# Buddhist Geeks Farm The Buddhist Geeks Farm is An Experiment in Mindful Living ## **The Buddhist Geeks Farm will...** * Grow & harvest fresh organic food * Host ongoing small-scale meditation retreats * Provide residents with everything necessary to live simply * Utilize the autonomous self-governing practices of Holacracy * Train interested parties in our approach to mindful living * Contribute learning material to the [collaborative commons](https://www.opensourcedharma.info/view/collaborative-commons) using [open source models](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_model) ## **The Genesis Farm 🐣** We, [Vincent Horn](http://www.vincehorn.space) & [Emily Horn](http://www.emilyhorn.com), are currently organizing a [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm), to be established in the mountains of **Western North Carolina**, near Asheville, in the **early 2020s**. #### Learn more about... {% content-ref url="/pages/-LjObxz2J4b50790nAk2" %} [The Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm) {% endcontent-ref %} #### In the meantime we're working on... {% content-ref url="/pages/-LkisgIYRqb4R29iSFk0" %} [The Prototype Farm](/prototype/prototype-farm) {% endcontent-ref %} ## The Farm Newsletter 💌 If you're interested in staying in the loop regarding developments with the Buddhist Geeks Farm project, or interested in getting involved on the ground floor of [🐣 The Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm) you're invited to join the [Buddhist Geeks Farm Newsletter](http://eepurl.com/gytxi1). ## # North Star Principles In order to help orient how we prioritize our resources & activities, we have these North Star Principles. ## **Open Source** 💓 We seek a liberation from the current capitalist world-system, so that we can contribute to and receive from our shared collaborative commons, as the growing heart of human economic activity. We will openly share everything we possibly can, about what this journey is like, what we're learning, and what we're teaching, so that others can learn from our mistakes, copy us when it makes sense, improve upon us, and ultimately leave us behind. Practically speaking, this means that all learning material recorded for this project will be released under an open license as free cultural works. It also means we will adopt open source solutions ourselves whenever feasible. {% content-ref url="/pages/-LjRfq0cmkB35iu7YNcf" %} [Open Source](/farm/our-ideological-pillars/open-generosity) {% endcontent-ref %} ## **Apocoloptimism 🔥** Apocoloptimists are people who maintain a fundamental optimism about life in the face of destruction, chaos, and the crumbling of old paradigms. One of the core design rules that we derive from the attitude of apocoloptimism is that whatever we design or implement on the Buddhist Geeks Farm must be, "good in heaven, good in hell." In other words, we only do things that have a good chance of working well in the most ideal conditions we could imagine (heaven) and as well as in the worst (hell), because we recognize that we don't know what the future holds. {% content-ref url="/pages/-Lte4dAePvqKDwc\_\_Wgh" %} [Apocoloptimism](/farm/our-ideological-pillars/apocoloptimism) {% endcontent-ref %} ## **Necessary Subtraction** ➖ By making our living situation hyper-affordable through [practicing demonitization](/farm/active-demonitization) we enable a [necessary subtraction](/farm/our-ideological-pillars/necessary-subtraction) from the capitalist world-system, and a chance to re-imagine what humans might be. By living simply, of our own volition, we reduce dependencies, while increasingly joy & appreciation for "the simple things." This contemplative stepping back is a retrieval of old monastic modes of living, of "being on retreat," of voluntary simplicity. {% content-ref url="/pages/-LjhjRFaKN0x89k9kU0I" %} [Necessary Subtraction](/farm/our-ideological-pillars/necessary-subtraction) {% endcontent-ref %} # Open Source We're inspired by the open source movements, and do our best to align with open source solutions whenever feasible. ## Open Source Farming {% embed url="" %} ## Open Source Ecology {% embed url="" %} The Open Source Ecology project is developing open source industrial machines that can be made for a fraction of commercial costs, and they share their designs online for free. The goal of Open Source Ecology is to create an open source economy – an efficient economy which increases innovation by open collaboration. The Buddhist Geeks Farm is aligned with the goals of Open Source Ecology, and we will seek out opportunities for collaboration with them, especially with their [Open Building Institute](https://www.openbuildinginstitute.org/). ## Open Source Dharma ![](https://424649651-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LduOM44KkJOoRfxc0sJ%2F-LmMozV0YyiXxWjwlpI-%2F-LmMtutdErecI0PbmXM0%2Fchakra.png?alt=media\&token=adf96427-def6-4d53-983e-54e1c03d8921) [Open Source Dharma](http://www.opensourcedharma.info) is a newly proposed open standard & network, whose aim is to encourage the flourishing of a transparent, collaborative, creative, & evolutionary ecosystem of dharma. Just like the Buddhist Geeks Farm, Open Source Dharma is one of the projects being incubated in the Buddhist Geeks Labs. Any teachings offered on The Farm will be released under an open license as free cultural works. # Apocoloptimism Apocoloptimists are people who maintain a fundamental optimism about life in the face of destruction, chaos, and the crumbling of old paradigms. Several years ago our friend [Lisa Sherman](https://acupunctureavl.com/lisa-sherman-lac/) introduced us to the phrase, "*apocoloptimism*". The word is a portmanteau of the words "apocolypse" and "optimism," two seeming opposites. How does one maintain optimism in the face of apocolypse? For us, we look at