Sustainable Isolated and Remote Homesteading

This document was for my eyes only, putting my ideas on paper. Outlining my plans for the future, the retirement years. But I decided to share it. Several of my friends and I discussed the possibility of forming a living cooperative alliance in the form of an Isolated, Secure, Remote, and Sustainable Homestead. This is a work in progress and will change over time. I started this document when a real estate agent asked me to write down what I was looking for, where and why, so she could finetune her search parameters. My friends also needed a better understanding of my intentions, to decide if this lifestyle was something they wanted to get involved with.

Idealistic Objectives:
To create a sustainable, off the grid, all-inclusive living environment. Isolated from mainstream society and independent off the national grid. The homestead should be remote, away from populated city centers but near enough for access to required services. The Homestead must be isolated but secure with access to on property water. The Homestead must have the ability to produce its own organic food supply and must be able to provide the inhabitants with at least 3 meals per day. The primary objective and labour of love, is to design a sustainable food production system based on Permaculture Principles. All excess foods produced on the homestead could be sold on open markets and the funds used to reinvest into the homestead by improving its sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Permaculture - Designing the need for money out of the Process

With regards to money, the primary objectives of the Homestead, is not about profits or wealth accumulation and in fact, one of the main objectives is to try and design the want for money out of the system as much as possible. The relentless need to generate wealth can be very stressful. This is not a project to build stress but to release stress, to live and to enjoy living because life is too short. A project to find ones Happiness through Contentment.

I agree it is almost impossible to eliminate the need for money out of your life. I understand there will be a basic need for money, which I intend to keep to a minimum. The elimination of wants, is a primary objective, living as much as possible within my needs and be happy. I also understand the initial buy in, set up and design of the system will require financial investments. While I am sharing the property with friends and family, I understand they will have different interest in life. However there must be some degree of compatibility for everyone to live in harmony. The Homestead must be a sanctuary, where we leave behind the stresses of the unnatural world and just enjoying being alive.

Location, Location, Location:
The size and location of the property is very important. It must be of the right size to be viable for food production and isolated living conditions. because even though I may be sharing the property with shareholders, we expect to also have some amount of isolation from each other. The geographic location and topography of the Homestead is very important to the sustainable design process.

Stepping Stone, Greenwich, Saint Andrew, Jamaica.

4,000 feet up in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains

The Homestead must have access to an independent source of water, either access to a river, spring, stream or on property well water. This would make the property less dependent on the national grid. However, the homestead must also have access to the national grid water and power supply systems, to supplement the natural sources when the need arises. The homestead must be geographically situated to get the right amount of daily sunshine, right amount of rain and must have fertile soil.

The location of the Homestead must be remote, at least 30 minutes deep into rural territory with access to small villages. Isolation from the mainstream is a requirement, to establish a detached living environment. My preferred location is the Saint Andrew side of the Blue Mountain range. Views are very important when developing a lifestyle based on holistic mindfulness and contentment. It would be a plus if the property had both Blue Mountain range and Sea views. The property should be ideally located to offer maximum security, with well managed and monitored access points, mainly from controlled locations.

For security and food production reasons the property will be zoned. Where food production zones would model the permaculture zones and security zones would be access control, designed with early detection perimeter zoning. Security is a section of high importance that will need to be designed around the homestead using both low tech and high tech detections systems.

About 6 of these

Lots of these, both high-end and low-end detection systems.

Reolink Go Cellular Security Camera: On the Farm Solar, No Power, No Wi-Fi Needed!

The Effects of Nature

The geographic layout of the land must be studied to understand nature’s effects on the property. When it comes to designing a sustainable Homestead based on permaculture design principles, understanding how nature will affect the property is important. Things like average rainfall, water runoff direction, water retention, wind direction, wind speed, and average daily sunshine, along with what part of the property gets more sunshine and even the slope and contour of the property. These are just some of the inputs that will affect how we design the layout of our permaculture homestead. We need to study the location to determine how best the Homestead can survive the seasonal effects of tropical weather and extreme weather. These things dictate what you grow and where you grow it and where you build.

Secure Access Points

Off the Grid Living
One of the main objectives of the Homestead is to live as much as possible independent from the national grid. I do not expect to live 100% free of the national grid, however the main objectives here is to make the national grid the exception to everyday life and not the norm.

Concept Properties

Water is Life
It would be perfect if we could source water from the Property like how Saint Mary Property. A property containing a river, stream or a well would be very a valuable resource for the property. Having a viable sustainable farm would require easy access to on property water, which would reduce cost and dependency on the outside world. The design, development and management of the Homestead’s water harvesting, storage and distribution system in a sustainable way is vital for the proper functioning of homestead. Having a river or stream will also enhance our ability to have a fish farm.

