View Full Version : UW and village-level community missions or projects ideas
I started something about Water pumps (RAM PUMP) tread. I wanted here to open a tread on what SF guys have done or think would help out during a UW or village-level community missions or projects. Things that would make a Fire Base less reliant on KAF abd BAF for everything and more self-sufficient. Yes I know we would need about 2 or 3 Classes out of the supply system. But need everything. UW you need to be almost fully self-sufficient and resilient. Just keep in mind OPSEC too, keep it general.
Here are some links that SFODAs should find generally useful - they have the important advantage of being FREE. I say download them and save the file or PDF now. Because most get changed by the ORG or Universtity yearly.
These are more general agricultural/rural plans some useful - like diy concrete water tanks, but some not so useful, like nuclear fallout shelters. All the plans are .pdf's. Just look to the left side, but this site delets a lot to make space for the University so save if you like what you found.
http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/buildingfacility.htm
This site is GREAT for plans. Now for every area that SF can deploy to you will work off what the locals do for their livestock and farm techniques. But you have plans here on this site that you can use on deployments; even around your house. :lifter
http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/planmenu.htm
Louisiana State University AG Center is great too. Just look off to the Left side again, drop down screens to enjoy.
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/
This is a windmill enthusiasts page, best I could find part and plans off of. NOT FREE tho:
http://www.thebackshed.com/Windmill/default.asp
Nice simple Windmill plan ro print out and put into your 18C Booklet for deployments.
http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks3/wmotor/index.html
Books like this one can be found in your local Libary or B&N. I say go to your local Libary and check out what the have and bring it home to the team room copy what you need and once again put it into your 18C Booklet.
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?c=&p=40776&cat=1,46096,46100
If you want to buy a Windmill kit or get your CERP or CA guys to spend some money here is a nice site to show them what you need. You can get whole windmills or just parts.
http://www.windmills.net/
http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/
Video on making homemade Energy Windmills: http://windmill-power.net/
Plans To Make a Windmill Out Of PVC Pipe. This is okay.. good ideas to work off of.
http://www.squidoo.com/Windmill-Plans-PVC-Pipe
I like this Elephant Pump or latrine. Nice Youtube links too. Need a latrine for your ANA, great idea here!!
http://www.pumpaid.org/ Follow explanation for Elephant Pump.
Organisations who may provide practicle designs, their web site have a lot of Information too. Helps out the ODA when the CAT is weak. :p
http://www.usaid.gov/
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/closeup/etimor_aid.cfm
http://www.careaustralia.org.au/
http://www.worldvision.com.au/
So what have you done or wish you could do??
Here is something to think about.
Most locals within a given geographic location have some type of livestock. So having Chickens, Turkeys, Rabbits, Goats, Cattle, Pigs on your fire base or given area should be easy. Okay Care for them and tending to them. Locals, just like we hire people to pull security and provide transportation for your fire base or given area you can hire them. How many fire bases hire a local welder or mechanic and cooks? Why not hire two or three guys to tend to your livestock. Those guys can even be dual usage in the FB kitchen.
Farming. We have the Seeds and Trees CA program in Afghanistan. Taking a program such as this and using it on many different ways. For one.. You want to stop or slow down the Poppy harvest. You provide the locals the same kind of corps they use to grow before Poppy was the money cash cow for them or before the TB told everyone to grow it. So all those spinach, okra, potatoes, egg plant, tomatoes, tree fruits, ETC that a local can grow can be purchased by the SFODA. You can have the locals bring them to your fire base or you can pick them up whenever you’re in their village and stop by the farm or get it at the local buzzard. You can send your local procurement guy from the FB to get all your vegetables.
Cattle and Livestock. Goats, cattle, swine and sheep. Same as above; on your FB or from the local villages.
Remembered this site for convention and calculation of Electrical power supplies. It's nice when your trying to figure electrical power out. Just get two of the values and your golden.
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-ohm.htm
Well you still need to get your 50KWa Generator. Yes I say 50KWa Generator. When you start adding up all the Compuers and IT Stuff, Lighting, Radio Power supply, Coffee Makers :D, 3Di system, FP equipment, and MWR stuff.
