Your questions are a very interesting topic to me but frankly, you can't expect to get much of this resolved on this forum. The subject is too complex. There are 2-3 week permaculture courses that delve into this. I have given several multi-day workshops on agroforestry. If you can't come up with the answers you need from your own research then you might start with workshops and permaculture design courses.
My observation,
Peter
I suspected as much, but I figured it was worth a shot. Most everyone here has more direct hands-on experience, so it can't hurt to get some advice. I'd love to go to a workshop myself, but I'm not sure there are any near me, let alone one that specifically answers the Double Dig vs No Dig and SALT vs Inga debates. That said, I'll now keep my eyes out. Perhaps I'll find a local workshop on Permaculture. At the very least, I hope to resolve my doubts regarding Food Forest organization.
Yeah you should do dairy goats, chickens, and rabbits would also work. However you want to focus on a few things at first and not get in over your head.
Look into biochar, cover crops, mycorrhizae, compost, and other topics.
Definitely. I had actually worried once or twice about being overwhelmed, but I have been very organized in tackling this project, like dealing with a very important homework project, only better ('cause I dig the subject matter, if you'll pardon the pun). I've stored away information on the aforementioned topics (and many more) for over 5 years; I'm just now fully connecting the dots, now that the reality of owning a farm is almost at hand (like a deadline, it's given me a big boost in organizing myself, planning for success). The cover crops are actually something I haven't fully figured out, but I'm looking into it.
I intend to start with annual crops. While I have that going, I will figure out the different tree systems, and start implementing them, continuing to establish myself on the annual crops as the trees grow. A few years down the road, after the annual and perennial systems are in place, I'll figure out how to add in the animals, or perhaps build up a system around them if there's space remaining. I'm pacing myself, dividing everything into steps and taking each step on it's own, one at a time. Slow and steady wins the race.
It would take pages and pages of dialog to get into every facet. but some key points and tips. if you are to work this yourself, you must keep the size of the project at a manageable size.
The whole idea behind permaculture, is to get maximum results with minimum labor, in the most sustainable manner possible, working with nature instead of against it.
its best to plan this thinking of loops, for your cash products. lets says you want to raise pigs, what plants do they eat? for example palm seeds are loved by them in the DR, what if you used palms that also have seeds that humans can consume maybe peach palm Acai? , or oil can be extracted? what do the palms need? pig poop can be fed into a bio digester, the methane used to cook with, and the biodigester makes excellent fertilizer. the idea is to make this "loop" as efficient as possible, with elements that support one another.
As for aguaponics, I feel this can be energy intensive, it is not that passive and maintenance free. let say you have a large tank, with Tilapia
and you are using this water to cycle back up to water/nourish plants. you have to get it perfectly balanced, too many plants, and you will not have enough "food" for them from the tank water, fish will still need to be fed, what will this cost, can you grow sufficient plants enough to sustain them? ammonia, and pH among other things need to be monitored and regulated. here you will need power to pump water 24/7 and fish for market need a freezer. unless you can find someone to buy them right out of the tank.
personally I like the food Forrest system, plant many plants together, with many trees that support others, let nature do the rest, main labor input is to get it established, speed up the process by coppicing the "service" trees. eventually having a "forrest" that will sustain itself, and you just go in and harvest, many fruits, nuts, and even lumber and medicinal plants etc.
Animals are integral to a permaculture system, chickens Ducks etc would be my first choice, which reminds me of something Geoff Lawton said, if you have a problem with snails, snails are not your problem, it is not having ducks that is your problem.
A lot of emphasis is put on NFT trees, ( Nitrogen fixers ) but the error is believing that this nitrogen will be available to other plants directly in the ground, does not work that way, NFT can grow on their own without most fertilizers, but it is the green manure they produce ( biomass ) that will benefit your other plants. so do not rule out non NFT trees, Moringa, Neem, Inga, Tamarind, and so on. multipurpose trees,
Loops, each system feeding the other... This is exactly the kind of thing I hope to accomplish.
