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Ruralisation with eco-units

Ruralisation with eco-units. Nutrients. To produce food, you need nutrients. Nutrients. What is ’nutrients’?. In principle, ’nutrients’ are the constituents of the animal or plant body. FG. Nutrients. The constituents of an animal (or plant) body:. H O C N S P Na K Ca …64. H O

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Ruralisation with eco-units

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  1. Ruralisation with eco-units http://www.holon.se/folke

  2. Nutrients To produce food, you need nutrients http://www.holon.se/folke

  3. Nutrients What is ’nutrients’? In principle, ’nutrients’ are the constituents of the animal or plant body http://www.holon.se/folke FG

  4. Nutrients The constituents of an animal (or plant) body: H O C N S P Na K Ca …64 H O C N S All nutrients are not the same With gaseous phases — can be transported by the air Without gaseous phases — must be transported as solids or liquids http://www.holon.se/folke

  5. 10 times more commonin thebodythan in the Earth crust Nutrients H O C N S P Na K Ca …64 All nutrients are not the same P Na K Ca …64 More common in the Earth crust than in the body => phosphorus is the most important nutrient ! http://www.holon.se/folke

  6. Extraction horizons of phosphorus Peak phosphorus At higher energy price: ?? years At current energy price: 100 – 150 years http://www.holon.se/folke

  7. We are in trouble • Cheap energy will soon be a memory of forlorn times • Whithout cheap energy, phosphorus need to be recycled • Whithout cheap energy, supply lines need to be short (Clausewitz) • Whithout cheap energy, we have to rely on ecosystem services http://www.holon.se/folke

  8. Therefore, we need a lifeboat http://www.holon.se/folke

  9. Peak phosphorus = Exploration = Possible consumption http://www.holon.se/folke

  10. Scenario analysis for phosphorus recycling • Current practice, sludge P on landfills etc, concentration to1/60 of the food producing area. • Efficiency, all the P collected in the sludge is placed on agriculture • Substitution, source separating toilets recycling all P entering the town to an appropriate area • Rethinking, The city is distributed over the food producing area http://www.holon.se/folke

  11. *) assuming an 1 millon pop. city http://www.holon.se/folke

  12. Peak phosphorusis not a problem • Phosphorus molecules does not wear out ! • The ecounit is designed for phosphorus recycling ! • The main thing is to avoid losses in an ecounit http://www.holon.se/folke

  13. Safe food supply and nutrient recycling requires: • a balanced agriculture • a limited group of people • a local recycling system http://www.holon.se/folke

  14. One hectare: Balanced agriculture Feed Balanced agriculture: Animals are fed with plants growing from their manure = about 80% recycling of nutrients Urine PO4 http://www.holon.se/folke

  15. One hectare: Limited group of people Feed Urine Food PO4 The 3-4 kg amounts to the P content of the excrements from 5 persons .. but 3-4 kg of the phosphorus (20%) is exported as food ≈ 0,2 ha/pers Urine http://www.holon.se/folke

  16. One hectare: Local recyclingsystem Feed Urine .. these nutrients must be returned to close the cycle Food PO4 With source-separating toilets, these nutrients can be recycled PO4 Urine = 0,2 ha/pers http://www.holon.se/folke

  17. The eco-unit, a small population maintained by a permaculture agriculture Small population,about 200,supported by theagriculture Balanced agriculture,aimed at the support of thelocal population Balanced agriculture Providing most of the human foodand all of the animal fodder Nutrients from the settlement is recycled to agricultural land Open ditches • Nutrient reclaim • Landscape diversity • Predator habitat • Lee – planting • Biomass production Area: 50 ha for 200 inhabitants http://www.holon.se/folke

  18. The eco-unit PO4 Food • High diversity • Perennial plants • Co-operation • Mutualism • Nutrient circulation • On-site consumption • Water export by evaporation PO4 Feed Biological greywater treatment plant (wetpark)Clean water is returned to the households http://www.holon.se/folke

  19. Economy http://www.holon.se/folke

  20. The energy economy of conventional food production Food energy delivered to household: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p. Energy invested by middlemen: about 36.000 kWh/ 4 p. Total energy investment: about 40.000 kWh / 4 pers Energy invested in agriculture: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p. http://www.holon.se/folke

  21. 60 000 kr Annual consumer cost for food (four person Swedish family) Trade, distribution and processingabout 75% of the total price 30 000 kr Producer salary, about 3.000 kr (5% of consumer cost) Payment to producer, less than 25% 15 000 kr Producer cost (fuel, interests etc.)80% of producer payment 0 kr The economy of conventional food production in Sweden 60.000 kr http://www.holon.se/folke

  22. 60 000 45 000 30 000 15 000 0 The economy of ecounit food production 60.000 No middlemen= the consumer cost for the food decrease with 50% ..but the rest is the farmers salary, which may increase 400% Distribution and trade 30.000 12.000 Because of the increased food diversity produced, the farmers’s expenses are assumed to increase with 50% 18.000 Salary 3.000 13.000 Expenses http://www.holon.se/folke ecounit conventional

  23. Assume a group of consumers subscribe for food from a local farmer http://www.holon.se/folke

  24. They will drive the industry out of the market by paying the double industrial price (≈half of the consumer price) http://www.holon.se/folke

  25. The energy economy of ecounit food production Total energy investment in food : about 8.000 kWh / 4 pers Energy invested local management: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p. Energy invested in (conventional) agriculture: about 4.000 kWh/ 4 p. http://www.holon.se/folke

  26. Saved money Let’s hope that the consumers will use their saved money to invest in the agriculture… Cheaper food Lesser energy price vulnerability http://www.holon.se/folke

  27. The ruralisation scenario # A scenario is an imagination made by a scientist • # The rules are: • You can imagine the most ridiculous things • But you have to render a statement of the effects http://www.holon.se/folke

  28. The ruralisation scenario – start point At start point, the centre of the municipality has a population of 33 000The periphery: 3 000 In this scenario, the following is assumed: 1. The city is inhabited by decision-makers who have the capacity to make far-sighted and strategic decisions 2. They have the same knowledge of limiting resources, ecology and the rules for long-term survival as you. 3. Furthermore, they understand that the city is not static, but dynamic. Old houses are torn down and new are built. (The average life-time for a house is supposed to be 60 years, which gives the city a rate of change of 1,6%) 4. They decide that, instead of building new houses on the same place as the old ones were torn down, they will build eco-units in the periphery of the town. http://www.holon.se/folke

  29. Ruralisation – after 12 years The town center: 24 000The periphery : 12 000 Groups of four Eco-unitsEach group is inhabited by 800 people Local parks replacing the old houses http://www.holon.se/folke

  30. Ruralisation – after 25 years The town : 12 000The periphery : 24 000 Reversed ditching: Cleaner water Underground streams are brought to the surface http://www.holon.se/folke

  31. Ruralisation – after 50 years The endpoint of the ruralisation process: The municipality : 3 000The periphery : 36 000 • High diversity • Perennial plants • Co-operation • Mutualism • Nutrient circulation • On-site consumption • Slow change • Water export by evaporation Area with 5,600 inhabitants in eco-unitsPopulation density closing to 500/km2 By changing into a more resilient and less fuel dependent state, the ecological maturity of the area is considerably increased May be, the human impact on this area has changed from a parasitic to a supportive type http://www.holon.se/folke

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