M3.6 pdc+++M3.6 pdc+++In natural systems plants & animals form a single system, where all organisms are closely

inter-connected, & give each other mutual support.But normally in systems that we humans have designed, animals are excluded or separated

from their vital environment, so creating not only waste & pollution but also terrible conditions for animals & their exploitation.

In this class we explore how to learn from nature & design systems that re-weave the whole web of Life, so creating environments which are ideal for plants, animals & humans, as

well as giving much greater abundance of well-being, richness & also production.

of the

M3.6 AnimalsAn integral exploration

PDC++ +

Wangari Maathai

"Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree,

you water it and make it survive,

you haven't done a thing. You are just talking."

... and a tree needs

many cubic meters

of soil

rich in

organic matter

and millions of

bugs ...

Kenia, April 1th 1940 -

September 25th 2011

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance

• Duck-Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance

• Duck-Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

Leirre Keith

Writer, activist

Radical Feminist

One of the founders of Green Deep Resistance

She made a deep study about the assumptions

around agriculture, vegetarianism & saving the

planet

In its 2006 report, the United Nations said raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.

According to the UN Report, when emissions from land use and land use change are included, the livestock sector accounts for 9 per cent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities.

It can take up to 16 pounds of grain to obtain 1 pound of meat

....

All of this is true if we talk about

FACTORY FARMING

See www.TheMeatrix.com

But is adopting a vegetarian diet really a useful way to achieve

sustainability?

So if we want to keep the balance of the vital cycles, the comples web of

life (and death)

There is not such a thing as a “vegan” ecosystem

We have to understand our patterns and belief systems

As well as be quite thorough in not ignoring evidence that clashes with

our beliefs & emotions.

Leavers

Takers

CREATE & ACCEPTgive thanks

CONSUME & FORCEcomplain

Entitlement Pattern

Responsability Pattern

there is a GREATEMOTIONAL conflict

here<<< >>>

eat directly from theperennial polycultures of theirregion (they adapt to 'what there is')

destroy perennial polycultures & replace them by agriculture based in annuals (they eat what 'they like')

The regeneration of PERENNIAL POLYCULTURES is vital to stop the destruction: Loss of soils, Climate

change, ...

Jose will give a class on "Health Sovereignty" after class 3.7

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors    

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance

• Duck-Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

Animals provide Poo& other valuable services in an ecosystem

"Good Poo, Bad Poo" article:

3.6 Animals in e-book

• "The fairest thing in nature, a flower,still has its roots in earth and manure."—D.H. Lawrence, English novelist, poet (1885-1930)

"There is no doubt about it,

the basic satisfaction in farming is manure."E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web

'normal' gardening

chickens pollute here

imported 'guano' here

Chicken Tractorscome in all shapes & sizes ...

... adapt to your system

Fixed Structure TractorFixed Structure Tractor

Fixed compartments

The chickens move around

staying some time in each one

There is a fixed compartment with place to sleep, lay eggs,

water, etc.

The rotation time depends on the number & size of the

compartments & number of chickens

parallel gardens tractor systemin Tagari Farm 1999

one year later

The Igloo GardensThe Igloo Gardens

Tractor of a dome or igloo shape that is moved from one place to

another

A garden system of circular beds of mandalas

Rotation in infinity shape, moves every two weeks

12 beds, 24 weeks (6 months) rotates

around all of mandala

mandala gardens tractor systemin Tagari Farm, 1999

one year later

Use of Biological ResourcesWe use chickens as a tractor, instead of machines - best if tractor also made of recycled materials

Permaculture Design Principles that are taken into accountPermaculture Design Principles that are taken into account

Each Element performs many FunctionsThe chickens are performing all of these functions: harvesting garden left-overs, fertilizing, pest & weed control, moving the earth, making compost and also give eggs, meat, feathers

Relative LocationChickens put in useful relation with the garden, they support each other's functions and needs

Zones & Sectors PlanningTractor & gardens are placed usually in Zone1, nearest the house or most frequented area

Cicling EnergyKitchen scraps go to the chickens who then produce shit & feathers which feeds the plants which grow in the garden, that we then eat, leaving scraps for the chickens...

Natural PatternsCircular gardens provide minimum paths for maximum growing area, we can maximize edge with 'keyhole' paths & mandala shapes, domes are naturally strong (egg-shape!) structures, use year / season pattern to design rotation

Building an Igloo

Very good use of old irrigation pipes, netting, recycled materials in general

chickens like to sleep HIGH & drythey need a DARK place to lay eggsthey love to scratch soil & need to eat small stones for digestion, dust baths& plentiful veggies, insects, other chickens ...

