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| research_report_sanjeev-shankar [2008-04-01 08:05] – 81.188.78.24 | research_report_sanjeev-shankar [2008-04-01 10:23] – sanjeev |
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| ==== Gro World _ RUrban Permaculture ==== | ==== Gro World _ RUrban Permaculture ==== |
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| This report from [[sanjeev shankar]] is in progress as of 2008-03 | This report from [[sanjeev shankar]] is in progress as of 2008-03 |
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| “The different branches of science combine to demonstrate that the universe in its entirety can be regarded as one gigantic process, a process of becoming, of attaining new levels of existence and organization, which can properly be called a genesis or an evolution” ((Thomas H. Huxley, 1825 - 1895)) | “The different branches of science combine to demonstrate that the universe in its entirety can be regarded as one gigantic process, a process of becoming, of attaining new levels of existence and organization, which can properly be called a genesis or an evolution” ((Thomas H. Huxley, 1825 - 1895)) |
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| {{:perma61.jpg|}} | {{:perma61.jpg|}}\\ |
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| Plants are the centre of the web of life. The growth of urban centres around the globe has had a critical impact on ecology. In recent years there has been a growing interest and public movement to bring ecology out of the bush and into the urban and suburban environments where most people spend their time. Whereas traditional ecology is mainly about connectedness within the natural world,the new focus lies on having a holistic and inclusive approach to build deeper links with ecology in our midst beyond doing conservation in isolated national parks. Some of the questions at the core of this research were: Do we have the right to consider human beings as more valuable than other life forms? Can we be perceptive enough to see our planet in a way that tells them that they too are part of nature? Is there an option to treating forests as sacrifice zones for urban growth ? Is there an ecological limit to economic growth? What is the future of our cities? Can there be a differentiated green identity of a future city? This research documents the current status of urban permaculture and explores ways in which we can transform our cities into productive, healthy, edible and playful green visions: visions which go beyond parks, manicured lawns, horticultural imports, bonsai and 'beautiful' golf parks. They strive to bring back plants at the core of our daily life and existence. | Plants are the centre of the web of life. The growth of urban centres around the globe has had a critical impact on ecology. In recent years there has been a growing interest and public movement to bring ecology out of the bush and into the urban and suburban environments where most people spend their time. Whereas traditional ecology is mainly about connectedness within the natural world,the new focus lies on having a holistic and inclusive approach to build deeper links with ecology in our midst beyond doing conservation in isolated national parks. Some of the questions at the core of this research were: Do we have the right to consider human beings as more valuable than other life forms? Can we be perceptive enough to see our planet in a way that tells them that they too are part of nature? Is there an option to treating forests as sacrifice zones for urban growth ? Is there an ecological limit to economic growth? What is the future of our cities? Can there be a differentiated green identity of a future city? This research documents the current status of urban permaculture and explores ways in which we can transform our cities into productive, healthy, edible and playful green visions: visions which go beyond parks, manicured lawns, horticultural imports, bonsai and 'beautiful' golf parks. They strive to bring back plants at the core of our daily life and existence. |
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| * //brief summary of the cultural/scientific/social/economic context within which the research is applicable// | * //brief summary of the cultural/scientific/social/economic context within which the research is applicable// |
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| This research would find direct use in India and other nations which have had a strong tradition of agriculture_especially the orient (China, Japan) and central/south american nations (Guatemala, Peru). Further, through the comparative analysis of urban gardening trends in Europe and India and through follow up exploration and design of urban permaculture kits, this research aims to lay a platform for a series of projects which would act as potent triggers for pratical product solutions for a future green city. | This research would find direct use in India and other nations which have had a strong tradition of agriculture, especially the orient (China, Japan) and central/south american nations (Guatemala, Costarica, Peru). Further, through the comparative analysis of urban gardening trends in Europe and India and through follow up exploration and design of urban permaculture kits, this research aims to trigger a platform for a series of projects which would act as catalysts for pratical product solutions and initiatives for a future green city. |
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| * //description of how the work relates to other works in the field of inquiry // | * //description of how the work relates to other works in the field of inquiry // |
| This project explores aspects of human environment, ecology and sustainable growth. The research relates to the fields of permaculture, ethnobotany, human plant interaction, urban ecology, situationist psychogeography, open source architecture, sustainability, green design, modular systems and bio-mimicry. | This project explores aspects of human environment, its relation with ecology and our attempt for sustainable growth. The research relates to the fields of permaculture, ethnobotany, human plant interaction, urban ecology, situationist psychogeography, open source architecture, sustainability, green design, modular systems and bionics. |
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| ==== Problem/Aim ==== | ==== Problem/Aim ==== |
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| * //concise summary of the problem domain/s that the research explores, or the specific aims of the research undertaken.// | * //concise summary of the problem domain/s that the research explores, or the specific aims of the research undertaken.// |
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| As stated before the intent of this research is to explore the urban gardening and permaculture trends at a global level and to further explore new ways to establish links between urban realms, its inhabitants and ecology. In the process, the project aims at redefining our relationship with the city and our vision for its future. It attempts to question our prevailing belief system which places nature as an object to be //viewed, manipulated, commodified and sold//. | As stated before the intent of this research is to explore the urban gardening and permaculture trends at a global level and to further explore new ways to establish links between urban realms, its inhabitants and ecology. In the process, the project aims at redefining our relationship with the city and our vision for its future. It attempts to question our prevailing belief system which places nature as an object, to be //viewed, manipulated, commodified and sold//. |
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| This phase of the project has the following objective: | This phase of the project has the following objective: |
| * On-line and literature survey of state of the art in urban gardening and permaculture (global perspective) | * On-line and literature survey of state of the art in urban gardening and permaculture (global perspective) |
| * On-site research and comparison of urban gardening in the Benelux and India | * On-site research and comparison of urban gardening in the Benelux and India |
| * On-site research Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, focusing on preserving and increasing biodiversity | * On-site research of Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, focusing on preserving and increasing biodiversity |
