[P2P-F] how-1-million-pounds-of-organic-food-can-be-produced-on-3-acres

Mon Jul 18 18:04:28 CEST 2011

k, understand, I seem to remember that we were 'upstroking' our artificially
low-velocity motorcycles when we were young, i..e. restoring their original
capability ...

On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 10:15 PM, Steve Bosserman <steve.bosserman at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Thanks, Michel.
>
> Destroke is when you take something designed in its capacity and
> functionality to fit one application or market then, remove some its
> features and reduce its capacity so it fits another application that
> requires less capacity or a market that demands a lower price.  The same
> basic design and overall operation are retained and reused.  The idea is
> that one gets to spread an investment already made much further, thereby
> generating even more profit because of less engineering and retooling
> expense.
>
> The term relates, in part, to the U.S. auto industry during the 1950s, 60s,
> and 70s when manufacturers would take a basic engine block designed for high
> horsepower ratings and shorten the stroke (or travel) of the pistons by
> modifying the crankshaft throws and lengths of the connecting rods combined
> with changing the bore of cylinders to produce less horsepower.  Therefore,
> they could amortize the original investment in the fundamental design of the
> engine block across much larger product volumes.  Hence, the term
> "destroke."
>
> Growing up during these times, we used to start with a cheaper destroked
> engine, mix and match components scavenged from the junk cars and an
> occasional new part, and bore out the cylinders to create a considerably
> more powerful engine for much less than the price of a one new.  Of course,
> all that's past history now.  In the states, "shade tree" mechanical skills,
> local machine shop know-how, and a blacksmith "can fix anything" attitude
> are long gone.  When we talk about relocalization, we often mean a
> restoration of this kind of self-sufficiency or self-reliance--not as
> nostalgia about times past--but as a hedge against rampant, unchecked, and
> ultimately destructive globalization.  But I digress...
>
> Take care,
>
> Steve B.
>
> On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 10:23 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> thanks steve, a great comment which I'll feature on the 22nd,
>>
>> what does destroke mean?
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 9:13 PM, Steve Bosserman <
>> steve.bosserman at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Michel,
>>>
>>> These articles have some truth, but they don't tell the whole story.  For
>>> instance, here's a similar operation to what the Wake-Up World post
>>> highlights in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA area:
>>> http://www.growingpower.org/.  They have a spin-off facility that
>>> specializes in aquaculture: http://sweetwater-organic.com/.  They offer
>>> training programs to help people in communities across the U.S. setup their
>>> own food / composting / aquaculture systems.  The founder of Growing Power,
>>> Will Allen, even won a MacArthur Foundation "genius award" to promote his
>>> program
>>> http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4537249/k.29CA/Will_Allen.htm.
>>>  And he was selected as one of Time Magazine's Top 100 influential people in
>>> the world for 2010
>>> http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985243,00.html
>>> .
>>>
>>> The problem is, as even Will Allen will say, that these food production
>>> systems require constant subsidy through gifts of time, materials, and
>>> money, grant funding, or high-end markets where clientele can afford to pay
>>> a premium for local food.  In other words, they are not sustainable.
>>>  Furthermore, they only provide a small percentage of the calorie
>>> requirements for the local populations they serve.
>>>
>>> The answer rests in the community adopting a production-to-consumption
>>> local agriculture system rather than attempting to establish a sustainable
>>> food supply through production only.  That means the entire value chain gets
>>> taken into consideration when designing the local system.  And it means
>>> starting at the point of consumption, i.e., total number of affordable,
>>> accessible, and healthy calories required to sustain local community
>>> members, designing the system backwards to the points of production, and
>>> allocating the revenue from sales of calories to community members such that
>>> all participants in the value chain, i.e., preparation, processing,
>>> production, and distribution, can, at a minimum, cover their costs.  Such a
>>> system is very different than a "destroked" global system which is what one
>>> has when only localizing production.
>>>
>>> My opinion for what it's worth...
>>>
>>> Steve B.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 8:47 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> http://wakeup-world.com/2011/07/14/how-1-million-pounds-of-organic-food-can-be-produced-on-3-acres/
>>>>
>>>> it would be great if someone more versed in agrifood production could
>>>> look into this,
>>>>
>>>> Michel
>>>>
>>>> --
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>>>> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>

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