Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farm. Show all posts
13/12/2009
Case study: Marine Protected Areas in West Bali – algae aquaculture as a solution
< Nadine Freischlad >
I’ve been lucky to spend the past few weeks in Indonesia. Part of my trip involved visiting a program initiated by the WWF in West Bali: This region is designated as a National Park but still, the coastal ecosystem has been suffering greatly from overfishing/cyniade fishing and tourism, as local inhabitants are struggling to find sources of income.
Bali Barat National Park Region
Part of the WWF’s work was to introduce collectives of fishermen to algae farming, a practice which is NOT native to Bali, but is considered a profitable and simple alternative to fishing. It has been successfully introduced to other areas of Bali previously, including Nusa Dua and Nusa Lembongan. (Another more sustainable form of fish production are the grouper breeding sites, floating aquafarm structures locally known as Kerambah, which I will report on later.)
Since the days in the village of Sumber Kima (‘Source of Pearls’), one of the villages in the vicinity of the National Park, have been so extremely insightful, I will split up the report into several posts. The first post is dedicated to painting a picture of the complex cultural, economic and ecological system that makes up a coastal zone in Indonesia – and most likely everywhere else in the world.
The obvious conflict in the area of the National Park was the clash of interests between those wanting to preserve the natural habitat and those people in need of using the ocean’s resources for their survival. In the beginning, not enough effort was put into bringing together all interests, which resulted in the criminalization of people still using destructive fishing methods and catching ornamental fish to sell them.
In this situation, there was a need for mediation and bringing all stakeholders together in a common forum. (Which is what the WWF facilitated) Representatives of the National Park, fishermen groups, regional entrepreneurs and the local police are meeting regularly to discuss problems and to find solutions. The main pillars of work of this forum are:
1. Protecting the coastal ecosystem (Zonation of National Park: core zone vs. zones for ‘light’ tourism, research, recreation)
2. Introducing alternative sources of income for fishermen (algae farming)
3. Joint patrols to monitor
4. Fundraising
Algae aquaculture seemed especially suited as the demand is high and it has worked in other regions of Bali. It requires little investment, thus allowing fishermen with little funds to join in.
Villagers in Bali are often organized in neighborhood collectives, or groups, in which they share workload and equipment. In this specific program, effort has been made to integrate the women of the collective into to production cycle. The women help with preparing the seeds, planting and harvesting, but are also responsible for some processing of the algae. This includes baking cakes, making different sorts of candy and crackers, which are then sold at local markets.
Since the program started in 2003, after some initial difficulties, the farmers have seen some significant improvements and more groups have joined in. The amount of algae produced has risen dramatically and they report that fish are now more plentiful and easy to catch as they use the algae farming site to feed on and for shelter.
increase in yearly algae production from 1 0 tons to 750 tons since 2003 (weight before drying)"
Another interesting fact is that the fishermen-turned-algae farmers on Bali are not actually Balinese people, but from the island of Madura. The Madurese, living on a small and overpopulated island, have a long tradition of fishing. They are also known to be very skilled boat builders and are basically found inhabiting any coast of the Indonesian Archipelago, bringing their belief, Islam, with them. The Balinese themselves, as Hindus, are traditionally not fishers but farmers and prefer to populate the mountainous regions. In their belief, Demons inhabit the seas while the mountains are the domain of the gods.
Thus, the program to help the fishermen to find more sustainable, less exploitative and most of all legal uses of the ocean is not only addressing an economic dimension, but might also be part of stabilizing the social fabric. (Luckily, there is and has been NO conflict regarding differences in religion or culture in the region)
So, I am thinking that my next visit should be to Madura, to learn from the cradle of these crafty sea-faring people ☺
Look, they even make their own fishing nets… I totally believed those are machine-made these days!
Stay tuned for Part 2: The algaeculture method employed in Bali Barat (seeding, long-line planting, harvesting, replanting, drying)
< /Nadine Freischlad >
I’ve been lucky to spend the past few weeks in Indonesia. Part of my trip involved visiting a program initiated by the WWF in West Bali: This region is designated as a National Park but still, the coastal ecosystem has been suffering greatly from overfishing/cyniade fishing and tourism, as local inhabitants are struggling to find sources of income.