OKAY for me a QP I understand that this is a 18C Tread area. But I do know there are a ton of knowledge on the site from many different people.
Just as in the Be perpared Tread, so many people have the know in making things work. IF your a farmer, cattle rancher, electrician, ETC you likely have something to add. I would like to see here what ODAs are doing or plan to and didn't work for them. Not just from 18Cs, but all 18 series. I know so many here don't like posting and just luking. POST!!
Brush Okie Nice Post.. Good thinking. But your FtLewis.ed link is broken?? Did you check it out?
Were you looking for this link here??
http://www.fortlewis.edu/academics/school_arts_sciences/physics_engineering/ewb_webpage/Current%20Web%20Page%20Supporting%20Docs/BSF/Basic%20info%20on%20BSF.htm
Large filters of this design can be made out of those 500 to 1500 Liter Blue water reservoir; tamdem water reservoir is the best way I feel.
One reservoir elevated above lower reservoir with Coarse sand and Gravel done in layers emptying into a Second reservoir with Coarse and Fine Sand with some type of Charcoal (Activated charcoal is best but hard to get and expensive). But you can take "cooking" charcoal (not Kingsford charcoal - chemicals!!) and hand crush it to small coarse charcoal. You make layer of Coarse sand then Fine Sand then Charcoal the repeat this process till the water reservoir is half full. As show in the BIOSAND Filter link.
You can also bring or order from UK or germany (220~240V) and Pool Filter systems (http://www.intheswim.com/Pool-Equipment/In-Ground-Pool-Filters/). One reservior with sand and gravel this emptys into second small reservior then the pool pump pulls from this tank to supply water to the troops. This one will eat up chlorine.
Safe water is a must anywhere. Having half or more of a element down for Dysentery realy sucks. :eek:
I'm gonna print this stuff. Good stuff.:cool::lifter
OKAY for me a QP I understand that this is a 18C Tread area. But I do know there are a ton of knowledge on the site from many different people.
Just as in the Be perpared Tread, so many people have the know in making things work. IF your a farmer, cattle rancher, electrician, ETC you likely have something to add.
Re: more ideas on clean water, see QP SF_BHT's thread "Water Purification help in the Amazon"
link here (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18425)
And from that, Golf1echo's link to another excellent Bio-sand filter how-to vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YeNvglOd-I
Go Devil
05-13-2011, 04:33
Below is a link with a video for Play Pumps International.
Merry-Go-Round powered water pumps.
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/about-playpumps-international/c0Ag9_V8zmrOr_vB_YWNyA
Below is a link with a video for Play Pumps International.
Merry-Go-Round powered water pumps.
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/about-playpumps-international/c0Ag9_V8zmrOr_vB_YWNyA
I have always like the idea of this sytle of pumps. Link here if the Hydraulic Water Pump Tread talking about the Playpumps (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=304662&postcount=43)
Here is the link to Play Pumps NGO site (http://www.waterforpeople.org/extras/playpumps/how-playpumps-works.html).
U of Wis study on bringing the costs down on the play pumps. They had one post prototype going for about $3k-$3700 in parts bought there in Madison, WI. Link has desgins within the PDF too.
http://urbanagdesign.com/Designing%2...20PlayPump.pdf
Every ODA should have a complete set of the Foxfire books to use as a reference guide for helping rural village societies. We used to use them.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_26?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=foxfire+books+complete+set&sprefix=foxfire+books+complete+set
I still have a set here at the house; my sons enjoyed reading them when they were growing up - said it was like listening to their grandfather teach them things out on the ranch when they spent summers there.
Richard :munchin
My Brit NGO friends have good things to say about Maya Pedal (http://www.mayapedal.org/machines.html), specifically the pedal-powered water pump used for irrigation and drinking water. It employs a rope pump, which has been shown to be a system that can be easily maintained by local populations -- it's basically just rope and expedient washers. They claim 5-10 gallons per minute from wells up to 30 in meters depth. There's also a portable pedal-powered pumping project :) on the same page.
