In many developed countries, vegetables and ingredients from around the world are supplied year-round, regardless of the season. While this might lead some to feel that the sense of seasonality has been lost from their meals, or that the variety of everyday food ingredients is not particularly rich, it’s often seen as a celebration of abundance, and there seems to be a diminished sense of crisis regarding the sustainability of food supply and dietary habits.
Nevertheless, the reality remains that many communities around the world still suffer from hunger and poverty. Furthermore, throughout history, many communities have experienced famines due to natural disasters such as floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and climate change, as well as war, misgovernment, and oppression. These famines, resulting in soaring food prices, disrupted distribution, loss of life, and the destruction of property and historical sites, continue to this day.
In fact, history shows numerous instances where stavation caused by famine escalated into deteriorating public order, civil unrest, and war, ultimately leading to the overthrow of kingdoms and dynasties.
* Global Cold – 536 AD:
It is believed that a massive eruption of the Ilopango volcano in El Salvador, which released sulfur dioxide and volcanic ash covering the entire Earth, combined with a comet or meteorite impact, caused a period of extreme weather where the entire Earth cooled for about 10 years due to a combination of factors.
It is said that the average temperature in Europe dropped by 2.5°C, one-third of the population in the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire, 395-1453) died, the plague broke out in Egypt in 541, there was a bread shortage in Ireland, thick, dry fog was observed in the Middle East and Europe, the harvest was delayed in China due to snow in August, and the Moche culture in Peru experienced a drought.
* The Great Famine at the End of the Tang Dynasty – from 874:
Towards the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), warlordism progressed among military officers responsible for border defense, such as An Lushan’s An Lushan Rebellion (755). To support these forces, the Two Taxes Law and the salt monopoly were implemented, placing a heavy burden on the people. Around that time, starting in 874, a massive locust infestation centered in Henan Province caused devastating damage to food supplies, leading to famine. Farmers, unable to find food, turned to banditry, and public order deteriorated. The following year, 875, salt smuggler Huang Chao revolted against the government’s intensified crackdown on smuggling. Staved farmers and bandit groups joined Huang Chao, swelling into a massive rebel army. By 880, Luoyang and Chang’an had fallen, and the Tang dynasty was on the brink of collapse.
Although Huang Chao’s rebellion was suppressed by Zhu Wen, a former subordinate of Huang Chao, and Li Keyong of the Tang army, Zhu Wen, having seized power, abolished the Tang dynasty, became emperor, and founded the Later Liang dynasty, laying the foundation for the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
* The Great European Famine – 1315-1317:
The period from the 10th to the 14th centuries is known as the Warm Period of the Middle Ages, a time of high agricultural productivity, remarkable economic development, population growth, and cultural flourishing. However, as a harbinger of the coming of a Little Ice Age after the 14th century, severe weather began in 1315 and continued until the summer harvest of 1317. This resulted not only in crop failures but also an 80% decrease in sheep and cattle populations, causing a large-scale famine throughout Europe, from Russia to Italy. Crime rates, including robbery and murder by the staved population, increased dramatically, and conflicts between knights and lords became increasingly warlike, leading to the Hundred Years’ War between England and France (1337). Furthermore, the westward advance of the Mongols dealt a major blow to Russia and Eastern Europe, and the Black Death (plague) epidemic wiped out one-third of Europe’s population, ushering in an era of destruction.
* The Great Russian Famine – 1601-1603:
The eruption of Mount Huaynaputina on February 19, 1600, is considered one of the largest eruptions in South America. The eruption lasted for at least two weeks, covering 12 square kilometers with massive amounts of volcanic ash in the first two days. A large quantity of ash and 16 to 32 million tons of sulfur dioxide were ejected into the upper atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing global cooling. This resulted in famine in Northern and Eastern Europe, record-breaking snowfall in Sweden, and devastating floods in the spring.
In 601, Russia suffered a severe crop failure, causing grain prices to double, reaching 60-70 kopecks per quarter of rye. As a result, many farmers were unable to obtain enough seeds to plant the following year. Although the weather was favorable in 1603, the amount of crop planted was small, leading to an intensification of the famine. Tsar Boris Godunov sold grain at half price until the treasury was depleted and distributed grain and money to the poor in cities, but to no avail, resulting in the deaths of 2 million people (equivalent to one-third of the population). Furthermore, the country lost its central authority, leading to a proliferation of false emperors and a period of turmoil including occupation by the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom. It was from this chaos that the Romanov dynasty was born.
