I will believe the Saudis don't see any upcoming problems with Ghawar when they cancel one of their projects due to low oil prices. If they continue to be full steam ahead with increasing their capacity then I think they are aware that Ghawar may not be as robust in 5 years time as they would like us to believe.
Joined: Feb 09, 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Venezuela
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:47 pm Post subject: Some feedback on an idea for my place in Venezuela?
As some of you know I'm developing a post-peak oil ranch in Venezuela. My idea is to get the place as self-sustainable as possible, as quickly as possible, which is no small task in this country.
Anyway, I'm looking at eventually being able to produce for sale beef, hogs, poultry, assorted specialty fruits and vegetables, etc. I'm installing irrigation systems that are using water captured in farm ponds though I will eventually have a well that will also produce a sufficient supply of water for most of my needs.
There's lots of sun and lots of wind so I'm also considering intalling some systems that would take advantage of those God-given resources as well.
Since I've got a number of locations on my place that would make excellent homesites, I'm thinking of constructing some modest but comfortable homes, mostly built out of local materials such as sandstone, and then offering them for lease to others who might consider this country a suitable spot for post-peak oil retirement or maybe just for living there part of the year.
Each spot would include a decent parcel of fenced land where the occupant could do his own gardening, raise some animals, etc.
I was thinking I could either do a standard lease or perhaps something of a modified lease for those who might prefer to work on the place as payment for the right to live there.
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: Some feedback on an idea for my place in Venezuela?
Not to sound too cynical but what you are describing is the establishment of a traditional "lord" leasing land to the local peasantry who will tend the fields for him. _________________ Gravity is not a force, it is a boundary layer.
Everything is coincident.
Love: the state of suspended anticipation.
To get any appreciable distance from the Earth in
a sensible amount of time, you must lie.
Joined: Feb 09, 2006 Posts: 416 Location: Venezuela
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: Some feedback on an idea for my place in Venezuela?
RdSnt wrote:
Not to sound too cynical but what you are describing is the establishment of a traditional "lord" leasing land to the local peasantry who will tend the fields for him.
I'm not asking anyone to tend the fields for me. I hire locals to do that and they're quite happy with the pay and working conditions. A majority of Venezuelans are either under-employed or don't have any work at all.
And there's plenty of land for the "peasantry" to work, free for the taking actually, if that's what they want to do. I was more interested in making an offer to like-minded people who might want to experience living in a country like Venezuela without making a huge up-front investment only to find out it's not for them.
I've made about all the mistakes there are to make. Others might benefit from my experiences.
skyemoor wrote:
While I am working on my own sustainable farm plan, I do have some friendly questions that might benefit others;
1. Would there be a time term to the lease? If so, what would happen at the end of the term?
2. Is there an expectation for community service, such as security in certain circumstances?
3. Are you looking for a mix of skills, so that the community would become as self sufficient as possible?
4. Would citizenship be an issue?
5. Have you seen covenants for post oil communities that parcel out portions of the land as a coop? What governance structure were you considering?
http://www.ecoreality.org/wiki/Governance
Skyemoor, thanks for the questions. I'll answer them as completely as I can.
1) Yes, there would be a term limit to the lease and it would be written to comply with Venezuelan law. What would happen at the end of the term would be negotiated in advance. I'm flexible.
2) There would be no expectation of community service. I'm running a working ranch and am not really interested in managing other's lives. All they'd be required to do is to meet the terms of the lease, nothing more. I should also add that I will eventually provide my own dedicated ranch security personnel.
3) Again, I don't really envision any sort of managed "community". I'm obviously excited about what I'm doing and the changes I'm seeing take place, excited about the future and would enjoy sharing some of what I'm doing with others. The offer of work was just that, an offer for those who felt that their skills could be of use.
4) Citizenship would not be an issue for me in any form or fashion. And visas are readily available for those who wish to remain in the country for extended stays.
5) The only governance I envision would be the terms of the lease upon which we've agreed. I'd be open to anything from a straight monthly pay agreement for the priviledge of living on the place to paying for the terms of the lease through a work agreement.
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