the term apocolypse, not in the popular sense of the literal end of the world, but rather in [the original meaning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalyptic_literature) of the greek term, which meant, "revelation" or "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling." We look at our current global situation as an apocolypse, in the sense that something new is unfolding that we couldn't have predicted. What will be revealed, as the old world passes away? An apocoloptimistic attitude allows us to confront the collapse of the old world with optimism, so that we might incubate the birth of a new planetary culture. ### Design Principle: "Good in Heaven, Good in Hell" One of the core design rules that we derive from the attitude of apocoloptimism is that whatever we design or implement on the Buddhist Geeks Farm must be, "good in heaven, good in hell." In other words, we only do things that have a good chance of working well in the most ideal conditions we could imagine (heaven) and as well as in the worst (hell), because we recognize that we don't know what the future holds. # Necessary Subtraction A necessary subtraction from the capitalist world-system presents an opportunity for renewal and reconnection with what it means to be human on planet earth. > “According to the principle of necessary subtraction, the only right and reasonable thing for the radically convinced person on many historical occasions is to simply withdraw from the system--to refuse to participate in the social game, to quite simply leave the system in order to build up parallel, temporary utopias, whose objectives with time are made permanent--and to do this together with dedicated syntheist brothers and sisters." - **Alexander Bard & Jan Soderqvist**, "[Syntheism](https://www.amazon.com/Syntheism-Creating-God-Internet-Age/dp/9175471833)" As the authors of “Syntheism” point out, the bloody revolutions associated with the Western Enlightenment were of a different nature than the revolutions needed in the information age. Whereas the printing press was the technological driver of the previous paradigm shift, the Internet is the driver of this one. And whereas the last revolution led to the emergence of the nation-state and of the dominance of capitalism, this revolution is bringing into question these interlocking systems and inviting a new vision for how we might live together. This principle is about recognizing the necessity of subtracting ourselves from the current political, cultural, & economic systems that we’re currently embedded within and dependent upon. Without subtracting--i.e. becoming independent of--we aren’t free to imagine living in new ways; we can’t dream up and build out new temporary utopias, because we’re still caught in the previous nightmare of the Western Enlightenment. As is famously said in the Japanese Zen tradition, “Today’s enlightenment is tomorrow’s mistake.” The principle of necessary subtraction is the means by which we collectively liberate ourselves from the shackles of our previous Enlightenment(s).
# Important Ideas Though not as central to everything we do as our North Star Principles, there are some important ideas which have really shaped the philosophical orientations of this project. They include: {% content-ref url="/pages/-Lte6-rPgBBhIMeLqfeq" %} [A Third Industrial Revolution](/farm/important-ideas/third-industrial-revolution) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/-LlgerhsF5uc68\_n30PI" %} [Shared Living](/farm/important-ideas/shared-living) {% endcontent-ref %} # Shared Living A new model of Shared Living is at the heart of the vision of the Buddhist Geeks Farm. Our deep vision for Shared Living on the Buddhist Geeks Farm & Retreat is one in which we learn how to live together, harmoniously, optimizing our precious time, protecting each other's interests, decentering from networks that don't have our own or the larger ecology's best interests in heart, and finally, to share the veggies and fruits of abundance we grow during this journey. #### Apparently, this is the #1 Lesson Learned by Shared Living Communities... The number #1 lesson learned by shared living communities, according to the research conducted by [Space10](https://space10.io/collection/imagine-exploring-the-brave-new-world-of-shared-living/), is that what they all had in common, and each claimed to be critical in their self-assessment of their own success, was **some regular frequency of shared meals**. As such, we are proposing that we build into the design of the Buddhist Geeks Farm operations regular shared meals. This highly collectivizes the cost of food, and minimizes the amount of collective time spent preparing food. And with a maximum output of fresh food coming from our own farming production, we become increasingly collectively sufficient on the all-important food front. ## SPACE10 is exploring the brave new world of Shared Living 📱 One of the best resources on exploring the world of Shared Living, is this one by [Space10](http://www.space10.io), a weird ass future design shop in Copenhagen, funded by Ikea. Yup, they're paid to do a bunch of cool ass shit, most of which helps the collaborative commons. Here's their excellent site, which includes a publication and the podcast is below. {% embed url="" %} ## The Shared Living Podcast Series 🎙 This very well produced podcast series explores a number of interesting topics related to shared living, and the variety of ways it manifests currently. We highly recommend listening to these, to get a sense for the social topography of this project. {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} # The Politics of Shared Living There are a number of important political ramifications that we derive from this experiment in shared living. ## A Free & Open Internet 🕸 Network neutrality