* The Year Without Summer – 1815:
The year without summer was named by historian John Dexter Post. It refers to the massive eruption of Mount Tambora on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, which released an estimated 120 million tons of sulfur dioxide and volcanic ash into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and lowering the global temperature. While the direct death toll from the eruption is estimated at 10,000, the resulting famine caused by the cool summer is estimated to have killed between 70,000 and 120,000 people.
In June, frost was observed in five US states, including New Hampshire, and snowfall devastated crops in New York State. Potatoes suffered catastrophic damage in Ireland, leading to famine. Germany experienced the worst famine of the 19th century, causing food prices to skyrocket, and resulting in riots, arson, and looting. Typhus outbreaks occurred in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Unseasonal heavy rains in the Bengal region spread cholera. In China, rice cultivation and livestock farming were reportedly damaged due to the cold.
* The Potato Famine – Around 1844:
During the British annexation of Ireland, most of the wheat produced by agriculture, Ireland’s main industry, was exported to Great Britain, and Irish farmers relied on potatoes as their staple food. Around 1844, the potato blight arrived, and by the autumn of the following year, one-third of the crop was affected. Prime Minister Robert Peel implemented support measures, such as supplying wheat from India, but the Peel cabinet fell in the summer of 1846. The new Prime Minister, John Russell, followed Adam Smith’s theory, arguing that the state should not intervene in economic activity and that problems should be resolved by market forces. He cut off food aid and allowed food exports from Ireland to Great Britain to continue as before.
In 1846, a resurgence of potato blight caused devastating damage, depleting food reserves and leading to severe famine. Furthermore, outbreaks of fever, typhus, dysentery, and scurvy followed, and the famine, which raged until 1848, resulted in the deaths of approximately one million people and contributed to the conflict between Ireland and Great Britain. It is also estimated that about one million people fled overseas, and among the farmers who emigrated to America at this time was Patrick Kennedy, who would later produce the Kennedy family.
As an aside, potatoes originated in the Andes highlands of South America and were brought to Spain by the Spanish after they conquered the Inca Empire (1532) during the Age of Discovery. By the end of the 16th century, potatoes had spread to France and Germany, but the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) was what solidified potato cultivation. The war drastically reduced the yields of wheat and rye, the main crops in northern Europe, leading to frequent famines. However, potatoes could be harvested even if the fields were trampled, and the fields could be used as storage areas, allowing for harvesting when needed. As a result, potato cultivation, which was relatively less susceptible to war damage, spread throughout Europe as wars repeated, as an alternative to grains.
* The Great Indian Famine – 1896-1897:
Due to El Niño and the Southern Oscillation, sea surface temperatures in the eastern South Pacific decreased while those in the central and western Pacific increased. This caused a significant shift in the location of cumulonimbus cloud formation. As a result, monsoon rains did not fall from autumn to winter of 1895, and there was almost no rain in the summer of 1896. This drought across India devastated crops, leading to a famine and an estimated 1 million deaths.
* Soviet Famine – 1932-1933:
In the Soviet Union, intermittent droughts from the late 1920s to the early 1930s, followed by a cold snap and heavy rains in the spring of 1931, triggered a major famine in Ukraine, the North Caucasus, the Volga, the Southern Urals, Western Siberia, and Kazakhstan. An estimated 5.7 million to 8.7 million people died over the two years.
The causes of the famine are attributed to various factors, including adverse weather conditions, collectivization of farms, rapid industrialization and urbanization, and ethnic persecution by the Soviet Union. While collectivization, aimed at efficient agricultural harvests, was a crucial part of Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan, it proved highly inefficient, leading to a migration of farmers to industrialized cities. The government was forced to intensify forced exploitation of rural areas to achieve its plans.
Meanwhile, in the years leading up to the famine, traditional Ukrainian culture, such as the use of the Ukrainian language and the belief in Orthodox Christianity, was reviving. However, the Soviet leadership viewed this sense of ethnic and religious belonging as a sign of conformity to fascism and bourgeois nationalism, and a threat to Soviet rule. In 1932, the Soviet government forcibly seized livestock and food supplies, sealed off borders to contain those trying to escape the country, ruthlessly arrested and executed those who refused, and implemented a policy of intentionally starving Ukrainians to death, killing approximately 3.9 million Ukrainians. This is what is known as the Holodomor, a combination of the Ukrainian words “holodo,” meaning famine, and “mol,” meaning extinction.