Bali Barat National Park Region
Part of the WWF’s work was to introduce collectives of fishermen to algae farming, a practice which is NOT native to Bali, but is considered a profitable and simple alternative to fishing. It has been successfully introduced to other areas of Bali previously, including Nusa Dua and Nusa Lembongan. (Another more sustainable form of fish production are the grouper breeding sites, floating aquafarm structures locally known as Kerambah, which I will report on later.)
Since the days in the village of Sumber Kima (‘Source of Pearls’), one of the villages in the vicinity of the National Park, have been so extremely insightful, I will split up the report into several posts. The first post is dedicated to painting a picture of the complex cultural, economic and ecological system that makes up a coastal zone in Indonesia – and most likely everywhere else in the world.
The obvious conflict in the area of the National Park was the clash of interests between those wanting to preserve the natural habitat and those people in need of using the ocean’s resources for their survival. In the beginning, not enough effort was put into bringing together all interests, which resulted in the criminalization of people still using destructive fishing methods and catching ornamental fish to sell them.
In this situation, there was a need for mediation and bringing all stakeholders together in a common forum. (Which is what the WWF facilitated) Representatives of the National Park, fishermen groups, regional entrepreneurs and the local police are meeting regularly to discuss problems and to find solutions. The main pillars of work of this forum are:
1. Protecting the coastal ecosystem (Zonation of National Park: core zone vs. zones for ‘light’ tourism, research, recreation)
2. Introducing alternative sources of income for fishermen (algae farming)
3. Joint patrols to monitor
4. Fundraising
Algae aquaculture seemed especially suited as the demand is high and it has worked in other regions of Bali. It requires little investment, thus allowing fishermen with little funds to join in.
Villagers in Bali are often organized in neighborhood collectives, or groups, in which they share workload and equipment. In this specific program, effort has been made to integrate the women of the collective into to production cycle. The women help with preparing the seeds, planting and harvesting, but are also responsible for some processing of the algae. This includes baking cakes, making different sorts of candy and crackers, which are then sold at local markets.
Since the program started in 2003, after some initial difficulties, the farmers have seen some significant improvements and more groups have joined in. The amount of algae produced has risen dramatically and they report that fish are now more plentiful and easy to catch as they use the algae farming site to feed on and for shelter.
increase in yearly algae production from 1 0 tons to 750 tons since 2003 (weight before drying)"
Another interesting fact is that the fishermen-turned-algae farmers on Bali are not actually Balinese people, but from the island of Madura. The Madurese, living on a small and overpopulated island, have a long tradition of fishing. They are also known to be very skilled boat builders and are basically found inhabiting any coast of the Indonesian Archipelago, bringing their belief, Islam, with them. The Balinese themselves, as Hindus, are traditionally not fishers but farmers and prefer to populate the mountainous regions. In their belief, Demons inhabit the seas while the mountains are the domain of the gods.
Thus, the program to help the fishermen to find more sustainable, less exploitative and most of all legal uses of the ocean is not only addressing an economic dimension, but might also be part of stabilizing the social fabric. (Luckily, there is and has been NO conflict regarding differences in religion or culture in the region)
So, I am thinking that my next visit should be to Madura, to learn from the cradle of these crafty sea-faring people ☺
Look, they even make their own fishing nets… I totally believed those are machine-made these days!
Stay tuned for Part 2: The algaeculture method employed in Bali Barat (seeding, long-line planting, harvesting, replanting, drying)
< /Nadine Freischlad >
12/12/2009
Open_Sailing_01 @ RCA SHOW 2009
Ole !
It is indeed too late to advertise about it, but let's do it anyway : Open_Sailing was exhited at the Royal College of Art final show 2009, and it was a great success. We met so many interesting people! We got a nice website for our show.
The setup was simple, thanks to Ilona, Hiromi and Colet for your precious help.
And if you haven't seen it yet : the superb model made by Oliver Goodhall ! [How it was made]
The show was busy, it was so good !
