Student 3

1. Creating an organic
garden, using
chickens, manure, &
compost
SCI-218: Natural Resources
Presentation 2-Final Project
By Student X

2. A few reasons why it’s a good idea to produce
your own food by using a home garden,
chickens, manure, & compost wastes
• Soil erosion is a major environmental and agricultural problem throughout the entire
world!
• Soil erosion has commonly occurred throughout history in agriculture, but has intensified
exponentially in recent years.
• More than 75 billion metric tons of soil have been removed by wind and water erosion,
with most coming from agricultural land
• The loss of soil degrades once fertile land, eventually making it useless and unproductive
• Because of this erosion-associated loss of productivity and population growth, the per
capita food supply has been reduced over the past 10 years and continues to decline!
• This causes a reduction in grains, lower crop yields, and a reduction in the overall nutrients
within the food and the soil altogether 

3. Soil and Food go Hand in Hand
• Soil loss=food loss
• This is an issue not only in
the United States, but as
you can see-all over the
globe!
• We need to save our soil to
insure adequate food
production to sustain our
ever growing population
• Image on the right from www.mdpi.com 2007

4. Soil use for food production: History of
farming, agriculture, & manure use
When did farming and agriculture begin
and why use manure?
• Over 8,000 years ago it spread from the
Near East to Europe (Balter, 2013)
• According to scientific research, the use of
manure was detected in a majority of
these agricultural regions (Balter, 2013)
• As agriculture began to spread throughout
Europe and further West, farmers began
to invest in long-term management of
their soil (Balter, 2013)
• This meant using MANURE!
Why is manure so special?
• It can be free when used from one’s own
farm animals such as chickens
• Manure breaks down slowly, increasing
fertility of soil over many years
• Provides farmers & gardeners with a
reliable, natural, & healthy method of
food production that is good not only for
the people, but the ENVIRONMENT!
(Balter, 2013)
Images from: MS Word 2013
Clip Art

5. Manure use & composting background
• Evidence of manure use in combination with composting dates back to the 10th
and 12th centuries (Balter, 2013)
• Shakespeare, Sir Francis Bacon, and Sir Walter Raleigh all mentioned using
composting in their writings (Balter, 2013)
• In N. America, composting was used by Native Americans and early European
settlers (Balter, 2013)
• Both manure use and composting are ways of providing the soil with vital
nutrients for organic farming and gardening without using chemical fertilizers
• From 1905-1935 through experimentation, Sir Albert Howard, a British
agronomist found that the best compost for fertile soil was to use 3x’s as much
plant matter as manure, layering materials in a sandwich fashion, turning
occasionally for decomposition (Balter, 2013)

6. What Sir Albert Howard
meant…: Composting Examples
• Layer the compost as such:
Image from:
www.ionasgarden.com
www.eoearth.com
www.extension.umn.edu

7. Evolution of organic farming & gardening
1905-1924
• Organic agriculture began in
central Europe & India, which is
where its practice is said to
originate (History Series on Organic
Farming and Sustainability, ”n.d.)
• This is where Sir Albert Howard
conducted his research
• Rudolf Steiner (Germany)
designed the 1st comprehensive
organic farming system in 1924
(History Series on Organic Farming and
Sustainability, ”n.d.)
Theme of organic farming &
gardening
• “Healthy animals depend on
healthy plants (for food),
and healthy plants depend
on healthy soil, healthy soil
depends on healthy
animals”, by Rudolf Steiner
(History Series on Organic Farming
and Sustainability, ”n.d.)

8. Organic gardening & Farming in the
United States
• Not until the 1930’s did the idea of organic gardening & farming come to rise
after many Americans suffered from Dust Bowl conditions, (Pogash, 2009)
• This caused food rationing, which opened the eyes to many as to how they could
be self-sufficient by producing their own food
• From 1939-1945 WWII caused further food rationing to occur in many
countries around the world, including the US, (Pogash, 2009). What could be a
good solution to this issue?
Image from:
www.zengardener.com

9. Organic farming & gardening, Self-
Sufficiency, & No more chemicals!
• Not until the 1960’s did the
idea of self-food production really
hit home
• Self food production was a way
to prevent food shortages, and
many individuals would begin to
construct their own farms and
gardens in hopes to be self-
sufficient, (“History Series on Organic
Farming and Sustainability,” n.d.)
• But, we needed a way to produce
safer food….Organic is the
answer!!!
• Agricultural chemicals such as
fertilizers and pesticides were
believed to cause cancers and
mental disorders
• Organic farming & gardening
using animal manure instead of
chemicals was a much safer
alternative
• In 1962, Rachel Carson published
“Silent Spring” which detailed
the harmful effects of using
agricultural chemicals such as
DDT (“History Series on Organic Farming and
Sustainability, ”n.d.)