* The Great Bengal Famine – 1943:
In 1942, following the Japanese occupation of British Burma and Singapore, rice exports from these countries ceased. Furthermore, a cyclone in October of the same year resulted in a poor autumn rice harvest, putting pressure on planting for the following year.
In 1943, the harvest was abundant enough to feed the people of Bengal in British India. However, the British military, wary of the Japanese advance into India and the German advance into the Middle East, stockpiled rice from Bengal for military use and also exported it to British forces in the Middle East. This led to growing anxiety among Bengalis about rice shortages, triggering hoarding and speculation, causing rice prices to skyrocket. Furthermore, the Governor-General’s office confiscated and destroyed transport ships and oxcarts within the colony in preparation for a Japanese invasion, disrupting the distribution network. This resulted in a large-scale, man-made famine in which ordinary people in Bengal could not even maintain a basic standard of living, and it became a catastrophe that claimed the lives of more than 3 million people from malnutrition and disease. (Ref., Churchill’s Secret War by Madhushree Mukherjee)
* The Great Famine of China – 1959-1961:
The Great Famine of 1959-1961, which occurred in China, particularly in Anhui, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan provinces, was one of the largest famines in human history, claiming an estimated 45 million lives. The main causes included Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward policy, inefficient food distribution within the national planned economy by people’s communes, the use of outdated agricultural techniques, the forced conscription of farmers for steel production, and the Four Pests Campaign, which ordered the extermination of birds as pests.
The leaders in Beijing at the time knew about the famine as early as 1958 but ignored it. Furthermore, Mao Zedong is said to have stated that equal distribution of resources would undermine the Great Leap Forward, and that if there wasn’t enough food, half the people should be killed so that the other half could be fed.
Whether caused by natural or man-made disasters, or by human-induced factors, famine has occurred numerous times throughout history in all regions of the world, beyond those mentioned above.
In any case, it is undeniable that anyone, anywhere, at any time in the future can encounter a famine. Moreover, famine is now being strategically used to achieve de facto population reduction and totalitarian control through AI-managed social credit scores, artificial disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and tsunamis, artificial diseases caused by biological weapons, conflicts and wars without justice, righteousness, or integrity, and pandemic treaties. Therefore, it is essential that each individual takes preventative measures such as stockpiling and remains vigilant and prepared at all times. (ref., Earthrise And Essential Elements Of The Earth)
Incidentally, carbon dioxide, cow burps, and rice paddies are often cited as troublesome contributors to global warming and are used to fabricate stories of food crises. However, in reality, the substance that affects the ozone layer and produces the most intense greenhouse effect is methane gas (CH₄), which is released in large quantities during shale oil extraction and during coal combustion for thermal power generation. Because methane gas has about half the density of air, it floats in the air and rises, where it decomposes into carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor (H₂O), rapidly increasing in temperature in a short amount of time. Compared to the greenhouse effect of CO₂, methane gas (CH₄) has a greenhouse effect 25 to 80 times stronger, and H₂O has an even stronger effect.
Generally, famine refers to a situation where the inhabitants of a settlement or region suffer from starvation, often triggered by large-scale crop failures or depletion of staple agricultural products due to some factor, resulting in an extreme food shortage that drastically increases the mortality rate.
While it is likely that various regions implemented policies to support the populace during times of famine and hardship, the concept of “famine relief (救荒),” referring to the measures actually needed when a famine occurs, is believed to date back to the pre-Qin period (先秦時代) in ancient China (a time before 221 BC, or sometimes considered to be the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods). The term “famine administration (荒政),” referring to measures taken to alleviate famine during times of famine, is recorded in the “Zhou Li” (周礼, Rites of Zhou), specifically in the section on the officials and laborers of the land, suggesting that policies and measures were implemented to address food shortages.
Famine relief food (救荒食物, or famine food, 救荒食) refers to substitute foods stockpiled or used in preparation for starvation caused by extreme weather, natural disasters, or war. These foods are derived from specific plants called famine-relief plants (救荒植物), which have different characteristics depending on the region and culture, and are used as food during emergencies when food is scarce. Some of these plants are not commonly used in daily life. For example, cycads have starch in their seeds, but they also contain a toxic substance called cycasin. Therefore, our ancestors spent a long time developing techniques to properly process these famine-relief plants, such as pickling them in salt, establishing unique regional techniques through selective breeding and cooking methods.
