sufficiency and permaculture >is proving a success. Ken and Addy took over a 28 acre barley field in >Cornwall and, with some volunteer help, planted hedgerows and >thousands of trees, which are now growing, thriving and fruiting. > >They first spent years researching plants suitable for vegans, to >further increase the variety of the diet by using long neglected trees >and plants and those used in countries outside Britain; and not only >edible plants but also those that would help the vegan lifestyle for >clothing, lubricants, oils, paints, waterproofing, ropes and wood >preservatives, also medicines. > >They also want to maintain the diversity of plants and counter the >trend towards relying on ever fewer species that could lead to >disaster if ever one species failed due to world climate changes, for >instance. They are already growing hundreds of different species of >edible plants from temperate and sub-tropical zones around the world >and would like to selectively breed some of them to improve their >usefulness or taste (e.g. reduce bitterness). Yams, Oca and quinoa are >part of their diet. They grow many herbs with medicinal properties, >including some common ones: Thyme maintains the vigour of body cells, >Sage is good for mouth ulcers and sore throats, Camomile for >children's stomach upsets, and garlic acts against Candida. They wish >more research would go into plant-based remedies as an alternative to >drugs. > >Flax is the well-known fibre plant for producing cloth (the oil from >its seeds is also beneficial) but stinging nettles, hop stems and lime >tree bark are some of a number of plants that yield fibres for cloth, >rope or paper making. Indian Hemp (not the Marijuana variety) also >produces very strong fibres and hemp clothing was recently an >expensive fashion item. > >Amongst many interesting uses for plants that they have come across >a a bulb that, dried and grated, is used for soap flakes, a >dandelion that yields high quality rubber, a tree whose sap makes an >excellent varnish, a fruit with a waxy coating that makes aromatic >candles, a plant that makes a pot scourer and a bulb that yields a >strong adhesive for paper. > >Plants for a Future are forming a basis for a vegan future, >cruelty-free, environmentally sound, without exploiting other >countries and using renewable resources - agriculture avoiding large >fields that can only be sustained through artificial fertilisers, >pesticides, etc. They have also replaced open fields with trees that >are the lungs of the planet, maintain soil fertility and stabilise the >climate. Trees not only provide renewable fuel and construction >material but provide food, oils and often medicine. > >Ken and Addy had to overcome the initial disappointment of not being >allowed to live in the large hut that was on the site, but, as they >were about to be evicted from it, a rented house became available in >the nearby village. Local people were at first not friendly to these >eccentric-seeming intruders but have not failed to be impressed by the >results. A recent Open Day attracted many visitors. Two people in the >village have turned vegan and several vegans have moved in to nearby >houses - so the dream of a local vegan community is taking shape. > >They have even appeared briefly on TV. The presenter, who was doing a >programme on food, said this was all very praiseworthy but he could >not give up meat (a familiar excuse) and spent the rest of the >programme exploring Cornish fishing villages and their produce. > >Plants for a Future is a non-profit making organisation. A centre >supplying information on useful plants and, where possible, supplying >the plants themselves. All plants are grown without the use of >artificial fertilisers, sprays or animal products (vegan organic). > >They have a number of leaflets on various plants and subjects and a >catalogue is available of plants they have on offer. > >They are grateful for any donations, investments or legacies, large or >small. > >Visitors are welcome, but please be sure to make an appointment before >coming. > >Plants For A Future, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 >0NG. Tel. Bodmin (01208) 873554 or 872963. Website: www.pfaf.org > >- - - - - - > >Recently, a farmer who farms organically with dairy cattle said he was >struggling to maintain his family on 60 acres (admittedly he had 7 >children). > >In Plants For a Future they have 28 acres and Ken intends to leave >half of this as a nature reserve - for the non-human animals, as he >puts it. On the remaining 14 acres he claims he could maintain 30 >people, who, when the project is fully established, would only have to >work 2 or 3 hours a day, leaving plenty of time for leisure and >crafts. > >If dairy farmers were to change over to production of vegan foods, it >seems as though they would make a financial gain. > >Related Vegan Views articles... >Cross-reference: Growing Fruit & Veg >http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vvcrossref.html#grow -- Disclaimer Pete has taken all reasonable care to ensure that pages published by him were accurate on the date of publication or last modification. Other pages which may be linked or which Pete may have published are in a personal capacity. Pete takes no responsibility for the consequences of error or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information published on any of these pages, and such information does not form any basis of a contract with readers or users of it. It is in the nature of Usenet & Web sites, that much of the information is experimental or constantly changing, that information published may be for test purposes only, may be out of date, or may be the personal opinion of the author. Readers should verify information gained from the Web/Usenet with the appropriate authorities before relying on it. Should you no longer wish to read this material or content, please use your newsreaders kill filter. |
Posted to uk.business.agriculture,uk.politics.misc,alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian,uk.rec.gardening,alt.food.vegan,rec.food.veg
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On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 13:01:19 +0000, "Pete (Ώ)"