| * Design for urban gardening prototypes and kits | * Design for urban gardening prototypes and kits |
| * Article for the Luminous Green publication on the [[Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary]] | * Article for the Luminous Green publication on the [[Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary]] |
| * Participation in the groWorld design session in April 2008 | * Participation in the groWorld design session in April 2008 |
| * A written report in the prescribed format | * A written report in the prescribed format |
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| * //justification of the aims (scientific/artistic/historical/etc...)// | * //justification of the aims (scientific/artistic/historical/etc...)// |
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| _The growth of cities has had a devastating impact on ecology. | * The uncontrolled growth of cities has had a devastating impact on ecology |
| | * By the end of 2008, half the world's population will be living in cities for the first time in history. (according to UN report) |
| _By the end of 2008, half the world's population will be living in cities for the first time in history. (according to UN report) | * Cities are becoming increasingly polluted, sterile, unhealthy and disconnected with other life forms, especially plants which have been an integral part of human survival and existence. |
| | * We have more people hungry every day, more unemployment, rising poverty, increased use of pesticides, herbcides and biocides, deteriorating soil quality and depleting forest cover |
| _Cities are becoming increasingly polluted, sterile, unhealthy and disconnected with other life forms, especially plants which have been an integral part of human survival and existence. | * There has been a sharp increase in desert area, in urban sprawl and number of cars on the road ! |
| | * Cities are facing new challenges related to health care, rise in food prices and other basic services every day. |
| _ We have more people hungry every day, more unemployment, rising poverty, increased use of pesticides, herbcides and biocides, deteriorating soil quality and depleting forest cover, increase in deserts, increase in urban sprawl and number of cars on the road ! | * Natural and traditional systems can offer us practical solutions and are a crucial resource to tap into. Problems can be seen as opportunities. |
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| _Cities are facing new challenges related to health care, rise in food prices and other basic services every day. Nature and traditional systems can offer us practical solutions and are a crucial resource to tap into. Problems can be seen as opportunities. | |
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| * //concise description of the way the research has been developed from establishing the problem definition to the final results// | * //concise description of the way the research has been developed from establishing the problem definition to the final results// |
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| The research started with preliminary discussions between the producer and the design researcher to define the project scope. Thereafter the design researcher shortlisted a series of core topics and questions which were used as triggers to inform him and in the discussion between him and the users. These directly contributed in establishing the problem and understanding its complexity. The discussions started in New Delhi and then happened at the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Kerala, the Rain Forest Retreat in Coorg, the Beaulah organic farm in Ooty and the Krac-A-Dawna bio-dynamic farm near Mysore. They were constantly informed by site visits, interviews and analysis of observations made of successful new sustainable enterprises in India. This entire period was backed up by crucial on-line and literature survey about permaculture, guirella farming techniques, traditional agricultural methods and organic farming. Apart from this, the permaculture design course by Bill Mollison and two books, 'An Agricultural Testament' by Sir Albert Howard and 'Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustanability' by David Holmgren have been indispensable to this study. | The research started with preliminary discussions between the producer and the design researcher in Brusssels to define the project scope. |
| | This was followed by a visit to the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam, one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world. A living museum, the hortus is a green oasis in the middle of a bustling urban setting. Thereafter the design researcher shortlisted a series of core topics and [[questions]] which were used as triggers to inform him and in the discussion between him and the users, which in this case were inhabitants of a city. These discussions contributed in establishing the problem and understanding its complexity. In New Delhi, the focus shifted to the inhabitants of the city, the habitat in which they live and their links with nature. Special attention was given to the urban kitchen gardens in New Delhi and Chandani Chowk in Old Delhi which has continued to remain one of the most dense and thriving parts of Asia since the 15th century. Visits to Sarai(Centre for Development Studies) to document ongoing research projects related to ecology along with interaction with artsts at the Khoj community formed the second layer of the study. Interaction with the Biodiversity/Forestry department of TERI(Tata Energy Research Institute), CSE(Centre for Science and Environment) and ICAR(Indian Council of Agricultural Research) formed the third layer of the onsite research in New Delhi. Thereafter, the research focus moved to south India with the first site visit to the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, a place dedicated to conservation and preservation of native plants. Next was Beulah organic farm, which specialises in home made marmalade and wines. Located in rural Udagamandalam in Tamil Nadu, it demonstrates customised solutions for organic plant growth right from the use of liquid organic manure to playing music to trigger their growth. Following this was a visit to the Rain forest retreat, an interesting model as it was one of the few case studies which balances its concern for ecology with a marketing business model. Next was the Krac-A-Dawna bio dynamic farm located in rural Karnataka close to Mysore. The farm produces a range of finished products from wild honey and cinnamon to sesame butter and cotton fabrics. The analysis of these sustainable enterprises in India was an enriching experience. and was backed up by crucial on-line and literature survey about permaculture, guirella farming techniques, traditional agricultural methods and organic farming. Apart from this, the permaculture design course by Bill Mollison and two books, 'An Agricultural Testament' by Sir Albert Howard and 'Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustanability' by David Holmgren have been indispensable to this study. |
| Some of the questions discussed with the inhabitants of Delhi and their initial responses are listed below: | |
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| _ Why are you staying in a city? | |
| * Need for money, 'growth', education, success, 'better' life, a good job and for the future of our kids. | |
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| _What do you like most about your city? | |
| * Tall buildings, cars, super markets, electricity, cleanliness, education, health, different people, languages and the //sense that we are popular because we stay in a big city//. | |
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| _ What do you dislike about your city and why? | |
| * We miss home and there is too much noise, pollution, dirt and congestion. Sometimes there are too many people and the //queues are very long//! | |
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| _ What is the importance of plants in your life? | |
| * We worship 'tulsi' and the 'banyan'. They are connected with religion, health, shade, life and spirituality. They are like our kids. | |
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| _ Which are the plants that you grow? | |
| * Tulsi, mango, marigold, rose, money plant, chilis, guava, banana, tomatoes, chiku, grapes, neem, jamun, coriander, spinach, mushrooms, brinjal. | |
