City Farm - Exeter

Permaculture Project

Want to live on the land - grow or hunt your own food in co-operation with others on a common journey towards a brighter future?

All food, shelter, energy and some expenses offered in a collaborative enterprise to germinate seeds that will flourish with the love and care of like minds.

A warm invite to participate in the founding of an oasis in the acrid uncultured desert that is material consumerism. The seeds of the Biophilia Project are being planted on the Goffin Lands - 96 acres of meadow and woodland on hills overlooking Beacon Heath, Exeter City.

A stepping stone and shelter from the dystopian modern world offered possibly this autumn - more likely in Spring 2016, initially on three monthly cycles.

July 2015. Mains water, one bore hole yet to be tested, two barns ordered. Kilometre of tracks laid - hardstanding rolled. Ready to go.

The Biophilia Project: a thought for the future  ......

To build a liberating legacy for enlightening tomorrow's children

An alignment of self with nature on an odyessey of discovery inspired by permaculturist Patrick Whitefield's words:

'Permaculture is not about dogma. It's not about knowing the right answers, but asking the right questions, the answers to which, will be different for each person and each place."

Want to know more?

My name is John Yates. I'm the custodian of Goffin Land's. My plan is to form a trust and maybe a charity to carry me and fellow travellers forward on this odyssey I've launched into. It's early days. I've introduced myself to the land and started the learning process and am trying to ask the right questions as Patrick Whitefield advised.

Germination of the seeds that are being sown will be require passion and commitment to nurture them on to their cycle of life. Passion and commitment for a better world expressed through reflective inquiry into nature, which of course we are part, is as essential as "application". Is it "I think therefore I am" or "I do therefore I am" - as the result of my labour, individually and collectively?

At present barns are ready to be built. Both will have electric power, PV and water. One, a Douglas Fir framed, 20 x 10 metres cherry clad barn, will have toilets, showers, small "agricultural" canteen. It will be well insulated and have a wood burning fire.

I can promise the early days will be an adventure. I have not yet got accommodation sorted out - not for myself or others. "Others" at present are a number of "Goffin Watchers" plus a handfull of locals looking to find the best way to climb onboard.

For this Think Grow Eat post, the first stage is to test response from this invite posted by Cari. Then an evaluation of the next step which I hope would be a gathering.

For more info read the Biophilia blog site. This will become a wordpress site as soon as I have time.
http://biophiliaproject.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-biophilia-project-alignment-of-self.html

I'm very happy for you to phone - e-mail is to me a barrier to the level of communication I seek - so please do phone if possible, 01363 866414 if not jwhy17 a*t yahoo d*t co d*t uk

This is as much a quest to discover a more synergistic and mutually enriching way to build human relationships as it is about our relationship with the soil. Another Partrick Whitefield quote:

"Every eco-system is composed of a vast web of beneficial relationships. This web of relationships is the fundamental principle which enables natural ecosystems to be highly productive without the destructive inputs of corporate chemicals. This natural web of relationships is also the central idea of permaculture. It can be applied to both food production and a wide range of other human activities."

The late and great Patrick Whitefield 1949 - 2015 [Redacted]