How Much Land to Support One Person?

[liskeardjane]

Thanks Graham - how about some photos of the allotment when it's up and running this year, a blog may be?

[grahamhobbs]

Allotment is up and running all the time, unfortunately uploading photos is pushing at the limits of my computer skills and the thought of maintaining a blog(?)...........................

[trinder]

hi, I went to an event some years ago with "Dr Marthe Kiley Worthington from the Ecoferm sorry you might have to google and find her she is currently living in france.
I went specifically about equine behaviour but she was awesome in her eco lifestyle. She said that a family of 4 and two horses could be virtually self sufficient or live on a financial budget of about £50 p.a. on a 5 acre plot. But she also said that you should make the horses do the work ploughing and harrowing don't get hung up on weeding and actually you are each looking at about an hours work per day !!! average.

[grahamhobbs]

Trinder, I would love to hear more about how she was organised, what food she produced, etc.

[Avalon]

Just a note to say thank you all of you, for your input!

At the moment I've got a little strip of land (1' x 12') that I get to experiment on, so I'm trying to cut my teeth on that as best I can. Well, that plus enough pots to stack all the way to the moon, but there you go.

But anyway, I shall report back! Cheers!

[trinder]

In response to your question (grahamhobbs) The last real contact i had was a visit to her eco ferm in La Combe, Bezaudun sur Bine, 26460 Drome,
She had bought loads of land and i may be wrong on the finer detail but i think it may have been 400 acres she explained that the farm (mountainous) would have been supporting a family of 4 with the intention that the two sons would take a wife (each) and have the capacity to carve out a livelihood for all of them. Initially the ground would have been kept clear of scrub land by sheep but then when there was a flat area big enough it could be cultivated for cattle (or other animal) grazing or crop. By the time she bought it it was well overgrown and lots of the mountain had actually fallen away so looked like a gravel pit.
Her first task was to carve out just a bit for them to survive so just a small ploughed area and somewhere to live ( the farmhouse had mostly fallen down ) In the spring they set about photographing all the plants and plotting them on a scaled map so that they could understand better about the rarer or more sensitive plants that were thriving and more easily understand the soil. This then gave them the information for the start of their plan for the whole eco system to be re balanced.
I think the end result would be about 40 of the 400 acres to be used for crop and grazing but not all together the plots would be varying sizes and locations according to the eco needs.
It is best i stop here because i may have given you duff info and it may affect her business however i do have email and telephone details that i can give you direct if you would like. It is a research centre so she has students doing ph.d research in lots of land based subjects but her whole life is dedicated to the subject it is not a money making organisation.
I will say that living with her for two weeks was the most amazing experience for me total enlightenment in how many of my/ our priorities are just a waste of energy.. the treadmill.
I still have nightmares about the long drop toilet though
As to what she grew in a self sufficient way.. Firstly she is not vegetarian but meat was a luxury i think we had it on just two occasions. She certainly made her own bread from her own crop when she had a farm in Devon as well as making her own porridge sweetened by her own honey. We also had stacks of chutneys and jams and wine.