INFRASTRUCTURE
The farm infrastructure represents the built elements of the farm – the buildings and the systems that it has in place. You’ll want to determine how well the site’s infrastructure contributes to the optimal use of resources and energy.
The poor orientation of a house, e.g. buildings that are too far apart, flawed wastewater management, and non-optimal heating systems are all signs that the infrastructure has inbuilt inefficiencies that will cost you money down the road.
You want to avoid putting yourself in a situation where, from the get-go, the core infrastructure is working against you. This won’t aid you in setting things up the permaculture way.
When assessing for the farm infrastructure you’ll need to look at:
- Infrastructure components: what’s there and in what condition
- Orientation and position of buildings
- Wastewater systems – septic/black water
- Energy systems
To perform the assessment, you’ll just have to make a few simple observations once you’re on the site and make a few inquiries about how everything is set up within the homestead area of the farm – zones 1 and 2.
Type #1 Risk Assessment:
Whether the condition of the infrastructure is satisfying is a very subjective decision; with proper skills and a financial investment everything can be repaired, renovated or retrofitted.
However, you’ll want to avoid properties that have widely dispersed buildings. If there are multiple buildings that are far apart of each other you need to be aware that there will probably be a great deal of lost time going back and forth between them.
Copyright © 2023 Permaculture Apprentice. All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Terms of Service |Member Agreement