Building the Homestead Infrastructure
Once a site has been selected to setup your homestead, the next step is to focus on infrastructure, before your homestead is livable and suitable for any kind of cultivation. I will not focus too much on the structural aspects of building construction but talk about overall design and infrastructure from my own experience.
Sector Analysis
I will look at this from a larger perspective of 5 Elements, also called “Sector Analysis” in Permaculture terminology.
Earth
Earth element is the soil. It is important to consider the location of your house. The house should rest where the soil is stable, preferably on flat terrain rather than steep inclines and East-facing in order to invite the warmth and light of the morning sun.
From perspective of soil stability, appropriate measures should be taken to prevent soil erosion. This includes planting of vegetation at suitable places, mulching bare ground, levelling the ground where appropriate and use of natural barriers like rocks and stones to slow the pace of water and wind. These measures are particularly important in mountain terrain.
Fire
The fire element is represented by the sun. There should be sufficient illumination within rooms to ensure warmth and light. In cold places, passive heating would be an important concept to consider. Trapping natural heat and light in indoor spaces lowers energy requirements and is more healthy. A common pattern in certain climatic zones is to plant a deciduous tree in front of a house to allow in sunlight during winter and protect the house from strong sunlight in summer.
Planning the location of your garden beds and trees is also important as per availability of full or partial sunlight or full shade.
If sunlight is being blocked off in certain parts of the property, you may need to prune some trees to allow light to pass through. However, don’t over-prune as you don’t want the trees to suffer due to lack of ability to carry out photosynthesis. Moreover, thinning out trees too much may lead to loss of shade in the heat of summer.
If any particular part of your property (particularly, the boundary) is prone to fire, then fire-breaking vegetation is desirable.
Air
Wind plays an important part in regulating temperature and moisture. Strong winds lead to evaporation and drying of soil moisture and causes soil erosion too. Therefore, it is important to identify the different areas from where strong winds blow through the property and have wind-breakers. Wind-breakers may be in the form of trees or man-made structures like glass panels. Glass panels may be attached to a balcony, which would allow light to enter and be trapped while preventing strong winds from sweeping in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc47gZIziH0 is a nice example
Water
Water is a very important element and must be considered while designing the property. Water should not puddle at one spot, nor should fast-flowing water down inclines cause soil erosion. Therefore, drainage channels for water should be created on the property and appropriate measures taken to collect water and preserve erosion. Ponds and trenches may be dug for the purpose of collecting water.
Zone Analysis
Zoning is about the placement of various entities on the homestead — human habitation, animal enclosures, perennial crops, seasonal or annual crops, trees etc. Zoning would be based on Sector Analysis described earlier and the convenience of placing respective entities at different places. For instance, animal enclosures may be placed near your home, as animals need regular attention. Similarly, a herb garden may be near the home too whereas fruit trees may be further away.
Infrastructure
Fencing & Boundary Plantation
Have fences to protect your property from stray animals or intruders and to legally demarcate your property. Fences might be wire netting supported by poles or some kind of metal structure. The wire netting or metal structures should be painted with primer and paint to prevent rusting. Bamboo fences are also a great option which lend a natural look. Along with this, living fences are also suitable though they need time to mature. Boundary plantation often helps prevent soil erosion and acts as fire and wind breaker.
You may have internal fences and enclosures too to confine animals to certain areas within the property. Fence plants may also be used within certain parts of the property internally.
Water Collection & Storage
In order to be self-sufficient, it is best to have rainwater collection systems and adequate storage. Ensure that troubleshooting the plumbing system and maintaining it is easy.
The plumbing infrastructure should be simple and easy to troubleshoot. It should also be easy to use. Depending upon the vastness of your property, you may go in for automated irrigation mechanisms or opt for more manual systems. However, there should be easy availability of water at different points in your property, so that even if systems are manual they are still convenient to use. Back of the envelope calculations to be done to understand your water storage needs and tanks purchased accordingly.
Tree Planting
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As mentioned previously, for wind-breaking and fire-breaking effect, appropriate vegetation as per the geography should be planted at different places in the property and definitely, on the boundary of the property. One must remember trees also provide much needed shade in summer and serve as a natural curtain to prevent prying eyes from peeping into your property.
Greenhouse
A greenhouse can serve multiple purposes — growing or starting plants/crops indoors (helps to extend the growing season too) and a storage space. As the name suggests, greenhouses have higher temperature and humidity which is conducive for vegetation. You can easily grow Brassicas and other vegetables which are prone to pests.
Animal Enclosures
Most homesteads have some animals, typically cattle. One should plan the location of their enclosures in keeping with the larger design.
Tools & Accessories
Tools are very important for a homestead to operate efficiently. This includes items as varied as axes, spades, shovels, trowels, sharp blades, pruners, garden scissors, spanners, screwdrivers and hammers. These would be useful for agricultural and mechanical purposes. A particularly useful tool even if used seldom is a long-range telescopic pruner to prune higher branches and stems of tall trees. Accessories include small odds and ends like water-proof tape, Primer paint, plastic sheets, newspaper, neem oil, jute sheets which serve obvious useful purposes.
Plant pots and seeding trays
Grow your indoor plants or start seeds. I think the uses of these are self-explanatory and hence, do not need further elaboration. :)
Rocket Stove/Biomass Stove
A valuable piece of equipment which lets you create a fire for cooking and winter heating. There are multiple variations of this but it’s essentially the same technology. For room heating in particular, bukharis work great in the Himalayas or other cold temperate climates.
Emergency Electrical Devices
In the event of a major power outage, you should have available lighting (torches and emergency lamps) and a power bank to charge your cellphone.
Wheel Barrow
A wheel barrow is a really useful tool to carry things around, particularly across a large area.
Storage structures and containers
- Root cellar to store root vegetables for longer duration
- Sacks and cartons to store food produce, mulch material etc.
- Buckets and tubs to store liquid manure or compost.
Devices or phone apps
Soil pH meter, soil moisture meter, light meter etc. are useful devices or phone apps to help you understand your environmental conditions.
Summary
Planning your property smartly and getting the right infrastructure in place quickly goes a long way in making the experience of living in a place a pleasant one. I did few things right early and took a while to figure out the rest. The outcome of my effort and learning is this post. Hope it helps the readers and in case I missed out something, do write in in the comments section.
Disclaimer: There is no conflict of interest and no intention of promoting any product/brand/organization. Information presented is based on the author’s personal experience or from verified online information.
After 20 years in the software industry, Ashish is now exploring permaculture in a village in the Himalayan State of Uttarakhand.