The first work to systematically and scientifically focus on edible plants to alleviate the suffering of hunger and improve survival, based on experience, is considered to be “Kyūkō Honzō” (救荒本草, The Famine Relief Herbal Medicine, 1406), written during the Ming Dynasty. It describes the forms of over 400 listed items with text and illustrations, and includes cooking methods.
Subsequently, the “Yafu” (野譜) with added annotations was published and brought to Japan. The herbalist Matsuoka Joan (松岡恕庵, 1668-1746) added punctuation marks to make it easier for the general public to read, and it was published in 1716 in Kyoto, which was then the center of herbal medicine. In the same year, Tokugawa Yoshimune (徳川吉宗, 1684-1751) became the 8th shogun and began reforms concerning medicine as part of the Kyoho Reforms (享保の改革). In 1721, Joan and other herbalists from Kyoto were invited by the shogunate to work at the shogunate’s Edo Medical School (江戸医学館) as personnel to contribute to the development of herbal medicine in Edo.
The term Honzo (本草) literally means “herbs that form the basis of medicine.” Originating from the ancient Chinese text, Shennong Ben Cao Jing (神農本草経, 1st-2nd century AD), honzo studies (本草学, Herbal medicine) is a field that researches whether animals, plants, and minerals have medicinal properties, aiming to utilize the power of nature for life support and health.
In Japan, honzo studies began with the introduction of important texts, including commentaries on the Tang Dynasty text “Shennong Ben Cao Jing (神農本草経),” by Japanese envoys (遣唐使) to Tang China during the Heian period. However, serious research began in the Edo period, after the Confucian scholar Hayashi Razan (林羅山), who obtained the Honzo Komoku (本草綱目, 52 volumes, Compendium of Materia Medica), a compilation of 800 herbs collected and studied by Li Shizhen during the Ming Dynasty and credited with contributing to the development of Chinese honzo studies, in Nagasaki in 1604, and presented it to Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康).
Since then, attention has been drawn to plants unique to Japan that are not listed in the Honzo Komoku, and the study of herbal medicine linked to the local climate and environment has begun. The Yamato Honzo (大和本草, 1709), compiled by Kaibara Ekiken (貝原益軒), is considered the first full-fledged herbal medicine book in Japan. Siebold, a physician who visited Japan in the late Edo period via the Netherlands and collected and studied materials related to plants and animals, highly valued Ekiken’s works, including the Yamato Honzo and the Yojokun (養生訓, Principles of Health). (ref., Now And Then, Comparison Of Health Care Ideals)
During the Edo period, there were three major famines: the Kyoho Famine (享保飢饉, late 1731-1732), the Tenmei Famine (天明飢饉, 1782-1787), and the Tenpo Famine (天保飢饉, 1833-1837), as well as nationwide famines such as the Kan’ei Famine (寛永飢饉, 1640-1643). In addition, natural disasters and calamities such as droughts, frost damage, floods, volcanic eruptions, insect infestations, and epidemics frequently occurred in various regions, leading to famines due to consecutive years of poor harvests, so each domain took its own measures to deal with them.
Under the Bakuhan system (幕藩体制, the feudal system characteristic of the shogunate), the relationship between local lords (藩主) and their subjects (領民) was based on mutual obligations: peasants bore the burden of paying taxes, labor, and other duties, while lords, as a social responsibility, provided relief to the peasants and guaranteed their livelihoods. Therefore, in times of poor harvests, peasants could petition their lords for relief.
Relief measures included measures to boost production through seed lending, reductions in the burden on farmers such as tax exemptions, and food loans. Each domain examined the situation and implemented special allowances for the lives of farmers and commoners.
Furthermore, as part of the domain’s administration, valuable forests were designated as directly controlled forests called “oyama” (御山, or otomeyama, 御留山), and protected to prevent entry and logging. However, while their use by villagers and commoners was restricted in peacetime, during famines they would open them up as “osukuiyama” (御救い山, relief forests), serving as a last resort for food acquisition. Harvested forest products could be consumed by the people themselves or commercialized for income, supplementing their livelihoods.