is under assault. In order for humanity to engage in an open sharing of knowledge, we will align ourselves with those who are fighting to protect a free & open internet for all people. ## A Green New Deal 🌎 We believe that we need to get in front of the rapidly accelerating ecological crisis, by doing everything in our power to lower our ecological footprint to zero, and restabilize the homeostatis of the planet. We recognize that larger societal changes must also take place to meet this goal, and stand for A Green New Deal. ## Universal Healthcare 🚑 We believe that healthcare is a basic human right, and stand for universal & affordable healthcare for all people. It's also the case that having affordable healthcare makes our shared living model, and others like it, more tenable. ## Freedom of Religion 🍄 > "The criminalisation of entheogenic substances must be regarded as the greatest and most tragic case of mass religious persecution in history." - Alexander Bard & Jan Soderqvist, "Syntheism" We believe that people should be free to practice their religious traditions, including newly emerging syncretic traditions, so that we can continue to explore the vast domain of consciousness and our deeper connection with all of life. Though the Buddhist tradition, from which we pull much of our inspiration, doesn't have a well-documented history with entheogenic substance use, most indigenous cultures & religions do. We stand for the protection of religious freedom, and the end of persecution, by governments around the world, toward entheogenic compounds & traditions that have the potential to bring spiritual illumination and healing to those who use them wisely. ## **Universal Basic Income 💵** The entire design of the Buddhist Geeks Farm & Retreat is built around the economics of enabling a yearly resident to have everything they need to live simply for $1,000 USD/month. This is the same amount that most Universal Basic Incomes proposed in United States aim for, as it closely matches the current US Poverty Line. We want to be able to live meaningful, connected, & impactful lives by freeing up our time and attention. With the way that we're structuring our economics on the farm, and because we believe that technological automation continues to break apart old socioeconomic models, we support the arising of some kind of Universal Basic Income for all people. # A Third Industrial Revolution According to many, we are in the midst of a Third Industrial Revolution–a technoeconomic revolution that could have a huge impact on how we "manage, power, and move society." {% embed url="" %} > In the nineteenth century, steam-powered printing and the telegraph, abundant coal, and locomotives on national rail systems meshed in a common general-purpose technology platform to manage, power, and move society, giving rise to the First Industrial Revolution. In the twentieth century, centralized electricity, the telephone, radio and television, cheap oil, and internal combustion vehicles on national road systems converged to create an infrastructure for the Second Industrial Revolution. > > Now, we are in the midst of a Third Industrial Revolution. The digitalized Communication Internet is converging with a digitized Renewable Energy Internet, powered by solar and wind electricity, and a digitized Mobility and Logistics Internet of autonomous electric and fuel-cell vehicles, powered by green energy, atop an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, embedded in the commercial, residential, and industrial building stock, that will transform society and the economy in the twenty-first century. - Jeremy Rifkin, "[*The Green New Deal*](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250253217)" # Practicing Demonitization The practice of demonitization, akin to what the early Buddhists called "voluntary simplicity," is a means for reducing one's dependency on the capitalist-world-system. In order for principles to go from the abstract to the concrete they have to be operationalized via practices; the things we do to understand principles more deeply. In the case of [the principle of necessary subtraction](/farm/our-ideological-pillars/necessary-subtraction) one of the things we need to do is reduce our dependence on the capitalist world-system through the active practice of demonetization. The currently accepted way of subtracting oneself from the capitalist world-system is by becoming a successful capitalist. If you work long enough and hard enough as a wage slave, then freedom is granted via retirement. Or if you get lucky with investments, then you're free. But the retired person is dependent on state-based systems, like Social Security & Medicare, as well as on other organizations that have contributed to their retirement funds. And even the independently wealthy person must diversify against ever-present uncertainty. Another way of subtracting oneself from the capitalist system isn’t to work hard and have a “guaranteed” income for the remainder of retired life, or to win big in the system and be able to retire out of it, but instead is to reduce the cost that it takes to live toward "0." Fortunately, the trend of demonetization is on our side. #### Demonetization > "'demonetization' means the ability of technology to take a product or service that was previously expensive and making it substantially cheaper, or potentially free (in the extreme boundary condition). It means removing money from the equation." - Peter Diamandis, [📃 Demonetized Cost of Living](https://www.diamandis.com/blog/demonetized-cost-of-living) This practice of demonetization means actively lowering one's cost of living. One can do this by choosing free solutions where they exist and by collectivizing and distributing the cost of things. In a typical enterprise one considers it basic