Agricultural Restoration

Project title: Seeds Name of Project Developer: Jennifer Winkelman Project Location: Austin, Texas? Proposed starting date: March 1st, 2015 Project Duration: Ongoing Project Projected Cost: 4 million?

Seeds will begin as a sustainable community farm providing food and education for all who are involved and in need. It will evolve through stages over the course of 25 years to expand our free farming community through fundraising and grants. We will grow food for the whole community, people who volunteer their time can take food home to their families and all excess (done efficiently we should have excess) will be donated to shelters and soup kitchens and anyone in need. The point of Seeds is to feed everyone. Ultimately our farm should become self sufficient and able to sustain itself outside of the monetary system. We will extend our reach over time, entering other communities that welcome us, eventually developing hydroponic food towers in the city using repurposed buildings and providing housing for volunteers who need housing. The final stage should be the expansion of our model into other cities and countries, establishing a world wide network of agriculture for the people. All it will cost is time and effort from the individuals involved. (This is the real cost of food after all) All the while these farms will evolve to use efficient and ecologically friendly technology making the production of food even more efficient and sustainable. Using the modern day monetary system and through skillful navigation of non profit and zoning laws we can create a place that is ultimately free and no longer relies on donations and grants to survive.

I. Justification Seeds is, so far, just an idea, but with the help of innovative, motivated people, it could be so much more. I am proposing this project here, at The Venus Project, in the hopes that I can get people involved who are smarter than me. In the beginning this will be a non-profit organization that requires funding through donations. But it can grow to support itself outside of the monetary system. Once established it should be tax free. So there will be no annual taxes to contend with. Energy we can harvest ourselves, using wind and solar power. It will be an organization with a life of its own, hopefully immune to modern profit driven corruption, because no one will profit financially. Modern Day Community Farms Free Farms There are currently no (correct me if Im wrong) community farms that sustain and propagate themselves, reaching beyond their immediate community to offer food to those without. Every

free community farm currently relies on the land owner allowing them to stay (usually for 5 years in order to get their tax break) and they, then, are literally uprooted. How can such a garden or farm hope to grow under such restrictions let alone support the development of neighboring farms to establish a real free farm network? What Im proposing may have a monetary price to begin with but it will not be owned by an individual. Through the current model of land ownership the land we develop will be owned by the foundation itself and entrusted to the board to make decisions. No one will have power to take it from us. Non-Profit Food Donations There currently exist no nonprofits that grow the food for their donations. All food is grown for profit. Its good business to earn the favor of the people, so they throw scraps to the poor and the rest of us swoon and support their business. This is carefully calculated by all parties, from the farm to the stores. If it doesnt increase their bottom line it wont happen. All donated food comes from a business that is aiming to make a profit. With this in mind do we really have a choice as to the food we eat? All choices are an illusion. Even those with some monetary means eat what they find at the store, an areal view of any grocery store will show you just how they heard us like sheep and feed us garbage. They use grains and soy in everything because its cheap so they tell us in commercials that its healthy. This is where we get our science to back up our choices, from the companies that make the products. The companies sell the products using science and logic to sway the consumer. This is a relatively new advertising trend thats popped up in the last couple of decades. This is meant to pray on our egos, because we all believe we are smart consumers and we wont buy just anything that anyone is selling, we are on to them, after all. But we can evolve beyond this. Seeds can give power back to the people, we will become more than employees, or consumers, we will be more than statistics on a profit report. We can become the people once again, truly intelligent, compassionate life forms of the planet earth. But to be Human we must have power over our own lives. This project can reunite the people with the source of their life. The earth and what grows from it, the dirt and the shit that we make our soil with is our true livelihood. This is a project that aims to reclaim that soil for everyone, not just the privileged Farm sharing There are these so called community share farms in abundance, more of them popping up everyday. And I cant blame people for turning to them. In a society that sets our table for us its the only resource left for many people to have real food. But it still costs money and its still profit driven. There is little hope that one of these farms will emerge a leader in free food and sustainable living (meaning no need for money). These farms are sweet and nice and maybe the only way for these farms to do what they do in this system is to create a farm share program selling bits of it off to the community, but only those who can pay can eat. Why are we paying for food? Community Farm (commune) A community farm, from the outside, looks like a good idea, it looks free and real, a place to share ideas and food and live in harmony, etc. Some of these farms still exist from the 60s. This idea is wonderful. If youre friends with someone on the inside maybe you can get in. Or if you can pay them you can have a tour. And its nice, you can sell some shit and live a cool life in harmony with nature and have some babies and stuff. But this is the reality of it, it still costs

