Permaculture-Inspired Farms in Quebec: an Economic and Social Overview

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Permaculture-Inspired Farms in Quebec: an Economic and Social Overview Permaculture-Inspired Farms in Quebec: An Economic and Social Overview The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Bastien, Gabrielle. 2016. Permaculture-Inspired Farms in Quebec: An Economic and Social Overview. Master's thesis, Harvard Extension School. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33797350 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Permaculture-Inspired Farms in Quebec: An Economic and Social Overview Gabrielle Bastien A Thesis in the Field of Sustainability and Environmental Management For the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts Harvard University May 2016 Abstract Permaculture is a design approach to human settlements that promotes diverse, regenerative and resilient agricultural systems. It appears this movement could play an important role in the transition from industrial to a more ecologically sound agriculture, however it has been the object of very few systematic inquiries, in particular with respect to its economic feasibility. Assessing the financial viability of permaculture systems will be crucial to the widespread implementation of this approach. Moreover, understanding farmer motivations to adopt this form of agricultural management as well as their challenges and perceptions will be useful in guiding future policies that drive permaculture production. The objectives of this study are: (1) to explore, through the case study of Quebec, Canada, the types of agroecosystems implemented by permaculture- inspired farmers; (2) to analyze the profitability of permaculture-inspired agroecosystems; (3) to assess farmer motivations, challenges and perceptions with respect to permaculture. I interviewed a total of 35 farmers, selected through a snowball referral sampling approach. Permaculture farms showed high levels of system and income source diversity, systems integration and very low human intervention levels at times. A high proportion of permaculture farms in the sample were profitable. An organic certification, selling value added products and restricting livelihood diversity were linked to greater profitability. No correlation was found between farm size and economic viability. Subjects in this study were highly motivated by conservation, lifestyle and altruistic values, and most challenged by labor and economic constraints. Given the apparent ecological, economic and social benefits of permaculture, I propose some recommendations to Quebec policy makers in order to encourage this approach to farming. iv Acknowledgments I first wish to thank my research advisor Mark Leighton for offering crucial guidance at early stages of the conceptualization of this study and introducing me to field research as a professor. Mark supported my enthusiasm for investigating permaculture systems and introduced me to practitioner Ben Falk, which led to a pivotal summer-long internship on Ben’s farm. I am deeply grateful to Ben for giving me the opportunity to gain hands-on farm experience on his wonderful site. This apprenticeship shaped my understanding of permaculture and was critical to my ability to conduct farmer interviews. The thoughtful guidance provided by my thesis director Rachael Garrett through all phases of this study was absolutely essential its success. I want to thank Rachael for her extensive availability, as well as her support and reassurance through the various changes of direction of this project, which helped realigning my vision in times of doubt. I am also very thankful to researcher Rafter Sass Ferguson for making himself available to discuss my study. Obtaining advice from a seasoned investigator conducting multi-faceted research on permaculture systems was highly valuable, to say the least. Finally, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the farmer interviewees for being so generous with their time and sharing of information. I was moved to witness the enthusiasm in wanting to participate to this study, despite the inconvenient timing amid busy harvest season. Many agriculture- and permaculture- organization representatives also provided time and information to this project. Thank you all, for this research would not have been possible without your contributions. v Table of Contents ! Acknowledgments................................................................................................................v List of Tables .......................................................................................................................x List of Figures.................................................................................................................. xiii I. Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 Research Significance and Objectives .....................................................................1 Background ..............................................................................................................2 The Emergence of Agroecology ..................................................................4 Permaculture and its Potential Role in the Agricultural Transition .............5 Lack of Systematic Assessments of the Economics of Permaculture Production ....................................................................................................7 Profitability of Organic and Conservation Agriculture................................8 Farmer Motivations and Challenges ..........................................................10 Case Study: Quebec ...................................................................................13 Brief overview of the Quebec agricultural sector...........................13 Joint plans and supply management through quotas ......................14 Trade union monopoly ...................................................................17 Permaculture in Quebec .................................................................17 Research Questions and Hypotheses......................................................................18 II. Methods.........................................................................................................................20 Data Collection.......................................................................................................20 Farm Selection............................................................................................20 vi Farmer Interviews ......................................................................................21 