[email protected] Folke Günther Permaculture in the grand scale Ruralisation with ecounits

Folke Günther http://www.holon.se/folke [email protected]

Permaculture in the grand scale

Ruralisation with ecounits


Cheap energy will soon be a memory of forlorn times

1. Without cheap energy, phosphorus need to be recycled

2. Without cheap energy, supply lines need to be short

3. Without cheap energy, we have to rely on ecosystem services

We are in trouble


We are in troubleCheap energy will soon be a

memory of forlorn times

1. Whithout cheap energy, phosphorus need to be recycled

2. Whithout cheap energy, supply lines need to be short (Clausewitz)

3. Whithout cheap energy, we have to rely on ecosystem services


Therefore, we need a lifeboat


Extraction horizons of phosphorus

At higher energy price: ?? years

100 – 150 yearsAt current energy price:

Peak phosphorus


Peak phosphorus is not a problem

• Phosphorus molecules does not wear out !

• The ecounit is designed for phosphorus recycling !

• The main thing is to avoid loss

in an ecounit


• a balanced agriculture

• a limited group of people

• a local recycling system

Safe food supply and nutrient recycling requires:


Balanced agriculture: Animals are fed with

plants growing from their manure

= about 80% recycling of nutrients PO4

Feed Urine

One hectare:

Balanced agriculture


.. but 3-4 kg of the phosphorus (20%) is exported as food

The 3-4 kg amounts to the P content of the excrements from 5 persons

PO4

Feed Urine

Food

Urine

= 0,2 ha/pers

One hectare:

Limited group of people


.. these nutrients must be returned to close the cycle

With source-separating toilets,

these nutrients can be recycled

PO4

Feed Urine

Food

Urine

PO

4

= 0,2 ha/pers

One hectare:

Local recyclingsystem


The eco-unit, a small population maintained by a permaculture

agricultureBalanced agriculture

Providing most of the human foodand all of the animal fodder

Area: 50 ha for 200 inhabitants

•Nutrient reclaim•Landscape diversity•Predator habitat•Lee – planting•Biomass production

Open ditches

Nutrients from the settlement is recycled to agricultural land

Balanced agriculture,aimed at the

support of thelocal population

Small population,about 200,

supported by the

agriculture


The eco-unit

Biological greywater treatment plant (wetpark)Clean water is returned to

the households

• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Water export by evaporation

Feed

PO4Food

PO

4


Economy


Total energy investment: about 40.000 kWh / 4 pers

Energy delivered to household: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p.

The energy economy of conventional food production

Energy invested in agriculture: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p.

Energy invested by middlemen: about 36.000 kWh/ 4 p.

Folke Günther http://www.holon.se/folke [email protected] kr

15 000 kr

30 000 kr

60 000 kr Annual consumer cost for food (four person Swedish family)60.000 SEK

Payment to producer, less than 25%

Trade, distribution and processingabout 75% of the total price

Producer cost (fuel, interests etc.)80% of producer payment

Producer salary, about 3.000 SEK (5% of consumer cost)

The economy of conventional food production


Assume a group of consumers subscribe for food from a local farmer


They will drive the industry out of the market by paying the double industrial price (half of the consumer price)


15 000

30 000

45 000

60 000

Expenses

Salary

Distribution and trade

Because of the increased food diversity produced, the farmers’s expenses are assumed to increase with 50%

..but the remaining is the farmers salary, which will

increase 400%

The consumer cost for the food decrease with 50%

13.000

18.000

60.000

30.000

12.000

3.000

The economy of ecounit food production

conventional ecounit


Total energy investment in food : about 8.000 kWh / 4 pers

The energy economy of ecounit food production

Energy invested in (conventional) agriculture: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p.

Energy invested local management: about 8.000 kWh/ 4 p.


Let’s hope that the consumers will usetheir saved money to invest in the agriculture…

Cheaper food

Saved money

Lesser energy price vulnerability


# The rules are:You can imagine the most ridiculous thingsBut you have to render a statement of the effects

# A scenario is an imagination made by a scientist

The ruralisation scenario


The ruralisation scenario – start point

In this scenario, the following is assumed:

4. They decide that, instead of building new houses on the same place as the old ones were torn down, they will build eco-units in the periphery of the town.

At start point, the centre of the municipality has a population of 33 000The periphery: 3 000 1. The city is inhabited by decision-makers who have the

capacity to make far-sighted and strategic decisions

3. Furthermore, they understand that the city is not static, but dynamic. Old houses are torn down and new are built. (The average life-time for a house is supposed to be 60 years, which gives the city a

rate of change of 1,6%)

2. They have the same knowledge of limiting resources, ecology and the rules for long-term survival as you.


Ruralisation – after 12 years

The town center: 24 000The periphery : 12 000

Groups of four Eco-unitsEach group is inhabited by 800 people

Local parks replacing the old houses



The town : 12 000The periphery : 24 000

Reversed ditching:Underground streams are brought to the surfaceCleaner water



The endpoint of the ruralisation process: The municipality : 3 000The periphery : 36 000

Area with 5,600 inhabitants in eco-unitsPopulation density closing to 500/km2

• High diversity• Perennial plants• Co-operation• Mutualism• Nutrient circulation• On-site consumption• Slow change• Water export by evaporationBy changing into a more

resilient and less fuel dependent state, the ecological maturity of the area is considerably increased

May be, the human impact on this area has changed from a parasitic to a supportive type

Documents

[email protected] Folke Günther Permaculture in the grand scale Ruralisation with ecounits