money and its still profit driven. These community farms or communes evoke the image of human rights and giving and sharing but in reality its a club for only those with monetary means, the already privileged who recognize that they are in need of a relationship with their mother earth, never mind the fellow members of the human race. Seeds Now there is Seeds, a non exclusive, all inclusive community of people seeking food, good food. It will evolve to sustain housing for full time stewards (if they so choose to live there) but its not about making money, this is a true non-profit, the only profit will be the food itself and the benefits we receive from that food.

Resources The People we need We can make this a reality, first, with the help of people. We need all kinds of People. People who are ready for this change and can think freely outside of the box. People who have knowledge of sustainable agriculture or the ability to navigate the law, or skills for obtaining funds, not to mention all the other skills and knowledge we will need and value, such as animal husbandry, botany, carpentry, architecture, doctors, healers, engineers of every persuasions and the list goes on and on. We will need educators, writers, artists, musicians. We need people interested and involved, spreading the word. Every skill is welcome and every skill level is welcome, from home gardeners to people with degrees in agriculture. We need you all. We are establishing a community of people with the same goal in mind. The people who have been asking the same question, why are we paying for food, when did food become a privilege in the fucking free world? Resources We need money to begin this obviously. We are trying to supersede the monetary system but to do so we must first navigate through it. Just as with the law. We need to raise enough funds to buy a large piece of land. It needs to first be established how much we need to feed a community of approximately 1200 people, using the land to the best of its ability while improving its integrity for future growing seasons. The size might range anywhere from 500 to 1500 acres. The price then can vary depending on the location and the quality and the water access. But I estimate between $800,000 and $3 million. I know this is a broad range but there are too many variables at this point to narrow it down further. That is why I have omitted a budget from this proposal. It is beyond my abilities to establish such a large and intricate budget for something that is, as of yet, an idea. Now that the land is purchased we must pay for, or accept donations of: Irrigation systems (sustainable ones) Soil reconstitution (organic) Seeds/Plants (non gmo) Potting rooms for the seedlings Greenhouses

Movable fences for grazing so we dont overgraze Tools Farm equipment Animals Shelter for the animals Veterinary care Bee hives Solar power Wind mills Large scale composting system Water conservation system Time and effort of volunteers to make this happen Many of these things, perhaps even the land, can be donated or repurposed. Structures can be built from mud so they need not cost much more than time. II. Objectives 1. Develop a community of people with various skills who will through the exchange of ideas, develop this project in more detail, arrange meetings (in person, Skype, conference calls etc.)Determine a plan of action, including, establishing ourselves as non-profit, deciding how and when to raise funds, creating a detailed budget, a detailed time line, delegating responsibilities, deciding how many hours and hands it takes to run a farm of this size on a daily basis, the number of volunteers we will then need, the number of people we can expect to support with the land we will have. There are many questions we will answer together. 2. Establish a board of Directors or Founders including a legal officer, a financial officer, an agricultural officer, etc. 3. Develop a sustainable, detailed plan for creating and running this farm, making the most of local, natural and donated resources. 4. Get the word out and get people involved from many communities, using social media to reach people as well as reaching out to the local community where we would like to establish Seeds Mama farm. (as I like to call it, its up for discussion) 5. Obtain Non-Profit Status or if its an option seek the help from other non-profits to get started under their name and then branch off on our own. (this might make the path to nonprofit status easier to obtain but the compromises required may not be worth it) 6. Buy Land or reach out to people for a land donation. We must decide where is the best place to begin (our agricultural and legal experts will be a large part of this decision) and what our budget is for the land. 7. Through volunteers and funds raised we can now create the infrastructure needed to run this farm efficiently and responsibly, including a sustainable irrigation system, all structures made of local materials, composting systems, and creating workable healthy soil, and sufficient grazing fields for the animals that we can rotate. This will take time to establish a working farm, it will take patience and devotion from volunteers who feel passionate about what we are trying to accomplish. We will provide a shuttle or car pool for those who wish to be a part of Seeds but live too far or lack transportation; we need you as much as you need us. This project will take time from peoples jobs where they make their money and subsequently feed their families. I think there are enough of us who feel that we have nothing left to lose so lets just get to work. This place is more than a farm, to the people