financial success for revenues to exceed expenses. You've turned a profit if what you bring in (revenues) exceeds what's going out (expenses). But in this scenario what we're aiming to do instead is create a situation where the cost of expenses can continually go down, heading toward "0". Demonetization is being enabled by new technologies that are continually aiming to increase productivity and reduce the marginal cost of production. The result are more and more products and services moving toward a [near-zero marginal cost](https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Marginal-Cost-Society-Collaborative/dp/1137280115). This started with digital media, but is moving from bits to atoms, and is encompassing more and more of what we need in order to live. Here are the **7 core areas that humans tend to spend money**, as well as what the Buddhist Geeks Farm & Retreat plans to cover for residents. 1. Housing 2. Food 3. Healthcare 4. Education 5. Energy 6. Transportation 7. Entertainment On the Buddhist Geeks Farm & Retreat our goal is for all medium & long-term participants to have all of their basic needs, in terms of the 7 areas above, met by the Farm. **Housing** & **Food** are provided for all residents by default. **Energy** & **Transportation** are also covered for all participants. Collective **Entertainment** options will be plentiful. And though we won't be able to provide full health insurance for all members, we will negotiate a special arrangement with our friends at the [Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville](https://www.integrativeasheville.org/), so that everyone has access to **Healthcare**. Finally, **Education** is at the heart of our project, and we'll do our best to continue expanding educational opportunities for all farm residents to learn & grow, including our children under 18. By [Vince Horn](http://vincehorn.space) # Housing 🏘 Here are some of the more promising projects that we could imagine working with while figuring out our housing situation on The Farm. ## Open Building Institute The [Open Building Institute](https://www.openbuildinginstitute.org/), which is part of the [Open Source Ecology](https://www.opensourceecology.org/) project, is an open source effort to make ecological, affordable housing widely available. Their goal is to be able to build an ecologically sound 2 bedroom / 1 bath house, using mostly local materials, for < $25,000 USD. {% embed url="" %} ## WikiHouse [WikiHouse](https://www.wikihouse.cc) is a digitally-manufactured building system. It aims to make it simple for anyone to design, manufacture and assemble beautiful, high-performance homes that are customized to their needs. {% embed url="" %} ## 3D-Printed Homes {% embed url="" %} ## The Urban Village Project {% embed url="" %} # Food 🥒 Our goal is to develop food abundance on the Buddhist Geeks Farm! We want to produce enough for food for own needs plus an abundant excess. This excess can be used in any number of strategic ways, including being preserved for later consumption, being sold to produce extra capital to improve operations on the farm, being traded for other goods we need, and being given to local communities in need of healthy food. To be able to enact these strategies first requires that we develop food abundance! Here are some of the food production methods & farming philosophies that we find of most interest currently... ## FarmBot 🤖 {% embed url="" %} ## **Aquaponics 🐟** {% embed url="" %} Aquaponics is a regulated, closed system of fish feeding plants through their rich in nitrogen waste, which super charges the growth of the plants. The plants then clean the water, which is recirculated back into the fish tanks. Aquaponics use significantly less water than traditional soil-based growing techniques, and in addition to being able to produce a large variety of plants year-round, this system also produces fish, adding a high quality, year-round bio-available protein source to our diet. Many aquaponic systems work with Tilapia, but we're also curious, for [The Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm), about Rainbow Trout, a pink fleshy fish similar to Salmon, which is indigenous to Western North Carolina. **Resource:** * [Aquaponic MicroFarms](https://aquaponics.com/aquaponic-systems/microfarm/) - Great aquaponic systems, some of which qualify for [FSA Microloan Status](https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/microloans/index). ## Chickens 🥚 {% embed url="" %} # Transportation 🚘 ### Tesla's Driverless Fleet {% embed url="" %} # Energy ⚡️ ## Tesla Energy {% embed url="" %} # Education 🎒 ## Global Broadband Internet #### Starlink {% embed url="" %} #### OneWeb {% embed url="" %} ## Learning * [Agile Learning Centers](https://agilelearningcenters.org) * [Open Culture](http://www.openculture.com/) - "The best free cultural and educational media on the web." ## Books * "[Education in a Time Between Worlds](https://www.amazon.com/Education-Time-Between-Worlds-Technology/dp/0986282677)" by Zachary Stein # Healthcare 🌼 ### **Genesis Farm in Asheville NC**: * [Integrative Family Medicine](https://www.integrativeasheville.org) - We have a partnership with the Integrative Family Medicine clinic in Asheville, NC and will work to negotiate a generous membership plan for all monthly & yearly long-term residents. ### **General**: * [Affordable Alternatives to Comprehensive Health Insurance](https://www.integrativeasheville.org/alternatives-health-care-insurance/) # Entertainment 📺 We can lower our shared expenses by pooling together like a family would, sharing accounts while paying 10-20x less than you'd normally pay for the same services. A Netflix premium account costs $15 usd / month. Even shared between 2 people that's $7.50/month. Shared between 20 people it's < $1/day. With collectivized