The so-called famine relief plants (救荒植物) gathered from the forests included many wild vegetables that are still eaten today, such as lotus leaves, burdock, horse chestnuts, bracken, mugwort leaves, wild chrysanthemums, pokeweed, butterbur, wisteria leaves, thistles, and fiddlehead ferns. However, famine relief plants also included plants that, for various reasons, were rarely eaten regularly and were often used only as emergency food, leading to the accumulation of wisdom for surviving hunger. For example, the cooking method of boiling the stripped raw bark of pine trees in lye until soft, finely chopping it, and mixing it into mochi (rice cakes) is said to have become widely known.
Meanwhile, farmers did not solely rely on the domain’s relief. In addition to food stockpiling in individual households, mutual relief activities at the private level became widespread, including donations from the wealthy and temples and shrines. The number of villages stockpiling food in village granaries also increased, thus preparing for disasters and famines through social stockpiling activities.
The economy of the Edo period relied on rice, and the size of a daimyo’s territory was expressed in koku (石), where one koku was approximately 180 liters (about 150 kg), equivalent to the amount of rice one person would eat in a year.
Private agricultural researchers known as “toku-nōka” (篤農家, dedicated farmers) contributed to improving rice varieties and developing various agricultural tools. For example, they spent many years developing new cold-resistant rice varieties, increasing yields, and invented the senba-koki (千歯扱き, a type of threshing tool) as an alternative to the traditional kokitake (扱竹, a bamboo chopstick-like tool), increasing the efficiency of threshing by more than tenfold.
Other inventions included the Bitchū-guwa (備中鍬, a type of hoe) for cultivation, the toumi (唐箕, a winnowing machine) and senkoku-dōshi (千石どおし, a type of rice sorting machine) for separating rice, the ryūkotsu-sha (龍骨車, a type of waterwheel) for drawing water to fields, and the tosha (踏車, a foot-operated waterwheel).
Furthermore, farmers in the suburbs surrounding Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto sold their agricultural products in the cities, and on their way back, they brought back manure and urine to recycle as fertilizer. They also used oil cake, sewage, green manure, compost, mud, fish scraps, and dried sardines as fertilizer, which proved to be extremely effective. (ref., Cultural Inheritance Through An Ecological Perspective)
During the Great Kyōhō Famine (享保大飢饉), it is estimated that 12,000 people died from starvation, bringing the total to over 2.5 million (according to the Tokugawa Jikki (徳川実記), the number of deaths from starvation was recorded as 969,600). Only Ōmishima Island (大三島) in the Seto Inland Sea region, which suffered the worst crop failure, avoided deaths from starvation thanks to sweet potatoes (甘藷, aka satsuma-imo).
The origin of sweet potatoes is believed to be around Central and South America between 8000 and 10000 BC. After Columbus brought them back to Europe from the New World in the 15th century, they were introduced to China from the Philippines. Sweet potatoes, introduced to Miyako Island from China, were later cultivated on Okinawa Island and Tanegashima Island, and are said to have been brought back to Satsuma (薩摩) by Shimazu Iehisa (島津家久) during his expedition to Ryukyu. Sweet potatoes, also introduced by the Portuguese, gradually spread from Nagasaki to western Japan, including Miyazaki and Kyoto, and came to be recognized as a famine food.
Shogun Yoshimune encouraged the cultivation of grains other than rice, and Aoki Konyo (青木昆陽, 1698-1769) submitted a book on sweet potato cultivation, “Bansho Ko” (蕃薯考, 1735), to the Shogun. Konyo’s efforts led to the spread of sweet potato cultivation to the Kanto region, and it is said that many people were able to survive and be saved by sweet potatoes during the Great Tenmei Famine and the Great Tenpo Famine.
Nevertheless, when famines occurred, crop failures led to severe food shortages, prices for various goods suddenly skyrocketed, people suffered from severe hunger, and deaths from starvation were constant. During the Edo period (1603-1868), which lasted for 265 years, there were approximately 150 famines, and in 30 of those major famines, the total number of deaths nationwide due to starvation, disasters, and epidemics often far exceeded one million.
