Comments on: Roberto Perez’s Visit to Totnes http://transitionculture.org/2008/10/06/roberto-perezs-visit-to-totnes/ An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent Thu, 24 May 2012 06:51:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: suedehead http://transitionculture.org/2008/10/06/roberto-perezs-visit-to-totnes/comment-page-1/#comment-59664 suedehead Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:10:32 +0000 http://transitionculture.org/?p=1712#comment-59664 <p>I loved "The Power of Community", but there's one major problem with the concept--not with Cuba, but with its usefulness as a model elsewhere.</p> <p>Cuba is a perfect subtropical climate. It's about 70 degrees (F) all year long, and never varies more than 10 degrees (F) in either direction. There is a rainy season and a dry season, but it's also very sunny. The upshot: you can grow vegetables all year long in Cuba, one crop after another.</p> <p>That's not how it works in a temperate zone like the northeast of US (where I am) or the UK or most of Europe. At best, I have about three months in the summer to grow whatever food I can. I plant in late May, harvest in late August. For the rest of the year, I have to freeze or can whatever I've grown and buy food in the market. That's if my garden is not hit with torrential rains or searing heat. Then I may end up with nothing.</p> <p>We need a model for food production that works in temperate zones. I was hoping the TT movement would be the leader in educating people on food production within our climate zone.</p> I loved “The Power of Community”, but there’s one major problem with the concept–not with Cuba, but with its usefulness as a model elsewhere.

Cuba is a perfect subtropical climate. It’s about 70 degrees (F) all year long, and never varies more than 10 degrees (F) in either direction. There is a rainy season and a dry season, but it’s also very sunny. The upshot: you can grow vegetables all year long in Cuba, one crop after another.

That’s not how it works in a temperate zone like the northeast of US (where I am) or the UK or most of Europe. At best, I have about three months in the summer to grow whatever food I can. I plant in late May, harvest in late August. For the rest of the year, I have to freeze or can whatever I’ve grown and buy food in the market. That’s if my garden is not hit with torrential rains or searing heat. Then I may end up with nothing.

We need a model for food production that works in temperate zones. I was hoping the TT movement would be the leader in educating people on food production within our climate zone.

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