Creating an organic garden, using chickens, manure, & compost SCI-218: Natural Resources Presentation 2-Final Project By Student X

A few reasons why it’s a good idea to produce your own food by using a home garden, chickens, manure, & compost wastes

• Soil erosion is a major environmental and agricultural problem throughout the entire world!

• Soil erosion has commonly occurred throughout history in agriculture, but has intensified exponentially in recent years.

• More than 75 billion metric tons of soil have been removed by wind and water erosion, with most coming from agricultural land

• The loss of soil degrades once fertile land, eventually making it useless and unproductive

• Because of this erosion-associated loss of productivity and population growth, the per capita food supply has been reduced over the past 10 years and continues to decline!

• This causes a reduction in grains, lower crop yields, and a reduction in the overall nutrients within the food and the soil altogether

Soil and Food go Hand in Hand

• Soil loss=food loss

• This is an issue not only in the United States, but as you can see-all over the globe!

• We need to save our soil to insure adequate food production to sustain our ever growing population

• Image on the right from www.mdpi.com 2007

Soil use for food production: History of farming, agriculture, & manure use

When did farming and agriculture begin and why use manure?

• Over 8,000 years ago it spread from the Near East to Europe (Balter, 2013)

• According to scientific research, the use of manure was detected in a majority of these agricultural regions (Balter, 2013)

• As agriculture began to spread throughout Europe and further West, farmers began to invest in long-term management of their soil (Balter, 2013)

• This meant using MANURE!

Why is manure so special?

• It can be free when used from one’s own farm animals such as chickens

• Manure breaks down slowly, increasing fertility of soil over many years

• Provides farmers & gardeners with a reliable, natural, & healthy method of food production that is good not only for the people, but the ENVIRONMENT! (Balter, 2013)

Images from: MS Word 2013 Clip Art

Manure use & composting background • Evidence of manure use in combination with composting dates back to the 10th

and 12th centuries (Balter, 2013)

• Shakespeare, Sir Francis Bacon, and Sir Walter Raleigh all mentioned using composting in their writings (Balter, 2013)

• In N. America, composting was used by Native Americans and early European settlers (Balter, 2013)

• Both manure use and composting are ways of providing the soil with vital nutrients for organic farming and gardening without using chemical fertilizers

• From 1905-1935 through experimentation, Sir Albert Howard, a British agronomist found that the best compost for fertile soil was to use 3x’s as much plant matter as manure, layering materials in a sandwich fashion, turning occasionally for decomposition (Balter, 2013)

What Sir Albert Howard meant…: Composting Examples

• Layer the compost as such:

Image from: www.ionasgarden.com

www.eoearth.com

www.extension.umn.edu

Evolution of organic farming & gardening

1905-1924

• Organic agriculture began in central Europe & India, which is where its practice is said to originate (History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability, ”n.d.)

• This is where Sir Albert Howard conducted his research

• Rudolf Steiner (Germany) designed the 1st comprehensive organic farming system in 1924 (History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability, ”n.d.)

Theme of organic farming & gardening

• “Healthy animals depend on healthy plants (for food), and healthy plants depend on healthy soil, healthy soil depends on healthy animals”, by Rudolf Steiner (History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability, ”n.d.)

Organic gardening & Farming in the United States • Not until the 1930’s did the idea of organic gardening & farming come to rise

after many Americans suffered from Dust Bowl conditions, (Pogash, 2009)

• This caused food rationing, which opened the eyes to many as to how they could be self-sufficient by producing their own food

• From 1939-1945 WWII caused further food rationing to occur in many countries around the world, including the US, (Pogash, 2009). What could be a good solution to this issue?

Image from: www.zengardener.com

Organic farming & gardening, Self-Sufficiency, & No more chemicals!

• Not until the 1960’s did the idea of self-food production really hit home

• Self food production was a way to prevent food shortages, and many individuals would begin to construct their own farms and gardens in hopes to be self-sufficient, (“History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability,” n.d.)

• But, we needed a way to produce safer food….Organic is the answer!!!

• Agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides were believed to cause cancers and mental disorders

• Organic farming & gardening using animal manure instead of chemicals was a much safer alternative

• In 1962, Rachel Carson published “Silent Spring” which detailed the harmful effects of using agricultural chemicals such as DDT (“History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability, ”n.d.)

