Zero Impact Farming Application:

Ecovillage Farm Site Planning & Permaculture

Excerpt from the speech note of 2016 Taiwan Ecovillage & Self-sufficiency Forum

Speaker: Pang, Yiu Kai

Original Chinese Text Writer:  Pang, Yiu Kai   Hong Kong  Nov. 2016

English Translation:  Pang, Yiu Kai & ChatGPT   Dec. 2024

Rough Initial Translation:  ChatGPT

Final Polishing and Editing:  Pang, Yiu Kai of Hong Kong

 
A true ecological village (where all villagers have equal decision-making power) should not only strive for self-sufficiency in food production but should also have agricultural products for sale (without unnecessarily burdening nature with ornamental flowers and pets). This is because the ecological village is a more reliable supplier of organic and environmentally friendly food. Due to the fact that any operational decisions or new measures in the ecological village must be collectively discussed and decided, proposals that sacrifice the environment or the well-being of the consumers are easily rejected. This is another reason for its reliability.



Organic farming still has serious environmental problems that have not been resolved.

Furthermore, a common misconception that people tend to have is that organic farming does not pose environmental problems. In reality, organic farming or reverting to traditional Chinese-style farming only address a portion of the ecological and land productivity destruction caused by mainstream industrial farming, alongside issues such as land carbon sequestration. However, the problems of habitat loss brought about by farmland itself and the disruption of continental water cyclings (Note 7) still persist.

If the world's population were only around one billion people and the global agricultural and pasture land area did not exceed 5% of the global non-ice-covered land, organic farming could be seen as an acceptable agricultural solution. However, with the current global population exceeding eight billion, and agricultural and pasture land occupying more than 35% of the non-ice-covered land on Earth, this has led to severe habitat loss and disruption of continental water cycles (Note 8). The only solution to this issue is the reversion of farmland to wild forests, with no shortcuts available.

"Permaculture" (Note 9) can be one of the important solutions to mitigate habitat loss (Note 10) and disruption of continental water cycles (Note 11), but it is not yet sufficient to solve these problems. 

 

The development of Permaculture concept emerged precisely in response to the issues of habitat loss caused by farming and the disruption of continental water cyclings. The core idea of the solution is to align farming practices as closely as possible with natural operating modes, thereby significantly reducing the problems associated with erasing natural habitats in agricultural and pasture lands. However, apart from the fifth zone, even simple organic farming is not equivalent to natural habitats. Zones 3, 2, and 1 of permaculture are superior to organic farming in terms of pest control and are closer to natural ecological balance. But their impact on natural habitats and continental water cyclings is no different from organic farming. Therefore, even if permaculture were to be adopted globally in the future, it remains uncertain whether it would be sufficient to restore healthy ecosystems on Earth. Currently, implementing organic farming globally will not address the issues of habitat loss and disruption of continental water cyclings. While permaculture cannot guarantee complete restoration, it can contribute to a certain percentage of habitat recovery.



Zero-impact Farming Method(Note12)

 

 For speaker Pang, Yiu-Kai, there is an agricultural direction that has been overlooked but exists in nature for thousands of years, which is obtaining food from nature in a way that does not disrupt natural processes. This is also the way all living things survive in the wild, ensuring a method of farming that does not cause harm to nature or hinder its operation. In addition, producing food in urban areas without occupying farmland and using low-carbon releasing energy, low-pollution methods is a low-interference supplementary solution. However, the latter is not within the scope of this topic and will not be discussed.



The Biggest Mistake in Millennia of Civilization (Note 13):

