DEGREES OF DEPENDENCE - FOOD

Getting food into ones body is an absorbing and time consuming process for most species. Man is no different. The process of acquiring, storing, preparing and eating food is considered in a step-wise fashion to locate the dependencies and the connections with lifestyle.

Here is a diagram setting out the degrees of food dependence that can be seen in many modern lifestyles. The colours refer to a "rough" chromatic scale where the warm colours represent high levels of dependence and the cool end represents high levels of self sufficiency. The diagram is not intended to precisely model every particular lifestyle but to organise a few archetypes on paper.

The spectrum we occupy are largely based on many unconscious choices. Knowing what options are available is the first step to thinking about where one is best positioned.

- Which slots best describe your food routines?
- Is it financially sustainable in the medium term?
- Will it be sustainable as the depletion of fossil fuels starts to enfeeble our industrial agricultural system?

Can You Survive On $20NZD Per Week?

Here is the first of my case studies of people, their gardens and their dependence on food procurement systems. I have decided to adopt a one page format and focus on the main issues that the particular case illustrates.

In this study Jeremy has taken a rather frugal approach as you can read in this.