living, we can share access to the same amount of entertainment options, for significantly less cost. ### **Shared Entertainment** * [Spotify for Family](https://www.spotify.com/us/family/) * [Netflix Premium Plan](https://help.netflix.com/en/node/24926) # The Master Plan The Buddhist Geeks Farm has a master plan that will move through 3 phases: 1) Establishing a Prototype Farm, 2) Starting up the Genesis Farm, & 3) Forming a Farm Network. ## Phase 1: Prototype Farm {% embed url="" %} In the first phase of this project we've begun by establishing a [Prototype Farm](/prototype/prototype-farm) in Western North Carolina. We've been fortunate to have Vincent's grandparents, Peggy & Latif Fakhoury, offer us space to grow on their small family farm. They're also mentoring us, and with \~140 years of experience between them, we feel we're in really good hands! We began planting crops in the summer of 2019, and are looking forward to our first full growing season in 2020. {% embed url="" %} The purpose of the prototype farm is to **start simply**--a type of *minimum viable farm*--so that we can learn by doing. All of the knowledge gained on the prototype farm can then be applied to the [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm). The other function of the prototype farm is to **generate interest** in the [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm), so that those who are interested in participating in and supporting the next phase can actually see what we're working toward. See, isn't it pretty?: {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} ## Phase 2: Genesis Farm In phase 2 of the project we are working toward our ultimate goal of establishing a fully functioning Buddhist Geeks [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm) & Retreat Center that can host \~20 people at a time. The purpose of the Genesis Farm is to serve as a repository of knowledge for those attempting something similar, to be a proof-of-concept for this model, and to be a training ground for those that want to deepen their contemplative practice while learning more about our model of mindful living. The Genesis Farm is meant to be a type of "parallel temporary utopia," wherein we can exploring healthier, more heartfelt, and effective ways of living together, somewhat outside some of the normal constraints of the capitalist-world-system. Our strategy on getting there is to follow an **agile development process**, much as is used in modern software development. The vision above lights our way forward, even as we break our strategic steps into the most simple, bite sized, and achievable milestones we can. There are a couple important reasons for doing it this way. One being that there is a huge benefit to setting more achievable goals and then achieving them. All of these little small wins add wind to our sails and give us the opportunity to share these small wins, making the project increasingly real & worthy of supporting. The second reason for an agile approach is that by breaking down the process into smaller milestones we open up the possibility of being able to *dynamically steer* the strategy. Instead of trying to figure out the entire strategy up-front, and raising a boat load of funds to make it happen all at once--what is often called the [waterfall model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_model) of development--instead we can continue learning about what we're trying to do even as we're doing it. This approach generates less waste, by minimizing costly mistakes, and puts the focus on continual learning and adapting. ### **The 1st Milestone: Purchasing Land** It is clear to us that our first milestone must be the purchase of suitable land in Western North Carolina. As such, this is what we're working on now! We have an initial goal of raising **$100,000** so that we can begin seriously looking at local farmland. We're looking for several acres, within 30 minutes of the Asheville City Center, that can become the home of the Genesis Farm. We will be doing all of the necessary research, to ensure that we pick a spot which can grow with us, and which has the right conditions for growing food and community. ### Future Milestones After purchasing land, and achieving our 1st big milestone, there are a number of other possible milestones that will follow. These aren't necessarily listed in order, but they do represent a number of potential ## Phase 3: Farm Network In this third phase of this project, the Buddhist Geeks Farm model would successfully self-replicate, with a new Buddhist Geeks Farm being founded somewhere else in the world. From there, the two existing farms can link up, through formal Holacratic linking, to form The Farm Network. From there, any number of other Buddhist Geeks Farms could start-up and the Network would serve as a resource hub for making it easier for others to replicate this contemplative model of shared living (should it prove to work!). The Farm Network can also connect with other larger action-based networks, so that we can coordinate our coordinating on larger levels of society/culture. # Phase 1: Prototype Farm {% embed url="" %} In the first phase of this project we've begun by establishing a [Prototype Farm](/prototype/prototype-farm) in Western North Carolina. We've been fortunate to have Vincent's grandparents, Peggy & Latif Fakhoury, offer us space to grow on their small family farm. They're also mentoring us, and with \~140 years of experience between them, we feel we're in really good hands! We began planting crops in the summer of 2019, and are looking forward to our first full growing season in 2020. {% embed url="" %} The purpose of the prototype farm is to **start simply**--a type of *minimum viable farm*--so that we can learn by doing. All of the knowledge gained on the prototype