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who will work there and get their hands dirty, its a home. Thats what we are creating, a place that we want to call home. Once up and running we can at this point share the bounty with everyone who is offering their time and skills and any excess will spill over into the surrounding community helping all those in need. And this overflow of food and giving will create a chain reaction that inspires those who have been helped to come to us when they are able and get involved in various ways, thus creating a larger community. Now that we have a firm foothold in this community we can begin to build housing (using our own, and up cycled, resources such as cob houses or earth ships) these homes will be comfortable and responsible, we will make these homes available to those who are willing to commit full time to our project, effectively abandoning the modern monetary system. This will require a great deal of trust on the part of these individuals; trust in the community and in the ideals of this project. It will also require that the community put trust in these people. The people that will be housed will most likely be people who have seen the ugliest side of our current monetary system, people who, in their former lives, have been passed over. This will provide them with a means to a better life where they will be important valued members of a larger community. This step might meet with some challenges; this, I will discuss in more detail in section IV of this proposal. Now after this happens we should become more self sufficient. Through the congregation of many people with varied skills and making the most of our own resources we can rely less and less on finances and we can utilize the funds we receive to spread seeds into other communities. As long as we have people who are interested in helping and feeding the world responsibly we will have donations and volunteers to open free farms around the world. Through out this process we will include educating and training for all involved. Adult education is an important part of this, there are far to many adults in this world who cant read. You might show up with one skill and learn an entirely new one, or refine your current skill set. This community isnt just about sharing food but knowledge. Because knowledge is power, we want our community to be empowered. Every individual will have access to someone who can teach them something. At this point in our evolution we can offer full time schooling to our kids, in classrooms that extend into the whole farm and even the whole world if field trips can be arranged. We will have teachers of many different backgrounds to teach many subjects, not just the ones deemed essential, and this is a free school for all kids in the community. This is actually a project within Seeds, just as the housing might be construed as such. It will be a large undertaking in and of itself. And this school may be free for all who attend, but let it not to be confused with a public school. Public school is anything but free; the price isnt paid from the parents pockets but from the childrens future. Seeds philosophy of education is that it is a never ending cycle of discovery, learning and sharing what youve learned with others. We are educating people not employees. So the education we offer will be the education we desire for ourselves and our own children, an integrated system that marries every subject and places it in real life experience creating a veritable banquet of knowledge that never ends. Now that we are growing we can begin to enter the inner cities. This is where the greatest need is, after all. We can purchase or accept donations of old abandoned buildings. Our Architects can convert these old buildings into something useful. Well create Hydroponic food towers. Depending on zoning we can have bee hives on the roof tops and we can convert empty city lots into small gardens or farms with goats, chickens or cows. We can convert a few floors for very comfortable housing for the Stewards. Just as the farms will