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| _ What do you miss about your village/town? | |
| * Our family is there, it is more peaceful, our roots are there, we go every six months. But now even our villages are becoming very dirty and noisy. | |
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| _ In the last few months, Delhi has lost 30,000 trees. What are the reasons for this and could this be avoided? | |
| * Reasons: greed, real estate developers and increase in population. | |
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| _ Can a city and a forest coexist? | |
| * No. | |
| * Isn't a city yet another forest !! (answered by an 8th grade student at the Indian High School, Dubai) | |
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| The research in New Delhi was preceded by visit to the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam, one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world. A living museum, the hortus is a green oasis in the middle of a bustling urban setting. In New Delhi, the focus gradually shifted to the inhabitants of the city, the habitat in which they live and their links with nature. Special attention was given to Chandani Chowk in Old Delhi which has continued to remain one of the most dense and thriving parts of Delhi since the 15th century. Visits to Sarai(Centre for Development Studies) to document ongoing research projects related to ecology along with interaction with artsts at the Khoj community formed the second layer of the study. Interaction with the Biodiversity/Forestry department of TERI(Tata Energy Research Institute), CSE(Centre for Science and Environment) and ICAR(Indian Council of Agricultural Research) formed the third layer of the onsite research in New Delhi. Thereafter, the research focus moved to south India with the first site visit to the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, a place dedicated to conservation and preservation of native plants. Beulah organic farm, which specialises in home made marmalade and wines is located in rural Udagamandalam in Tamil Nadu and demonstrates customised solutions for organic plant growth right from the use of liquid organic manure to playing music to trigger their growth. Visit to the Rain forest retreat was special as it was one of the few case studies which balances its concern for ecology with a marketing business model. Finally, the Krac-A-Dawna bio dynamic farm located in rural Karnataka close to Mysore, produces a range of finished products from wild honey and cinnamon to sesame butter and cotton fabrics. | |
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| * //justification of the methodology // | * //justification of the methodology // |
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| The subject of this project demands a sensitized and practical approach. The methodology was crucial to help the design researcher develop empathy for the cause and also become aware of the complexity of the problem at hand. Visiting the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Kerala and subsequent visits to other centres dedicated to organic methods of farming and revitalisation of traditional Indian farming techniques were crucial to inform the research and helped the researcher appreciate the nuances and demands of the project. Reading the book, ‘An Agricultural Testament’ by Sir Albert Howard was a critical experience in realising the huge divide in agriculture methods between the orient and the occident. All of this has helped to create the right references for this project and enabled the consultant to present a lucid and detailed project report to the producer. | The subject of this project demands a sensitized and practical approach. The methodology was crucial to help the design researcher develop empathy for the cause and also become aware of the complexity of the problem at hand. Visiting the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Kerala and subsequent visits to other sustainable enterprises dedicated to organic methods of farming and revitalisation of traditional Indian farming techniques were crucial to inform the research. It has helped the researcher appreciate the nuances and demands of the project. Reading the book, ‘An Agricultural Testament’ by Sir Albert Howard was a critical experience in realising the huge divide in agriculture methods between the orient and the occident. While, 'Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustanability' by David Holmgren, gives wonderful insights into the genesis of this idea and how it could positivell impact sustainability efforts globally. All of this has helped to create the right references for this project and enabled the researcher to present a lucid and detailed project report to the producer. |
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| ==== Solution/Results ==== | ==== Solution/Results ==== |
| ’PERMACULTURE’ was originally coined in the mid seventies by two Australians, David Holmgren and Bill Mollison, to describe the design system pioneered as a response to what they, and many others globally, saw as serious challenges to the survival of all of us. Originally derived from the words ‘PERMAnent agriCULTURE’, permaculture has gone beyond it’s roots in looking at strategies to create sustainable food growing methods to become a worldwide movement encompassing all aspects of how we as human beings can live harmoniously in relation to our Earth and it’s finite resources and create a PERManent CULTURE. Permaculture, today has multiple defintions, but one that is particularly useful might be- "To create sustaianble human habitats by following nature's patterns". This thought is clearly manifested in permaculture as a system of gardening but also as the worldwide network of individuals and groups and further in permaculture as a counterculture. | ’PERMACULTURE’ was originally coined in the mid seventies by two Australians, David Holmgren and Bill Mollison, to describe the design system pioneered as a response to what they, and many others globally, saw as serious challenges to the survival of all of us. Originally derived from the words ‘PERMAnent agriCULTURE’, permaculture has gone beyond it’s roots in looking at strategies to create sustainable food growing methods to become a worldwide movement encompassing all aspects of how we as human beings can live harmoniously in relation to our Earth and it’s finite resources and create a PERManent CULTURE. Permaculture, today has multiple defintions, but one that is particularly useful might be- "To create sustaianble human habitats by following nature's patterns". This thought is clearly manifested in permaculture as a system of gardening but also as the worldwide network of individuals and groups and further in permaculture as a counterculture. |
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| For many, the Permaculture focus on land and natural resource management is complimentary to the industrial focus of the "green tech" optimists, but there are differences. | For many, the Permaculture focus on land and natural resource management is complimentary to the industrial focus of the "green tech" optimists, but there are differences. Permaculture: |
| Permaculture: | |
| * gives priority to using existing wealth to rebuilding natural capital, especially trees and forests, as a proven storage of wealth to sustain humanity into a future with less fossil fuel. | * gives priority to using existing wealth to rebuilding natural capital, especially trees and forests, as a proven storage of wealth to sustain humanity into a future with less fossil fuel. |
| * emphasises bottom-up "redesign" processes, starting with the individual and household as drivers for change at the market, community and cultural level | * emphasises bottom-up "redesign" processes, starting with the individual and household as drivers for change at the market, community and cultural level |