Aquaponics seems a little too intensive for me, honestly. The idea is appealing, but factoring in the inputs (plus my desire for a degree of self sufficiency), and regulating the nutrients, it all gives me a bit of a headache. If I were tackling only that, then sure, but since I'm also handling in-ground systems, I'm not sure I'm going into extensive aquaponics any time soon. Perhaps later, but if so, I have a preference for Crayfish over Tilapia (I guess I'd market the crops and eat the crayfish myself).
The Food Forest sounds like an excellent idea, and it's my strongest candidate for the tree crops thus far, but I'm still not sure how to tackle formatting it. The spacing, the pattern of trees, the placing of the service trees, all of that is info that's not so easy to come by (and that's without counting the nuances of species selection, which will definitely impact the other factors).
Snails are, in fact, a problem in my garden at the moment. I'll probably add in some ducks and/or geese soon after starting, but I wonder about vegetable compatibility. I've read they're not as destructive as chickens in that regard, but I wonder if tender greens would be safe from them.
The NFT's are key in this, that's why I considered SALT and Inga Alley Cropping (IAC), but the question of which method to go still remains. Is SALT superior, or is IAC? Fruit Trees can be grown in SALT, but does a Fruit SALT system compare favorably to a Food Forest? And how would the NFT's be spaced in a Food Forest compared to SALT? Would I get a more stable and productive system for annual crops with SALT or with IAC? Figuring out the best system for integrating the NFT's is one of my bigger and more pressing doubts at the moment. I feel like Silvopasture might be easier to figure out, but that won't factor in until further down the road, and I still need to figure out which NFT system to use with the other crops.
I am no expert by a long shot and I grow as a hobby not as a source of income but I have read on this subject extensively and know quite a few things I would change on my limited 2 acre property that I would do if I had to start over. You are in PR correct? You have sizable land available to buy? You can grow almost anything. I don't know how big you are planning. First off, before you worry about methodology, you need to figure out who is your market and what actually sells. Are you selling in a farmers market, are you selling in stores? I have been to PR but I was on a mission so didn't get near as much time to look at markets or trees. The reason this matters is you want to maximize what actually sells vs what you can grow. This then will determine your methodology on how to go about growing. If you know something is kind of rare but when it shows up it is a big seller then maybe devote a decent portion of your land to this. I would make the majority of the property your bread and butter tree(s). There's usually a reason something is rare and you don't want to base your entire crop on it. Therefore having a bread and butter tree will ensure you have a product that will sell and will reliably grow in quantity in your climate. If you have a big enough property, you will have enough space to try multiple different methodologies then based on the trees involved. If you have a shade loving crop tree, then awesome try the SALT method. Then if you wish to live off the land, have an acre or so for growing ground crops specifically for you, I have heard a garden needs to be a half acre a person so there you go.
I'm not entirely sure what I'm gonna get. I'm currently applying for a family farm program, and I'm hoping they'll have a sizable plot available. If not, I'll have to take what I can get and move later on (or apply for a different program, if I'm able). Ultimately, I'd like to have many acres, to allow for a diversity of product (a small-to-moderate amount of space for fresh vegetables, and a large amount for tree crops). I hope to sell both at stores, and at farmer's markets; I'd eventually like to do minor exportation, and definitely some on-farm processed products, but we'll see how it goes. I've already determined everything I'm going to grow and sell, down to the letter. I had a very expansive list as a starting point, and eventually whittled down the candidates to four tiers (each, on two separate lists: small & annuals, and trees): Tier 1 has the bread and butter, that I know will sell well because they have a strong market here and are always in demand. Tier 2 has crops with a strong enough local market, but not as strong as tier 1, so I'll be planting less of them. Tier 3 has crops with a weak local market: strong enough to confidently grow them in the knowledge they will be bought, but not so in demand to warrant anything over a small planting. Tier 3 with the trees means most exotics: trees that I'll grow singly (or in very small groups) for my own personal consumption, and to test the waters in the local market (there are exotic trees in the upper tiers, but they're mainly well-known species that I'm reasonably confident will sell well, from what I've seen). Tier 4 with the trees are extra species and poorly-known exotics, that will only get a spot in my land if I can afford to give them space (they're all optional). Tier 4 with the small crops are also exotic and poorly-known crops, that I'll be growing in small quantities for myself (and to test the waters at market) in my own personal plot.
