* VIDEO: A 2,400-Year-Old "Infinite Food" System (That Was Banned): Chinese Permaculture/Polycultural Aquaculture
#localtech vs. toxic industrial food, suggested by Mark D. Whitaker
youtube.com/watch?v=v3T8CAR3…
written about in China more than 2400 years ago. Very widely deployed from the Tang Dynasty (700s to 900s CE, and onward):
Suggestions for a modern four part deployment:
- ducks as pond nutrient managers (and ducks additionally give a lot of eggs: hundreds per year),
- the aquatic plants, like cattails or water lilies as biological filters, pulling phosphorus and nitrogen out of the water keeping away algae blooms; submerged plants like hornwort and anarchis release oxygen, for fish health during the day; water lettuce and duckweed as well--and even wastewater treatment plants simply use those as well); ducks eat lots of duckweed, as you can imagine from its name, managing its fast growth as well;
- the fish, by the Tang Dynasty there were at least four kinds of interactive fish in four different ecological niches in the same pond; in the USA, the video recommends bluegill (harvest in 2 years) and catfish (harvest in 18 months); it additionally recommends tilapia, which grow even faster (1 pound in 5-6 months, for 40-50 pounds of fish in one growing season); however, tilapia might be illegal in some U.S. states, as they can escape in floods or by their eggs and become invasive species. Therefore, check your state's fish and game regulation website about tilapia or other fish,
- beneficial bacteria: converts fish waste ammonia and duck waste ammonia into nitrites and then into nitrates--the form that plants can absorb; congratulations, you built your own nitrogen cycle at this point from the four points togethe
"You are not managing a farm, you are stewarding a living system."
So, how do you actually build this, and how much does it cost? This as a small pond is estimated at a "total set up cost of around 400 dollars to 600 dollars" The recommendations are for staggering in first the water with the plants, then later the ducks, then later the fingerlings (fish). This is a lifetime of food and a lifetime of peace of mind--from the quiet food security without labor at all. Just fish when you want. A small enough pond is entirely outside any state interference or regulations as well."