house full time Stewards so too will the towers. The Stewards of the towers will have ample room for their families to live with them in comfort. And the children of these stewards will also need education. We can shuttle them to and from the farm or we can open a school in the city. But either way everyone involved will have access to the same opportunities. I know that things like gas cost money. We will still, at this point, have to rely on monetary funds to continue to grow, reach other communities and allow all of our farms to be interconnected. But the farms themselves should, over time, become more and more selfsufficient, particularly when we put our funds toward implementing technology. We can reach the point that we can even make our own clothes from the land we care for. (hemp, goats, leather) Year after year we will use less and less money. The older the farm the less money it will need. 13. As the funds have become available not only have we been expanding our reach to feed more and more communities but we have been and will continue to utilize our funds to implement and create new technology to make all of our farming practices more efficient and environmentally sound. The labor required of our Stewards (both fully committed and those who have yet to trust that it is safe to leave their jobs) will be less and less. With the funds we have accrued through our non profit status in the form of grants and donations (even the smallest donation will count to make this happen, 1 single dollar to 500 hundred dollars) we will be able to advance our whole system technologically and emerge into the real 21st century.

The VP Objectives To answer the question How does this help achieve the objectives of and further the reach of the Venus Project? If we are successful, each farm should attain a state of complete self sufficiency relying only on the actual resources we have from the earth and there should be no need to continue to use money. This could be more than a generation removed from its origin but if put in motion it will happen. As more and more people become aware of our project and its positive impact they will become involved themselves, even if they were once skeptics. The immediate goal of each farm is to support the local community without exclusion. The ultimate goal of Seeds is to see the Venus Project realized. If this model is successful and we find a way to navigate within the current laws and monetary system to implement Seeds we can ultimately supersede the system that created our obstacles. This is a step on the way to a world without war or poverty and everyone can live freely in abundance. We can be free to utilize our time, skills, minds and resources for the betterment of all rather than some arbitrary profit for ourselves alone. People who learn about the Venus Project often ask the question, what will the transition phase look like? but there is no answer to that question. We cant predict the future but we can create it. This is a plan to manifest this beautiful vision into a reality. Its a dream we have all witnessed in literature, music, movies and TV (need I even mention Star Trek) and now in the Venus Project through one of the greatest visionaries and thinkers of any age, Jacque Fresco. With thought and planning we can create that transition period ourselves, we can see his dream and the dream of so many others become a reality, in our lifetimes if not our childrens. This is a call to action, and it may not be perfect, it may have some kinks, (some of which I am aware of that we will discuss later in this proposal) but thats why Im making this proposition, because it takes the minds of many to recreate a broken world.

III. Production

What we need to produce We will have a large variety of produce, ensuring that we have ample food for each season. (This depends on the climate we are in as well.) Orchards of several varieties (again, dependent on our climate) Citrus Apples Nuts Chickens for eggs and meat Cows and goats for meat, milk, cheese, butter, leather, fiber and soil (lets not waste anything) Herbs for health Bees for honey and wax

Time line (a very broad 25 year time line) Year 1: within the first year we should have established our organization and begin to collect donations and set our project in motion. We should reach our financial goal at this point and having established our budget, purchase our first farm. At this point our farm should be established and the community should be growing. We should have the capacity to expand into other communities. The rate of our growth is a direct reflection of the number of people involved. We will grow exponentially with each new person we reach. We should have, at this point, more than 10 farms up and running creating more each year. Every year we will implement new technology as it becomes available to us. (This all depends on funds available and the number of people joining us) During this phase we should be able to move into the cities, converting old buildings, growing food and grazing animals on empty lots. (Depending on zoning laws of the time)

Year 4:

Year 6:

Year 14:

Year 14-25:

Year 25+

We should be expanding into other regions and countries. Our impact on the advancement of social and environmental responsibilities should far surpass anything weve witnessed in the modern world. This is becoming more than just an organization or a social movement. We will emerge as a new society.