farm can then be applied to the [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm). The other function of the prototype farm is to **generate interest** in the [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm), so that those who are interested in participating in and supporting the next phase can actually see what we're working toward. See, isn't it pretty?: {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} # Phase 2: Genesis Farm In phase 2 of the project we are working toward our goal of establishing a fully functioning Buddhist Geeks Genesis Farm & Retreat Center that can host 10-20 people at a time. The purpose of the Genesis Farm is to be a training ground for those that want to deepen their contemplative practice, while learning more about this model of mindful living. The Genesis Farm is meant to be a type of "parallel temporary utopia," wherein we can explore healthier, more heartfelt, and effective ways of living together, outside the typical constraints of the capitalist-world-system. In order to do this we employ an **agile development process**, much as is used in modern software development. The vision above lights our way forward, and serves as an attractor, even as we break our strategic steps into the most simple, bite sized, and achievable milestones. There are a couple important reasons for doing it this way. One being that there is a huge benefit to setting more achievable goals and then actually achieving them! All of these little small wins power our sails and give us the opportunity to share them with the world. This makes the whole project increasingly real & worthy of supporting. The second reason is that by breaking down the process into smaller milestones we open up the possibility of being able to *dynamically steer* our strategy. Instead of trying to figure out the entire strategy up-front, and raising a boat load of funds to make it happen all at once, the so-called [waterfall model of development](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_model), instead we continue learning about what we're trying to do even as we're doing it. This approach generates less waste, by minimizing costly mistakes, and puts the focus on continual learning & adaption in real-time. ### **1st Milestone: Purchasing Land** It is clear to us that our first milestone must be the purchase of suitable land in Western North Carolina. As such, this is what we're working on now! We have a goal of raising **$150,000** so that we can begin seriously looking at local farmland. **We're currently 20% of the way** toward this goal! We're searching for several acres, within \~30 minutes of the Asheville City Center, that can become the home of the Genesis Farm. We will be doing all of the necessary research, to ensure that we pick a spot which has the right conditions for delicious food and robust community. ### Upcoming Future Milestones After purchasing land, and achieving our 1st big milestone, there are a number of other important milestones that will follow. Given our agile approach, we won't necessarily do these in order, but each will serve as an important likely step along the way: * **Constructing a Retreat Dormitory & Kitchen** - Equipped with several small rooms & a large kitchen / dining space that can serve \~30 people. (est. $100-150k) * **Digging a Well** - If we purchase land that doesn't already have water access, we will need to dig a good well. (est $20-30k) * **Constructing a Collective Practice Space** - A [Yurt](https://www.blueridgeyurts.com/) or Refurbished Barn that can hold \~30 people and serve as a primary gathering space for group practice. (est. $20-30k) * [**Building a Solar Powered Workshop**](http://www.homemade-modern.com/ep115-building-a-solar-powered-workshop/) - A stand-alone work space that can be used to help build the other structures. (est. $15k) * **Building the 1st Meditation Hut** - Using the meditation hut (*kuti*) model of Thailand, combined with open source modular building design, we seek to build several compressed earth brick microhuts that can each host someone in long-term practice or residency. (est. $20-30k) * **Farm.Bot Greenhouse** - One source of food will come from the farm.bot, an automated self-gardening robot. We would like to create a greenhouse full of farm.bot's that can grow throughout the growing year, in a low-maintenance programmable & automated fashion. (est. $20-30k) # The Prototype Farm We're beginning our adventures in farming by retrieving the wisdom of the past and being mentored by our elders. ![](https://424649651-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LduOM44KkJOoRfxc0sJ%2F-LkisdNmsa3XtIH5GC7t%2F-Lkiu1useRhT_Z4PUGL2%2F989DE5F1-6DAC-443F-BA35-2FEB734FCD45.JPG?alt=media\&token=3a4fd27c-aceb-45ce-bec7-4a0c93c40d22) Vincent Horn's grandparents, **Latif & Peggy Fakhoury**, have been operating a small family farm for over 3 decades in Western North Carolina, and offered for us to plant on their land. We're thinking of this as our Prototype Farm, as we have a chance to learn basic organic farming methods, get more familiar with the Western North Carolina Bioregion, and harvest delicious organic food! During the growing season, we'll be out to the Prototype Farm every weekend to take care of our plants, and to learn. If you want to follow what we're up to, check out the 📷 [BG Farm @ Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/buddhistgeeksfarm/) and the 📺 [BG Farm @ YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Ygue_q5CxMwqVH9Is2mUKoC9OUt7T_W). ### A Guided Tour of the Back Garden {% embed url="" %} # Indoor Seedling Growth System One thing we're considering, as a useful prototyping activity, is to setup an indoor seedling growth system. **UPDATE**: This project is now complete. Due to your generosity we were able to purchase, assemble, and begin using our 3-tier growing system. \------ This indoor seedling growth system would give us a serious leg up on the spring growing season by enabling us to start our plants earlier indoors, under optimal growing conditions. Once the seedlings have had time to sprout, and the weather is warming up a bit, we can transplant them to our [Prototype Farm](/prototype/prototype-farm) space in early spring, and on from there. Transplanted plants have a stronger start than seeds and lead to a more curated and manageable growing space. The major benefit of the system below, is that we would be able to bring this system with us from the [Prototype Farm](/prototype/prototype-farm) to the [Genesis Farm](/genesis/genesis-farm). ### The 3-Teir SunLite Garden 🌱
Cost: $600