SALT provides shade? I was under the impression that it (the annual crop version) was a sunnier system (at full tree growth) than IAC.
I do wish to live off the land, and have also taken the time to look into important staple crops to take care of the big 3: starch, fat and protein. The micronutrients go with the rest of the veggies & fruit.
I admire your thinking. I always thought what you're dreaming of doing to be a nice idea but not very practical, back-breaking and not very sustainable. But then I got to know a family of seven (mom, dad, five youngsters) who for a dozen years now have tapped into the growing interest in organic produce and products here. They have a very small farm of just a couple of acres with fruit trees and pasture, and their income is derived totally from a rather small garden of less than a quarter acre where they intensively raise wonderful clean organic veggies, along with a cow for organic milk to make yogurt. (BTW, they just got electricity in the last couple of years, and the still don't have a car.) It's hard work, but they are a beautiful and happy family. I think the key question for you is, how strong is the organic market in your area? If there's a good market, anything's possible. I have been an organic gardener/farmer for 50 years. Organic principles are actually very simple. I think too many people make it too academic and study it to death. LOL. Common sense about how Nature works is the rule! Best wishes to you on your journey.
Thank you. And that anecdote fills me with hope. I like it when families are able to take care of themselves with nothing but responsible agriculture and land stewardship. As for the local organic market, I think it's reasonably strong but I don't intend to market organically. I'm just gonna sell them like normal crops. That's another thing I'd like to achieve: industrial ag is seen by many as normal and organic as "special". Many don't care to spend extra money or effort in acquiring organic crops, they just go for the simpler conventional ones. So I'll just market my product normally, because (in my opinion, at least) organic
should be normal, not special. It should be the baseline standard agricultural practice used worldwide, not some special thing that makes elite products for elite consumers. The best way to get people to see that is to start by example, which is a strong part of why I'm doing all of this. If I can have economic success (which is to say, a normal working life) doing all of these things, then I'll be one of the proof-of-concept farmers, proving that it can all work, and providing incentive for others to do the same.
I could highly suggest as some others have mentioned: first research your market, see what is in demand, and try to fill a void or niche.
If for example there's no or little local market for durian, and you find out exporting to be impractical....don't plant an extensive durian farm and hope demand will pickup later. Leave this type of thing until you have already had success with something else.
The exact specifics (the growing techniques you are interested in and asking about) I would say you should start small if you can and expand with what you learn. Plenty of ideas work for many people, but they can also fail for others for a variety of reasons.
My ideas are to look at what the health community and chefs are demanding. Specialty fruit varieties, micro-greens, etc are all possibilities, but you have to see what is wanted first.
Not to say others here will lead you astray, but keep in mind that hobby forums like this are focused on growing what we as individuals like, no matter what the market demands. We can also relatively pick the fruit and stuff it in our face, so marketability of a product isn't as important.
Indeed. I made it a point to avoid confusing what I like with what the people like when compiling my list. I sought advice, checked out local markets, and now I'm reasonably confident that I have a strong choice of crops for starting my farm. Here's hoping it all works out.
I still have to figure out the Food Forest system and compare it with fruit-SALT, as well as decide between annual-SALT and IAC. But at the least, I think I've made my choice between Biointensive and No-dig. I have decided to try them both: ŋPor qué no los dos?
I'll test them both out (though I think No-dig has my favor at the moment), and whichever gives me the most satisfying results (yields proportionate to labor) will be the one I continue. At least until I get my NFT system in place. While I'm at it, I might test hybrid systems as well. Since vegetables are divided into plots (and are short-lived annuals), I can afford to test out different methods while I get the final systems in order. With the other systems that involve trees, I'd like to figure out their pros and cons (relative to my intentions) before getting started, as they will be more permanent: everything must be in order before I start implementing them.