Stream on Comfort Farm property in St. Mary.

On Property Water Storage
I have seen shipping containers designed to be used as swimming pools, we could design shipping containers to be water storage containers. My intention is to have two underground shipping containers as water storage containers being fed from the source and acting as intermediates feeding the property. One container could remain above ground to be heated by the sun providing hot water.

Rainwater Catchment

Waste Management
Closed loop agriculture is farming practice that recycles all nutrients and organic material back to the soil from which it came. This forms part of an agricultural practice that preserves the nutrient and carbon levels within the soil and allows farming to be carried out on a sustainable basis.

We must design a system that maximizes our ability to recycle and reuse waste as much as possible. Wastewater must be categorized and separated, where more toxic wastewater is disposed of but water that is clean enough, can be recycled and used elsewhere. Water used to bathe, or wash cloths and dishes can be reused on the farm. Soapy water can benefit plants, particularly in controlling certain insects, but it's important to ensure that the soap product you use doesn't have additives that are harmful to plants and that you dilute it sufficiently to avoid damage. Dry composting toilets are an efficient, cyclical way of dealing with human waste without using and/or fouling fresh water. Also, a system that uses wastewater to flush the toilets would also be more desirable. Human manure as fertilizer for use on the farm. Because of the remoteness of the property, recycling becomes very important.

Compost Toilet

Urine is very high in nitrogen, diluted a minimum ratio of 1:10 with water, used as fertilizer on plants. The wee of one person is said to be rich enough to fertilize a tenth of an acre of vegetable garden for the year. Once diluted the micturition mixture, should be applied within twenty-four hours of the urine being expelled. Older urine can become a bacterial issue, and a smelly one at that. The mixture can be sprinkled on the soil, around the plants, or used as a foliar spray. The boost in nitrogen should also liven up the mulch and soil life beneath.

Worm Farm

Organic Composting
Most of the organic waste generated by the Homestead will be used to create organic compost. Compost is decomposed organic matter and provides nutrients for plant growth. But unlike artificial fertiliser, compost also helps to feed soil fauna, like earthworms and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), which improve soil structure and fertility. Improved soil structure means roots can better penetrate the soil, improving water drainage and infiltration, as well as soil aeration. In sandy soils, compost provides a substrate to enhance water and nutrient retention. In degraded soils, compost can help mitigate the problems of reduced organic matter and fertility, erosion, or compaction. Overall, compost helps to increase the quantity and quality of plant yields while regenerating and protecting soils. We will build several composting sites downwind on the homestead to recycle our organic waste thus reducing our dependence on the national waste management system.

Recycle

Energy Source
It would be perfect if we could source energy from natural sources by Exploring the implementation and usage of Renewable Energy. The homestead must explore the use of Wind turbines as well as Solar technology to generate energy. The Homestead will still be connected to the national energy grid, but it must put in place measures to get as much energy from natural sources. Energy generation will require financial investment in Renewable Energy technology.

Homestead Food Security

Permaculture - Designing Labour out of the Process
The homestead should be large enough to develop and maintain a viable and sustainable holistic food production system based on organic Permaculture Principles, designed for maximum yield. Permaculture food production system is a polyculture system as oppose to a monoculture production system.

The primary objective of the Homestead’s farm is to provide its inhabitants their daily nutritional requirements. Any excess foods produced by the homestead should be either sold or preserved, stored to meet future requirements. The primary objective of the farm in Saint Mary is for commercial food production, which also contributes to the homestead dietary needs. Any revenue from the Saint Mary “Comfort Farm” would then be invested in both the farm and into the Homestead. I will deal with the development plans for the Saint Mary farm in another document, as that farm will also have a living environment.

The decision as to what to grow on the Homestead to satisfy daily nutritional requirement must be carefully selected. The primary principles of Permaculture serve to create a sustainable diversified food system and to design the labour out of the process by handing the process over to nature to do what it does best. The objectives is to have a food production system that requires less human input, except for harvesting, enjoying the fruits of nature’s work.

A Permaculture garden is a holistic approach to gardening which incorporates both the Vertical (Plant Stocking) and Horizontal development of the land, utilizing Succession Planting, Companion Planting, and soil management. Take a walk through the forest and you will see a prime example of plant stacking. Trees are the top layer, shrubs grow below them, then herbaceous plants then ground covers. With vines grow up through the mix, mother Nature knows what she’s doing. By stacking the plants, you can utilize your space more efficiently and produce more with limited space. Plant stacking also makes maximum use of the natural elements, such as sun and water and helps to provide protection from the wind.

