Open Source Ecology

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http://opensourceecology.org/

 

 
Open source ecology is a novel new way of looking at both agriculture and DIY culture mixing. The technologies showcased in this website could one day help rebuild civilization or more realistically help to empower low wage agriculture workers to develop their own equipment and methods of harvesting and growing food. 40 different agricultural industrial machines and their instructions and blue prints to build are freely avaliable online to those in need. I think it is novel that this project in particular is funded so well for a grassroots agriculture movement.

 The founder of the open source ecology MARCIN JAKUBOWSKI is a very interesting character, because he made all of this foundation from purely his idea. He built all of the designs shown by him in his own garage workspace. He is a testament to the fact that anybody of any class and walk of life can start creating their own resources to pull them out of farm debt and/or increase agricultural earnings potential.

This work is ground breaking in the fact that through a globally connected communication system like the internet a farmer in India could download the plans for a back hoe or tractor that is relatively reliable and the blueprints and replacement parts would be readily available. This could change the face of agriculture in the modern world, this movement could empower peasant farming communities to no longer rely on the animals to plow a field but a hand made tractor or digger machine could do the work through them. This is all the result of the internet connecting people and ideas together to spread knowledge, and knowledge is power.