Miracle Orchard Workshop Learning Outcomes
Open Source Ecology
Specific Outcomes are:
- Understanding the concept and practice of integrated polyculture orchards that are Beyond Organic - learning the practical aspects of an orchard model that involves natural pest control, fertility-generation, biodiversity increase, and economically feasibility
- Understanding the design process of a Miracle Orchard, from a backyard to an acre scale - workshop participans learn about identifying and selecting suitable crop varieties, orchard layout and spacing, and siting for a productive, u-pick club-model orchard.
- Hands-on participation in the design and plantout of Miracle Orchards - we will plant out sample guilds for the Miracle Orchard.
- Learning basic nursery techniques and why they are important to the Miracle Orchard model - the nursery allows for the propagation of all stock at a cost 5-100 times lower than buying plants, while providing revenue from selling surplus plants.
- Understanding the potential of polycultural, u-pick Club Membership orchards as an economically feasible model that can contribute significantly to local food production
- Understanding the economics or orchard startup and operations - and how to reduce the startup cost from $43k per acre for turnkey contracted outsourcing, to 1/5 of this using creative techniques. Check out proposed OSE Miracle Orchard Economics.
- Learning what it would take to spread the Miracle Orchard practice - this is especially for those people interested in starting up such an orchard as a livelihood in a Farmer Scientist lifestyle. We are developing a collaborative network that creates 1000 of these orchards worldwide within 10 years.
Other outcomes are:
- Understanding the key challenges of permaculture-based orchards - ie - why these are not yet everywhere in the world
- Gaining insights of managing a subscription community such that training and work are part of their Club Membership
- Understanding how to create and run a perennial nursery that provides stock for the orchard and surplus crop for sale, as part of an Open Source Nursery effort