After years of exploring the insights of agricultural and industrial civilization, speaker Pang, Yiu-Kai discovered that the most serious mistake humanity has ever made is clearing land for cultivation, abandoning hunting, and relying on farming for survival. During the hunter-gatherer period, humanity was constantly progressing, with freedom, universal love, equality, leisurely lives, and shared prosperity prevalent in the hunter gatherer societies before transitioning to agricultural societies. The people during that time were healthy and well-nourished. After transitioning to agricultural societies, large empires emerged, wars and slavery became widespread, authority was respected, values became distorted, women were oppressed, diseases and malnutrition increased, feudalism and superstitions were established, and scientific knowledge was later utilized for warfare, industrial development, resource exploitation, etc. Why did the agricultural civilization seemingly lead humanity into a hellish outcome? After years of research, the speaker has come to conclusions, as seen in Chapter 25 of the speaker's book "Citizens Of The Planet" (http://www.eco-economy-hk.org/bns25.htm). Due to time constraints, the speaker will not explain it here. Students and other listeners are encouraged to take the time to read it online. In summary, the conditions of hunting -gathering societies prior to the emergence of agricultural societies and the human situation right after the transition into agricultural societies are not just the speaker's personal insights but also the mainstream research conclusions of anthropologists in the past one or two decades.



Creation of Zero Impact Farming:

In light of the article "all evils start with farming," and the uncertainty of whether the simple farming globalization of Permaculture can adequately address the issues of habitat loss and disruption of continental water cycling, speaker Pang, Yiu-Kai began exploring whether it is possible to obtain food without farming or interfering with nature over a decade ago. The results revealed that several types of food can indeed be obtained through this method without much difficulty. After years of effort, the zero impact honey produced by the speaker's apiary has become a brandname product sold in high-end health food and natural food stores in Hong Kong. Starting at the end of 2016, it will be officially launched with the zero impact natural growing taro. This honey is produced by a mobile bee swarmps that moves from place to place. The speaker also plans to introduce two more zero impact foods in the following year: wild bamboo shoots and bananas.



What is zero impact farming?

Most people, upon hearing this term for the first time, would find it hard to believe. "When you plant a banana seedling, you at least have to dig a small hole and pull out some weeds, right? Isn't that interference no matter how slight it is?" Otherwise, they may mistakenly assume that it means "not touching or managing what is planted in the field." In reality, the former refers to absolute zero interference, while the speaker is referring to the substantive meaning, not the absolute appearance of zero interference. Just like jumping into a swimming pool, the ripples created definitely disturb the calm surface of the water. However, if you jump into the sea, where there are already many waves, the ripples created have no substantive impact on the condition of the sea surface.(Please read the thesis Zero Impact Farming Manifesto written by Pang, Yiu Kai)



How can planting anything be zero impact?

In reality, nature is full of random variations. Some animals frequently dig holes, and many eat grass every day. As long as the farmer's disturbances are less than the random changes that occur in nature under non-extreme conditions, whether the farmer disturbs or not disturbs, nature will not make a distinction after a short period of time. From this perspective, all those disturbances are considered zero interference. So, why wouldn't the addition of a banana tree planted in that wild area be considered a distinction? It turns out that those were the positions where bananas should have grown, but human interference in the form of cultivated fields has eradicated most of the ecological niches suitable for bananas, turning the few remaining banana habitats into isolated islands in the human (cultivated fields also count) and natural vastness. Bananas have poor dispersal ability, so they cannot spread to those particular niches. The implanting of bananas without interference is actually restoring a species to its natural habitat. It can be considered a kind of "species" restoration. Therefore, if the planting method is zero interference, the species planted must be those that would naturally grow in those natural environments.

 

 

To determine whether the impact is zero, measure whether the natural succession process has been affected.

In areas where zero impact farming methods are used to produce food, besides planting in the customary ecological niche of the crop in nature, no weeding, fertilizing, pesticide spraying, or any other disturbances are carried out. To objectively determine whether the natural environment in and around the area is disrupted, one can look at whether the natural succession process in the area is affected. If the area was originally farmland, zero impact farming is a way to allow the land to continue food production after reverting to natural forest. Speaker Pang Yiu-kai's Lotus Valley Ecoop Farm and the Yi O Farm in Yi O, Hong Kong, collaborated to establish a 1.5 English acre zero impact experimental farm in 2016. One critical routine task each year is for plant identification experts to conduct a survey of the plants within the field area and for ecological experts to confirm whether there is any evidence of natural succession being affected in the field area based on the data of site survey.

 In June 2016, teachers from Pui O Public School Hong Kong (Note 17) and a former Singapore Environmental Protection Department Official volunteer from Singapore and the speaker planted the first batch of zero impact banana seedlings in the experimental field in Yi O, The banana seedlings were provided by a retired staff from the school's gardening team.