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| Permaculture is a wholehearted adaptation to the ecological realities of decline and offers us a graceful and ethical descent. The process for providing for people's needs within ecological limits requires a cultural revolution. We appear to have little time to achieve ths revolution and in this context, the idea of simple set of guiding //design principles// which have wide, universal application is attractive. The following principles are slogans which act as a checklist when considering complex options for design and evolution of ecological support systems. | Permaculture is a wholehearted adaptation to the ecological realities of decline and offers us a graceful and ethical descent. The process for providing for people's needs within ecological limits requires a cultural revolution. We appear to have little time to achieve ths revolution and in this context, the idea of simple set of guiding //design principles// which have wide, universal application is attractive. The following principles are slogans which act as a checklist when considering complex options for design and evolution of ecological support systems. |
| 1. Observe and Interact | 1.Observe and Interact |
| 2. Catch and store energy | 2.Catch and store energy |
| 3. Obtain a yield | 3.Obtain a yield |
| 4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback | 4.Apply self-regulation and accept feedback |
| 5. Use and value renewable resources and services | 5.Use and value renewable resources and services |
| 6. Produce no waste | 6.Produce no waste |
| 7. Design from patterns to details | 7.Design from patterns to details |
| 8. Integrate rather than segregate | 8.Integrate rather than segregate |
| 9. Use small and slow solutions | 9.Use small and slow solutions |
| 10. Use and value diversity | 10.Use and value diversity |
| 11. Use edges and value the marginal | 11.Use edges and value the marginal |
| 12. Creatiively use and respond to change | 12.Creatiively use and respond to change |
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| Now, in a situation of descent, //ethics// become indispensable and through their culturally evolved systemic nature lead us to create a more inclusive view of who and what constitutes "us". The three broad maxims or principles which cover these are given below: | Now, in a situation of descent, //ethics// become indispensable and through their culturally evolved systemic nature lead us to create a more inclusive view of who and what constitutes "us". The three broad maxims or principles which cover these are given below: |
| * Care for the earth | * Care for the earth |
| * Care for the people | * Care for the people |
| * Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus | * Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus |
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| How one inteprets the principles listed above and implements them is open for refinement and improvisation. One has to take responsibility and see problems as opportunities, or problems as the solution. Every element here serves multiple functions and every function is served by multiple elements. Using these principles we can come up with a design that is in line with our regenerative world. | How one inteprets the principles listed above and implements them is open for refinement and improvisation. One has to take responsibility and see problems as opportunities, or problems as the solution. Every element here serves multiple functions and every function is served by multiple elements. Using these principles we can come up with a design that is in line with our regenerative world. |
| == Urban Permaculture == | == Urban Permaculture == |
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| A permaculture garden is not a garden seen in nature. Though it might have a configuration like a forest in terms of stability and efficiency, it is rich in functional plants which have a strong relationship with each other and result in high yields. In urban situations, space is limited, there may be little or no access to land, and various regulatory restrictions exist when it comes to gardening or having backyard animals. Some of the concepts that people have used in urban settings which have allowed them to circumnavigate these obstacles are discussed below. They are a mix of approaches, ranging from gardening to co-parenting, going across different aspects of sustainability. Further the character of cities in the western world is extremely different from the eastern world. These differences work at social, political and physical level and have shaped these cities. Hence, there is a great diversity in all these examples but the concept of "no loss" links all of them. | A permaculture garden is not a garden seen in nature. Though it might have a configuration like a forest in terms of stability and efficiency, it is rich in functional plants which have a strong relationship with each other and result in high yields. In urban situations, space is limited, there may be little or no access to land, and various regulatory restrictions exist when it comes to gardening or having backyard animals. Some of the concepts that people have used in urban settings which have allowed them to circumnavigate these obstacles are discussed below. They are a mix of approaches, ranging from gardening to co-parenting, going across different aspects of sustainability. Further the character of cities in the western world is extremely different from the eastern world. These differences work at social, political and physical level and have shaped these cities. Hence, there is a great diversity in all these examples but the concept of "no loss" links them all. |
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| * Rooftop gardens: Rooftop gardens are a specific urban agriculture niche set within a broader system of city gardens, enjoy their own set of distinctive benefits. Rooftops are underutilized and rarely-considered urban spaces with great potential for creative development. There are essentially three options for rooftop gardens. The first is container gardening, a less formal, highly flexible, cheaper form of roof gardening. In container gardening, few to no modifications are made to the existing roof structure; containers – anything from plastic swimming pools to recycled-wood planters – are placed on a rooftop and filled with the desired soil type and plants. One of the problems here is the soil in rooftop containers might thaw on a warm winter day. Further roof container gardens dry out quickly and often require daily watering unless a mulch cover such as straw, wood chips or even a sub-soil layer of newspapers and compost is used to slow down evaporation. | * Rooftop gardens: Rooftop gardens are a specific urban agriculture niche set within a broader system of city gardens, enjoying their own set of distinctive benefits. Rooftops are underutilized and rarely-considered urban spaces with great potential for creative development. There are essentially [[three options]] for rooftop gardens. |
| The second type of roof garden is green roofs in which the rooftop actually becomes the planting medium. This involves more intensive investments(upto two times the cost of a normal roof), but comes with its own set of advantages, including greater storm-water retention, building insulation, and the formation of patchwork urban ecosystems, which work to reverse the fragmentation of ecosystems that follows urbanization by offering temporary habitats to fauna such as birds and butterflies during their long migrations. Green roofs are constructed using a special root and water-proof membrane for the base layer, then a root barrier, a retention/drainage layer, plus the soil layer, and finally the plants. Alpine plants or desert succulents are often used for green roofs, as they can withstand harsh rooftop conditions like wind, erosion, and extreme temperature. Native plants are also used for rooftop plantings, though all of them are not conducive for roof top conditions. With a modular green roof system, roof infrastructure access and maintanence has become much easier as parts of the roof can be moved independently. | |
| The third rooftop garden possibility is rooftop hydroponics, in which plants are grown in a soilless medium(peat, sand, gravel, old rubber tires, rockwool, perlite or vermiculite) and fed a special nutrient solution. Rooftop hydroponics can be the lightest of the three options and may | |