April 22, 1970…A New Day: Earth Day • This day marks the beginning of a movement towards a healthy, sustainable

environment (History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability”, n.d.)

• Food production through organic farming & gardening is a way to produce safer foods & nutritious foods, ultimately allowing us to become self-sufficient

• Our left over food waste can be converted into a compost and used as nutrients for the soil in our farms and gardens instead of harsh, toxic, chemicals

• Using animal manure as a fertilizer, such as chicken manure, is high in nitrogen and a natural way to provide your soil and foods with nutrients

Images from: MS Word Clip Art

Global food security issues Global population by 2050 is expected to be 9 billion! • There will be a continuous need

to increase food production (Galhena, 2013)

• Food production and food security issues will increase

• Developing countries will continue to suffer from chronic food insecurity (Galhena, 2013)

• The majority of the hungry and malnourished are in developing countries

Image from: www.reliefweb.int

Global significance of creating a home garden for food production

• Home gardening is a time-tested strategy that is practiced by local communities with limited resources and institutional support (Galhena, 2013)

• Globally, home gardens have been documented as an important supplemental source contributing to food and nutritional security and livelihoods (Galhena, 2013)

• Home gardens around the world are used as a remedy to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in the face of a global food crisis (Galhena, 2013)

Home gardening in Sri Lanka

• More than 35% of the 20 million people engage in home gardening (Galhena, 2013)

• In recent years, national policies has focused on promoting home gardening in the country (Galhena, 2013)

• Kandyan Forest Gardens- community cropland, personal gardens, & animal species to sustain local Sri Lankan families and the environment (Galhena, 2013)

• This home garden contains 150 varieties of edible greens, fruits, vegetables, and spices (Galhena, 2013)

Image from:www.amerasiantours.com, 2013.

Benefits vs. constraints of home gardening in developing countries (Galhena, 2013)

Benefits

• Improved food security

• Increased availability of food and better nutrition through food diversity

• Environmental benefits from recycling water and waste nutrients, controlling soil erosion, and maintaining or increased local biodiversity (Galhena,2013)

Constraints

• Limited access to seeds, planting material, tools

• Inadequate access to water

• Lack of knowledge, information, and advisory

• Damages due to insect pests, diseases, animals, and theft (Galhena, 2013)

Action plan: How to build your home garden for food production inexpensively!

• Going organic can save you money on gardening costs and on your food budget (Main, 2009) Here’s how:

• Step 1: Forgo the beds. If you desire a raised garden bed, you can mound up soil and plant vegetables among your other flowers and landscape plants. Ex. Parsley makes a nice border plant (Main, 2009)

• Step 2: Use compost. Yard waste, chicken manure, and items from your recyclables (Main, 2009)

• Step 3: Find plants that have higher yield than cost. Ex. A tomato plant can cost $1.50 and yield 12 pounds of tomatoes! (Main, 2009)

• Step 4: Make your own pesticides. Herbs are a natural pest deterrent. Ex: make a spray using hot, soapy water with chopped hot pepper & garlic (Main, 2009)

• Step 5: REUSE! The best example is your compost pile. It is a key ingredient in an organic garden that turns yard & kitchen waste into a soil conditioner, fertilizer, mulch, & potting mix (Main, 2009)

• If you wish to make a container garden, use old items like kiddie pools!

Challenges and Solutions to producing your own food from a home garden using chickens, manure, & compost

CHALLENGES • Not enough space to create your

garden

• Cost of feeding and caring for your chickens

• Creation of a compost takes too much time (6-12 months) (“Carrying on Composting, ”n.d.)

• Pests will over run your garden if it is organic

• The manure will smell too much!

SOLUTIONS • Build a container garden using old items

such as a kiddie pool

• Feed chickens table scraps as well as feed to reduce the cost

• 18 day “hot” compost method using chicken manure

• Create your own pest spray using water, garlic, and red pepper or plant a variety of herbs

• Ignore the smell, and enjoy a free & natural fertilizer and soil conditioner, manure provides a ton of necessary nutrients

Action Plan: Raising chickens Raising chickens for their eggs • For sustaining my household, I will

have three chickens, only hens. I will adopt the chickens from my local animal shelter at $30 each.