Furthermore, the Edo shogunate lost the trust of the people due to its inability to implement effective relief measures during the Tenpo famine. In addition, Oshio Heihachiro (大塩平八郎), a magistrate’s office sergeant (与力, yoriki), along with his students from his private school and commoners, raised an army on February 19, 1837, destroying the magistrate’s office and the mansions of wealthy merchants and distributing the money and goods to the poor. This incident had a major impact on society and fueled calls for social change. Faced with this crisis, the shogunate, under the leadership of Senior Councilor Mizuno Tadakuni (水野忠邦, 1794-1851), implemented the Tenpo Reforms. However, the implementation of austerity measures cooled economic activity and instead led to a recession. The dissolution of merchant guilds, an attempt to eliminate merchant monopolies and stabilize prices, disrupted distribution and had the opposite effect. The land confiscation order, which placed land around Edo and Osaka under the direct control of the shogunate, angered the daimyo (大名) and hatamoto (旗本), causing the reforms to falter and leading to the end of the Edo period.
In any case, famine relief plants include seasonal and nutritious ingredients that have been commonly eaten in various regions, like the seven spring herbs. As they are shaped by a combination of regional natural environments and traditional food cultures, there is much to learn from them in terms of how to understand organisms and their habitats, and how to utilize them skillfully. The seven spring herbs are water dropwort, shepherd’s purse, cudweed, chickweed, henbit, turnip, and radish.
While many lives have been lost to starvation caused by famines brought about by disasters, epidemics, and wars, during the Edo period, the government and private sector worked together to implement preventative measures. However, in modern times, based on a consensus among the ruling class to promote depopulation, and as can be seen from the forced deprivation of personal rights to goods and services based on social credit scores and the intentional depletion of agricultural fertilizers due to the oil blockades, there is a tendency to treat death by starvation as an efficient tactic. Therefore, it could be said that preparations may be essential both on an individual level and within each community. (ref., Impact Of AI Dictionaries On Humanity And Freedom)
Self-sufficiency means providing and supplying everything one needs without relying on others, encompassing a wide range of activities such as cultivating and harvesting crops to satisfy one’s food needs, making things and necessities by hand, and supplying one’s own energy sources such as firewood and electricity.
The food economy, once routinely conducted within homes and communities through a combination of natural resources and human labor, has come to an end due to the division of labor aimed at increasing productivity and the shift to an economic system consisting of production, distribution, and consumption. In this sense, self-sufficiency might be seen as a return to an undeveloped and primitive past. However, considering the potential for GMOs and intentional contamination of processed foods with harmful substances, as well as anticipated declines in productivity, logistical stagnation, and shortages of retail food in the near future, self-sufficiency holds the potential to become an essential survival strategy to protect individuals and families from unreasonable situations.
It should not be ignored that one of the factors supporting the postwar recovery of the Japanese economy, which had been devastated, exhausted, and further crippled by food shortages following the bombing of the mainland during World War II, was that even returning soldiers (meaning the younger generation) possessed knowledge of rice cultivation.
While the idea of self-sufficiency might seem daunting if one imagines large-scale farming in the countryside, it becomes more approachable if one considers it as a way to begin experiencing the cycle of food and resources using the limited space of an apartment building in the city. In fact, it is possible to cultivate herbs such as basil, chives, thyme, and parsley, as well as vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes and strawberries, using the empty space on balconies or windowsills.
When owning or renting land necessary for farming, the required area varies depending on the scale of one’s lifestyle, depending on what vegetables and grains are grown to satisfy hunger, calories, and nutrients.
As a general guideline, it’s realistic to assume that the minimum space needed to provide enough vegetables and preserved crops for one person is about 100 square meters (119.60yd²). If you want to be self-sufficient in staple grains and sufficient root vegetables, even a single person will need 300 to 600 square meters, and this guideline should be doubled depending on the number of family members. In addition, fruit trees, herbs for spices and animal feed will require separate space.
To determine how much space to allocate to each crop, use annual consumption as a guideline. Approximately 200 to 300 kilograms of vegetables per person, 200 to 400 kilograms of starch sources like potatoes and sweet potatoes per person is sufficient, and 10 to 30 kilograms of legumes per person as a protein source helps maintain nutritional balance. For complete self-sufficiency in grains, an annual harvest of 100 to 200 kilograms (220 lb to 440 lb) per person is necessary.
To efficiently secure nutrients in a limited area, and considering factors such as shelf life and versatility for processing and freezing, it is essential to select priority crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots, pumpkins, leafy vegetables, legumes, and fruit tree seedlings.
To prevent the accumulation of pests and diseases and minimize soil depletion, a crop rotation plan should be established, and records should be kept for each plot to track what was planted in each section each year.