10. April 22, 1970…A New Day: Earth Day
• This day marks the beginning of a movement towards a healthy, sustainable
environment (History Series on Organic Farming and Sustainability”, n.d.)
• Food production through organic farming & gardening is a way to produce safer
foods & nutritious foods, ultimately allowing us to become self-sufficient
• Our left over food waste can be converted into a compost and used as nutrients
for the soil in our farms and gardens instead of harsh, toxic, chemicals
• Using animal manure as a fertilizer, such as chicken manure, is high in nitrogen
and a natural way to provide your soil and foods with nutrients
Images from: MS Word Clip Art

11. Global food security issues
Global population by 2050 is
expected to be 9 billion!
• There will be a continuous need
to increase food production
(Galhena, 2013)
• Food production and food
security issues will increase
• Developing countries will continue
to suffer from chronic food
insecurity (Galhena, 2013)
• The majority of the hungry and
malnourished are in developing
countries
Image from: www.reliefweb.int

12. Global significance of creating a home
garden for food production
• Home gardening is a time-tested strategy that is practiced
by local communities with limited resources and institutional
support (Galhena, 2013)
• Globally, home gardens have been documented as an
important supplemental source contributing to food and
nutritional security and livelihoods (Galhena, 2013)
• Home gardens around the world are used as a remedy to
alleviate hunger and malnutrition in the face of a global food
crisis (Galhena, 2013)

13. Home gardening in Sri Lanka
• More than 35% of the 20 million
people engage in home gardening
(Galhena, 2013)
• In recent years, national policies has
focused on promoting home
gardening in the country (Galhena,
2013)
• Kandyan Forest Gardens- community
cropland, personal gardens, & animal
species to sustain local Sri Lankan
families and the environment (Galhena,
2013)
• This home garden contains 150
varieties of edible greens, fruits,
vegetables, and spices (Galhena, 2013)
Image from:www.amerasiantours.com, 2013.

14. Benefits vs. constraints of home gardening
in developing countries (Galhena, 2013)
Benefits
• Improved food security
• Increased availability of food
and better nutrition through
food diversity
• Environmental benefits from
recycling water and waste
nutrients, controlling soil
erosion, and maintaining or
increased local biodiversity
(Galhena,2013)
Constraints
• Limited access to seeds,
planting material, tools
• Inadequate access to water
• Lack of knowledge,
information, and advisory
• Damages due to insect
pests, diseases, animals, and
theft (Galhena, 2013)

15. Action plan: How to build your home garden for food
production inexpensively!
• Going organic can save you money on
gardening costs and on your food
budget (Main, 2009) Here’s how:
• Step 1: Forgo the beds. If you desire
a raised garden bed, you can mound
up soil and plant vegetables among
your other flowers and landscape
plants. Ex. Parsley makes a nice
border plant (Main, 2009)
• Step 2: Use compost. Yard waste,
chicken manure, and items from
your recyclables (Main, 2009)
• Step 3: Find plants that have higher
yield than cost. Ex. A tomato plant
can cost $1.50 and yield 12 pounds
of tomatoes! (Main, 2009)
• Step 4: Make your own pesticides.
Herbs are a natural pest deterrent.
Ex: make a spray using hot, soapy
water with chopped hot pepper &
garlic (Main, 2009)
• Step 5: REUSE! The best example is
your compost pile. It is a key
ingredient in an organic garden that
turns yard & kitchen waste into a
soil conditioner, fertilizer, mulch, &
potting mix (Main, 2009)
• If you wish to make a container
garden, use old items like kiddie
pools!

16. Challenges and Solutions to producing your own food
from a home garden using chickens, manure, &
compost
CHALLENGES
• Not enough space to create your
garden
• Cost of feeding and caring for
your chickens
• Creation of a compost takes too
much time (6-12 months)
(“Carrying on Composting, ”n.d.)
• Pests will over run your garden if
it is organic
• The manure will smell too much!
SOLUTIONS
• Build a container garden using old items
such as a kiddie pool
• Feed chickens table scraps as well as feed
to reduce the cost
• 18 day “hot” compost method using
chicken manure
• Create your own pest spray using water,
garlic, and red pepper or plant a variety
of herbs
• Ignore the smell, and enjoy a free &
natural fertilizer and soil conditioner,
manure provides a ton of necessary
nutrients

