Open Source Ecology: Open Farm Technology

Since I began exploring agriculture within Trinidad and Tobago, I've spent a lot of time out - literally - in the field. In fact, the picture to the left shows a bit of success I'm having with corn (which is really not that hard of a crop). I've heard what other farmers have to say about Trinidad and Tobago's NavDemCo, and I tend to agree. I've wasted time trying to get information from the Ministry of Agriculture - even having someone hand deliver letters to key areas within the Ministry of Agriculture for me. To make matters more interesting, I've had to deal with some odd interpretations of ownership, like in this example, while waiting for surveyors to finish their work - for months - so that I can get the capital to move forward.

This is not an easy project, and the first part of this sentence is a massive understatement.

A local colloquialism is, "Spinning Top in Mud". This has described my experience in trying to get information and access to resources in Trinidad and Tobago with the only exception being related to aquaculture, where a reader sent me some information that I am waiting to follow up on (related to capital, among other things). In the interim, I'm clearing land and planting all manner of things... and learning a lot along the way.

Necessity is the mother of invention. When I wrote about the potential for Tesla pumps for agriculture, I was only documenting one of many thoughts on an overall technological strategy. The basis for the strategy is low labor (there is one of me and dependable labor in Trinidad and Tobago seems a desperately missing commodity), low negative to positive environmental impact and cost efficiency. In essence, I'm looking for a Holy Grail that suits me - and it won't ever be 100% right, but it has to be 100% close - if you know what I mean.

Lots of other ideas are cluttering my head. With my main focus being on aquaculture but without the necessary infrastructure to protect the ponds, I can't move forward in that area. With other focus requiring the laying in of infrastructure and basically finding Trinidad and Tobago's Ministry of Agriculture to be pathetic when it comes to actually dealing with agricultural issues (but masterful at misdirection!), I'm pretty much at a standstill for doing everything but continuing to do what I am doing - clearing and planting more and more fields. Fortunately, I own the land so I don't have to deal with a tenancy or a land owner telling me to get off their land (which is, by the way, a right of ownership that some do not understand). I may not have cash, but I do have the right to use my land.

Instead of becoming frustrated with inefficient surveyors (know any that can complete a survey in less than 2 months?) and stalled land sales, I decided to turn my energies toward finding ways to improvise. In a fortunate turn of luck, I found Open Source Ecology - a project wiki as well as blog that allows open collaboration along some of the things I am working toward¹. I'm supposed to have a Skype conversation with someone on some ideas we've already started bouncing around - but one thing I have found is that the Tesla Turbine's efficiency, to date, is simply not high enough for what I wanted to do.

That probably saved me at least a year of R&D. Now I'm looking at the Solar Turbine Prototype at Factor e Farm with interest, as well as a few other things.

I'll be utilizing this resource, and hopefully even collaborating at some level... Of course, my own concept of self reliance falls very near to Galt's Gulch. Galt's Gulch just happens to be a nickname I gave the Geek Ranch idea of Phil Hughes. I'll have to toss him the link to OpenFarmTech.org as well.

Phil's progressed further than I, but then he had a head-start. :-)

¹I even joined the Global Swadeshi.