IV. Challenges Different Dietary Philosophies One issue we will certainly face is a difference of opinion (passionate opinion) on food values, such as vegans who stand firmly against raising animals for food and they will back this up with certain arguments about how meat is considered poison or that there isnt enough land in the world to feed everyone meat. (Im not sure how accurate that is. It is based on current irresponsible farming practices) And we will have people of the paleo persuasion (thats me) who feel that meat is an essential part of a healthy human diet. Then there are those with religious views that prevent them from eating pork or beef. I would like to say that there is a place for every view point but people disagree and I feel that sound, objective, no agenda, science should be our basis for every decision. This is also where the Venus Project plays a crucial role in the development of this project. Research has to be done to discover what is actually possible and what is actually healthy. The truth is, with modern day companies conducting their own research and giving us the facts we know very little about our own bodies. They want to sell us something and they create a scientific reason and we all trust science dont we. Bottom line, I certainly dont care if anyone chooses to eat the meat or not but I feel that it should be available. That might turn many people away from us who feel that our values are too different. We will have to accept that and move forward. Trust One challenge we may face along the way is that the people we are inviting to become a part of this project are still enslaved to the modern money making machine. They havent broken free yet, few of us have. I still have a job to pay my bills and live day to day in this world. It takes a great deal of courage and determination to leave the relative comfort of being kept behind and blaze a new trail to true freedom. As we go along some people will abandon the project for many reasons, and we have to trek on without them and trust that more will come to us. If you trust in people and offer them a new and meaningful life they will rise to the occasion. And if someone doesnt come through, we have failed them and they will move on and we have to figure out why it didnt work for them. This is how we will evolve. Many of us are so broken and damaged by this society that to trust is a difficult thing. Weve been taught that this is the way of humanity, this is the free world, we are selfish, petty and fearful by nature. Its a dog eat dog world is what we are taught as children. Is this really the true nature of humanity, to hurt one another for the thrill of wielding power? Weve all seen the evil that we are capable of, our darkest side. But is this our most basic instinct? No its not. This is the corruption of the human spirit, the exploitation of our weaknesses by a power that has been deciding our fate for far too long. The destruction and brutality we are capable of in fact goes against every human instinct

to survive. How is war self preserving? How is creating enemies allowing us to live in security and comfort? It is distinctly inhumane to be malicious. It is against the natural world. Have you ever seen a predator in the wild torture its victim? Every action of a predator has a simple purpose, to attain sustenance in the most efficient way possible. Not once have I seen a lion apply perversely crafted torture techniques to a creature that is helpless and at its mercy; for no other reason than to revel in their pain and prove how powerful he is. No, a lion goes in for the kill, and proceeds to eat, gut first, not because it causes pain to the animal but because its the path of least resistance. This is the true nature of the world. To trust that we wont be hurt by the most dangerous predator, other humans seeking dominance, is a challenge for most of us. To enter into this organization will require a degree of trust on everyones part. But I believe that many of us are ready for this change. Many of us crave a new way. We know that its not working and we are looking for alternatives. The Venus Project is that alternative and this is a means to make it happen. My proposal isnt perfect and its far from a complete idea but its a beginning. With more people working on it and figuring out how to put it into practice this could become a solid foundation to build something real. We can create a system to uplift the people and allow them to be truly human once again. A Commune? We are building a community, I know this sounds like a commune. If we are asking people to give us their time for our mutual benefit and they turn their back on the modern work a day world, (that requires them to sell pieces of their life for x amount of dollars, an hour at a time) how will they pay for their shelter in the modern monetary system? Housing is the logical next step. This is not to say that when someone decides to become a full time steward, living and working on the farm that they have to give up freedoms they once had. No one has to change who they are. We are not a cult, you do not have to adopt any particular life style to be one of us. You can come and go as you please, hold a real job out in the monetary world. You can watch TV if you so choose and use modern technology and cook your food in whatever manner youd like, and raise your kids however youd like. You can go to church or not. You will be free to pursue the path you wish to pursue, learning the skills youd like to learn and contributing in your own way. None of us will be forced to do a job we hate. Get in where you fit in, so to speak. This is a community we are building and a community is far more than food and shelter, we encourage pursuit of the arts and science. Learning, exploring and creating are valued here. It really does, as they say, take all kinds. We are people, who have different values and opinions, but we come to seeds with one value in common and that is everyone in the world has a right to eat the food of the earth and build their home on this planet. Communism, Socialism and The Fear There are many people who fear the Venus Project and any ideas, such as this, that align themselves with it. These ideas are, in the minds of some, dangerous ideas. These fears come from the fear of the unknown, the fear of being powerless and subjected to some sort of communistic like slavery. But what system do we have in place now? What is protecting us now from our current struggles? We are trapped in indentured servitude, and inevitably we are slaves to the corporations, those few powerful people who decide how we live, where we work, and the quality of our education. They even decide what we eat and what we know. They decide, and we live mindlessly enslaved, with the illusion of freedom. Well if its all smoke and mirrors, the smoke is beginning to clear and more of us every day are seeing our true reflection. People are beginning to understand. But those few who have The Fear will view this as