ETA: Here's the link to Google SketchUp (http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/download/index.html) needed to see the 3D plans on Maya Pedal
Here is something PM to me on water..
Also here is another site with a ton of info on various things related to what you are asking for whether how-to solar cookers, small farming, clean water, farming, pumps, resource books etc etc. Pardon the hippie-ish name though (not my site):
http://journeytoforever.org/
What would works to make you more self sufficient in a UW environment?
Okay I’m taking a lead from The Reaper…. Some organization on this tread
I think we have hit procurement of water for a fire base and then purifying that water. I know there is more like grey water storage to use of water bilvets. If you have more to add please do. I would like to know what 18Ds and 18Cs are doing overseas with water procured from local wells? Do you test it? If so how. Water test sets are gone on most ODAs now.
I like to hear from all you guys that have grown up on a Livestock Farm and/or Ranch. You guys that were FFA members (Still are).
Let’s start off with raising Beef Cattle. Who has done a FFA high school project of raising a Cow for the state fair? I never have never so nothing to really add. For any of you that where around 2001 in the City of Gnjilane, Kosovo where Camp Monteith is; out front of the main gate was a meat butcher. Our ODA help those local set up shop, along with teaching them how to cut a real steak - T-bone style. :D SO I can only pull from that as far as cattle ranches and all. I and my ODA 18D went out and inspected the “ranch” where the cattle were raised. While in Kosovo I used this when it was a web site, now UTAH State has put it into a PDF file.
http://www.msuextension.org/ruralliving/Dream/PDF/cattle_few_acres.pdf
I like the http://www.cps.gov.on.ca cattle section for plans too.
The Reaper
05-13-2011, 21:16
Beef cattle take a lot of feed, water, and attention for the amount of meat they provide.
Hogs are better, and goats better yet, rabbits, chickens, etc. are the best, IIRC.
TR
Beef cattle take a lot of feed, water, and attention for the amount of meat they provide.
Hogs are better, and goats better yet, rabbits, chickens, etc. are the best, IIRC.
TR
True but like I didn't know Jack about them when I first ran into them in Kosovo. I thought I start with bovine (cows). I know some FFA guys have raised one or two in their HS days. Guys should know what to look for if they run into them. Myself and my Medic didn't know so I was calling back home and asking people about them and what all was needed, etc. Luck thing was my brother-n-law was a butcher so he set me a CD on proper cutting of Cows.
I just wanted to cover bovine (cows) then move onto other livestock. Beleive you I know how much it takes and how long. But there is nothing better than a good piece of BEEF!!
So who has grown up on a Beef Ranch or raised some bovine for FFA project?
The Reaper
05-15-2011, 17:51
...On top of being good to eat the feces is good fertlizer....
I don't think that came out quite the way you intended.:D
TR
PedOncoDoc
05-15-2011, 18:05
I don't think that came out quite the way you intended.:D
You never know - there is a reason it's called a shit-eating grin. :D
Back to the OP - I spent my summers growing up working on small-time beef and pig farms. The pigs were definitely easier to manage and required less space and supervision. Chickens were fairly low-maintenance as well, and provided eggs as an ongoing food source as well.
I don't think that came out quite the way you intended.:D
TR
My stepson is Ojibwa. His people used to make a stew out of small birds and employed fresh rabbit droppings as a thickener, or so said his great-uncle. They would pluck the birds and then pound them into a paste, bones, beaks, guts and all, and throw the mess into the pot with native garlic and wild rice. Yum.
You never know - there is a reason it's called a shit-eating grin. :D
LMAO
Back in 2006 I set up on a Fire base Chickens, Rabbits, Turkeys and a small small within the FB.
This last trip our 18C got some turkeys, we had a great Thanksgiving and going away dinners.
Okay.. Nothing on Cow or bovine just figured someone would have back home or during a FFA project.