| offer the possibility for faster plant growth(up to two to four times) and increased productivity. The purest form of hydroponics is water culture, in which a plant’s crown is supported by a thin layer of substrate, while its roots are immersed in a nutrient solution. Hydroponic systems can be divided generally into two groups – passive and active systems. Passive systems are the most simple, and the cheapest, requiring only a container with drainage, a tray that holds liquid, and a growing medium. Plants are hand watered with the nutrient solution and soak up the solution via capillary action. Active systems include “ebb and flow” or “flood and drain,” in which a pump regularly floods the plant tray with nutrient solution, which then drains back into a holding tank. Various other systems require different growing media and methods of irrigation, but all need to be monitored for pH and nutrient solution strength, since plants have different nutrient requirements during different stages of their growth. Commercial systems can cost from $100 to several thousand dollars. Hydroponics can be practiced anywhere, even indoors, with the help of artificial lighting, and no digging or weeding is generally required. Growing conditions are highly controlled, so plants can be provided with the best possible conditions, resulting in better quality, disease-resistant plants with higher yields – commercial tomato growers have reported yields up to 40 times higher per hectare than soil-grown plants. Almost any kind of plant can be grown hydroponically – tomatoes, peppers, rhubarb, cucumbers, squash, snow peas, beans, spinach, lettuce, strawberries, chard, and broccoli are just some examples. | |
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| www.greenroofs.com | |
| www.hydrogarden.com | |
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| Rooftop gardens: | |
| _Cool and shade buildings reducing the 'heat island' effect of a city | |
| _Retain and utilize rainwater, provide wildlife habitat and enhance the roof membrane life | |
| _Have an aesthetic appeal creating a private haven | |
| _Remove heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, and lead from runoff. | |
| _Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the air quality by trapping and absorbing nitrous oxides, volatile organic compounds and airborne particulate matter | |
| _Overcome the problem of restrictive land prices and with other vertical sufaces of a building infact create more land. | |
| _Are better off with respect to pests, vandalism and theft as compared to community gardens on land. | |
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| Some interesting developmens: | |
| _In Switzerland and parts of Germany, this kind of mental shift – resulting in imagining buildings as displacing and not destroying land surface – has become federal law: developers must either improve the biodiversity of existing land, or transfer the green space that they displace to their rooftop or other building surface. | |
| _Rooftop gardens are a billion dollar industry in Germany | |
| _One clause of the Russian law states that authorities are obliged to help gardening associations with roads construction and repair, as well as water drainage and supply. | |
| _Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, both used roof gardens extensively in their architecture | |
| _New York has established a green roof task force, which is exploring direct government support of green roofs, including tax credits and other | |
| incentives. | |
| _ The Earth Pledge Foundation in New York strives to address sustainability at the local level – its programs include the Green Roof Initiative, which | |
| encourages initiatives to green New York City’s rooftops, and the Waste=Fuel program,which aims to facilitate an industrial infrastructure for turning food waste into fuel,enabling the city to generate electricity, heat, and steam. | |
| _ Hydroponics is found to be way too complex and expensive in lot of eastern countries and some of african countries too. In these places, roof gardens build out of local materials are most suitable. They are repair and maintained by the communities themselves. This is seen in places like India, St. Petersburg and Senegal. Infact, in Senegal people have devised a local solution using bricks and wooden box beds. In India too, the use of locally available cheap materials to create roof gardens is most successful. The “Doshi System” is offered as the most suitable method. It uses sugarcane stalks, collected from sugarcane juice vendors outside of his house, as biomass. This is lightweight, allows water drainage, and keeps soil in place. | |
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| The most significant challenges facing roof top gardens in all its forms are issues of access and roof load capacity. These barriers are especially problematic in liability-obsessed countries like the United States, although concerns for safety and building protection are certainly valid. Lack of | |
| knowledge or incentives, funding, water supply, safety, and the harshness of rooftop environments are also major barriers. Still, rooftop agriculture is slowly becoming more common, particularly in the developing world, where rooftop food production may have a significant impact on food security and income, solutions are creative and site-specific, and roofs are often built of different materials than those in the developed world. | |
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| For more details and case studies about rooftop gardens around the world, please click on the link below. This is a senior honors thesis from Cornell University. {{:roofgarden_thesis.pdf|}} | |
| |
| * Vertical gardens: Commonly seen in many western cities, vertical gardens act as good insulators and a source of food. They also increase the life of the structural wall behind. Vines are one of the most common plants used to create vertical green facades. | * Vertical gardens: Commonly seen in many western cities, vertical gardens act as good insulators and a source of food. They also increase the life of the structural wall behind. Vines are one of the most common plants used to create vertical green facades. |
| * Cooperative Arrangements: In Santa Fe, a community group is applying for a variance from the city to start using a small open space in their neigborhood for keeping chickens and bees and to plant an orchard. Combining their negotiating power helps with getting a variance, and distributing responsibilities as well as financial burden of setting up a productive environment ensures its stability and long-term success. | * Cooperative Arrangements: In Santa Fe, a community group is applying for a variance from the city to start using a small open space in their neigborhood for keeping chickens and bees and to plant an orchard. Combining their negotiating power helps with getting a variance, and distributing responsibilities as well as financial burden of setting up a productive environment ensures its stability and long-term success. |
| |
| * Co-Ownership of Assets: In Albuquerque, a group of people that live near each other decided to downsize and now own one truck, which is shared by several households. | * Co-Ownership of Assets: In Albuquerque, a group of people that live near each other decided to downsize and now own one truck, which is shared by several households. |
| |
| * Grafting Fruit Trees: In limited spaces one can still get a variety of fruit, when using a technique of grafting. A desirable variety (early ripening, or developed for storage, etc) is grafted onto an existing rootstock, resulting in trees that bears several types of fruit (now, apples don’t become oranges, but there can be several different apples on the same tree!). | * Grafting Fruit Trees: In limited spaces one can still get a variety of fruit, when using a technique of grafting. A desirable variety (early ripening, or developed for storage, etc) is grafted onto an existing rootstock, resulting in trees that bears several types of fruit (now, apples don’t become oranges, but there can be several different apples on the same tree!). |
| |
| * Worm Composting: A plastic bin with holes can house a family of red wiggler worms, who will be happy to eat your kitchen waste (eliminating it from the urban waste stream), and these critters will make it into good odor-free compost. | * Worm Composting: A plastic bin with holes can house a family of red wiggler worms, who will be happy to eat your kitchen waste (eliminating it from the urban waste stream), and these critters will make it into good odor-free compost. |
| |
