Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

I like this, a lot, and you had some ideas I hadn't even considered. I remember some thickets of wild grapevines, for instance. Also, when I was a little kid, a lot of the peach tree orchards in southeastern Kentucky became infested with Hyphantria cunea (fall webworms) and a lot of the smaller operations collapsed because they couldn't afford the pesticides.

My grandmother owned the property where we lived, and it had several peach trees, all of which died before I was 10 years old. They were the full-sized trees; I remember that, because my mom and grandfather couldn't reach the highest caterpillar webs with the torches they used to try to burn them out.

Also, mushrooms and toadstools grew everywhere, there, so mushroom horticulture is a good notion.

I look forward to the yield numbers, and the estimates of the population that could be supported.

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

There is an anti caterpillar insecticide that was discovered in the 80's or 90's that is a byproduct of distilling alchohol (it was discovered where a bad batch of rum was dumped) spinosad(?) Or something gold (?) It has no effect on non caterpillars though. I'll make a note on the main page about pests anyway. Caterpillars in my area get hammered by paper wasps. A possible biological control.

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

I was a little kid in the late '60s and early '70s, and it was probably 1971 or 1972 when my grandmother's peach trees got hit. I think she may have had enough DDT left to treat the two peach trees in her yard, but not the five huge ones on our lot.

My grandmother hated bugs and mice, and bought a fair amount of DDT. She'd have my grandfather spray DDT around the base of house, and then lay down a six-inch strip of lime sulfur as a barrier to vermin.

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

Continued from the updated post 99, character limit reached

Croft's Orchard
- Assuming complete coverage of canopy a well maintained orchard could produce maybe 4-8 tonnes of fruit per hectare, per annum. (A TL 8 orchard can manage 250) There would be a balance between planting like species for pollination and breaking up plantings for camouflage. There is the possibility of heavy insect damage, presumably in an AtE situation the lack of international trade will reduce the likelihood of devastating introduced species. Reversion to a world without agriculture may result in less biological organisms destroying a crop but more organisms reducing crop yields. This I think is a GM's call, the default for these calculations is a lower chance of biological destruction but reduced productivity.

Bowmar Clan
- Each Rancher will produce about 450kgs of meat a year. As well as about 50-70% of their own food requirements.

General Plantings
- Each small garden (9-10m2) might produce 10-25kgs of food a year, in ideal terrain maybe 5% of the productive land could be gardened (?). 0.75 tonnes to the hectare.

The Creek
- The fish and chicken's function is to process vegetation, meal worms and scraps into protein. As such assume a 10% return on "investment".

Population
Assuming 30% productive, 60% cattle, 15% general planting, 10% Orchard, 5% "The Creek", 5% grapes, 5% squash. 3.1 hectares per person overall. 300 hectares would support 80 people or 16 families. This makes it almost twice as dense as Whalers bay (Post 27)

Anyway sorry about the delay, I haven't abandoned this thread. Actually I am not sorry at all for the delay, I have new daughter so my priorities shifted. Also mildly sleep deprived so I will recheck these calculations in the next day or so :)

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

Congratulations on the new addition to your family.

<Lights a virtual cigar.>

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

Congratulations!

*lights fireworks*

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

And my obligatory, "Sorry man. New responsibilities and never getting proper sleep or any privacy for the next 14+ years..."


Congrats!

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

Thoughts on Polydamas' AtE "If this goes on-"
- High TL8 End
- global climate see sawing between global warming and nuclear winter, very warm (but cooling) oceans. Increased albedo on the continents from post nuclear winter snow cover.
- savage storms, moist climate, large temperature range.
- most communities are slowly expanding from or coalescing around a shelter of some sort. (There are exceptions)
- there is a tax man.
- radiation threat.
- would make life very difficult for bees

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

The low weight disposable ration system. A.K.A the Nanofarm.

Designed to be the ultimate in portable long lasting food the nanofarm resembles nothing more than a dark coloured piece of cardboard with easy to follow instructions printed on each side. Upon activation each unit begins to absorb water from it's environment, this moisture is used to germinate genetically engineered fungal spores. Single celled plants are awakened from stasis and more complex plant life begins to produce a fruiting body. Nanites tend and provide the fungi and plants with highly concentrated energy/food sources. In particularly dry or cold conditions it takes 24 hours for a nanofarm to convert itself into a ration pack, in better conditions a ration pack can be grown overnight. The food produced is relatively tasty, long lasting and nutritious. Adhesive tabs are located on the reverse side of the farms so that they can be attached to high points or backpacks so they can gain access to solar energy to improve their efficiency.
In dry environments water can be added manually.

Probably late TL 9 or 10 in gurps terms.
Weight would be the big saving, a semi - educated guess puts the weight at 2 days food to a pound of "farm" when first introduced and maybe doubling or more by the next TL

Variations
- a non disposable portable unit that acts as a condenser and incubator.
- emergency farm. Large sacks of mixed nanites and spores/seeds/hybernating plants that can be spread over soil to produce edible food quickly.

Re: [ATE] Farming example
 

What is this?1?!?! Some kind of vegan space magic?


On a related note, (E) I'm wondering about the status of civilian food in an AtE game where the old word had reached TL10 many years before the End.

I don't think supermarkets would exist in the same fashion as now, but I lack the knowledge to adequately describe a TL10 supermarket or just what useful things people would fined in it assuming the End left it relatively intact.

A hypothetical scenario I'd like you to describe is what kind loot cou