These are things I have learned over the years. You don’t need much land to raise a cow or cows. You can have an area of 4 to 6 to 10 acres. Yes it is best to have an area for them to graze on. Also water was a big thing; they need a lot of water. I have seen in Bosnia to Afghanistan dairy cow “pinned” up in a “room. These rooms were big enough for the cow and typically had an open for the cows head to come out and eat hay for a feeder. The room had a doorway and from this doorway the cow manure would be used for compost. Typically winter times the hay would be the issue. In Bosnia the farmer would have a hay stack that was 25 ft or more tall. Within the U.S. those large hay rolls 2 to 4 cows can go through one of them every one to two weeks. But a cow will feed a lot of people for weeks if you can keep the meat. If not you best know how to dry and/or smoke the meat. Bosnians were awesome at this.
This much I do know from being around the world. Female Cows cost more. This is because of their milk. This cost of the cow and her offspring’s are driven typically by how much milk she can produce. If you look at it in liters and she can produce 80 litters in a week she will cost more or her offspring will. Male Cow (Bulls or OX depended on where you’re at) are driven by the kind of offspring they have and their size. Beef Cattle/ Bulls are based off their size, how big they get.
In Afghanistan you many find Dairy Cows. The cows of Kandahar and Afghnistan (that I have seen) give good large quantities of milk. If you can get the humped variety is best due to their ablilty to hold more water. Just a in western USA. Dairy produce is important in Afghan diet, especially the pressed and dried curd called krut. Take your anti marlia pills!! We have had guys come up with TB, most likely due to eating this type of chesse. Their all good, just can't give blood ever. In Afghnistan many of us have been within those compounds where you find that cow in the mud room think how in the Frak they get this thing in here. It grow up in that room!! Typically Afghans will only keep the cow outside or have the ablility to let it come outside of its pin due to her being of good quality for breeding. Amount of milk her mother produced and what she makes a day. You will pay more for this too.
We raised rabbits when I was a kid. They are easy to raise, produce food fast and easy to butcher. All you need is a heavy stick to kill them and a knife to butcher them. One buck (male) and two does will produce a large amount of food. On top of being good to eat the feces is good fertlizer. Here is a link I googled about raising rabbits.
http://www.survival-homestead.com/raising-rabbits.html
Okay seem like people know a thing or two about raising Rabbits so let’s go down this road.
I have raised rabbits as a teenager and while deployed in Afghanistan. Yes they are raise and really not much to do except to feed them and give them water. But you have a local to do all that for you. Most Afghans don’t raise rabbits for some reason. While others eat the hell out of them.
Here are some links I used in country. Even had locals build use a pin for our rabbits off these. BLUF you don’t need that many males, they fight over the females. It can get bloody too. Kills off you Bucks (Male Rabbits) first. Rule of thumb I say is one Buck for every 4 to 6 does; one male per pin or cage. Make a Pin for the female that is pregnant too.
http://www.rudolphsrabbitranch.com/rrrpt1.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Raise-Rabbits-for-Food
Good overall reading..
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1980-01-01/Ten-Commandments-for-Raising-Healthy-Rabbits.aspx
Good information video. http://www.raisingmeatrabbits.com/
Making Rabbit pins/Cages:
Here is a Base cage that would work good at home.
http://msucares.com/livestock/small_animal/pub1195.pdf
Here is a place to give you some ideas too. http://www.rabbit-cages-and-hutches.com/rabbit-cages.html
This is the best one I found as far as getting free plans. I used the rabbit hutch one to show my locals to build and it worked. You can use these not just for rabbits but many other live stocks.
Best way down range are taking 3’x3’x3’ HESCO section and taken off the fabric and med or small pickets and driving them into the ground. Place the HESCO wire over the Pickets and zip ties them or wire bound them together. Cut a side section doorway with your bolt cutters and make hinges out of zip ties. If you have the Wood a piece of ply across the top works fine. If not wood use what the local are using for the Goat sheds, typically crow stocks. Keep in mind when you emplace the pin/cage that you will have to move it at some point. The 3’x3’x3’ HESCO section with its three section works great and you don’t need to put a picket on each corner, the four outside ones and a couple on the insides. You can take the 2’x2’x2’ HESCO section and cut them down to two or three section and build a “table” stand for the three section. This way you have a Cage that can be move just about anywhere.