For example:
Crop | Previous Crop | Rotation Years
Tomato | Leafy Vegetables | 3 years
Potato | Legumes | 3 years
Legumes | Root Vegetable | Every year
Leafy Vegetables | Solanaceae* | Every year
*Solanaceae should not be planted continuously in the same plot.
Soil improvement and maintenance are essential. Soil tests should be conducted in spring and autumn to determine pH and organic matter levels. For optimal results, organic matter should be replenished annually by applying compost or green manure to the bed surface to a depth of 2 to 3 centimeters. Depending on the season, legumes or mustard should be used as green manure to improve the root zone and fix nitrogen. Excessive fertilization should be avoided, but if there is a deficiency in phosphorus or potassium, small amounts should be supplemented by mixing it with compost.
Due to reduced or disrupted Middle Eastern oil production and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, petrochemical raw materials such as naphtha, used in agricultural materials, are becoming scarce. The postponement of lifting the blockade of the strait is part of insider trading in the stock market to satisfy personal gain, while on the other hand, it is essential for ordinary people, whose daily lives are being neglected and who are being driven into hardship, to stockpile essential goods at this time. (ref., Oil Crisis Causes Social Vicious Cycle)
In any case, this has led to unstable supply of agricultural materials such as urea, fertilizers, agricultural films, fuel, and logistics. While organic farming offers greater potential and increased safety, it’s necessary to understand and adjust the effective components of organic fertilizers (bokashi fertilizer, compost), and implement various alternatives such as using nets, installing moth-repellent lights, or introducing natural enemy insects instead of pesticides.
For example:
* Organic fertilizers:
Understand and adjust the effective components of organic fertilizers (bokashi fertilizer, compost).
* Soil Improvement:
After understanding the types and quantities of organic matter and microorganisms in the soil, introduce organic matter such as compost and microorganisms to improve the soil.
This is because humus (a dark brown substance created by the action of microorganisms), which is formed when organic matter mixes with minerals, creates the granular structure of the soil (where soil particles gather together into clumps). Humus is deeply related to physical properties such as drainage and water retention, as well as soil fertility, which provides nutrients slowly over the long term.
* Alternative Pesticides:
Effective pest control measures that do not rely on pesticides include:
1. Physical control methods include insect nets, insect repellent lights, sticky traps, manual removal, and reflective tape. Insect nets are effective against flying pests and can be used preferentially during the flowering and seedling stages, while sticky traps are useful for identifying the source of infestations and controlling the population.
2. Natural enemy insects such as ladybugs, spiders, and parasitic wasps suppress pests. Commercially available natural enemy insects should be revived by warming and released at the appropriate time, such as before sunset.
A stable harvest requires a well-planned irrigation system. This involves installing systems that allow rainwater to collect in storage tanks via gutters, and introducing drip irrigation or drip tubes to improve water efficiency and control soil dryness and moisture. To reduce water usage during the summer months when rainfall is low, measures such as mulching to suppress evaporation and timing irrigation (e.g., around sunset) can be taken.
To efficiently increase productivity on a limited area of arable land, it is essential to make full use of basic techniques such as crop rotation, dense planting, intercropping, installation of supports, and raised beds.
* Crop rotation:
his involves not cultivating the same type of crop consecutively in the same location. This helps to reduce soil depletion and disease accumulation. It typically involves a 3-4 year cycle, using categories such as nitrogen-fixing legumes, deep-growing root vegetables, and early-harvesting leafy vegetables.
* Dense planting:
This technique increases yield per unit area by planting crops close together. It is particularly effective for leafy vegetables and crops harvested in a short period, requiring careful timing of thinning to suppress disease and attention to ventilation. It also helps control weeds and retain soil moisture.
* Intercropping:
This method involves growing crops with different characteristics together in the same plot. For example, leafy vegetables that thrive in the shade of taller crops are planted next to each other, or plants with scents that repel pests are combined to effectively complement each other’s growth.
e.g., tomatoes and basil, carrots and leeks, cabbage and marigolds, cucumbers and coriander, etc.
* Installation of supports:
Installing supports or trellises at a height that facilitates harvesting and training, and managing fruit vegetables and climbing crops, directly leads to disease prevention and increased yield.
* Raised beds:
This technique involves creating raised beds, which is expected to improve drainage and soil temperature. In areas with poor drainage or cold regions, it can accelerate the start of spring growth, improve soil structure, and reduce the effects of continuous cropping.
