Dream Eco Farm / Self sustainable system Dream Eco Farm/ Self sustainable system is a particular implementation and extension of George Chan’s IFWMS concept, in that it consciously integrates food and energy production, emphasizing consumption of both at the point of production. While it operates as a farm, it will also serve as a demonstration, education and research centre and incubator for new ideas, designs and technologies, and living area for members of this project, with school, clinic. Its aim is to promote and support similar farms springing up all over Africa and the rest of the world not only through publicity of Dream Eco Farm/ Self sustainable system itself, but also by collating and analysing data from all similar farms, by acting as resource centre and centre for information exchange.
Because this is an organic system in the sense I have described, we don’t have to have all the elements all at once. We can have a very simple system consisting of biogas digester, livestock, crops, algae basins without fishponds, as that essentially does the water purification and water from air, already and closes the cycle. The algae can be used to feed livestock, as an alternative to grain or worse, soybeans.
Fishponds can be added and aquaculture and planting done on the dykes. Willow trees will be fine. Solar power and Gas turbines suitably scaled down are relatively easy and cheap to install, micro-hydroelectricity also. Combined heat and power generation is well developed. Methane purification and compression for Gas Turbine Generation uses are already up and running. All these renewable energy harvesting would provide enough fuel for cars and farm machinery retrofitted to run on natural gas, as well as heat for the conservatory with more aquaculture and warm fishponds, where we can install water harvesting and water purification, again, based on well-tried technologies. Similarly, we can expand the production of the farm to poultry and mushrooms, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables aimed at recovering indigenous biodiversity in both plants and animals. And of course, we have the gourmet restaurant on site to make good use of the fresh organic produce.
Notice that three biogas digesters are present, connected both in parallel and in series. This is advisable, because it provides spares in case one is not working properly. It also provides for the production of both hydrogen and methane in a two-stage digestion process. I am also suggesting that we include human manure from living area, farm and poultry in the biogas digestion, as well as restaurant wastes. If we set this farm up as a research institute, and we never export any waste to the outside at all, could we escape the regulatory hurdle, and better yet, cause DEFRA (Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to change the regulations for such farms?
