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Subject:
From:
Barbara Sheppard <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Paleolithic Eating Support List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 4 Nov 1999 09:42:49 +1000
Content-Type:
text/plain
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Amadeus,

>What puzzles me most, is the *very* small space consumption of a farming
village,
>compared to a hunting population of the same size.

This is an interesting question.

>It has been found, that using the very best hunting strategies one person
>needs about 10 square kilometers (about 3km*3km),
>to have enough resources for a living *on the long run*.
>Temporarily 1 square kilometer would be enough, but after that
>all the wild game would be dead and the area empty of further resources.

>Ok this space makes about 30*30km (900 square km) for a group of 90 people
>- 10 or 20 families.

>Now imagine what a equal big farming group would require on space, moveing to
>the same 30*30 km area. Even with the most primitive grain agriculture
>with the smallest yealds, and storage for bad years to keep, these 90 people
>would need only about 1* 0.5 kilometers. If you would draw such a settlement
>on the 30km *30km space you'd hardly see the small settling space.

Does this figure apply to a farming system that would be sustainable _in
the long run_ (as in your definition of the hunter/gatherer system above),
i.e., without _any_ inputs from outside the system (other than sunlight)?

Regards,
Barbara

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