Topic: Anyone Interested in Agriculture? (Read 1437 times)

What are you saying man?

I'm interested in agriculture, specifically one plant. But that's another story. Where I live we have plenty of fresh water so no need for growing without water. I seen something like this a few years back. I think the guy covered the soil with wood chips and was growing lettuce and a few other greens. This method does not work with all plants.

sending out the virus in a book?))))

guys  be careful

Interesting, have you already set it up or you're yet to? Because I know in hydroponic systems the plant roots depends on 3 things namely water, nutrients and oxygen and if you're lacking water then I'm afraid you're not running an efficient system.

Have you done it?

Maybe in my place is very suitable for this system because of the drought. and I was interested to learn. I am currently implementing a hidropinik system at home..My first obstacle and trouble the water 

F.F.


Thank-you for your considered reply.  Here I must go on a counter-offensive by asserting, without a proper survey of the Turkish-Syrian border woodlands, that there definitely won't be enough green twigs nor dry twigs to set up agricultural production to feed everyone in those camps, such that they can all go home with a pamplet, start farming, and have any reasonable expectation of not starving before net food production is sufficient. 

The starting point of all my considerations is that photosynthesis always includes a reaction starting from n(H2O)+m(CO2)
Given the chemistry understanding of photosynthesis, life as we know it will not ever happen without some water going in to build tree twigs.  From now on, I will always disagree with your assertion that waterless farming is possible, but I did read the book first before saying that and thank you for your efforts to try.

I also don't have the money for a desal plant and freshwater supply canal on the scale envisaged; I asked to see whether specialists and civil engineering students think that it could be done with $20billion, which is definitely less than the murderous problems out there, or needs a bit more than that, comparable to X months of US treasury overspend.  If it could rescue sufficient agriculture to help out several countries and regions ( Turkey, Kurdistan, Daish, Northern Syrian Rebels, Damascus-Syrians, Hezzbollah, and possibly Isreal, Gaza, Jordan and Egypt too) then they could shake hands and start digging canals instead of battle tunnels, buy reverse osmosis tubes instead of rocket-shells, and so on the scale of maximum effort by everyone who lives there.

From now on, I do not agree with the claim of F.F. that waterless farming can be viable in arid regions, and ask everyone who lives there to go to maximum international co-oporative effort to build water desal and renewable energy systems (which may be daylight-only if that helps) to power farmwater production for the region.  Then use techniques from the book of F.F to obtain a multiplier of usefullness of that water by careful irrigation and mulching.  I read that the productivity of a Waitrose orange farm in southern Spain was 40 oranges per metric ton of water.  Please can anyone with agricultural experience in the middle east post here with figures for the water-efficiency of what they do.

Yes, I partly disagree with your skepticism.

You are right when you say the techniques I describe work best in wooded areas and in already productive agricultural land. This is true and it's clearly stated in my book. Anyway, I think this alone would be a great innovation and improvement in farming. Just imagine what it would mean if every farmer in already productive areas like most of the U.S.A., Europe, Canada, Brazil, etc. could grow any crop without water, for ever!
So this would be a great result, anyway.

Regarding your main concern, i.e. to grow crops in desert areas, I clearly state that it would be more difficult and the technique would take up to 2 years to be properly implemented. However this is not impossible, as you say; it's just more difficult ( maybe much more difficult ) , but absolutely not impossible.

Why?

For 2 main reasons:

1. I clearly said that green 'fresh' twigs should be preferred; anyway, I also wrote dried twigs could be used as well, although they are a little bit less effective and take more time to give their benefits to soils.

2. ( The most important reason ) Almost every country which has a desert, has wooded areas too. In other words, in the whole world there are few countries which are completely desert: some Arab countries and some African ones ( like Mauritania ) . Even Syria, one of the most desert countries in the world, has a thin strip of wooded land near the Turkish border. Anyway, even if you live in a desert country, the twigs could be imported. I know it could be more expensive, but with a quick shipping ( 1-2 days ) the benefits would be the same.


So, to resume, the techniques I explained in my book, work best in already high productive areas. If you want to use these methods in desert lands, you can, but it would take much more time and effort.

What I can suggest to you "whizz94" is to think for a long period of time, acting this way:
1. Implement these techinques in already agricultural lands, such as near the coast, or the rivers.
2. Little by little move to more arid lands, using these techniques.

I know this a quite slow path to walk, but it's the only one I know having little money at your disposal. Your desalination method is far too expensive and so cannot be implemented without a massive amount of donations.

Having read the book, I'm rather more skeptical.  Whilst it does give a nice exposition of how to properly apply mulched green twigs, I don't think you'll find the required materials anywhere near to the exploitively irrigated desert farms pictured in Jordan and Arabia.  It presents methods for wooded areas comparable to Quebec.  In the middle east, I fear that it is either desert or irrigate, and this book does not, in my opinion, present a viable alternative waterless farming method for use in waterless regions such as Palmira, Syria.  If it did, then I'd be advocating translation efforts and distribution in the Jordanian and Turkish border camps.  Instead, I call on any agricultural planning group in any university worldwide to propose desalination from the eastern Mediterranean and freshwater canals or pipelines into Syria to provide sufficient (not exuberant) freshwater to grow crops within Syria to feed all Syrians presently at border camps or in horrid queues which won't get them into Europe.  Lets get some feasible plans up, which are not limited by the availability of fresh green twigs near Palmira, and find out how many bitcoins it would cost to get that built.

F.F. do you disagree ?

You can send a PM with your email address to receive the free ebook.

I think it interests all of us, just not everyone is aware of that

When journalists pose as intellectuals Especially when they too belonged to the metro and mega projects " industrialist" party they now criticize! Some facts: 1. Lower agri and commodity prices are a well entrenched business cycle lasting 15-20 years on average. Class exploitation has nothing to do with it.
2. The problem is the feudal pir, now a merchant industrialist ( if sugar and feed mills and scrap foundries could be called Big Industry.) Also those babus and sepoys, all inter rmarried, forming Pakistan's ruling elite, with our dear author a prominent member.
3. Subsidies haven't aided Indian or Pakistani farmers, nor those in the West.
But eliminating them is the key to manufacturing like productivity and mitigation of the incompetent ruling elite, all effectively monopolizing the rural vote base. Only PTI and other small parties ( say MQM) have an urban base.
4. In the end, progress is up to the public. If people remain hostage to saint worship and donations to the feudal pirs, out of passivity, no one else can help.
The real problem is that the masses too want to gain power at the expense of someone else. Thus the failed "revolutions" of the feudal Bhuttos and the socialist Bhashanis only could replace one tyranny with another.
So well done, poor Kissan Union at the posh Serena Hotel, where a Swiss German cook used to make pathetic local dishes, with all in praise of the white sahib's skill

I'm interested in agriculture and chemistry.

Pop Quiz:

On the side of house there's a healthy wag weed plant. Twice a day the homeowner opts to spray the plant with his sterile urine. After two weeks, what would one expect to see?

1. A tall and healthy wag weed plant.
2. The plant and everything around it void of life.
3. Penguins.

I think urine could be considered similar to 'water', while sludge could be considered as manure.
Anyway, my techinques don't use these substances.

Is urine/sludge considered waterless?

EDIT: Not meant to be funny.

It is possible.

There are a few techniques I describe in my book, able to make farmers grow any crop with no irrigation needed.
I can send it for free to other 4 users.

Really interesting. How it can be possible agriculture without water?

It's in English and Italian.

I am interested as my uncles are farmers i am from india, so if this book can help them farming without water as their is always drought in that place.