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................21 Identification with Permaculture Classification.........................................21 Farm Type, Class, Systems and Age..........................................................22 Source and Availability of Economic Data................................................23 Profitability Classification..........................................................................23 Farm Enterprise Classification and Diversity ............................................24 III. Results..........................................................................................................................26 Description of Farms..............................................................................................26 Identification with Permaculture................................................................26 Farm Type and Class in Relation to Main Agricultural Activities ............26 Functional Systems, Functional Diversity and Systems Integration..........28 Farm Size, Age and Other Characteristics .................................................30 Very Low Intervention Level.....................................................................32 Farm Economics.....................................................................................................33 Profitability.................................................................................................33 Farm Enterprises and Diversity of Income Sources...................................33 Grants, Labor and Volunteers ....................................................................39 Motivations, Challenges and Perceptions ..............................................................39 Motivations to Farm...................................................................................39 Challenges ..................................................................................................43 Perceptions of Permaculture Benefits and Drawbacks ..............................45 Desired Changes to the Quebec Agricultural Sector..................................50 IV. Discussion....................................................................................................................53 vii Characterization of Permaculture Farms................................................................53 More Perennials, Yet Annuals Were Still the Most Prominent System.....53 More System Diversity and High Livelihood Diversity ............................54 Systems Integration and Low Human Intervention Level .........................55 Profitability ............................................................................................................55
Recommended publications
  • Change Climate: How Permaculture Revives Exhausted Soils for Food Production by Davis Buyondo
    Change Climate: How Permaculture Revives Exhausted Soils For Food Production By Davis Buyondo Kyotera-Uganda Wilson Ssenyondo, a resident of Kabaale village, is among a few farmers in Kasasa sub-county, Kyotera district, Uganda, who have managed to restore their fatigued land for sustainable food production. He has managed to revive nearly two acres of land on which he grows banana, cassava, vegetables-egg plants, cabbages, sukuma wiki, beans, and groundnuts to list few. He renewed the land through permaculture, a form of farming where you recycle very element that creates life in the soil. You can simply add compost manure after soil loosening in addition to environment-friendly practices such as consistent mulching and carbon farming. Kabaale A is one of the communities in the district with a long history of being hard-hit by persistent dry spells. In such a situation crops wither and a few existing water sources dry up. At some point, the livestock farmers are forced to trek long distances in search for water and pasture. Others communities that share the same plight include Kabaale B, Nakagongo, Kyamyungu, Kabano A and Kabano B, Sabina, Bubango and Sanje villages. They are characterised by scorched and hardened soils, while others by sandy and stony terrain in addition to the high rate of deforestation. Considering that state, one does not expect to find much farming in these communities. But as you approach the villages, you cannot help but marvel at the lush green gardens containing different crops. But amid all these pressing challenges, some crop and livestock farmers have learnt how to adapt and look for ways for survival.
    [Show full text]
  • Farmer's Income
    This PDF is a selection from an out-of-print volume from the National Bureau of Economic Research Volume Title: Income in the United States, Its Amount and Distribution, 1909-1919, Volume II: Detailed Report Volume Author/Editor: Wesley Clair Mitchell, editor Volume Publisher: NBER Volume ISBN: 0-87014-001-9 Volume URL: http://www.nber.org/books/mitc22-1 Publication Date: 1922 Chapter Title: Farmer's Income Chapter Author: Oswald W. Knauth Chapter URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c9420 Chapter pages in book: (p. 298 - 313) CHAPTER 24 FA1tiiERS' INCOME § 24a Introduction The information concerning farmers' income is fragmentary, butsuffi- cient in volume to justify the hope of attaining a fairly accurateestimate. Before this estimate is presented certain peculiarities of farmers'incomes and of the data concerning themmust be mentioned. (1) There is no other industry in which non-monetary income makesso large a proportion of the total as in farming. Besides the rental valuesof the farm homes occupied by owners, we must count in the value ofthe food and fuel which farmers producefor their own consumption. (2) Usually the farmer is not onlya producer but also a land speculator. Indeed, it is rather.upon the increasein the value of his land than sale of his produce that the upon the farmer rests whatever hopehe cherishes of growing rich. How large the growth in landvalues is appears from the Censuses of 1900 and 1910, which report an increase inthe value of farm lands of $15 billion in addition to an increase of $5 billion in thevalue of farm buildings, machinery, and live stock.'Fifteen billions for all farms in ten years means an average annual increase in thevalue of each farm amounting to $323.In the decade covered byour estimates the average increase must have been muchlarger, because of thegreat rise in the prices of farm lands which culminated in 1920.? Whena farmer realizes a profit by selling his land atan enhanced price, that profit constitutes him as an individual.