| * The BackYard Forester, Los Angeles: A nonprofit organization, TreePeople leads people towards greening the city, restoring watersheds, ecosystems and neigborhoods. People can turn their yard into a wildlife or bird refuge or create an orchard that produces a surplus to share with food banks ,in the process creating an urban forest. | * The BackYard Forester, Los Angeles: A nonprofit organization, TreePeople leads people towards greening the city, restoring watersheds, ecosystems and neigborhoods. People can turn their yard into a wildlife or bird refuge or create an orchard that produces a surplus to share with food banks ,in the process creating an urban forest. |
| | |
| * The Citizen Pruner, New York: People can get trained in tree care and pruning, and be able to take care of trees, whenever and whereever needed. | * The Citizen Pruner, New York: People can get trained in tree care and pruning, and be able to take care of trees, whenever and whereever needed. |
| | |
| * Chickens in a City: Depending on the location, people may be allowed to keep chickens in their urban yard! The City Chicken - a website, which includes every answer plus city by city listing of regulations for keeping chickens makes this possible! | |
| | |
| === Orient vs Occident_ traditional farming === | |
| | |
| Excerpts from **An Agriculture Testament** by Sir Albert Howard published in 1940 | |
| | |
| //Orient_ China/India/Japan// | |
| | |
| * System of peasant farming since centuries. Agricultural practices are as permanent as those of the primeval forest | |
| * Comparable to systems found in Costarica, Guatemala and other parts of Latin America | |
| * Chief characteristics: | |
| * minute holdings | |
| * dominance of food and forage crops | |
| * mixed crops are the rule with cereals being the main constituent | |
| * a balance between livestock and crops | |
| * use of animal waste (especially in china, even the human waste found its way back to the land), Nothing is waste | |
| * leguminous plants are common(indo gangetic plains have pigeon pea which is also a sub soil cultivator) | |
| * absence of soil inversion ploughs( soil inversion for the destruction of weeds in hot climate is unnecessary in hot climate since the same work is done by the sun for free !! Also preserving the level of fields is essential for surface drainage and to prevent water logging ) | |
| * adequate suppply of labour | |
| * regional variables a common feature | |
| | |
| | |
| //Occident// | |
| |
| * Satisfy three hungers: hunger local rural population with the livestock, hunger of urban population and that of machines which need raw materials | * Chickens in a City: Depending on the location, people may be allowed to keep chickens in their urban yard! The City Chicken - a website, which includes every answer plus city by city listing of regulations for keeping chickens makes this possible! |
| * Holding tends to increase in size (from small family units of france and switzerland to collective farms of russia and ranches of US and Argentina) | |
| * monoculture is the rule, even rotations are unknown and no attempt is made to create natural humus or manure or waste recycling | |
| * dominance of the machine | |
| * artificial manure used widely | |
| * diseases and hence pesticides on the rise | |
| * food preservation processes is a norm | |
| * science a dominant force to help production | |
| * loss of soil fertility highlighted by the growing menace of soil erosion | |
| |
| === Europe and India _ urban farming === | === Europe and India _ urban farming === |
| |
| * There are numerous contextual divides between European and Asian backdrops: | see [[urban farming comparision]] |
| * Soil conditions and appropriateness of native plants | |
| * Traditional knowledge, role of medicinal plants and type of relationship with land | |
| * Role of plants in daily life(religion/festival/marriage/birth/death) | |
| * Type of staple diet | |
| * Overall seriousness of the problem, opportunity and public perception, level of awareness and character of the city | |
| * City's interdependence on rural areas | |
| * Growth index of the city, population density and character of local communities | |
| |
| {{:perma16.jpg|}} {{:perma24.jpg|}} | === Orient vs Occident_ traditional farming === |
| | |
| * Cities in India are well served by the produce from rural areas within and without the city. A unique and striking feature is the existence of urban villages which serve not just agro-produce but also dairy products to the city. Such intepenetration is a unique defining trait of Indian cities and holds great promise for an integrated and interdependent design response. | |
| | |
| * Approaches and techniques like seedballing, moss graffiti, psychogeography which happen in a bottom up way are interesting "interest generators" in numerous cities in Europe where the awareness is high and 'creating greens' is high on public agenda. However, in India, a more structured and policy level, community centric approach is needed. | |
| | |
| * Agriculture in urban India is a means of sustenance and earning money. It is often done by the poor/migrant communities. With the political emphasis on 'rural agriculture' in India, the positive contribution that production within the cities can make has hardly been acknowledged and is still not acknowledged because of the shocking pace at which cities are growing. In the Indian context as in much of the rapidly developing world , a shift has to happen at a market/commercial level or a public policy level much like in Cuba. This is proved in certain cases where the people have created successful business models around the agro business within cities. The cities have such momentum in terms of 'growth' and infrastructure development, that we might need to propose a product which people can buy off the shelf and use in their growth ! | |
| | |
| {{:perma17.jpg|}} | |
| | |
| * What are the growth symbols/patterns in urban areas? We have an opportunity here, to design responses which will directly impact the situation, related to real estate, construction, mass production, modular systems, transportation and architecture. Responses which soften the 'corporate sheen' which cities have come to symbolise and at a scale which can become ubiquitous _ **ubiquitous planting**. How can we do this ? As per recent statistics the planet adds 73 million humans to its tally ! Can we add 73 trillion plants every year ? http://www.worldometers.info | |
| |
| | see [[traditional farming notes]] |
| |
| === Possibilities for urban permaculture kits === | === Possibilities for urban permaculture kits === |
| 11. Creating a **green clock**, which uses the natural rhythms of plants and flowers as a new way of denoting and communicating time. This would be an interesting way to look at the linear progression of time in a different way. Flowers, following their circadian rhythms can prove to be interesting timekeepers. What if we could coordinate the blooming such that flowers open and close at set times of the day or connect it with the movement of leaves? Swedish botanist Carolus Linneaus first made the connection between flowers and time. The formal study of biological temporal rhythms such as daily, weekly, seasonal, and annual rhythms, is called chronobiology and the study of this could inform this design. Some of the flowering plants and their opening times are given below: | 11. Creating a **green clock**, which uses the natural rhythms of plants and flowers as a new way of denoting and communicating time. This would be an interesting way to look at the linear progression of time in a different way. Flowers, following their circadian rhythms can prove to be interesting timekeepers. What if we could coordinate the blooming such that flowers open and close at set times of the day or connect it with the movement of leaves? Swedish botanist Carolus Linneaus first made the connection between flowers and time. The formal study of biological temporal rhythms such as daily, weekly, seasonal, and annual rhythms, is called chronobiology and the study of this could inform this design. Some of the flowering plants and their opening times are given below: |
| |
| _ Common morning glory: 6 am | * Common morning glory: 6 am |
| | * Water Lily: 7 am |
| _ Water Lily: 7 am | * Field marigold: 9 am |
| | * Star-of-Bethlehem: 11 am |
| _ Field marigold: 9 am | * Passion flower and carnation: noon |
| | * Moon flower: 5 pm |
| _ Star-of-Bethlehem: 11 am | * Evening primrose: 6 pm |
| | * Fig marigold: 7 to 8 pm |
| _ Passion flower and carnation: noon | * Night blooming cereus: 8 to 9 pm |
| | |
| _ Moon flower: 5 pm | |
| | |
| _ Evening primrose: 6 pm | |
| | |