> wrote: >On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 12:15:52 +0000, Peter Duncanson > wrote: > >>On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 10:51:29 +0000, "Pete (Ώ)" > wrote: >> >>>Many of us could live quite happily off the produce from an >>>average size garden, if we had to. In fact some of our dearly departed >>>even lived in mud huts! >> >>Is this garden self-sufficient in water? > >Bore holes, wells or rivers. The world managed quite well for many >millennia without taps! > >>Does it have a well? Does it have sufficent rainfall? Does it have >>sufficient storage capacity to provide a daily supply adequate for >>the needs of the people, animals and plants on every day of the year >>regardless of season and weather? >> >>Alternatively is there access to a shared water source - a river or >>well perhaps - that provides a reliable all-year-round supply? >> >>If not, the people, animals and plants are likely to be "stuffed" >>(and shrivelled). > >I suspect you have no interest in learning. > >However lets take a look here for starters. >http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vv70/vv70pfaf.html > > >Plants for a Future by Harry Mather, Vegan Views 70 (Autumn 1995) >PLANTS FOR A FUTURE, (an article about them appeared in VV 55 of >Winter 1991/92) is now over 4 years old and what started as an >experiment along the lines of vegan self-sufficiency and permaculture >is proving a success. Ken and Addy took over a 28 acre barley field in >Cornwall and, with some volunteer help, planted hedgerows and >thousands of trees, which are now growing, thriving and fruiting. > >They first spent years researching plants suitable for vegans, to >further increase the variety of the diet by using long neglected trees >and plants and those used in countries outside Britain; and not only >edible plants but also those that would help the vegan lifestyle for >clothing, lubricants, oils, paints, waterproofing, ropes and wood >preservatives, also medicines. > >They also want to maintain the diversity of plants and counter the >trend towards relying on ever fewer species that could lead to >disaster if ever one species failed due to world climate changes, for >instance. They are already growing hundreds of different species of >edible plants from temperate and sub-tropical zones around the world >and would like to selectively breed some of them to improve their >usefulness or taste (e.g. reduce bitterness). Yams, Oca and quinoa are >part of their diet. They grow many herbs with medicinal properties, >including some common ones: Thyme maintains the vigour of body cells, >Sage is good for mouth ulcers and sore throats, Camomile for >children's stomach upsets, and garlic acts against Candida. They wish >more research would go into plant-based remedies as an alternative to >drugs. > >Flax is the well-known fibre plant for producing cloth (the oil from >its seeds is also beneficial) but stinging nettles, hop stems and lime >tree bark are some of a number of plants that yield fibres for cloth, >rope or paper making. Indian Hemp (not the Marijuana variety) also >produces very strong fibres and hemp clothing was recently an >expensive fashion item. > >Amongst many interesting uses for plants that they have come across >a a bulb that, dried and grated, is used for soap flakes, a >dandelion that yields high quality rubber, a tree whose sap makes an >excellent varnish, a fruit with a waxy coating that makes aromatic >candles, a plant that makes a pot scourer and a bulb that yields a >strong adhesive for paper. > >Plants for a Future are forming a basis for a vegan future, >cruelty-free, environmentally sound, without exploiting other >countries and using renewable resources - agriculture avoiding large >fields that can only be sustained through artificial fertilisers, >pesticides, etc. They have also replaced open fields with trees that >are the lungs of the planet, maintain soil fertility and stabilise the >climate. Trees not only provide renewable fuel and construction >material but provide food, oils and often medicine. > >Ken and Addy had to overcome the initial disappointment of not being >allowed to live in the large hut that was on the site, but, as they >were about to be evicted from it, a rented house became available in >the nearby village. Local people were at first not friendly to these >eccentric-seeming intruders but have not failed to be impressed by the >results. A recent Open Day attracted many visitors. Two people in the >village have turned vegan and several vegans have moved in to nearby >houses - so the dream of a local vegan community is taking shape. > >They have even appeared briefly on TV. The presenter, who was doing a >programme on food, said this was all very praiseworthy but he could >not give up meat (a familiar excuse) and spent the rest of the >programme exploring Cornish fishing villages and their produce. > >Plants for a Future is a non-profit making organisation. A centre >supplying information on useful plants and, where possible, supplying >the plants themselves. All plants are grown without the use of >artificial fertilisers, sprays or animal products (vegan organic). > >They have a number of leaflets on various plants and subjects and a >catalogue is available of plants they have on offer. > >They are grateful for any donations, investments or legacies, large or >small. > >Visitors are welcome, but please be sure to make an appointment before >coming. > >Plants For A Future, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall PL22 >0NG. Tel. Bodmin (01208) 873554 or 872963. Website: www.pfaf.org > >- - - - - - > >Recently, a farmer who farms organically with dairy cattle said he was >struggling to maintain his family on 60 acres (admittedly he had 7 >children). > >In Plants For a Future they have 28 acres and Ken intends to leave >half of this as a nature reserve - for the non-human animals, as he >puts it. On the remaining 14 acres he claims he could maintain 30 >people, who, when the project is fully established, would only have to >work 2 or 3 hours a day, leaving plenty of time for leisure and >crafts. > >If dairy farmers were to change over to production of vegan foods, it >seems as though they would make a financial gain. > >Related Vegan Views articles... >Cross-reference: Growing Fruit & Veg >http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vvcrossref.html#grow You could also visit http://www.selfsufficientish.com/ Self sufficient 'ish'.com - The urban guide to almost self sufficiency. Please look on the columns either side to see our encyclopedia of self sufficiency articles. Don't forget if you want to chat to other self sufficiency folk, or share your ideas with us then please use -- Disclaimer Pete has taken all reasonable care to ensure that pages published by him were accurate on the date of publication or last modification. Other pages which may be linked or which Pete may have published are in a personal capacity. Pete takes no responsibility for the consequences of error or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information published on any of these pages, and such information does not form any basis of a contract with readers or users of it. It is in the nature of Usenet & Web sites, that much of the information is experimental or constantly changing, that information published may be for test purposes only, may be out of date, or may be the personal opinion of the author. Readers should verify information gained from the Web/Usenet with the appropriate authorities before relying on it. Should you no longer wish to read this material or content, please use your newsreaders kill filter. |
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