Open_Sailing_01 was also selected to represent the college as one of the most promising sustainable project : Sustainable design at the Royal College of Art. Capture 1 | 2
All these great pictures taken by Hayeon Yoo, THANK YOU ! ( www.flickr.com/photos/hayeon/ )
23/11/2009
Self-righting, insubmersible boats
The design of the Open_Sailing_01 has been influenced by the Givens Inflatable liferaft.
Download the video ( .flv flash 14 mb | .mp4 quicktime 40 mb)
You can download here the .pdf of the Givens US-Patent of James A. Givens 1988.
Download the pdf the self-righting boat, Patent of Derek Wright 1991
And lastly, the large inflatable life raft with a central pilar to hold the roof, pdf patent of Baughman 1989.
So this is our design, Open_Sailing_01, inspired by these inflatable liferaft technologies. We try to combine these technologies in something simple and efficient.
Download the video ( .flv flash 14 mb | .mp4 quicktime 40 mb)
You can download here the .pdf of the Givens US-Patent of James A. Givens 1988.
Download the pdf the self-righting boat, Patent of Derek Wright 1991
And lastly, the large inflatable life raft with a central pilar to hold the roof, pdf patent of Baughman 1989.
So this is our design, Open_Sailing_01, inspired by these inflatable liferaft technologies. We try to combine these technologies in something simple and efficient.
20090330_open-sailing_09
3D model by Nasser Moustakim, http://international-ocean-station.org/download/20090330_open-sailing_09.skp
Sketchup is a free easy to use 3D softrware for mac, PC, Linux, download here.
Condenser
< Peter Von Bartheld >
Salty water can be condensed to get fresh water. Sea water is being pumped up into the lower compartment in small quantities by a simple pump powered by the waves. The black isolated plate heats up the water through solar energy, the water vaporises, moves trough holes into the second compartment were it condenses against the transparent outer layer. It drips down and is being collected at the bottom of the second compartment.
Salty water can be condensed to get fresh water. Sea water is being pumped up into the lower compartment in small quantities by a simple pump powered by the waves. The black isolated plate heats up the water through solar energy, the water vaporises, moves trough holes into the second compartment were it condenses against the transparent outer layer. It drips down and is being collected at the bottom of the second compartment.
Cheap vs Reliable?
Peter;
Can we name a couple of demands that should apply to our ocean going vessels?
I like the idea of working with recycled materials; not only is it cheap, it also is a great way to battle pollution. So I definitely think we should try to use old PET bottles, tires and so on.
But since it's ocean going It should be reliable, too. The waves will not be 100t per square meter since the vessel will not be very heavy, but still it's going to have to be strong. If you want to take it out there were it can get so ugly, I want something that can take a beating for sure.
Is it possible to combine all the factors? I worked on earlier drawings to see if I could combine cost efficiency, product efficiency, reliability of the structure, use of recycled materials and user friendliness on open sea.
It needs to float. By using PET bottles you're using not only a very strong container, you use a lot of them. When a couple of them loose their buoyancy it will hardly have any effect. that's a good thing. Using recycled materials will keep the costs down and the environment happy.
It needs to be strong and stable. Seas get rough. Waves are beating the structure up, salt water is very aggressive, it has no shelter from the high winds. By using a cylinder shaped box for the plants it will be able to withstand the impacts of waves. Using plastic or glass fibre the box will remain light which will make it easier to keep the structure up straight and out of the water. The sand in which the plants grow will make the top heavy. For stability, a weight under the buoy will have to make sure the point of gravity stays low. I needs a lid that will increase the strength of the structure during bad weather.
It needs work efficiently. A massive construction for just three plants seems like a waste of... well, just about everything. So less is more when it comes to the use of materials. I can imagine big, flat dishes that float on pallets of PET bottles.
It needs to be user friendly. Gardening is a lot of work so you will have to be able to reach the plants as well. By surrounding every cylinder by a little ridge you can stand on, you'll be able to work in the gardens. When multiple cylinders are hooked together in a flexible way, the stability and accessibility will increase.
It needs to be plant friendly. Plants will not grow in any situation. Making them happy is actually more important then anything else. A super strong construction in which the plants all die, is no use. So the plants need to be above sea level so they will not drown, they need to be protected against high winds, high waves, burning sun, parasites etc. I see this as the biggest challenge actually.
