There was and is a Garden of Eden and it is right outside your door, or maybe it is by a south facing window, or maybe it is in the basement under grow lights. Nature is perfect; it was created to have the answer to our every need.
The hypnosis of product advertising has led us to believe nature is imperfect. Pharmaceutical corporations and big agriculture corporations spend billions of dollars to convince us our good health and increased life span is the result of their chemical cocktails and genetically modified foods.
The real reason for increased life span was cleanliness--- people washing their hands, cities creating sewers, and the piping of clean dinking water to our homes. Currently, our longevity is declining in industrialized nations. Why?---Because of un-natural chemical pollution from pharmaceuticals, and chemical agriculture poisoning our water and our food plants.
How can we find our way back to the Garden of Eden?
We create an Eden by learning about sustainable food production and we by becoming caretakers of our land and water resources. Permaculture and hydroponics gardening are two methods for reclaiming food security. Food security in the USA is defined as access to enough healthy, clean food for an active, healthy life.
Permaculture
Permaculture is the practice of sustainable land use through ecological design, ecological engineering, and environmental design. It develops a garden design and self-maintained planting systems modeled on natural ecosystems. The core ideals are: Take care of the earth; Take care of the people, Share the surplus.
Permaculture emphasizes organizing landscape design patterns for functionality and by species. The plants are placed for the ecosystem’s maximum benefit and to minimize waste, human labor, and energy input. (Of course the initial garden creation does take some effort but on-going labor is greatly reduced, and yields are higher on smaller plots of land.)
Bill Mollison, Australian ecologist and University of Tasmania professor in the 1970’s, initiated the concept of permaculture. He tells us we should be working together as stewards creating a sustainable world. Permaculture is a combination of the words "permanent," "agriculture,” and “culture.”
Mollison believed sustainable living needed to be based on the observed patterns in nature. Natural systems, such as forests and wetlands, are sustainable providing for their own energy needs and the recycling of their own wastes. The different parts of a natural ecosystem work together to perform important tasks. By applying an integrated understanding of the ecosystem to garden design a sustainable agricultural system is created.
The permaculture specialists are aware that many of us are not naturally gardeners. Their design goal is to integrate the surrounding natural areas with our homes, apartments and other buildings to produce an abundance of food. The ecosystem is set up to function with a minimum of effort and labor---gardening should be more like recreation than work.
Hydroponics
The word hydroponics comes from two Greek words, "hydro" meaning water and "ponics" meaning labor. Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in either a bath or flow of highly oxygenated, nutrient enriched water.
Soil-less gardening or hydroponics has been around for thousands of years. Two of the earliest examples of hydroponics are the hanging Gardens of Babylon and The Floating Gardens of China. Scientists started experimenting with soil-less gardening in the 1950s. Countries, such as Holland, Germany, and Australia have had great success with hydroponics crop production for many years.
To grow plants in soil, biological decomposition breaks down organic matter into the basic nutrient salts. These salts must be dissolved in water for uptake by the plant’s roots. There must be a perfect nutrient balance in the soil for a plant to receive a well balanced diet. The existence of ideal soil conditions is rare due to a lack of good organic matter on the soil surface, chemical contamination and biological imbalances.
Hydroponics has advantages over soil gardening. Plant growth rate is 30-50 percent faster than a soil plant and the yield is also greater. Because of the extra oxygen in the hydroponics growing mediums, root growth is stimulated and the root system absorbs nutrients faster. The plant does not have to search the soil for nutrients, which are being delivered to the plant several times per day. Hydroponics plants have fewer bug infestations, funguses and disease.
Hydroponics benefits our environment and us: A.) Uses less water than soil gardening (because of the constant reuse the nutrient solutions), B.) Fewer pesticides are used on hydroponics crops, and C.) Topsoil erosion isn't even an issue. Hydroponics grown food is nutrient dense. While most soil grown food from Big Agri-business is grown in depleted soil. If agricultural trends continue to erode topsoil and continue to waste clean water, hydroponics may soon be our best solution for food insecurity.
There are many experts in permaculture and hydroponics to help you get started in creating your sustainable food source. There are several different styles of hydroponics gardens. Your available land will determine your permaculture design. These techniques are intended to be naturally
organic. There are also many do it yourself (DIY) resources. With a little time, a small monetary investment, and a little effort you can recreate your Garden of Eden.
As we work toward self-sufficiency we can leave behind fears of food scarcity. Remember good, healthy food is the best medicine
http://hydroponicshabitat.com/
http://www.permaculturenow.com/video.html
http://midwestpermaculture.com/
http://www.heathcote.org/
http://www.chelseagreen.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT_2VVXA7SY
http://www.howtohydroponics.com/
http://www.7billionothers.org/content/goodplanet-foundation
https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginners.asp
Earthactivisttraining.org
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