Can zero impact farming methods solve the current environmental crisis?

Then how about the globalization of zero impact farming methods? In theory, this would be a solution that could completely solve all food production problems. The only issue is that, based on a rough estimate by the speaker, even under the assumption that the Earth is still generally healthy, this farming method could support a population of no more than one billion people. In reality, this means that the global population has already exceeded its limits. However, reality is what it is, and if we cannot change it, we can only combine this farming method with pemaculture to further reduce the need for arable land. By utilizing both zero impact and permaculture globally, along with the use of soil regenerative organic farming, indoor hydroponics in multi-story urban buildings using renewable energy sources without occupying arable land, the opportunity to completely solve all environmental problems caused by food production can greatly increase.



Zero impact (Note 18) and permaculture (Note 19) complement each other

Therefore, the agricultural planning of an eco-village should be conceived based on the above principles, with a combination of zero impact and permaculture. Simply practicing organic farming alone is not sufficient to meet the requirements of minimal natural interference.

In terms of pest control and maintaining soil productivity, the combination of both methods is superior to using only permaculture.



5.1)   Farmsite Overall Planning

Permaculture zoning arrangement

 What are the differences between permaculture and organic farming?

Organic farming can be simply described as a "four nils and one without" agricultural method, meaning no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides (or only permitted organic pesticides), no herbicides, no genetically modified seeds, and soil, irrigation water are without contamination. In the planting methods of individual crops, permaculture generally follows the same principles of "four nils and one without." So, what are the differences between permaculture and organic farming? Farming by Permaculture is a wholistic approach that uses systems thinking to plan the farming arrangement of a farm or village, aiming to minimize the differences between cultivated land and nature, while organic farming does not take this into consideration.

A typical permaculture Farm

Primary agricultural planning for ecovillage sites with bamboo forest around:

zero impact bamboo shoots and bamboo materials (Note 20) (applicable in areas with natural bamboo forests):

The first step is the forest planning on the ecovillage site. Firstly, check if there are bamboo forests around. Bamboo forests naturally grow on mountainsides in Taiwan, and they happen to be the most suitable crops for achieving the zero impact farming method. Bamboo can be used to produce bamboo shoots and bamboo materials, so if there are bamboo forests, they should be preserved.



Other habitats suitable for zero impact farming:

1) Streams

If there are streams passing through the village area with mudflats on either side, those mudflats are ideal places for zero impact cultivation of bananas and taro. If the streambed is muddy with slow water flow, then zero impact farming methods can be used to plant lotus roots and aquatic vegetables such as water spinach and watercress.



2) Flat fields formed by alluvial deposits:

The most ecological approach seems to be "returning cultivated land to natural forests," but if only returning cultivated land to natural forests, it's actually just a "out of sight, out of mind" solution. This is because globally, tens of thousands of square kilometers of land need to be cleared up annually for agriculture. While converting ten acres of cultivated land here into natural forests, the global demand for various foods will not change. This solution simply means that elsewhere, some forest area will need to be converted into cultivated land. The result will be the same. Only by returning ten acres of cultivated land to natural forests and still producing food can we avoid needing to open up additional ten-acre plots elsewhere. Zero impact farming can play this role by allowing cultivated land to return to natural forests while still producing food.

However, for this approach to work, not only is flat land formed by alluvial deposits required, but there also needs to be a continuous supply of unpolluted stream/river water or irrigation water. In addition to this, the ecovillage's land resources must be sufficient because zero impact crops cannot be planted indiscriminately. Many essential daily foods cannot be produced using this method, so when establishing the ecovillage, enough alluvial fields must be set aside to meet the needs, while the rest can be managed using zero impact farming methods.

 

    Zero Impact Bee Keeping 

Natural swarming carried by the speaker Pang, Yiu Kai on 21.12.2012

 

Naturally, the bee species used should be the local Chinese bees, but traditional methods should not be used for bee keeping. This is because harvesting honey using earthern methods will inevitably cause damage to bee populations and hives, resulting in poorer yields, which is neither ethical nor profitable. The most ideal method is to use American-style frame hives, where honey can be harvested without damaging the hives, and there are methods available to harvest honey without causing harm to the bees.