communism. When they witness that there is, when utilized efficiently, an abundance of resources for all, their fear will subside. There is more than enough and there wont be anyone doling out rations or deciding who gets what and when. Ultimately everything will be provided by nature and our wisely implemented technology. It wont ever be perfect. We wont begin with this abundance. We will begin by feeding those in need. As a non profit organization that offers honest work, knowledge, skills, food and shelter to those who have been passed over by modern society, those who havent failed themselves but whom society has failed.

Are we corruptible I can see how this might be seen by skeptics as a sort of work camp for the poor, or if corrupted could become such. The non profit in and of itself creates a safe guard against this from ever happening. There is a board of directors making the decisions. There will be meetings where everyone is heard before decisions are made. Decisions will be made publicly. We will create a web site that shows our progress and our use of funds. We will be completely transparent. The nature of non profit prevents anyone from making a profit. The purpose is to feed people and the board of directors or founders wont have the authority to corrupt the purpose of Seeds. As we enter into an era that is emerging into freedom from laws and money we are simultaneously utilizing laws and money to create this vision and these laws are protecting us from any such corruption.

A threat to big business If we become successful and we firmly entrench ourselves in society, becoming synonyms with every community we reach, we do become a threat to corporations. We become a threat to capitalism. At this point in time, perhaps 25 years down the line, perhaps 100, we are now putting corporate farms and grocery stores out of business. It is now a thing of the past, going to the grocery store to pay for food. Now, as this happens the jobs will vanish with them. (They already are, and the ones they offer us aren't worth having) And when the jobs vanish people will turn to the land again for their livelihood, they will turn to Seeds. This sounds good right but this scares people. They will feel forced to be a part of something that they stood against. This could cause a problem. It is easy to understand the fear they would feel. People who feel powerless and cornered are dangerous. I dont know the solution to this problem. Perhaps it is as simple as reminding them that they dont have to come to Seeds. There is a wide world for them to inhabit and they can decide to eke out an existence in any way they so choose. But the former infrastructure that they relied on for their whole lives is now crumbling. This point of the transition will be difficult, If we even make it this far, and I hope we do. It could be that the threat we pose to the current regime will be recognized and squashed before its much more than a beautiful idea.

V. Where will this lead us? Were we all born on this planet? Does that not mean that we all have an equal investment in the future of our earth and dont we all have an equal right to build our homes on this earth and eat the food it provides us? There are those who have, and continue to answer these questions

with a resounding NO. Their voices carry over many generations and the expanse of the earth. But however deafening their voices may be there are only a few of them and there are many of us that would, if asked, answer these questions with YES of course. So then, how have we come to this? Why are we enslaved to them? Who are they really? And just how powerful are they? These questions are difficult to answer. I suppose if we pursue this path the latter question will answer itself. But I think after all is said and done, what we will really discover is, not how powerful are they but how powerful are we? What are we really capable of as the Human Race? Could it be that when weve established a free and abundant society for all that we can emerge as citizens of a larger universe that we have only ever imagined? I think once we take that first step on the path to reclaiming our humanity we will set into motion the events that will redefine our entire civilization.