| _ Fig marigold: 7 to 8 pm | |
| | |
| _ Night blooming cereus: 8 to 9 pm | |
| |
| These times are accurate to Uppsala, Sweden where Linnaeus grew these plants. | These times are accurate to Uppsala, Sweden where Linnaeus grew these plants. |
| * //literature used in the research (books, magazines, journals, URLs...)// | * //literature used in the research (books, magazines, journals, URLs...)// |
| |
| URLS | URLS (these should be included as footnotes for the relevant sections) |
| | * http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/associate/debkamal-ganguly |
| http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/associate/debkamal-ganguly | * http://www.teriin.org/sector_search.php?sector=11&tp=Projects |
| | * http://www.rahelhegnauer.ch |
| http://www.teriin.org/sector_search.php?sector=11&tp=Projects | * http://www.thenrgroup.net/info/people/CT/Tingle.doc |
| | * http://www.thenrgroup.net/info/people/sketch.htm |
| http://www.rahelhegnauer.ch | * http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/permaculture/ |
| | * http://www.guerrillagardening.org |
| http://www.thenrgroup.net/info/people/CT/Tingle.doc | * http://www.guerrillagardening.org |
| | * http://www.gb0063551.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/guerrilla |
| http://www.thenrgroup.net/info/people/sketch.htm | * http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=8075862560861551314 |
| | * http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-4751861414078790483 |
| http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/permaculture/ | * http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1932967376811053312 |
| | * http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-1045670822404092369 |
| http://www.guerrillagardening.org | * http://www.tlio.org.uk/campaigns/wandsworth/pureperm.html |
| | * http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-sudan-0123.html |
| http://www.guerrillagardening.org | * http://www.storyofstuff.com/ |
| | * http://blindspot-delhi.blogspot.com/ |
| http://www.gb0063551.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/guerrilla | * http://brussels-farmer.blogspot.com/ |
| | * http://publicspace.ca/gardeners.htm |
| http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=8075862560861551314 | * http://www.bladediary.com/index.pl?stencil=223 |
| | * http://www.guerrillagardening.it/ |
| http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-4751861414078790483 | * http://www.primalseeds.org/guerrilla.htm |
| | * http://www.gruenewelle.org/index_en.html |
| http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1932967376811053312 | * http://www.greenguerillas.org/ |
| | * http://www.heavypetal.ca/archives/2007/04/operation_moss_graffiti.html |
| http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-1045670822404092369 | * http://www.mclveganway.org.uk/ |
| | * http://cityspinning.org/ |
| http://www.tlio.org.uk/campaigns/wandsworth/pureperm.html | * http://greenmuseum.org/c/alch_gard/kathryn_miller.html |
| | * http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-good-life-in-havana-cubas-green-revolution-410930.html |
| http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-sudan-0123.html | * http://www.pomona.edu/museum/exhibitions/archive/fall2001/postlandscape/mcauley.shtml |
| | * http://www.landliving.com/articles/0000000616.aspx |
| http://www.storyofstuff.com/ | * http://www.oaec.org/ |
| | * http://www.oceansong.org/farmandgarden.htm |
| http://blindspot-delhi.blogspot.com/ | * http://www.solarliving.org/ |
| | * http://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/projects/archive.page;jsessionid=31B9FCD40E44AF991825D1717E7FABBA |
| http://brussels-farmer.blogspot.com/ | * http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/benjamin_fahrer.php |
| | * http://www.frlht.org.in/ |
| http://publicspace.ca/gardeners.htm | * http://www.medicinalplants.in/ |
| | * http://www.leisa.info/ |
| http://www.bladediary.com/index.pl?stencil=223 | * http://www.urbansquares.com/ |
| | * http://www.materialistpsychogeography.co.uk/ |
| http://www.guerrillagardening.it/ | * http://www.ikatun.org/institute/infinitelysmallthings/ |
| | * http://www.prusikloop.org/mrwatson/?p=76 |
| http://www.primalseeds.org/guerrilla.htm | * http://kdg.mit.edu/Projects/p13.html |
| | * http://www.tuukkahalonen.com/ |
| http://www.gruenewelle.org/index_en.html | * http://www.ioodesign.com/ |
| | * http://www.kathleenrogers.co.uk/r_d/ |
| http://www.greenguerillas.org/ | * http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/portablelight/intro.html |
| | * http://designcorner.blinkr.net/Interactive_Architecture/ |
| http://www.heavypetal.ca/archives/2007/04/operation_moss_graffiti.html | * http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/programmes/units/unit14.htm |
| | * http://futurefeeder.com/index.php/archives/2005/05/08/frameless-structure-glass-dome/ |
| http://www.mclveganway.org.uk/ | * http://reconstruction.eserver.org/063/holmes.shtml |
| | * http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/12/the_hanging_gar.html |
| http://cityspinning.org/ | * http://www.humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/C16/P20/ |
| | * http://www.blog.thesietch.org/2007/01/18/really-green-buildings/ |
| http://greenmuseum.org/c/alch_gard/kathryn_miller.html | * http://www.ecosyn.us/ecocity/Ecosyn/Container_Plants/index.html |
| | * http://www.asquare.org/networkresearch/?cat=21&paged=2 |
| http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-good-life-in-havana-cubas-green-revolution-410930.html | * http://www.terragalleria.com/america/north-east/new-york/picture.usny6611.html |
| | * http://progressivegardening.com/soilfreehydroponicgardening.html |
| http://www.pomona.edu/museum/exhibitions/archive/fall2001/postlandscape/mcauley.shtml | * http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/013509.html |
| | * http://www.thecityreview.com/arcnow.html |
| http://www.landliving.com/articles/0000000616.aspx | * http://www.hbp.usm.my/ventilation/Penghijauan%20menegak.htm |
| | * http://www.clubofpioneers.com/blogs/tags/architecture/ |
| http://www.oaec.org/ | * http://www.sunutility.com/html_pg/city.html |
| | * http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/jetson_green/2006/11/index.html |
| http://www.oceansong.org/farmandgarden.htm | * http://www.netspeed.com.au/abeccs/sunshineuni/sunshine%20building%20design.htm |
| | * http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/ci/v7no3/v7no3_13_e.html |
| http://www.solarliving.org/ | * http://greenmuseum.org/generic_content.php?ct_id=229 |
| | * http://www.nzwerf.org.nz/publications/sw602/sw602s5-1.html |
| http://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/projects/archive.page;jsessionid=31B9FCD40E44AF991825D1717E7FABBA | * http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/jetson_green/energy_efficiency/index.html |
| | * http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,1599531,00.html |
| http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/09/benjamin_fahrer.php | * http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/902 |
| | * http://greenroofs.wordpress.com/contact-us/ |
| http://www.frlht.org.in/ | * http://www.green-roofing.co.uk/frames/frames_system.html |
| | * http://nisee.berkeley.edu/elibrary/browse/kozak?eq=5392 |
| http://www.medicinalplants.in/ | * http://citycomfortsblog.typepad.com/cities/2004/02/index.html |
| | * http://www.developmentcrossing.com/development_crossing/climate_change/index.html |
| http://www.leisa.info/ | * http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~infoarts/links/actobjects/activatedartists.html |
| | * http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/independent/abstracts/03-04/page-3/?searchterm=Nilanjan%20Bhattacharya |
| http://www.urbansquares.com/ | * http://khojworkshop.org/aggregator |
| | * http://www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/announce/news/94B/20060607.pdf |
| http://www.materialistpsychogeography.co.uk/ | * http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hybrid/msg07015311868.html |
| | * http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/seminar/2002/edible/pt.htm |
| http://www.ikatun.org/institute/infinitelysmallthings/ | * http://www.new-agri.co.uk/01-5/focuson/focuson4.html |
| | * http://www.prolume.com/temp/ltimes/ltimes.htm |
| http://www.prusikloop.org/mrwatson/?p=76 | * http://cmos.missouri.org/2003Dec14.htm |
| | * http://www.prolume.com/temp/nyt/patents.htm |