Currently, there is a rapid decline in wild bee populations worldwide. In the Greater China region, the mass breeding of Italian bees by professional beekeepers is one of the reasons for the decline in wild bee populations. This is because Italian bees tend to disturb native bee populations, but they themselves find it difficult to survive long term in the wild in the local environment.

On the other hand, breeding local bees has the opposite effect and increases the natural population of wild bees, as  beekeeping inevitably leads to some bees swarming back to the wild during natural swarming.



Ecovillage farm site planning sub-items

 

 

1)  Permaculture zones 4 and 5:

Next is the non-bamboo natural forest land. If the ecovillage land is sufficient, it can all be designated as Permaculture zone 5, and then the adjacent fields can be designated as Permaculture zone 4. Zone 5 can be described as a non-interference natural forest where no fertilization, watering, weeding, pruning, or any other activities are allowed, only wild fruits can be harvested. However, it should be noted that at least half of the wild fruits should be left for wild animals for each harvest. Zone 4 can be described as a mixed artificial forest and natural forest. If the ecovillage land is not sufficient, the part of the natural forest area that is most easily accessible can be designated as zone 4, and the rest as zone 5. The Permaculture zone 5 is a forest belt where no interference is allowed and left to grow naturally; the zone 4 is a mixture of original natural plants along with various types of fruit trees and/or trees planted for other purposes. Before starting afforestation in zone 4, a plant identification expert should be summoned to inspect if there are any rare or protected species. All large trees, or rare to protected species of all sizes, should be preserved, and only small trees or shrubs should be cut down before planting fruit or other types of trees.

The planning of the zero-impact zone is now completed. Next is whether some land in the fields should be allocated as Permaculture zone 4 ? But basically, the zone 4 in the fields should be adjacent to zone 5 of the natural forest belt.

What should be done if the village land itself has no forests? At this time, the zone 5 is designated as a fallow and afforestation area left to grow naturally, while zone 4 is a mixed planting of some native tree species along with fruit trees, utility trees, and timber trees used for consumption and sale by ecovillagers.

Under zone 4, sheep and chickens can be raised. Sheep eat the weeds in the forest, converting them into nutrients for the trees, ensuring that the trees receive more nutrition without the competition from weeds and also clearing out short grass for the chickens to move around. The chickens, in turn, convert their feed into nutrients for the forest while also providing free-range eggs, benefiting both the forest and the livestock. Ideally, the number of sheep should be such that the grass under the zones 4 and 5 is just enough for them to graze without the need for supplementary feeding.



2) Permaculture zone 3:

This area is designated for planting staple crops and/or vegetables that do not require daily care. Maize, sweet potatoes, taro, and rice are all staple crops. Organic rice cultivation requires a significant amount of manual labor, and only those with the necessary skills and experience can greatly reduce the labor required. Therefore, unless the village has experts in this field, it is best not to cultivate rice. Moreover, there are plenty of organic rice farmers in Taiwan from whom the ecovillage can purchase rice. It is advisable to reduce rice consumption and opt for more root vegetables and corn.

If there is a serious issue of wild boars or rodents, sweet potatoes and taro should be planted in the same area and protective measures should be taken against wild boars and rodents.

Furthermore, fish ponds should also be included in zone 3. When it comes to fish ponds, it is important to note two other similar facilities, namely ponds within streams for zero-impact farming purposes, and ponds for purifying domestic wastewater. To avoid confusion between these two types of ponds, the former can be referred to as stream ponds and the latter as irrigation ponds. While not all land may have stream ponds, it is essential to have irrigation ponds and grey water purification ponds.

The items to be planted in the Permaculture zone 3 have been specified, and the location is also determined: it should be further away from residential areas than zones 1 and 2, and even further from the zone zero.



3) Permaculture zone 1 and zone 2:

   Zone 1 refers to the fields that are adjacent to Zone Zero and is used to cultivate crops that require daily care. Root vegetables should also be planted in zone one if needed. Kitchen waste recycling bins should also be placed in zone one.