12 Principles of Permaculture

Observe and Interact – Location, Climate, Topography, water, soil, vegetation, wildlife, wind, fire, people
Catch and Store Energy – example stored water is potential energy for irrigation or using the forest for fuel, wind etc.
Obtain a Yield – It is best to diversify yield
Apply Self-regulation and accept feedback – Live simply and limit consumption and waste. Accept feedback by learning from success and mistakes.
Use and Value Renewable resources and Services
Produce No waste – waste in one part of our system should become inputs to another part of the system. Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle
Design from pattern to details – study, design and implement, example managing water run off by harvesting the water for ruse
Integrate rather than segregate – Create relationships between different parts of the system. The more relationship the stronger the system
Use small and slow solutions – example Harvest trees for lumber, like build fence, replace harvested trees with food trees and grow food vines on fence
Use and value Diversity – Diversity is a key aspect of permaculture, creating rich productive elements. Diversity guards against failure
Use edges and value the marginal – Edges and margins are locations to add more productive elements
Creatively use and respond to change – changes in one area may cause problem in another, how to make that problem add value

The Homestead Farm will be divided into different Permaculture zones emanating from Zone Zero and each zone designated to perform a certain function. producing different diversified food types (Polyculture) or performing composting (soil management) or chicken farming. We will develop a multi-garden system, including but not limited to Vegetable Garden, Herb and spice Garden including medicinal herbs, Fruit Garden, Ground Provisions Garden. On top of all that we will be raising
Chickens, few Ducks, Pigeons, Rabbits, Fish farm, Bees for Honey and a Few Goats to keep unwanted vegetation in check.

Permaculture Zones

Zone 1 is considered the domestic zone. Let’s think about some things that require one or more visits every single day and are connected to the house. A greenhouse, a workshop, a worm bin, salad garden, kitchen herbs, poultry and other small animals just to name a few.
Zone 2 is what is thought of as the home orchard. This is still quite close to the house or other structure, so is used for domestic self-reliance. The elements in Zone 2 are higher maintenance and require regular visits. Some examples that could be found in Zone 2 are barns, animal housing, wood storage, fruit and nut trees, berries and other small fruits, vegetables, chickens, rabbits, and composting just to name a few.
Zone 3 is what we think of as the farm zone. It’s visited more infrequently with more extensive methods of cultivation. This is where we might grow a cash crop of vegetables or fruits, orchards, firewood, pasture, large ponds, hedgerows, and larger animals like cows, sheep, goats and pigs.
Zone 4 is what we think of as the forage zone. This zone has minimal care and is used more for hunting, gathering and grazing. We may harvest firewood, hunt mushrooms, wildcraft herbs, and selectively graze to reduce fuel to protect from wildfire.
Zone 5 is the wilderness, where we practice very minimal to no management. These are the places we leave to wild nature, and the most we take from them is information about how nature works, so we can then use that information to create our own cultivated ecologies. We are learning from natural patterns and processes and mimicking them in our own systems so we can use the functionality of nature in our own life-support systems.

What you grow, whatever food types you produce would depend on your diet. I feel for a homestead lifestyle it would be best to have a majority vegetarian diet, something like 80/20 would be a good balance. 100% vegetarian diet if you can handle it would be perfect and sourcing 100% of your daily nutritional requirement from vegetation on your homestead.

A Farm for the Future from Kromwell Gardens on Vimeo.

Diversity is everything, a little bit of everything!

Coconut, Bananas, Breadfruit, Cassava, Plantain Potato, Jackfruit, Corn, Almond, Peanut, Mulberry Moringa, Avocado, Mango, Soursop, Pineapple, Orange, Tangerine, Sugar Cane, Chard, Cherry, Plums, Apple, Star Apples, Sweet Sop, Custard Apple, June Plum, Ackee, Blackberry, Guava, Coffee, Melons, Pumkin, Rose Apple, Papaya, Cashew, Neesbery, Lime, Yams, Aloe ,Bissy, Timber, Callaloo , Cerasee, Chiny Guinep, Guinep, Jimbilin, Cocoa, Castor Oil, Chocho, Red Peas, Gungo Peas, Pap Chow, Pomegranate, Pimento, Ginger, Turmeric, Garlic, Stinkin Toe, Susumba, Tamarind, Herds and Spices

Eco-Sustainable Tourism Possibilities.
Depending on the size of the property, I have been playing around with the idea of investing in several cabins strategically located around the property used for rental to travelers.