Farmville Organics

This is the page for reference to all Farmville technique, theory, strategies, and goals for Cooperative members and the press.

Welcome to the Farmville Organic Cooperative Workshop!
Please feel free to browse and share this and related sites, Organic Farmville Page and Cooperative on Facebook. Hopefully we’ll be able to get this going!

1/8/2010:
Save time farming in Farmville:
Organic maintenance can be time-consuming. For this I have developed a few strategies to share:
1. Know your tasks. I will not harvest and replant everything at once: I check coffee in the morning and other crops at night (11:00, usually).
2. Don’t meander. I could pick fruit and decorate all day.
3. Small plots. This way, you are following your own character in a sort-of rotation: harvest (wait) plow (wait) then plant. Get something done if you are only going to be on once.
4. Stop shopping! I don’t know what has happened to the consumerism of virtual farmers recently.. just don’t be tempted and live like the Latin Americans do.

..and, can everyone please stop asking for fertilizer? You don’t need it, you know. The first step of being organic is sending a message asking neighbors to back off. (below..)

12/25:
THE PLAN:
1. Let your friends know! During the Next Two Weeks as your transition completes, goal is to get as many new people involved as possible. (Tell them to stop fertilizing?)
2. Start with your own farm. What improvements can you make? Transition course below.
3. The main thing is creativity. The environment is not going to be solved by more block farms. Buck the incentives for a second and make a new farm plan.
4. the Organic Movement is a young people’s movement! For related real-life references visit http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/demand_organic and http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/, the New Entry Sustainable Farm Project in Massachusetts.
5. http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm (!)

12/16: Requirements of Farmville Organic Farmers
– Must be willing to tamper with a “proved system,” after all it’s the system that got us into this mess.
– Is this for real? Organic farmers must have a pride in the farm they create.
– You DONT have to give up all your farm to it. Many farmers will choose to have sections of their monocrop farm continue.
– You also DONT have to focus on a single geography, as my coffee farm is. Patchy works.
– Must follow the norms of organic farming, posted below. The big one: nothing bigger than a 4×5 (plenty big for a project) or 3xX as long as you want.
– Must be in it for the game! Let creativity and passion guide you. These are the values of a true sustainable farmer in real life.
Role playing for the win: start by joining the cooperative. http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=farmville&init=quick#/group.php?gid=177707145341&ref=ts

12/13: Benefits of organic farming:
The main benefit of farming organically is what you get out of it. It’s not in-game currency (though real-life organic small farms make much more money), it’s not consumption goods or endless fuel. It’s a mentality of farming that is more realistic and so sustainable.
If one is going to farm without pesticides, there must be diversity which strengthens the plant’s resistance. The benefits of diversification include:

• Sustainability. Do not force yourself to click through entire pastures any longer. The soil is tired, but can recover using organic techniques.
• Zoning variation. Having a plan that makes coherent use of space is the start to a more appealing farm. It’s nicer to work in, and knowing that you can plan and create a habitat is a practical life skill as well.
• Among crops that have the same harvest time, it actually makes economic sense to change composition within plots. Try planting eggplants, squash, and bell peppers and you get an intermediate risk and return.
• Trees a la agroforestry. This is the biggest keyword in Copenhagen right now, how farmers can plant trees within farmland and extra space. In Farmville, it adds to your revenue utility and constancy of workload. If you ask your friends, they will give you trees.
• Row crops, transition, community: see below..

11/13: Organic farming transition course, revised:
1. Start with unplanting a third of your yield the first year. This means an upfront investment of losing that corn. It’s soil is based on fertilizers, but with management can improve over time to get nearly as much harvest.

2. Then, start to manage your small farm better. Try experimenting with rotations, develop a year-based plan for adding into the map, and keep in mind the goal to enjoy the game.

4. Tell all your friends that you’re farming organically. They will stop fertilizing your farmland, but I find it useful to keep a few “conventional plots”. They can follow along on twitter @ofarmville, or join by linking here! Remember, it may take a while to sink in, and different media to tell them.
3. When you think you’ve got it, send a post on my farm and I will promote you in the cooperative! Farmville Organics Cooperative– an intelligent use of the game!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=177707145341

11/9: Strategy: Small plots.
Organic farming uses a diversified technique. The norms dictate a use of smaller main plot size, to no larger than 4×5 area or 3x X (however long you want!).

Fact: Organic farmers pride diversity of crops, trees, and animals on their farm. Try to incorporate all of these as you design.

Strategy: Row crops, crop rotations

Cotton and wheat makes a great row cropping strategy for a large field; indeed it maintains itself.

They all have the same harvest time.

Strategy: Forest Conservation, and a Stream.
I left one side of my farm as conservation land. This means planting all of those gift trees in a heterogeneous forest landscape. Also known as permaculture, it’s the art of placing edible fruit trees in a structured way to get maximum yield from them. See pic posted on group. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=177707145341

For a stream, try adding water to your land. Either small and large ponds, or using blue haybales will also work. I’m trying this soon, give me a shout-out if you have accomplished this landscaping effect.

Strategy: Cooperative Group Work.
There is a cooperative for organic farmers to go to, here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=177707145341. This is an active farmville group, so all can get to know each other by friending the others and share insights on food and farming. We ask that members comply with the norms of organic farmville and continually work to improve their farm. (Just to let you know, I can probably get you a job or a farm stay in this field..)

-Eddie Miller
BU ’10
440-935-5434

Group site: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=177707145341
Go to farm: http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts.php?ref=interstitial