    [Show full text]
  • Livestock and Landscapes
    SUSTAINABILITY PATHWAYS LIVESTOCK AND LANDSCAPES SHARE OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IN GLOBAL LAND SURFACE DID YOU KNOW? Agricultural land used for ENVIRONMENT Twenty-six percent of the Planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION and 33 percent of croplands are used for livestock feed production. Livestock contribute to seven percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions through enteric fermentation and manure. In developed countries, 90 percent of cattle Agricutural land used for belong to six breed and 20 percent of livestock breeds are at risk of extinction. OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SOCIAL One billion poor people, mostly pastoralists in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, depend on livestock for food and livelihoods. Globally, livestock provides 25 percent of protein intake and 15 percent of dietary energy. ECONOMY Livestock contributes up to 40 percent of agricultural gross domestic product across a significant portion of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa but receives just three percent of global agricultural development funding. GOVERNANCE With rising incomes in the developing world, demand for animal products will continue to surge; 74 percent for meat, 58 percent for dairy products and 500 percent for eggs. Meeting increasing demand is a major sustainability challenge. LIVESTOCK AND LANDSCAPES SUSTAINABILITY PATHWAYS WHY DOES LIVESTOCK MATTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY? £ The livestock sector is one of the key drivers of land-use change. Each year, 13 £ As livestock density increases and is in closer confines with wildlife and humans, billion hectares of forest area are lost due to land conversion for agricultural uses there is a growing risk of disease that threatens every single one of us: 66 percent of as pastures or cropland, for both food and livestock feed crop production.
    [Show full text]
  • 2010 Schedule DI
    Schedule Wisconsin Dairy and Livestock Farm Investment Credit DI File with Wisconsin Form 1, 1NPR, 2, 3, 4, 4T, 5, or 5S Name Identifying Number 2010 Wisconsin Department of Revenue 1 Fill in the amount paid in 2010 for the following items if used exclusively for dairy or livestock farm modernization or expansion: a Freestall barns . 1a b Fences . 1b c Watering facilities . 1c d Feed storage and handling equipment . 1d e Milking parlors . 1e f Robotic equipment . 1f g Scales . 1g h Milk storage and cooling facilities . 1h i Bulk tanks . 1i j Manure pumping and storage facilities . 1j k Digesters . 1k l Equipment used to produce energy . 1l m Birthing and rearing structures . 1m n Feedlot structures . 1n o Fish hatchery buildings, fish processing buildings, and fish rearing ponds . 1o p Other (list) 1p 2 Add lines 1a through 1p . 2 3 Multiply line 2 by 10% (0.10) . 3 4 Fill in 2010 dairy and livestock farm investment credit passed through from other entities . 4 5 Add lines 3 and 4 . 5 6 a Maximum credit . 6a $75,000 b Enter credit computed for 2004 to 2009 (from 2009 Schedule DI, line 6b plus line 7) . 6b c Subtract line 6b from line 6a . 6c 7 Fill in the smaller of line 5 or line 6c. See instructions . 7 7a Fiduciaries - Enter amount of credit from line 7 allocated to beneficiaries . 7a 7b Fiduciaries - Subtract line 7a from line 7 . 7b 8 Carryover of unused 2004 to 2009 dairy and livestock farm investment credit . 8 9 Add lines 7 and 8.
    [Show full text]
  • The Farmer and Minnesota History
    THE FARMER AND MINNESOTA HISTORY' We stand at what the Indian called " Standing Rock." Rock is history. The nature of the earth before the coming of man he interprets as best he can from the records in rock. Rock in its varied formations is abundantly useful to man. It is of particular interest to the farmer as the soil he tills is com­ posed largely of finely divided rock. The great variation of soil is determined mainly by the rock from which it is derived. How fascinating that the student of the soil after reading the records of the rock finds by experi­ ment in certain cases that by adding rock to rock — as lime­ stone, nitrates, phosphate, or potassium to the soil — it may be made more responsive to the needs of man. Rock history then is quite engaging to the farmer, and if to him, to others also. Soil determines or may modify civilization. The role played by soil has determined the development of agriculture in the older countries of the world — Asia Minor, Spain, China, Greece, and Rome.^ Who would not say that the soil has been a major factor in the development of America? Hennepin made a pointed inference when, in the latter part of the sixteenth century, after exploring what he called " a vast country in America," he wrote: I have had an Opportunity to penetrate farther into that Unknown Continent than any before me; wherein I have discover'd New Countries, which may be justly call'd the Delights of that New World. They are larger than Europe, water'd with an infinite number of fine Rivers, the Course of one of which is above 800 ^ This paper was prepared for presentation at Castle Rock on June 16, 1926, as a feature of the fifth annual " historic tour" of the Minnesota Historical Society.