| http://kdg.mit.edu/Projects/p13.html | * http://www.prolume.com/temp/cnn/cnn1.htm |
| | * http://desertification.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/permaculture-explained/ |
| http://www.tuukkahalonen.com/ | * http://www.navdanya.org/about/index.htm |
| | * http://www.krameterhof.at/Englisch/anzeige.htm |
| http://www.ioodesign.com/ | * http://homepage2.nifty.com/ISEA-Japan/inl/inl80.html |
| | * http://www.di.net/videos/the_new_species_architecture/ |
| http://www.kathleenrogers.co.uk/r_d/ | * http://www.materialecology.com/ |
| | |
| http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/portablelight/intro.html | |
| | |
| http://designcorner.blinkr.net/Interactive_Architecture/ | |
| | |
| http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture/programmes/units/unit14.htm | |
| | |
| http://futurefeeder.com/index.php/archives/2005/05/08/frameless-structure-glass-dome/ | |
| | |
| http://reconstruction.eserver.org/063/holmes.shtml | |
| | |
| http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/12/the_hanging_gar.html | |
| | |
| http://www.humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/C16/P20/ | |
| | |
| http://www.blog.thesietch.org/2007/01/18/really-green-buildings/ | |
| | |
| http://www.ecosyn.us/ecocity/Ecosyn/Container_Plants/index.html | |
| | |
| http://www.asquare.org/networkresearch/?cat=21&paged=2 | |
| | |
| http://www.terragalleria.com/america/north-east/new-york/picture.usny6611.html | |
| | |
| http://progressivegardening.com/soilfreehydroponicgardening.html | |
| | |
| http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/013509.html | |
| | |
| http://www.thecityreview.com/arcnow.html | |
| | |
| http://www.hbp.usm.my/ventilation/Penghijauan%20menegak.htm | |
| | |
| http://www.clubofpioneers.com/blogs/tags/architecture/ | |
| | |
| http://www.sunutility.com/html_pg/city.html | |
| | |
| http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/jetson_green/2006/11/index.html | |
| | |
| http://www.netspeed.com.au/abeccs/sunshineuni/sunshine%20building%20design.htm | |
| | |
| http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/ci/v7no3/v7no3_13_e.html | |
| | |
| http://greenmuseum.org/generic_content.php?ct_id=229 | |
| | |
| http://www.nzwerf.org.nz/publications/sw602/sw602s5-1.html | |
| | |
| http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/jetson_green/energy_efficiency/index.html | |
| | |
| http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,1599531,00.html | |
| | |
| http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/902 | |
| | |
| http://greenroofs.wordpress.com/contact-us/ | |
| | |
| http://www.green-roofing.co.uk/frames/frames_system.html | |
| | |
| http://nisee.berkeley.edu/elibrary/browse/kozak?eq=5392 | |
| | |
| http://citycomfortsblog.typepad.com/cities/2004/02/index.html | |
| | |
| http://www.developmentcrossing.com/development_crossing/climate_change/index.html | |
| | |
| http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~infoarts/links/actobjects/activatedartists.html | |
| | |
| http://www.sarai.net/fellowships/independent/abstracts/03-04/page-3/?searchterm=Nilanjan%20Bhattacharya | |
| | |
| http://khojworkshop.org/aggregator | |
| | |
| http://www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/announce/news/94B/20060607.pdf | |
| | |
| http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hybrid/msg07015311868.html | |
| | |
| http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/seminar/2002/edible/pt.htm | |
| | |
| http://www.new-agri.co.uk/01-5/focuson/focuson4.html | |
| | |
| http://www.prolume.com/temp/ltimes/ltimes.htm | |
| | |
| http://cmos.missouri.org/2003Dec14.htm | |
| | |
| http://www.prolume.com/temp/nyt/patents.htm | |
| | |
| http://www.prolume.com/temp/cnn/cnn1.htm | |
| | |
| http://desertification.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/permaculture-explained/ | |
| | |
| http://www.navdanya.org/about/index.htm | |
| | |
| http://www.krameterhof.at/Englisch/anzeige.htm | |
| | |
| http://homepage2.nifty.com/ISEA-Japan/inl/inl80.html | |
| | |
| http://www.di.net/videos/the_new_species_architecture/ | |
| |
| http://www.materialecology.com/ | * //media used in the research (film, audiovisual media, photographs...)// |
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| * //media used in the research (film, audiovisual media, photographs...)// | |
| 1. Power of community: Produced by the community solution organization, the film explores the peak oil crisis with focus on community based solutions that reflect the values of cooperation, conservation and curtailment. The film captures the free fall of Cuba's economy in early 90's with the fall of the Soviet Union and its brilliant turnaround using drastic measures to become self reliant. It demonstrates the role of community in dealing with acute challenges. Every aspect of cuban life was affected by the 'special period', but no change was as far reaching as agriculture. Cuba was forced to switch to survival agriculture from the green revolution practices it was accustomed to. A drastic effort to convert every piece of arable land to organic agriculture was begin. An urban agriculture movement resulted where every vacant lot in the city was converted into an orchard. Under urban gardening, idle plots of land were identified, cleaned and turned into gardens by the community. The people cooperating and caring about each other were the main factors for the turnaround. With sustainable practices Cuba found that it took 3 to 5 years to rehabilitate the soil again. To increase food production the government worked with farmers to find local solutions. The result was smaller farms and cooperatives with a high degree of privatization and autonomy. These were able to use sustainable practices in a much more efficient manner and created new ways of decentralized growth under a larger umbrella. With a more stable method of land distribution and ownership, thousands moved to rural areas. The impact was also felt in the education, housng, transportation and energy alternatives realms resulting in improvised solutions from the people and the government which has not only created a unique model for all of us but also reinstilled faith in the power of simple steps taken at a community level. | 1. Power of community: Produced by the community solution organization, the film explores the peak oil crisis with focus on community based solutions that reflect the values of cooperation, conservation and curtailment. The film captures the free fall of Cuba's economy in early 90's with the fall of the Soviet Union and its brilliant turnaround using drastic measures to become self reliant. It demonstrates the role of community in dealing with acute challenges. Every aspect of cuban life was affected by the 'special period', but no change was as far reaching as agriculture. Cuba was forced to switch to survival agriculture from the green revolution practices it was accustomed to. A drastic effort to convert every piece of arable land to organic agriculture was begin. An urban agriculture movement resulted where every vacant lot in the city was converted into an orchard. Under urban gardening, idle plots of land were identified, cleaned and turned into gardens by the community. The people cooperating and caring about each other were the main factors for the turnaround. With sustainable practices Cuba found that it took 3 to 5 years to rehabilitate the soil again. To increase food production the government worked with farmers to find local solutions. The result was smaller farms and cooperatives with a high degree of privatization and autonomy. These were able to use sustainable practices in a much more efficient manner and created new ways of decentralized growth under a larger umbrella. With a more stable method of land distribution and ownership, thousands moved to rural areas. The impact was also felt in the education, housng, transportation and energy alternatives realms resulting in improvised solutions from the people and the government which has not only created a unique model for all of us but also reinstilled faith in the power of simple steps taken at a community level. |
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| | * //visual/sonic/tactile material generated in the research to be archived at [[FoAM]]// |
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| * //visual/sonic/tactile material generated in the research to be archived at [[FoAM]]// | |
sanjeev