Can we name a couple of demands that should apply to our ocean going vessels?
I like the idea of working with recycled materials; not only is it cheap, it also is a great way to battle pollution. So I definitely think we should try to use old PET bottles, tires and so on.
But since it's ocean going It should be reliable, too. The waves will not be 100t per square meter since the vessel will not be very heavy, but still it's going to have to be strong. If you want to take it out there were it can get so ugly, I want something that can take a beating for sure.
Is it possible to combine all the factors? I worked on earlier drawings to see if I could combine cost efficiency, product efficiency, reliability of the structure, use of recycled materials and user friendliness on open sea.
It needs to float. By using PET bottles you're using not only a very strong container, you use a lot of them. When a couple of them loose their buoyancy it will hardly have any effect. that's a good thing. Using recycled materials will keep the costs down and the environment happy.
It needs to be strong and stable. Seas get rough. Waves are beating the structure up, salt water is very aggressive, it has no shelter from the high winds. By using a cylinder shaped box for the plants it will be able to withstand the impacts of waves. Using plastic or glass fibre the box will remain light which will make it easier to keep the structure up straight and out of the water. The sand in which the plants grow will make the top heavy. For stability, a weight under the buoy will have to make sure the point of gravity stays low. I needs a lid that will increase the strength of the structure during bad weather.
It needs work efficiently. A massive construction for just three plants seems like a waste of... well, just about everything. So less is more when it comes to the use of materials. I can imagine big, flat dishes that float on pallets of PET bottles.
It needs to be user friendly. Gardening is a lot of work so you will have to be able to reach the plants as well. By surrounding every cylinder by a little ridge you can stand on, you'll be able to work in the gardens. When multiple cylinders are hooked together in a flexible way, the stability and accessibility will increase.
It needs to be plant friendly. Plants will not grow in any situation. Making them happy is actually more important then anything else. A super strong construction in which the plants all die, is no use. So the plants need to be above sea level so they will not drown, they need to be protected against high winds, high waves, burning sun, parasites etc. I see this as the biggest challenge actually.
Land plants at sea
PeterVon Bartheld said :
"Yesterday and today I've been surfing the net a bit looking for some of the plants I know from the Dutch shores. The two plants I've looked up seem to be most suitable; ZEEKRAAL (fr; Salicorne) and Crambe maritima (also called seakale).
ZEEKRAAL in dry sand
ZEEKRAAL in wet sand
ZEEKRAAL in your plate, Bon apetit!
Seakale receipe
They're tough plants and very nutricious. I'm especially interested in the possibilities of creating a system in which animals and plants are balancing each other out, like the Israeli farm you see in the PDF I send you with this email.
Every time I'm looking for this subject, I bump into a collaboration project between Holland, Belgium and Portugal in which different universities did research about growing crops in salty conditions. These guys are obviously the people to talk to. Some of them actually started up little businesses, specializing in salt water farming. See the links in the PDF (3.2 mb)."
AMAZING! So we dont have to eat each other out ! There will definitely be a part of the part 1 publication dedicated to cooking with yummy pictures and happy people
Peter von Bartheld said:
And ofcourse there is Nori (Porphyra) the most commenly know eatible seaweed.
What sort of nutritive value does nori have?
Porphyra contains significant amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals. The vitamin C content of nori, or prepared Porphyra, is greater than in raw oranges. The vitamin A content is comparable to that spinach, along with fairly high amounts of vitamin B in general. The amount of free and proteinaceous amino acids in nori are roughly similar to that of vegetables. Manganese, copper and selenium are present in Porphyra and essential for the metabolic processes of organisms. Porphyra has the remarkable capacity for survival against dessication and can dry out for days without harm. The primary storage form for Porphyra isby starch.
cultivation
The farming of nori occurs in two stages. The first stage is when the Conchocelis stage is cultivated along with the production of conchospores. The second stage is when the framer focus on the cultivation of the thallus in the field.