    [Show full text]
  • Practical Farmers of Iowa Is Hiring a Livestock Coordinator
    Practical Farmers of Iowa is Hiring a Livestock Coordinator Practical Farmers of Iowa is seeking an outgoing and dedicated professional to join our staff as livestock coordinator. For over 35 years, PFI has equipped farmers to build resilient farms and communities through farmer- to-farmer knowledge-sharing, on-farm research and strategic partnerships. This full-time position will work with PFI staff, farmers and members to design, coordinate and execute farmer-led educational events, and will serve as a relationship- and network-builder for livestock farmers in the Practical Farmers community. The livestock coordinator will work closely with many types of farmers, enterprises and systems, including conventional and organic, medium- and small-scale livestock farmers and graziers comprising beef, swine, sheep, goat, poultry and dairy farmers. The livestock coordinator will join a dynamic, innovative team at Practical Farmers of Iowa whose passion for Iowa’s ecosystems, communities, farms and rural livelihoods is mobilized though farmer-led work, servant leadership and grassroots movements for lasting landscape change. The livestock coordinator need not be an expert in livestock production and management, but must have experience with diversified livestock farmers, pasture-based systems and an ability to understand, discern and respond to their evolving needs and interests. Practical Farmers offers a flexible, fast-paced work environment with opportunities for independent initiative and professional development. Duties: • Plan, organize
    [Show full text]
  • Scaling Sustainable Agriculture: the Farmer-To-Farmer Agroecology Movement in Cuba
    Scaling sustainable agriculture The Farmer-to-Farmer Agroecology movement in Cuba This is the inspiring story of the Farmer-to-Farmer Agroecology Movement (MACAC) which has spread across Cuba and inspired over 200,000 farmers to take up agroecological farming practices. The case study shows that it possible for a social movement to take sustainable agroecological farming systems to scale. Their experience counters the logic of conventional top-down approaches of agricultural extension and shows that locally specific solutions developed and disseminated by farmers themselves can provide significant and sustainable benefits for food production, rural livelihoods and environmental restoration. The experience provides valuable insights about how agroecology can help improve farmers’ wellbeing while simultaneously restoring the ecological health of the environment on which people’s livelihoods depend, increasing climate resilience and reducing carbon emissions from agriculture. www.oxfam.org OXFAM CASE STUDY – JANUARY 2021 OXFAM’S INSPIRING BETTER FUTURES CASE STUDY SERIES The case study forms part of Oxfam’s Inspiring Better Futures series which aims to inspire inform, and catalyse action to build a fairer, more caring and environmentally sustainable future. The 18 cases show how people are already successfully creating better futures, benefitting millions of people, even against the odds in some of the world’s toughest contexts in lower-income countries. The cases, which range from inspirational to strongly aspirational have all achieved impact at scale by successfully addressing underlying structural causes of the converging economic, climate and gender crises. In a COVID-changed world they provide compelling examples of how to achieve a just and green recovery and build resilience to future shocks.
    [Show full text]
  • Strengthening Farm-Agribusiness Linkages in Africa Iii
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ª'"0 Strengthening farm-agribusiness
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Whole Farm Planning • Marketing • Whole Farm Business Management and Planning • Land Acquisition and Tenure • Sustainable Farming Practices
    www.vabeginningfarmer.org Virginia Whole Farm Planning: An Educational Program for Farm Startup and Development Sustainable Farming Practices: Animal Husbandry The purpose of the Sustainable Farming Practices: Animal Husbandry module is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in Virginia learn the basic fundamental production practices and concepts necessary to make informed decisions for whole farm planning. This is one of five modules designed to guide you in developing the whole farm plan by focusing on the following areas: • Introduction to Whole Farm Planning • Marketing • Whole Farm Business Management and Planning • Land Acquisition and Tenure • Sustainable Farming Practices Each module is organized at the introductory to intermediate stage of farming knowledge and experience. At the end of each module, additional resources and Virginia service provider contact information are available to help continue the farm planning process. Authors: Cindy Wood Virginia Tech, Department of Animal and Poultry Science Cindi Shelley Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, SUNY Cobleskill, Department of Animal and regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An equal Plant Sciences opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; Jewel E. Hairston, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State, Petersburg. Funding for this curriculum is sponsored by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) of the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Award # 2010-49400.
