Ecovillage Question 1

From CFI

Researcher

Jason Bradford and David Drell jcbradford@ucdavis.edu 707-456-0760

Question

How many parcels exist in Little Lake Valley that would be appropriate for a model community farm or agrarian ecovillage?

Assumptions

The minimum area of agricultural land needed per person is 1/5 to 1/10th of an acre (Bradford, 2004). The minimum number of people (perhaps organized in family groups) working on a community farm to reach a critical mass for diversity of skills and sufficient capital for efficient use of shared infrastructure is 30-50 (this is a working assumption per discussion between David Drell and Jason Bradford, see also Ecovillage Question 2). The primary goal of the community farm would be to feed those working on it, and their immediate families. The secondary goal would be to sell excess food.

Answer

Using the high range of estimates above, fifty people multiplied by 1/5 acre to satisfy personal food needs gives a minimum size of 10 acres for appropriate parcels. This minimum size would leave little room for housing and other built infrastructure, but off site housing could suffice for many farmers.

A map of Willits and Little Lake Valley that included major roads, buildings, rivers, topography and parcels was examined (CalTrans, 2001). Reynolds Hwy, Hwy 101, East Side and East Hill roads border the general area included in the survey. Industrial sites near town (typically, this meant areas west of the railroad tracks and Lenore St.), sewage treatment facilities in the valley, and areas regularly flooded were excluded.

About 141 parcels exist north of Valley Rd, and 194 south of Valley Rd, which roughly divides the valley in equal sections. However, many of these are small parcels. When the 10-acre cut-off is used, and avoiding inappropriate areas, about 100 parcels are of potential use for our purposes.

Sources

Bradford (2004). “How many acres of land are required to feed the approximately 10,000 people in the Little Lake Valley region?” Food Group

CalTrans (2001). Willits Bypass Study. Maps available at the Willits Environmental Center.

Reviews/Comments