Crops or fruit trees that require less care or are not staple foods are planted in zone 2. Compost pits, barrels, and urine containers should also be located in zone 2.



Overview of Planning Sequence (applicable only to Taiwan):

    1) First, check if there are bamboo forests within the ecovillage area, and if so, designate them as zone 5, i.e., zero-impact bamboo shoot and bamboo timber areas.

2) If there are no bamboo forests within the village area, check if there are nearby bamboo forests in the mountains that can be leased or purchased for use as zero-impact or zone 5 bamboo shoot and bamboo timber areas.

3) Next, check if there are natural forests within the village area and determine how much can be designated as zone 5, taking into account whether there is enough remaining village land to designate as the zones 1 to 4.

4) If there are no natural forests, assess how much land can be allocated for zone 5. Designate the area furthest within the village area, adjacent to the zone 5 as the zone 4.

5) Designate zone 3.

6) Designate the zones 1 and 2 in that order.

 

Zero Impact Farming Method

 

1) Zero Impact Farming Wild Bamboo Shoot Harvesting

 

This farming method must be carried out in a bamboo forest within the ecovillage (leased forests can also be used). Harvesting bamboo shoots from elsewhere, regardless of the method used, cannot guarantee zero impact. As only seventy percent of the bamboo shoots grown during the whole season can be harvested, with thirty percent left untouched. This is why bamboo shoots cannot be harvested from bamboo forests outside the ecovillage. If you harvest seventy percent and someone else harvests other seventy percent of the remaining, the total harvested amount would be ninety percent, which is not acceptable. Moreover, you should find a position that offers the clearest view of the entire bamboo forest, take detailed photos of the bamboo forest, and thereafter take photos in the same position yearly to monitor the bamboo forest's condition. If the bamboo forest shows signs of shrinking, harvesting should be stopped to understand the reasons for the shrinkage and how to address it (solution may also involve allowing natural shrinkage if it is purely natural).



2) Zero Impact Bamboo Rot Harvesting:

Bamboo has a short lifespan, typically only twenty to thirty years, meaning that on average, four percent of the bamboo will die of old age each year. If only the dying bamboo is harvested for timber, it will not have any impact on the bamboo forest. This means that four percent of the bamboo can be harvested annually, which is a manageable quantity. Similar to zero impact bamboo shoot harvesting, you should find a position that offers the clearest view of the entire bamboo forest, take detailed photos of the bamboo forest, and then take photos in the same position yearly to monitor the bamboo forest's condition. If the bamboo forest shows signs of shrinking, harvesting should be stopped to understand the reasons for the shrinkage and how to address it (solution may also involve allowing natural shrinkage if it is purely natural).

 

 

3) Zero Impact  Bananas and Taro Planting:

It is not enough to avoid the use of pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, genetically modified seeds, etc. Even irrigation, fertilization, and weeding are considered interference with nature and must not be applied; then how can we achieve zero impact in planting bananas and taro? The key is to return the tasks of irrigation, fertilization, and weeding to nature. Planting banana and taro seedlings as part of ecosystem restoration measures in areas along the riverside where the stream carries irrigation water and fertilizing nutrients, and where there is muddy ground without tree growth. The location for planting bananas and taro should be half a meter to one meter above the usual water level to prevent seedlings from being washed away by floods triggered by heavy rain.

If there are suitable long riverside areas for planting bananas and taro, it is important not to plant them too densely due to greediness. Naturally growing bananas along the riverside also do not exhibit such dense growing. A measurable criterion for zero interference is that it should not obstruct the natural process of ecological succession. Planting too densely will prevent other plants that should naturally grow along the riverside from entering, thereby causing interference. Bananas should be planted every eight meters apart, while taro should be planted in rows every five meters long, with a gap of eight meters left between rows.



4) Zero Impact Planting of Lotus Roots and Aquatic Vegetables

As mentioned earlier, streams serve as natural fertilizers and irrigation farmers. If there are ponds with thick mud inside, they can be used to plant lotus roots and aquatic vegetables.

