Pa e 12 RAIN Aug./Sept. 1980 PERMANENCE ·un-TILL Tomorrow critiquing by Michael Stusser intensive agriculture One of the more widely heralded approaches to gardening, which has been popularized over the last twelve years, is the Bio-dynamic/ French Intensive (BFI) method synthesized by Alan Chadwick. This method is said to be more efficient than industrial agriculture, to give four times the yield per area or more, to use less water, no chemicals or machinery and to be economically viable. Claims have been made that BFI will play a crucial role in the solution to many socio-economic problems including world hunger, energy depletion and unemployment. The basics of the methods themselves are represented in How to • Grow More Vegetables on Less Land Than You Ever Imagined, by John Jeavons, (see RAIN Vol. II, #5). It is this work that in large part has popularized Chadwick's methods. Probably the single most characteristic quality of BFI is the use of raised beds. This term refers to a planting area which is deeply loosened to provide good aeration. The planting area, or bed, is mounded up above the existing soil level and filled with organic materials and nutrients. The mounding is accomplished by deep, or double digging, which serves to break the hardpan, allowing one to incorporate quantities of organic material and give the plants access to sub-soil minerals. The basic concept is to induce the soil to breathe, allowing the free flow of water and plant nutrients. The In June, Laura and I spent an amazing weekend at the Farallones Integral Urban House in Berkeley participating in a series of workshops organized by Farallones staffers Robert Kourik and Page Nelson. The workshops afforded an opportunity to bounce ideas and experiences off of Bill Mollison (author of Permaculture I & II), , Earle Barnhart (New Alchemy), Richard Merrill (Cabriol College), 1 ,_, Larry Korn (editor of The One Straw Revolution), Isao Fujimoto (U.C. Davis), Tom Fox (Bronx Redevelopment Corp.), and a dozen or so other alternative agriculture activists from around the country. There was time for each of us to hear about and tell about work we've been engaged in, in some cases, for many years. There was also solid feedback and real criticism as well as encouragement and concrete information to take back to our work places. The structural focus of the weekend's dialogues was the question of sustainable agriculture, one that is not dependent on petrochemicals and constant maintenance. This was sometimes referred to as Permaculture, after the Mollison books, sometimes labeled Edible Landscaping, often simply called Tree Cropping; the ideal being a system for producing food, harboring beneficial insects, and maintaining and regenerating topsoil in ways which most reflect 1 toua.H oe)61,JN,,.. ~ U1lt WE@IS,1if1Wr6,~~-S'IFF~l#e~ Nib c...t.tl> fl.AT. 2 ~ IS -srnHl::l$ i.0ml lli-OOD ~ l!CNE-,. r:,e,Q;yE;l> !DF OR. 7ffN ~ OF fcxv Wl6Te.5 ~ ~ Lh»J C:Uf'f/111'4.S.11fll CARPe!Et> wrrJl ~ ~~, OW ~, ca> u,Jo, ~MRl> 1 Na,JSPAre.R._ 3 oR.4~ ,Jll(J( ,W> ~ ~ a.orff:S,~ \ ~I ('.;y~ ~ a<_ ure ~J!IAl.h · CR.l.!5'et> (1t JNXENEP ~S6 !¥"1'1eEJ)$ ~ ~ llle ,~ ~ WORI(. soil warms and drains more quickly and provides a fertility base that will support a large quantity of plants in a small area. This in turn decreases the total space required and the amount of water necessary. The clearest advantages in following this method have proved to be generous yields, excellent drainage and the capacity to work the soil at times of the year that would otherwise be unfeasible. Having the planting medium mounded up above the level of existing soil keeps it from being waterlogged during periods of extended rain and standing water. The increased organic material and pore space allows water to pass through quickly, making it possible to plant in early spring when first crops need to go out and conditions are still quite wet. But there are some clear disadvantages to the BFI method. Many people lack the time, energy, and dedication to make such elaborate preparations for their gardens. Besides, such emphasis on double digging is 4ncalled for as it is possible to achieve similar soil conditions with a good composting program. One problem with double
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