Another type of Igloo

many shapes will do ...

give LOTS of high-carbon biomass to chickens to avoid nitrogen poisoning, over-acidic soil, foot or other diseases in chickens, ... and to provide lots of mulch for your future garden

Javier Reyes Barroso, Tenerife

has a chicken-coffee-worm 'tractor'

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance

• Duck-Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

“Our mission is to create economically, ecologically and emocionally enhaced agricultural prototypes and facilitate their duplication troughout the world”

Joel Salatin

The Chicken house during Spring: summer and autum, it's

moved every 3 daysso the chickens have fresh

“pasture” to graze in

The Chicken house during Winter:

at the end of the Winter the greenhouse is ready to grow

sweetcorn and tomato!

There are multiple ponds around the Farm

The Pigs spend a month a year in the forest

Creating “temporary disturbances in the forest” that cause:

+ decomposition+ carbon sequestration+ soil creation

In the same Patch of LandThe Chickens

And Turkeys clear and

Fertilize the land

Then pasture left to grow for hay

When the hay is harvested the broiler

chickens come in

And then the cattlecan graze

The ChickensLive in the greenhouse

During Winter

The Greenhouse is Planted with sweetcorn

And tomatoes the Rest of the time

The Cattle Graze in the forest

The pigs Live in the forest

1 month a year

There vision is to regenerate theRich ecosystem of graze-land and

forest created by the Native-americans centuries ago

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance   

• Duck-Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

Transhumance

the seasonal movement of people with

their livestock between fixed summer and

winter pastures

Summers in the Summers in the High PasturesHigh Pastures

in autumnin autumn they they

descend descend again to the again to the

valleysvalleys

Winter in the Winter in the ValleysValleys

hay, make compost for hay, make compost for fields in spring, meatfields in spring, meat

(animals as 'banks')(animals as 'banks')

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance

• Duck­Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

The ducks eliminate most weeds, remove all harmful insects, and all the aquatic life it can catchThe ducks fertilise the riceThe ducks cultivate the rice producing a rich mulch around the rice plants

The paddy provides weeds, insects, pests, snails, frogs and shelter for the ducks

The rice crop provides open range for the ducks

The rice provides bran and cracked grains for the ducks

The rice is transplantedTo the paddys

When the ducks are8 weeks old and the rice

Begin to flower the Ducks are totally released

On the paddy

When they have Seven days the ducks

Are moved to A shelter in the paddy

The ducks eggsAnd the rice seeds

Are “set” at the sametime

• The Vegetarian Myth

• Chickens & Tractors

• Polyface Farm

• Transhumance

• Duck-Rice Farming

• Some Surprising Foie Gras     

an integral exploration

M3.5 ANIMALS

Today's Foie Gras ("fat liver")Today's Foie Gras ("fat liver")is produced by force-feeding ducks, is produced by force-feeding ducks,

geese ("gavage") geese ("gavage")

takes a few seconds (crop of geese can takes a few seconds (crop of geese can store a lot of food) but basically cruelstore a lot of food) but basically cruel

the fatty livers are a the fatty livers are a great delicacygreat delicacy

appreciated from way appreciated from way bak in Ancient Egypt bak in Ancient Egypt

timestimes

banned in some cities, banned in some cities, chefs attackedchefs attacked

Eduardo SouzaEduardo Souza

grassgrassolivesolivesacornacornfigsfigs

herbsherbsseedsseeds

"the goose "the goose whisperer"whisperer"

181218124 generations4 generations

Dan Barber Dan Barber chefchef

Ethical FoieGrasEthical FoieGras

Raises 1,000 geese each year

they roam freely

eat their fill of acorns and olives, figs, herbs, seeds, grass ...

the farm that replicates the wild as closely as possible

"If you convince them that they're not domesticated, their natural instinct takes over," he explains.

"When it turns cold and it's time for them to migrate, they start gorging to prepare for the long flight."

His FoieGras won France's Coup de Coeur award ("the Olympics of food").

"That," Sousa likes to say, "really pissed the French off."

FencingFencing"felt manipulated""felt manipulated"

put current outsideput current outside- geese ate 20% more - geese ate 20% more

"my job is to give the geese "my job is to give the geese what they want"what they want"

50% figs & 50% figs & olivesolives

found lupin bushfound lupin bushplanted on his farmplanted on his farm

seeds turn liversseeds turn livers'radioactive yellow''radioactive yellow'

his answer always his answer always "Nature""Nature"

even salt & peppereven salt & pepperare in the herbsare in the herbs

Problem: colourProblem: colour

a gift from a gift from GodGod

with God with God saying: saying:

"you've done "you've done good work"good work"

"Listening to Nature's "Listening to Nature's operating instructions"operating instructions"

Janine Benyus (biomimicry)Janine Benyus (biomimicry)

BUTBUT

the most the most ecological ecological

choice for foodchoice for food

is also the most is also the most ethical choiceethical choice

andandthe most the most deliciousdelicious

General Motors mentalityGeneral Motors mentalityextraction of resourcesextraction of resources

imposing solutions on Natureimposing solutions on Nature