In fact, these ecological niches were originally their homes, but human farmlands have long occupied their habitats, resulting in their rare presence in nature. Furthermore, their ecological niches have been reduced to isolated islands in nature due to human activities, and their reproductive capabilities are not strong, even though natural habitats do exist, their presence is rarely seen. Therefore, implanting them in these stream ponds is species restoration rather than interference.

As for planting methods, since it is just to restore their natural presence, there is generally no need for any specific techniques. Farmers with experience in planting them will know how to do it.

 

5) Zero Impact natural running water Fish Pond:

The pond bank is planned to be low impact, although the pond itself should be zero impact. Dig to a depth of two and a half meters, with a water depth of one and a half meters. The pond can be in a narrow, elongated shape running north to south if allowed, or in any shape if not. Before filling the water, spread topsoil, rice straw or corn stalks in the pond bed. After filling with water, within one to two years, a layer of mud will form at the bottom of the pond. Plants such as lotus roots and aquatic vegetables like water spinach and watercress can be planted, while animals like grass carp, carp, catfish, pond loaches, frogs, and others can be introduced. The eastern bank of the pond should be planted with herbaceous crops near the water, such as mint, while fruit trees and utility trees can be planted on the western bank. In Taiwan, if only trees are planted on the western side of the pond, precautions should be taken to prevent excessive shading of sunlight into the pond, as Taiwan receives much more sunlight in the morning than in the afternoon. It is essential to note that all the plants and animals cultivated in the pond must be naturally occurring in that specific environment; otherwise, it does not qualify as zero impact operations. Other plants or animals should be cultivated in other ponds.



6) Zero Impact Beekeeping:

 In 2013, a stationary zero impact beekeeping facility was established deep in the mountains of the Lotus Mountain Range in Guangdong Province, China.

Beekeeping itself is a relatively far lower-interference agricultural practice because it requires minimal land occupation. Bees collect nectar from flowers in the wild without needing to harvest fruits. However, interference can still occur, especially if there is a shortage of nectar sources nearby, and farmers have many bees, which could threaten other animals relying on nectar for survival. The introduction of foreign bee species can also pose a threat to local bee populations. Practices like wing clipping after beekeeping raise ethical concerns.

Here, we will only discuss zero impact beekeeping methods for stationary bee farms. There are also mobile beekeeping operations that are even easier to meet zero impact requirements. However, assuming that eco-villages will not move bee colonies around Taiwan, we will focus on zero impact beekeeping methods for stationary farms. Beekeeping methods are quite complex and will not be discussed here. This discussion focuses only on how to elevate practices to achieve zero impact levels.

Firstly, in low-altitude areas of Taiwan, bees should be kept in zone 4, rather than zones 2 and 3. Bees can be kept at altitudes above 1,200 meters in zones 2 and 3. Since bees are sensitive to heat, and when the temperature exceeds 28-29 degrees Celsius, beehives should not be directly exposed to the sun but kept in the shade of trees.



6.1) Key Points to Achieve Zero Impact Beekeeping:

5.3.5.1.1) The basic principle of zero impact is to avoid feeding bees unless absolutely necessary and should not let bees experience honey shortages in any particular season of the year. Initially, start with just five to six hives. In Taiwan's natural environment, unless there are nearby beekeepers, maintaining five to six hives should meet the requirement of not feeding bees all year round while ensuring they are not hungry. Then, gradually increase the number of hives by ten each year until a nectar shortage occurs. At that point, take 60% of the hive count as the target number of hives for the future.

5.3.5.1.2) Secondly, it is important to raise local bees and not introduce foreign species. Beekeepers may prefer Italian bees for their higher productivity compared to local bees and easier management. However, Italian bees are known to invade the nests of local bees, robbing their honey, without being able to sustain themselves in the wild for long-term, resulting in ecological disturbance.

5.3.5.1.3) Thirdly, it is advisable not to clip the wings of bees, allowing the bee colony to relocate freely if they are not happy. Bees leave for various environmental or ecological reasons, such as insufficient nectar outside, relocating to another area to help maintain ecological balance.

