Hi Lemonhead,
This may be a bit of a long post.
I absolutely agree that along time before we hit thermogeddon, society will break down. One study puts it at 20 years, a lot depends on a destabilizing climate. Collapse needs to be prepared for very carefully, and the only way I can see that happening is through community. There is strength in numbers. In fact, without distributed communities, collectively we will descend to become cave dwellers fighting for scraps.
In terms of calories and protein there are a number of ways that a small amount of space can be made highly productive. As an example, with a small amount of power a lot of mushrooms can be produced all year. They are very good for you, don’t need much light and are extremely efficient feeders.
Traditional outside agriculture will be turned on its head. Winter will be the time of planting, summer the time of rest. There are some big problems however, soil temperature can negatively affect microbes and the bees would probably be gone. Storms will be a huge concern.
Microbes can be aided with sprayed aerated compost tea. Hand pollinating works. We definitely aren’t talking mass produced plant monocultures.
In terms of hydroponics the challenge would be the nutrients. When the global logistics system breaks down then sourcing the hydroponic nutrients would be a problem. I have tried worm compost tea and it works. But there are special engineering requirements, also you can’t run this indoors - it stinks!
That is what makes aquaponics so compelling. A protein source that produces nutrients suitable for plant growth and doesn’t smell.
In addition, what may currently seem unpalatable may well have to be reconsidered. From insectsAreFood;
100 grams of cricket contains: 121 calories, 12.9 grams of protein, 5.5 g. of fat, 5.1 g. of carbohydrates, 75.8 mg. calcium, 185.3 mg. of phosphorous, 9.5 mg. of iron, 0.36 mg. of thiamin, 1.09 mg. of riboflavin, and 3.10 mg. of niacin.
Compare that with ground beef, which, although it contains more protein, about 23.5 g. to be exact, it has 288.2 calories and an enormous amount of fat, 21.2 grams worth.
Crickets are 500% more efficient feeders than are cattle, and reproduce much (much) quicker. An added benefit is that they can be raised from plant waste.
A single failure could destroy the community so no room for error, 2 or 3 separate concurrent systems at different locations.
Survival during summer is then about how much preparation was done during winter. Bottling and drying, just like it used to be done for winter.
However even with the right technologies, very few communities survive long term without religion and cultural practices that give the community a sense of identity and moral structure. I am going to make sweeping generalizations here but modern religion is found at the mall. Buddhist practice in the west has become so watered down that it is nothing more than feeling peaceful (not saying that’s a bad thing). Christianity is now about mega churches and is a far cry from what the 1st century gnostics had in mind. True Taoism is lost in antiquity. Islam, during the dark ages, was the refuge of science, we would not have the number 0 or algebra without it. But it became rigid to the point where they burned down the library of Alexandria. The Hindus seem to have become stuck in a plethora of gods and ritual.
So the garden of Eden has been lost, finding it again is near impossible. There are some who know the way back, but most people really aren’t interested in looking. There is no fear of God/Allah/Buddha/White buffalo women/(insert name here). That is the greatest threat to any isolated community, without government mandated law and order. Reminds me of the book “Lord of the flies”.
What community would survive 1000s of years? The Israelis seem to have done it with a simple fixed set of guidelines. It essentially segregated them, in a volatile fluid part of the world. I think the idea with circumcision was brilliant, "Hey you're not one of us, get that thing away from me". Just saying ... not recommending 
So there has to be a constitution, the threat of exile would be enough.
Another big issue is skills. We have forgotten how to survive outside the machine. Humanity cannot afford to lose that knowledge. We have built a huge wealth of knowledge and it is crucial that it is preserved, currently it is stored in hyperspace. When the wars break out hyperspace will be the first strike. There were 8 million botnet connections in the last 14 days and that is nothing unusual. Just as there are seed banks there needs to be offline knowledge banks. DIY tutorials, university courses in Electronics, Agriculture, Food, Engineering you name it.
Finally, there is the issue of the tragedy of the commons. There is no way to avoid it, and we are seeing the effects of it all around us. Individuals acting in their own best interest will deplete the common resources. I am not a communist, though you have to question the supposed benefits of democracy. Democracy has been usurped by the rich. They own the media, they own the corporations. Massive funding is required to get elected and that funding is coming more and more from the rich. They direct that funding to the people that best serve their interests.
The poor and old are not supported, few can afford hospitals, forests are felled, rivers are polluted, the air is toxic, and the aquifer water is fouled. Just to name a few. The environment is fundamental to life. It is not something to be bargained with, it is owned by each and everyone of us. 97.1% of scientists agree on the state of the environment. Yet, we are incapable of doing something to stop its collapse. Therefore there is only one conclusion. This system is fatally flawed.
The root cause of the flaw is that, left to its own devices, humanity is dim-witted and short-sighted. None of the great people of history, Gandhi, Jesus, Gautama Buddha, Mother Teresa to name a few, achieved what they did naturally. It was not second nature, they subjected themselves. “Not my will, but yours be done”
The meek shall inherit the earth, after the willful destroy it.
Never in the history of humanity has there been a time more critical than this one. Even during the cold war with fingers hovering over ICBM buttons, there was opportunity for negotiation. We don’t even get that luxury. A disintegrating future is locked in. The eventual scenario seems to be that 9 billion people will fight for survival on a planet that can sustain 1 billion.
I may not be around to see that day, but my kids will be. So this would be building something, not for me, but for the next generation. I have no misconceptions, this is a huge task, but there is a way of making it happen. “A wise old man plants trees he knows he will never get to sit under”.
There is a lot more I could add actually a books worth, particularly regarding the technology side and how to make the community profitable, but I don’t want to bore anyone with what may be perceived as a bunch of hot air. I believe it is possible, but the socio/economic/physical environment will be extremely hostile. Without ample preparation, there will be little chance of success.
Edited by Paul Hemans, 14 May 2014 - 02:08 PM.
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