PERMACULTURE
EVALUATION
CENTRE
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28 Living systems can capture and transform a limited proportion of the energy they absorb, which is held in storages of various forms and durability for self maintenance, growth, and for the capture of more energy. This stored energy is generally higher in quality than its source and thus capable of driving a wider range of processes than the original source energy
29 But all this is disconnected from our normal understanding of value and wealth
In future harvesting and storing on site renewable energies and waste resources will be essential
30 Energy sources for self reliance include
solar for drying, passive heating, photo electric panels
wind for pumping and power generation
biomass for fuel and construction
run off water for irrigation, aquaculture, power generation
and in the transition stage, agricultural and forestry wastes for soil improvement, fuel, animal feed
34 River systems are highly productive if allowed to respind naturally to changes in flows and seasonal variations
Soil ecosystems have evolved to catch and store plant nutrients in non soluble forms (to prevent leaching)
35 Humus increases the capacity of soils to store mineral nutrients, water and carbon. Even in temperate ecosystems plants (especially trees) are an important store of nutrients for recycling via leaf drop, browsing or fire
36 Timber and fuel forests, also pastures, fodder trees and fibre crops, can be grown on marginal soils which lack the depth structure or fertility to support human food crops. Storage of carbon by perennial crops, especially trees, is central to permaculture strategies for catching and storing energy.
Rebuilding of humus in cropping soils is a great task for humanity along with reforestation of catchments and degraded rangelands
Under favourable conditions humus storage can be stable for hundreds even thousands of years
38 A favourable mineral balance and microbial population are the critical factors that allow soils to digest organic matter.
39/40 Increasing humus levels in farming soils could re-absorb some of the imbalance of CO2 in the atmosphere
We need to return all organic matter to garden and agricultural soils, stop intensive animal husbandry, use rotations of leguminous pastures, replace soluble fertilizers, increase tree cover
41 Need more timber forests in a world of declining fossil fuels
42 Long rotation mixed species forests are better than plantations. Will be vital for structural timber and fuel when fossil fuels decline
43 Seed saving and planting of useful species from the past
44 Only simple technology is required to make use of water, fertile soil, seed, timber forests
‘Development’ should mean generation of real natural capital
In considering new and existing land uses and management we should in future identify how to store water, nutrients and carbon, and the likely leakages from storage.
Compare strategies for intervention with evolution of natural systems
45 Rebuilding household level stores of energy in form of seeds, preserved food, fuel wood
46 Design criteria for buildings: modest in scale, designed for long life or made from renewable materials, simple to maintain, multipurpose and adaptable. This contrasts with existing buildings which assume availability of cheap energy
49 Importance of the level and balance of mineral nutrients in the soil – between calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium. The effects of imbalances is described.
50 Be pragmatic in use of fossil fuels – use wisely, as if they were more expensive