The most ready-to-use-system, that would enable us to grow up to 288 seedlings concurrently is the [3-Teir SunLite Garden](https://www.gardeners.com/buy/t5-grow-light-stand-three-shelves/39-357.html) from [Gardener's Supply Company](https://www.gardeners.com). We have space available in our office studio (aka the Buddhist Geeks Studio) for this system, which already gets decent sunlight. With the addition of the LED grow lamps our seedlings will get plenty of sunlight and can then be transported out to our prototype farm space in Mars Hill, where we can start planting them in the spring of 2020. ### Support Us 💗 We will be raising funds to help purchase this system in Q4 2019. If you'd like to support those efforts you can contribute to [The Farm Fund](broken://pages/-LrJphCQ_he1LO4G5SyA). If you'd like to stay abreast of developments in the farm project, you're also invited to subscribe to the 💌 [BG Farm Newsletter](http://eepurl.com/gytxi1). # Smart Pot Raised Beds As part of our prototyping process, we are installing temporary raised beds, using "smart pot" style material. We are currently setting up a number of smart pot raised beds, ranging from 20-100 gallons of soil. We're placing these in the sunniest spots on our property, and will be using them to grow a number of vegetables throughout the 2020 season. For a little overview of what we're doing with the smart pots, and how it's going, check out this gardening update video: {% embed url="" %} # The Genesis Farm We're looking for a small group of committed collaborators who want to co-build a community dedicated to simple living We're looking for a small group of committed collaborators who want to co-build a community dedicated to simple living, shared meaning-making, autonomous self-governance, peer-2-peer spirituality, and the intergenerational transmission of human wisdom. ❤️ In particular we're looking for **individuals**, **couples**, &/or **families** who are willing to consider relocating to **Western North Carolina** in the early 2020s, and who have the skills, connections, and passionate energy to help make this vision a reality. We expect that people with who already live & work in this area, along with folks who have remote jobs, or who have low financial overhead will be in an easier position to make this transition at first. Our long-term goal is to create a model of shared living in which the overall cost is equivalent to a $1,000/month [Universal Basic Income](/farm/important-ideas/shared-living/the-politics-of-shared-living#universal-basic-income). Some of the hard skills we're imagining would come in handy includes (but isn't limited to): * Gardening / Farming * Permaculture * Hydroponics * Aquaponics * Dharma Teaching * Meditation * Cooking * Meal Planning * Building * Architecture * Legal / Law * Entrepreneurship * Programming * Distributed Ledger Technology * Design * Audio/Video Production * Writing & Editing * Grant-writing * Fundraising * Working Hard * Letting Loose ## The Farm Newsletter 💌 If you'd like to be involved in The Genesis Farm, or simply stay in the loop regarding developments with the Buddhist Geeks Farm project, please [sign-up to the Buddhist Geeks Farm Newsletter](http://eepurl.com/gytxi1) and we'll connect soon! ## # Microhouse Build in Belize In February 2020, Vince Horn will be traveling to Belize to help build a Microhouse from compressed earth bricks (CEBs). He'll bring the learning from that experience back to the Buddhist Geeks Farm. In order to realize the radical vision of the Buddhist Geeks Farm we believe that it's essential to [practice demonitization](/farm/active-demonitization), so that we can [subtract ourselves](/farm/our-ideological-pillars/necessary-subtraction) from current socioeconomic systems enough so that we might "build up parallel, temporary utopias, whose objectives with time are made permanent" (Bard & Soderqvist). One of the biggest areas of expense, for a project like this, are land & building costs. We are currently working to raise funds to purchase land outright, but once we have the land we still need to be able to build cost effective & ecologically regenerative [housing](/farm/active-demonitization/housing). One of our key partners, in this regard, is the [Open Source Ecology](http://www.opensourceecology.org) team, who are working on creating a [Global Village Construction Kit](https://www.opensourceecology.org/gvcs/): > "The Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) is a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts. We’re developing open source industrial machines that can be made at a fraction of commercial costs, and sharing our designs online for free." They are already over 1/3rd of the way complete with the development of these 50 open source industrial machines--which includes a 3D Printer, Power Cube, Tractor, and a Compressed Earth Brick Press aptly named: **The Liberator**. The Liberator takes local soil and converts it into extremely durable and ecologically sound earth bricks, which can then be used to build out the core