    [Show full text]
  • HOW DOES a LIVESTOCK AUCTION WORK? Paperwork That Goes to the Processor
    HOW DOES A LIVESTOCK AUCTION WORK? paperwork that goes to the processor. You need to contact the processor to process and package according to your needs When you arrive at the auction, you need to stop at the Sale Office located in the front • Standard processing only for chickens, turkeys and ducks. corner of the auction barn. Here you will register for a bidder number which will identify • Donate the processed meat the the Second Harvest Food Bank. You will also you to the auctioneer when you buy. Use the first line of the bidder registration card for the need to pay for the processing costs since they do not have the funds to pay for name you want to be announced as the buyer. Due to computer program limitations, space the costs. is limited. • Sell the animal back to the Livestock Sale Committee at the buyback prices posted on the day of the auction. Your cost is the difference between the amount You will also receive a copy of the Sale Catalog, which list the animals in the order to be that you bid, less the buyback. This does not apply to Grand or Reserve Champion sold, along with a lot of information for buyers. NOTE: All Grand and Reserve Champion Market Beef, Hogs, Lambs and Goats. market beef, hogs, lambs and goats must be slaughtered after the auction – BUYBACK IS • Donate the animal back to the exhibitor – except for any grand or reserve NOT AN OPTION FOR THESE ANIMALS. champion market beef, hogs, lambs and goats. As the auction starts, the auctioneer will announce what is being sold, either by the pound • Take the animal home - – except for any grand or reserve champion market beef, or by the lot.
    [Show full text]
  • Livestock-Keeping and Animal Husbandry in Refugee and Returnee Situations
    LIVESTOCK-KEEPING AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY IN REFUGEE AND RETURNEE SITUATIONS A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK FOR IMPROVED MANAGEMENT Acknowledgements Our genuine appreciation to The World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Gland, Geneva for their technical expertise and invaluable revision of the Handbook on Livestock Keeping and Animal Husbandry in Refugee and Returnee Situations. We extend our thanks to the UNHCR Field Environmental Coordinators and Focal Points and other colleagues for their very useful comments and additional inputs. Illustrations prepared by Dorothy Migadee, Nairobi, Kenya Background & cover images: ©Irene R Lengui/L’IV Com Sàrl Design and layout by L’IV Com Sàrl, Morges, Switzerland Printed by: SroKundig, Geneva, Switzerland Produced by the Environment, Technical Support Section, UNHCR Geneva and IUCN, August 2005 2 Refugee Operations and Environmental Management Table of Contents Glossary and Acronyms 5 Executive Summary 7 1. Livestock Management in Refugee-Related Operations 9 1.1 Introduction 9 1.2 Livestock-Keeping in Refugee-Related Operations 10 2. Purpose and Use of this Handbook 14 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 Using this Handbook 14 3. Livestock Management: Some Basic Considerations 16 3.1 Introduction 16 3.2 Traditional and Legal Rules and Regulations 16 3.3 Livestock to Suit the Conditions 17 3.4 Impacts Commonly Associated with Livestock-Keeping 18 3.4.1 Some Positive Impacts of Livestock-Keeping 18 3.4.2 Some Negative Impacts of Livestock in Refugee Situations 19 3.4.2.1 Impacts on Natural Resources 19 3.4.2.2 Social Conflicts 20 3.4.2.3 Impacts on Public Health 21 3.5 Disease Avoidance and Control 22 3.5.1 Common Livestock Diseases 22 3.5.2 Maintaining Animal Health 25 3.5.3 Avoiding Negative Impacts on Public Health 28 3.6 Housing 29 3.7 Carrying Capacity 30 3.8 Resource Competition 32 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Industrial Agriculture, Livestock Farming and Climate Change
    Industrial Agriculture, Livestock Farming and Climate Change Global Social, Cultural, Ecological, and Ethical Impacts of an Unsustainable Industry Prepared by Brighter Green and the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) with inputs from Biofuelwatch Photo: Brighter Green 1. Modern Livestock Production: Factory Farming and Climate Change For many, the image of a farmer tending his or her crops and cattle, with a backdrop of rolling fields and a weathered but sturdy barn in the distance, is still what comes to mind when considering a question that is not asked nearly as often as it should be: Where does our food come from? However, this picture can no longer be relied upon to depict the modern, industrial food system, which has already dominated food production in the Global North, and is expanding in the Global South as well. Due to the corporate take-over of food production, the small farmer running a family farm is rapidly giving way to the large-scale, factory farm model. This is particularly prevalent in the livestock industry, where thousands, sometimes millions, of animals are raised in inhumane, unsanitary conditions. These operations, along with the resources needed to grow the grain and oil meals (principally soybeans and 1 corn) to feed these animals place intense pressure on the environment. This is affecting some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems and human communities. The burdens created by the spread of industrialized animal agriculture are wide and varied—crossing ecological, social, and ethical spheres. These are compounded by a lack of public awareness and policy makers’ resistance to seek sustainable solutions, particularly given the influence of the global corporations that are steadily exerting greater control over the world’s food systems and what ends up on people’s plates.
    [Show full text]