• Chickens eat approximately 84 lbs. of feed per year. Average cost to feed 3 chickens = $90

• All hens will lay 200-250 eggs per year = 600-750 eggs annually

• That’s only $1.40-$1.90 on feed per each dozen eggs compared to $2.50-$5.00 per dozen in the supermarket (Foreman & Long, 2013)

Raising chickens for their manure

• One chicken produces 8-11lbs of manure a month containing 0.12-0.17lbs of nitrogen, totaling over 90lbs a year! (Foreman & Long, 2013)

• By using the chicken manure, I will have free fertilizer and soil conditioner

• Most garden crops require 0.25-0.33lbs of nitrogen per 100 square feet (Foreman & Long, 2013)

• Using their manure in compost increases nitrogen content, adding nutrients to the garden soil and ultimately to your fruits and vegetables

Action Plan: Creating a compost

• Using the 18 day “hot” composting method, I will save time, enabling myself to plant different varieties of vegetables during different seasons

• Composting using kitchen scraps, chicken manure, grasses, dead leaves & twigs will help the environment by reducing wastes and recycling them

• I will use chicken wire and wood found as discarded trash to build my backyard compost pile

Image from: (“Carrying on Composting,”n.d.)

Action Plan: Regulations to obtain a home garden with chickens in Las Vegas, NV

• Must get permission from HOA

• In my area, we are allowed to have hens only, no roosters!

• Get written permission by neighbors who live within 350 feet of my household, and be sure to keep the smell at a minimum! (Municipal code 7.04.120)

• Must have a chicken coop. Mine will cost $252 purchased from Wayfair.com

Image from: www.Wayfair.com

Conclusion • Home gardens are an eco-friendly sustainable agricultural practice to improve

food security and enhance economic growth (Galhena, 2013)

• In the face of growing global food crisis and soaring food prices, home gardening is a reliable, less expensive option, allowing for self-sustainability

• Home gardening and composting reduces food wastes, and recycles them. Using chicken manure provides a safe, natural alternative to chemical fertilizers, which benefit the soil without contaminating the surrounding environment

• Having chickens in your backyard provides a less expensive way of providing a protein rich food-EGGS! (Foreman & Long, 2013)

• Happy Gardening!

References

• Balter, M. (2013, July 15). Researchers discover first use of fertilizer. Retrieved May 19, 2015, from www.sciencemag.org

• Butterfield, B. (2009, Fall). Impact of home and community gardening in America. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from www.nationalgardeningassociation.com

• Carry on composting. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://carryoncomposting.com/142941469 • Ellis, L., & Love, S. (2013, May). Composting and using backyard poultry waste in the home garden. University of Idaho

Extension, CIS 1194. Retrieved May 19, 2015. • Foreman, P., & Long, C. (2013, April/May). Chickens in the garden: Eggs, meat, chicken manure fertilizer and more.

Mother Earth News, 1-5. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from www.motherearthnews.com/print • Galhena, D., (2013, May). Home gardens: a promising approach to enhance household food security and wellbeing.

Agriculture & Food Security, 2:8. doi: 10.1186/2048-7010-2-8 • History series on organic farming and sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from www.library.ucsc.edu • Hot compost-composting in 18 days. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2015, from http://deepgreenpermaculture.com • Kelsch, R. (2015, April). Urban Gardening: how southern Nevada supports urban gardening. Retrieved June 8, 2015,

from http://www.greenchips.org/sustainability in the news/southern-nevada.com • Main, E. (2009, April 24). 5 ways to create an organic garden on the cheap. Rodale's Organic Life. Retrieved June 1,

2015, from http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com • Pallavi, A. (2014). Grow food anywhere. Downtoearth.org, 16-30. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from

www.downtoearth.org.in • Pimentel, D. & Harvey, C. (1995, February). Environmental and economic costs of soil erosion and conservation benefits.

Science, New Series, Vol.267, No.5201, 1117-1123. • Pogash, K. (2009, May/June). History of organic farming and agriculture. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from

www.kennuncorked.com • Rhoades, H. (n.d.). Using chicken manure fertilizer in your garden. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com