Designing Sustainable Small Farms

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Integration. Recognizing inputs and outputs leads easily to the concept of integration-that is, placing systems so that outputs from one become the inputs to another with little or no labor used in the transfer. Effective integration is a function of good design. The preceding example of the composting greenhouse meets this criterion. So does the fact that in eastern Europe and Asia, pig, chicken, duck, and even human manure is often used to fertilize aqua culture ponds. Photo 18 depicts an integrated system in China that clearly illustrates this concept: The outhouse is situated over the water so as to provide ease in nutrient transfer. (Because of health regulations, this specific example isn't applicable in this country.)

Recognizing function. Using each landscape component to its full advantage also requires a thorough understanding of its associated characteristics. Arguments against windbreaks, for example, are based on cropland lost, shading to the north of east-west plantings, and lower yields in the area where the windbreak and crop roots compete for moisture and nutrients. But windbreaks can also be designed to produce firewood and livestock feeds, to provide a protected site for beehives or a farm pond, and to increase crop yields in the area they shelter. In Photo 19, the dense ground growth and interspersed poplar trees of this windbreak protect the field from hot, dry summer winds. Thus, recognizing all characteristics of each landscape component creates options for sitting other elements.

Locating components. Having identified each component and all its uses, next consider locations. Take the market garden, for example: If possible, it should be located on good soil ... have easy access to a road for bringing in organic materials and moving the produce to market ... and be below a pond supplying irrigation water. The garden should also be relatively close to the farmhouse and to cold frames or to a greenhouse that'll supply it with transplants. It should be near your compost and mulch storage sites (these will preferably be placed above the garden so that heavy organic matter can be moved downhill). A naturally sheltered site is desirable, too, although the use of windbreaks can transform a windy spot into a calm one. And if you intend to run a roadside stand, the garden should boast road frontage that has ample parking for customers.

As you can see, sitting any one farm component is contingent on its relationship to the others. As an aid to juggling the pieces, you might want to make cardboard cutouts and move them around your map, considering the advantages and drawbacks of various locations. Each farm will require different pieces, but you'll probably want to include many of the following: farmhouse, barn, windbreak, hedgerow, chicken house, aquaculture pond, greenhouse, water storage tank, orchard, market garden, kitchen garden, compost pile, mulch storage area, potting shed, tool shed, equipment storage, beehives, and worm beds.

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