Emergency Sustainable Agriculture (ESA) Planning revisited

[larahna]

I don't usually jump back into the middle of a conversation without the appropriate preface, but in this case, I'll make the exception.

The conversation started here....
http://www.appropedia.org/Emergency_permaculture

In working to develop the idea of a truly "convertible community" the sustainability plan for agriculture is imperative. No food....well you get the picture and its not one of sustainability.

The potential for food supply disruption is one that is of great concern and should there be a disruption of access to food (which might be for a variety of reasons from natural to terroristic) having a pre-developed plan would be excellent if not of vital importance. So as simply as I can put it here is my "call for help".

Here's what I see that is needed....
An intelligent plan for combining the most nutrient rich plants to meet the basic nutritional requirements of an individual, AND that can be rapidly deployed to provide for the nutritional needs of individuals in crisis....

Crisis pack in a box that will most quickly and efficiently take a person to nutritional sustainability in the least possible time.

If crisis hits and I have no food, or just enough reserves to last a short while (perhaps 90 days can be used as a variable..and for this thought exercise we'll assume that there is someone else concerned with the preparation of people so that they would have reserves to last that long), what mix of seeds should I put into the ground so that i can most rapidly get to nutritional sustainability.

Ok, I've said it about three different ways...but is there information adequate to help design what an ESA "kit" might look like. There are several "emergency garden in a box" options available on the internet that gives you a bank of seeds, but none go into a discussion about whether these gardens are providing the nutritional mix that would be adequate for survival.

A kit should be both nutritionally relevant (and not just nice pretty plants that have some nutritional value), and zone specific. There should be some specific instructions so that a novice, unfamiliar with gardening could be reasonably successful with growing. And it should be informative so that it can offer suggestions about growing methods (ground, container) and other basic information about supplementing growing with perhaps small animal husbandry (chickens, rabbits, goats perhaps).

If there is anyone in this forum that has expertise and/or information that would help in the further development of ESA Planning....please join in the discussion either here or on the wiki site.

[Lucas]

I hope people are looking into this thread, and telling their expert friends!

The way I see it, there are people in 3 situations:
1) Those who have been poor (I mean malnourished, food-poor) for a long time, who can't wait and shouldn't have to wait.
2) Those who have been food-rich and suddenly become food-poor, and this happens with catastrophic situations that make you a "new poor".
3) Those who are food-rich and will always be food-rich. Good for them!

We're interested in long-time food-poor and in sudden-onset food-poor. Those with chronic malnutrition and those with sudden malnutrition.

Thing is, in most cases food has to be grown organically, so it will be, or at least tend to be, sustainable!

Please, experts, do lend a hand or two. You've been slowly becoming experts and learning lots and lots and lots. Just like the 10-15-year cardiologist who saves a life in one minute. ;-) Thank you!