infrastructure of the Buddhist Geeks Farm. {% embed url="" %} ### Microhouse Build in Belize So that we can better understand the potential for us to create our own open source brick press, and use to it build a variety of affordable structures--from houses, to barns, to dorms and beyond--in February 2020, Vincent Horn will be attending a 5-day [Compressed Earth Brick Microhouse Build in Belize](https://www.opensourceecology.org/ceb-microhouse-build-in-belize/). Vincent has minimal building experience, so we think this will be a good test in seeing how their **extreme manufacturing** methods work, and whether or not they're effective, even with unskilled labor. The other purpose of this trip is to form human relationships with the Open Source Ecology team, so that we might continue to partner with them on their world-transforming vision. In order for projects like ours to happen, we need the tools & hardware that can build actual structures which house actual people & things. We want to help this open source hardware movement flourish so that everyone of us can flourish (aka enlightened self interest). # The Farm Schedule The Farm Schedule is a work-practice-life balance wherein we spend our time dedicated to Practicing, Farming, Working, & Living Together. The idea at the Buddhist Geeks Farm is that we're on something of a **relaxed monastic schedule**. Our lifestyle is built around opportunities for and interest in contemplative dharma practices, while we enact new ways of living, learning, and loving together, offering the best of ourselves to a new emerging planetary culture. All farm residents are asked to balance their contemplative practice, with their roles & accountabilities on the farm, alongside their professional work and personal time. ## Practice Time Practice Time can take many different forms, including a meditative walk, a silent group sit after dinner, or social meditation in small groups. The community will have a dedicated schedule, for all community activities, and everyone can decide how to interact with the schedule. ## Farm Work Everyone on the Farm, even weekly retreatants, have a certain amount of farm work that they're expected to do. | Membership Type | Daily Avg Farm Work | Holacratic Roles | Core Roles | | ---------------------- | :-----------------: | :--------------: | :--------: | | **Weekly Retreatants** | \~1.5 hrs / day | ❎ | ❎ | | **Monthly Residents** | \~3 hrs / day | ✅ | ❎ | | **Yearly Residents** | \~3 hrs / day | ✅ | ✅ | Monthly & Yearly Residents take place in official [Holacracy](https://meta.buddhistgeeks.org/about/holacracy) meetings, and hold official holacratic roles within the organization, while Weekly Retreatants are invited to sit in and observe meetings if they like. Only Yearly Residents can hold **Core Holacratic Roles** including the **Lead Link**, **Rep Link**, **Facilitator**, & **Secretary** **Roles**. ## Professional Work All farm residents will have 3 hours of professional work time available daily. The basic idea, with professional work time, is that every resident should have plenty of time to do the work they need to do in order to cover their monthly living costs while making a contribution with their work. Professional work time will likely show the most variance, in terms of what people do with this time. Some people will be doing digital work, or teaching work, or some other form of outside work, while others may not need to do any extra work for money, and can use this time as they see fit. We imagine that this model will be particularly easy for digital freelancers to adopt, given their source of income is already non-local. ## Personal Time Living as a resident on the Farm basically amounts to working part-time on the farm, part-time doing professional work, and then engaging in a few hours / day of formal practice. Think of this as a **relaxed monastic schedule**, strict but not insane. Our proposed schedule still leaves one with several hours a day for personal enrichment, deepening relationships, and letting loose. # An Example Schedule This schedule isn't the actual schedule that we'll live with on the farm, that'll need to be co-developed by residents, but rather serves as an example of the type of communal schedule which residents might collectively orient around during the week. | Time | Activity | | ------- | ------------------ | | 6:00am | Morning Practice | | 7:00am | Breakfast | | 9:00am | Work Period | | 12:00pm | Lunch | | 2:00pm | Afternoon Practice | | 3:00pm | Work Period | | 6:00pm | Dinner | | 8:00pm | Evening Practice | # The Financial Model The Genesis Farm & Retreat will eventually be able to house **10 people** in **Western North Carolina.** At any given time, some number of these members will be present as **weekly retreatants**, who can come and practice from 1 to 4 weeks at a time. Others will be staying for months at a time, as **monthly residents**, living a more integrated work-life schedule on the farm. Those that stay for a full year, can sign on as **yearly residents**, who live on the farm for an extended period at a time and take on more core roles within the farm's [holacratic practice of self-governance](https://meta.buddhistgeeks.org/about/holacracy). | Name | Length of Stay | Cost of Living | | ----------------- | -------------- | -------------- | | Weekly Retreatant | 1-4 Weeks | $1,000/wk | | Monthly Resident | 1-12 Months | $2,000/mo | | Yearly Resident | 1+ Year(s) | $1,000/mo | For those staying week-to-week & month-to-month, it will be comparable in cost to other long-term, affordable retreat centers in the US. Living costs cover all basic living expenses–minus personal debt–and become cheaper as one commits to longer stays. This incentivizes stability within the community as well as a smaller ecological footprint, with less coming & going.