I guess the first stage might be some what complicated, it demands indoor cultivation of the spores, regulating light and temperature, and it is usually done in autumn. But if there is a company that provides the spores ready for growing the thallus (the actual seaweed) then these months would be perfect to experiement with the cultivation of it.
Cultivation of the thallus stage of Porphyra yezoensis
After the collecting of conchospores, these spores are now ready to be seeded and grown on cultivation nets in the field. There are three commonly used cultivation methods:
* The pillar method is only used for intertidal cultivation and in places where the tidal range is between one and two meters.
* The semi-floating raft method is used in the intertidal zone. This may be the preferred method as the raft floats near the surface of the water, allowing maximal exposure to the sunlight needed for photosynthesis.
* The floating raft method is used for production of Porphyra in deep water.
Would the raft-method not be perfect?
22/11/2009
cardboard models
Our scale small stacked structure are just uneven and asymetrical.
So instead of stacked structure, we are going to side-by-side attached structures...
Next we tried to simulate the structure :
http://sodaplay.com/creators/cesarharada/items/hexagonal_2triangles
And now, the same structure but as a pattern
6 sides, 12 pieces, 5 levels
- 6 sides
- 12 parts
- 5 levels thick
Unstable, fragile, uneven...
Download the 3d sketchup file (220kb)
http://sites.google.com/a/opensailing.net/www/labs/nomadic_ecosystem/drafts-ideas
15/11/2009
Yes we CanDOCK !
Just looking at this amazing floating dock products :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw4MHzwsaiI
It is beautiful how a modular system can follow the movement of the waves !
You need to watch their great corporate video as well.
The basic module is simple and good :
That's a cool docking system. But it is ... EXPENSIVE !!!!
Ok, maybe that's the good time to bring it up : a long time ago, last autumn we did some test of structures :
This one was pretty, the weight keep the moving parts together, but the tension on the cable made amplified unecessarily the movement of the structure.
The simple tripod behaved pretty well.
The star-shaped structure with long arms was a real catastrophy : the waves flipped it over, the arms folded on the structure, it landed miserably violently on the beach ...
The best structure was the platform + ballast. Simple, cheap, very, stable, reliable, at one with the sea.
For the nomadic eco-system is easy to think of semi-enclosed applications as well.
So, I would advocate a ballast system under the gardens too. Cheaper and more reliable than a solid ballast. Some sand can be added in the bag too anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw4MHzwsaiI
It is beautiful how a modular system can follow the movement of the waves !
You need to watch their great corporate video as well.
The basic module is simple and good :
That's a cool docking system. But it is ... EXPENSIVE !!!!
Ok, maybe that's the good time to bring it up : a long time ago, last autumn we did some test of structures :
This one was pretty, the weight keep the moving parts together, but the tension on the cable made amplified unecessarily the movement of the structure.
The simple tripod behaved pretty well.
The star-shaped structure with long arms was a real catastrophy : the waves flipped it over, the arms folded on the structure, it landed miserably violently on the beach ...
The best structure was the platform + ballast. Simple, cheap, very, stable, reliable, at one with the sea.
For the nomadic eco-system is easy to think of semi-enclosed applications as well.
So, I would advocate a ballast system under the gardens too. Cheaper and more reliable than a solid ballast. Some sand can be added in the bag too anyway.
puley system for the floating garden
By Benjamin Lesur & Sylvain Troianowski
this is the puley system that lift the top part of the mould :
this is the puley system that lift the top part of the mould :
Floating Gardens/Nomadic Ecosystem: A simple application
By Benjamin Lesur & Sylvain Troyanowski
Here in this pictures you can follow a different proposition about the floating gardens.
With Silvain Troianowski, we imagine a module composed of many removable cells, in order to answer a bit more to the concept of instinctive architecture, and to simplify the construction.
We see an other important advantage with this choice of design, the cells could be produced in serial, so when open sailing grow up financially, the structure can grow as well.
Here in this pictures you can follow a different proposition about the floating gardens.
With Silvain Troianowski, we imagine a module composed of many removable cells, in order to answer a bit more to the concept of instinctive architecture, and to simplify the construction.
We see an other important advantage with this choice of design, the cells could be produced in serial, so when open sailing grow up financially, the structure can grow as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)