Never do queen bee wing cutting practiced by ordinary bee keepers

 

5.3.5.1.4) The fourth point is to avoid using antibiotics to treat diseases. Before the high-risk period for disease outbreak, one can use herbal and non-drug dietary therapy to boost the bees' immunity as a preventive measure. This approach could be considered interfering with nature, as disease is part of the natural cycle of life, but this interference is purely quantitative. In reality, nature has multiple mechanisms to maintain ecological balance related to quantity. For example, the queen bee can choose to stop laying eggs or relocate to balance the ecosystem in her original area. By not triggering a specific mechanism in nature, as long as you allow nature to take its course as much as possible, while other mechanisms have not been suppressed, and nature will activate them when necessary. (The real danger lies in human population. By suppressing all natural mechanisms of balance in dealing with humans, humans have not shown self-restraint in population growth. Nature might be forced to resort to extreme measures, one of which could be clouding human judgment and pushing aggressive individuals to the top of power.)

5.3.5.1.5) The fifth point is to only harvest honey after the bees have properly sealed it with beeswax. If honey is collected without being sealed with wax, even during times when there is an abundance of nectar outside, the practice will mislead bees' judgement of nectar abundance. However, if honey that is not sealed with wax is not collected, bees will definitely store the honey with beeswax. This can lead to the queen bee to have an understanding of the external nectar sources, which may affect her egg-laying behavior. Say, if the honey can be sealed every week, the queen bee will lay more eggs, and the nurse bees may feed a few larvae  with royal jelly instead of honey, one of which will grow up to become the new queen, and natural swarming occur. But if the honey is not sealed often, all the above simply will not occur.

5.3.5.1.6) The sixth point is to rely solely on natural swarming and simple artificial swarming. Only resort to artificial swarming when absolutely necessary.

5.3.5.1.7) The seventh point is to create a mosquito net honey collection booth. When collecting honey, place the honey collection bucket inside the booth to prevent bees from flying to eat the honey being harvested and risk drowning in their own honey.

The speaker collected bees from a natural swarming on December 21, 2012.

 

 7) Zero impact rice paddies transformed into natural forests with abundant yields:

(The speaker is(in the year 2016AD) still in the research and experimental stage regarding this topic of returning rice field to natural forest. Initially, a newly established ecological village does not need to rush to adopt very aggressive solutions. Here is only a preferred development direction.)

Volunteers in the zero-impact experimental site include both children and elderly individuals.

 "Live off the land, live off the water, consume what you have, use what you need."

Benefits of Eating Zero-Impact Bamboo Shoots:

Growing melons and vegetables come with environmental costs, as previously mentioned. Consuming zero-impact bamboo shoots is different in that not only is there no environmental cost involved, but it also provides exceptional benefits to the health of the consumers.

Bamboo shoots contain fibers that stimulate intestinal peristalsis and aid in clearing the intestines. Regular consumption can have detoxifying, bowel-regulating, and anti-colon cancer effects. By stimulating intestinal movement and reducing the time food and waste remain in the intestines, bamboo shoots decrease the absorption of food calories by the intestines, thus also promoting weight loss.

Substituting more zero-impact bamboo shoots for melons and vegetables could further reduce the ecological footprint of villagers and provide additional health benefits to them, achieving two goals at once.

 

Benefits of Consuming Zero-Impact Farm Products and Materials:

 

Everything we eat or use leaves an ecological footprint and has environmental costs, even products from traditional agriculture, albeit to a lesser extent. However, consuming and using products and materials produced through zero-impact farming not only have no ecological footprint and environmental costs but can also contribute to habitat restoration and ecological compensation.

Recommended food items that can be easily produced using zero-impact farming in the ecological village include:

Staple Foods: Bananas, taro

Fruits and Vegetables: Bamboo shoots, lotus root, water chestnut, aquatic vegetables

Materials: Bamboo



Zero-Impact Bamboo Materials:

 

Apart from driftwood, all other types of wood, metal, and materials have environmental costs and ecological footprints. Hence, if the village has zero-impact bamboo groves, it should strive to use bamboo materials produced there as much as possible. Zero-impact bamboo materials entail zero environmental costs and ecological footprints, making them suitable for use in construction materials, bamboo houses, furniture, decorations, and utensils, thereby further reducing the ecological footprint of the ecovillage. 

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