17. Action Plan: Raising chickens
Raising chickens for their eggs
• For sustaining my household, I will
have three chickens, only hens. I will
adopt the chickens from my local
animal shelter at $30 each.
• Chickens eat approximately 84 lbs. of
feed per year. Average cost to feed 3
chickens = $90
• All hens will lay 200-250 eggs per
year = 600-750 eggs annually
• That’s only $1.40-$1.90 on feed per
each dozen eggs compared to $2.50-
$5.00 per dozen in the supermarket
(Foreman & Long, 2013)
Raising chickens for their manure
• One chicken produces 8-11lbs of manure
a month containing 0.12-0.17lbs of
nitrogen, totaling over 90lbs a year!
(Foreman & Long, 2013)
• By using the chicken manure, I will have
free fertilizer and soil conditioner
• Most garden crops require 0.25-0.33lbs
of nitrogen per 100 square feet (Foreman
& Long, 2013)
• Using their manure in compost increases
nitrogen content, adding nutrients to the
garden soil and ultimately to your fruits
and vegetables

18. Action Plan: Creating a compost
• Using the 18 day “hot”
composting method, I will save
time, enabling myself to plant
different varieties of vegetables
during different seasons
• Composting using kitchen scraps,
chicken manure, grasses, dead
leaves & twigs will help the
environment by reducing wastes
and recycling them
• I will use chicken wire and wood
found as discarded trash to build
my backyard compost pile
Image from: (“Carrying on Composting,”n.d.)

19. Action Plan: Regulations to obtain a home
garden with chickens in Las Vegas, NV
• Must get permission from HOA
• In my area, we are allowed to
have hens only, no roosters!
• Get written permission by
neighbors who live within 350
feet of my household, and be sure
to keep the smell at a minimum!
(Municipal code 7.04.120)
• Must have a chicken coop. Mine
will cost $252 purchased from
Wayfair.com
Image from: www.Wayfair.com

20. Conclusion
• Home gardens are an eco-friendly sustainable agricultural practice to improve
food security and enhance economic growth (Galhena, 2013)
• In the face of growing global food crisis and soaring food prices, home gardening
is a reliable, less expensive option, allowing for self-sustainability
• Home gardening and composting reduces food wastes, and recycles them. Using
chicken manure provides a safe, natural alternative to chemical fertilizers, which
benefit the soil without contaminating the surrounding environment
• Having chickens in your backyard provides a less expensive way of providing a
protein rich food-EGGS! (Foreman & Long, 2013)
• Happy Gardening!

21. References
• Balter, M. (2013, July 15). Researchers discover first use of fertilizer. Retrieved May 19, 2015, from
www.sciencemag.org
• Butterfield, B. (2009, Fall). Impact of home and community gardening in America. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from
www.nationalgardeningassociation.com
• Carry on composting. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://carryoncomposting.com/142941469
• Ellis, L., & Love, S. (2013, May). Composting and using backyard poultry waste in the home garden. University of Idaho
Extension, CIS 1194. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
• Foreman, P., & Long, C. (2013, April/May). Chickens in the garden: Eggs, meat, chicken manure fertilizer and more.
Mother Earth News, 1-5. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from www.motherearthnews.com/print
• Galhena, D., (2013, May). Home gardens: a promising approach to enhance household food security and wellbeing.
Agriculture & Food Security, 2:8. doi: 10.1186/2048-7010-2-8
• History series on organic farming and sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from www.library.ucsc.edu
• Hot compost-composting in 18 days. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2015, from http://deepgreenpermaculture.com
• Kelsch, R. (2015, April). Urban Gardening: how southern Nevada supports urban gardening. Retrieved June 8, 2015,
from http://www.greenchips.org/sustainability in the news/southern-nevada.com
• Main, E. (2009, April 24). 5 ways to create an organic garden on the cheap. Rodale's Organic Life. Retrieved June 1,
2015, from http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com
• Pallavi, A. (2014). Grow food anywhere. Downtoearth.org, 16-30. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from
www.downtoearth.org.in
• Pimentel, D. & Harvey, C. (1995, February). Environmental and economic costs of soil erosion and conservation benefits.
Science, New Series, Vol.267, No.5201, 1117-1123.
• Pogash, K. (2009, May/June). History of organic farming and agriculture. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from
www.kennuncorked.com
• Rhoades, H. (n.d.). Using chicken manure fertilizer in your garden. Retrieved May 21, 2015, from
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com