Soil is the foundation that determines crop health, and maintaining a balance of organic matter and microorganisms leads to disease control. Therefore, pH and drainage should be checked regularly and adjusted as needed.
Problem | Solution
Acidification | Lime application
Nutrient deficiency | Compost application
Poor drainage | Raised bed construction
While self-sufficiency may require time and effort, touching the soil and watching plants grow can lead to a sense of the seasons, healing, and happiness. Moreover, by preserving harvests through methods such as freezing, drying, pickling, root vegetable storage, and low-temperature storage to avoid wasting seasonal bounty, it will be possible to create a stable food supply even in times of famine and starvation when food is scarce.
* Freezing:
This is a convenient preservation method that relatively well maintains nutrients and flavor. Proper preparation helps preserve texture and color, and attaching labels with the date and contents when portioning out food makes it even easier to use.
* Pickles:
Fermentation or permeation using salt, vinegar, or rice bran simultaneously provides long-term preservation and deepens the flavor. Proper temperature control further enhances preservation and reduces preparation time.
* Root vegetable storage:
After harvesting, removing the soil and performing appropriate processing, such as leaving the soil on or drying, allows for storage throughout the winter. Burying the root vegetables in storage boxes filled with sand or rice hulls helps prevent drying and freezing.
* Low-temperature storage:
Utilizing the vegetable compartment of a refrigerator or a home low-temperature room, and maintaining a temperature of 0 to 4 degrees Celsius, preserves freshness for a long time. Since leafy vegetables wilt easily in very low humidity and spoilage progresses in very high humidity, attention should be paid to humidity control. Also, ethylene gas released from fruits accelerates the deterioration of vegetables, so they should be stored separately.
Processing harvested produce—including canning, heat preservation, fermentation, jam and sauce making, and drying—not only enhances its shelf life but also allows for enjoyment of its flavor across seasons.
* Canning:
Use clean, airtight jars that have been properly heat-treated, and ensure safe storage by adhering to the appropriate heating time and processing temperature for the contents, such as boiling or pickling. After filling, remove air, ensure adequate headspace, and label with the date for easy management.
* Fermented Foods:
This traditional technique, using methods such as salting and lactic acid fermentation, simultaneously improves both shelf life and flavor. It is used in sauerkraut, yogurt, pickled vegetables, miso, kimchi, and other traditional foods around the world.
* Jams and Sauces:
Jams, a preservation method that utilizes the sugars and pectin in fruit, can be made to the desired consistency by adjusting the sugar ratio and cooking time. Adding a small amount of lemon juice or citric acid improves both shelf life and flavor.
Sauces are made by evaporating the moisture to concentrate the flavor, then sterilizing them in jars to extend their shelf life.
* Drying Process:
Slicing fruit thinly and pre-treating it with blanching or lemon treatment, followed by drying using a dehydrator, oven, or sun-drying, improves shelf life and reduces weight. To preserve flavor, store dried fruit in an airtight container in a cool, dark place away from moisture.
In any case, living a self-sufficient life requires a wide range of skills and knowledge, including soil knowledge related to growing vegetables and fruits, timing of planting, pest control, livestock raising, how to make preserved foods, how to secure and process safe water outdoors, and self-generation and alternative energy utilization methods There are many things to learn in the initial stages, but with persistent effort, it will certainly lead to an improvement in quality of life and happiness.
And most importantly, it can prevent the fatigue and depression that come from being caught up in scrambles at retail stores or standing in long lines for rations during food crises, like many experienced during the 2019 pandemic. Even if access to goods and services is suddenly revoked due to a social credit score system based on demerit points, at least some temporary relief will be guaranteed. (ref., The Interplay Between AI, Digital ID, And Humanity)
Self-sufficiency is a way of life in which one produces and satisfies oneself. Even beginners can gradually increase their self-sufficiency rate, which will lead to a reduction in dependence on the market economy and social organizations, and the stress that comes with it. By living a waste-free life, such as growing food, meeting energy needs, and producing only what is necessary and in the quantities required for consumption, the burden on the environment is reduced, sustainability based on harmony with nature is increased, the resilience of one’s life is improved, and it can be said to be an attractive option that induces a richer sense of happiness and fulfillment in life itself as added value.
Sincerely grateful for your financial support.
Sources and references:
Gates-funded GAVI identified Ebola as “the next pandemic” in 2021
Trump stock trades fuel accusations of corruption and profiting off presidency
Methane emissions continue to be major driver of global warming