So what worked for you? How many did you have? Cages or pins used? Feed used?
Have you done anything like this one your deployments? What worked and what didn't?
Lets keep thise rabbit related too, we will move one to other live stocks.
I dont want to wear out my welcome since I am not QP but we raised a couple of calves as well as hogs. Since hogs wouldnt go over well in our current AO I will talk a little about cattle.
First there are cows made for being milked and cows designed for raised for beef. A buddy of mine years ago bought a milk cow to raise as beef. Yes you can eat a milk cow but the return is not like it is on a beef cow for meat. There are other facters. FYI a CA bn. usually has some sort of vet on the TOE if at Bn. level they have them at higher level or at leat should. Recruiting into CA has been difficult at best the last few years. Most of the big army doesent even know what CA is let alone the capabilties and what we can bring to the table. Below is a link I found. Someone can shorten the link for me since I dont know how.
http://74.6.117.48/search/srpcache?ei=UTF-8&p=%22raising+beef%22&fr=my-myy&u=http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=%22raising+beef%22&d=4786844331540635&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=43c7b6a1,d8d1e753&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=.ZriDs4NP6fImWIsyxIy.w--
Brush Okie I'm good with you posting your experiences on raising whatever you have during your life. I want to get the knowledge out for other SF guys that have been coming into SF from Good Ol' Urban USA and not Farmville USA. To everyone else, I welcome your posting on raising live stock and when I get into Farm on a large and small scale I ask you to post. If an ADMIN/MOD feel different please direct fire as needed.
I'm not one to keep knowledge to myself. I don't see knowledge as power I see as something everyone can learn from or gain from.
Yes a big diffence on Beef and Milk Cow. Just becuase you have a MALE bull of a "Milking" breed doesn't make for a good cow for meat. The link is good, I like too that you can download a PDF file for SF guys to take downrange on their ODA External Hard Drive. :D
I had this emailed to me here on PS.com:
One of the older, more experienced men always kept at least 1( usually more) Brahma heifer in his herd. They look a bit raggedy, but he said they are better with water consumption (able to store more) They may not produce offspring for the first 2-5 years, but after that he said they will consistently produce a calf every year. (he still has a brahma heifer that he's kept for 24 years)
Another thing he swears is that you should never let chickens get around the hay that is used for the cattle. He said that the chicken shit can be toxic for the cows.
As far the chicken shit can be toxic for the cows, YES this is one of the main causes of MAD COW Disease. We will cover this in the chicken part of this tread. Chicken can wreak a farm!!
PedOncoDoc
05-18-2011, 10:55
As far the chicken shit can be toxic for the cows, YES this is one of the main causes of MAD COW Disease. We will cover this in the chicken part of this tread. Chicken can wreak a farm!!
This is incorrect - I verified with the former manager/assistant director for the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (aka MRFL).
Cattle fed with feeds containing chicken feces also are likely have cattle parts which, prior to strict regulations due to BSE (Mad Cow), could be from downer cattle that may or may not have had BSE. Thus, chicken feces in the feed is associated with Mad Cow (via feed also using downer beef), but not believed to be a cause.
The current understanding is prion disease is only transmissed through direct exposure to "infected" nervous tissue. As MRFL put it - the chickens would have to be literally shitting their brains out to cause this. :D
HTH
ETA: E. coli and other pathogenic bacteria are found in feces and can be toxic to the cattle, however. So the chicken scat is not harmless.
This is incorrect - I verified with the former manager/assistant director for the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (aka MRFL).
Cattle fed with feeds containing chicken feces also are likely have cattle parts which, prior to strict regulations due to BSE (Mad Cow), could be from downer cattle that may or may not have had BSE. Thus, chicken feces in the feed is associated with Mad Cow (via feed also using downer beef), but not believed to be a cause.
The current understanding is prion disease is only transmissed through direct exposure to "infected" nervous tissue. As MRFL put it - the chickens would have to be literally shitting their brains out to cause this. :D
HTH
ETA: E. coli and other pathogenic bacteria are found in feces and can be toxic to the cattle, however. So the chicken scat is not harmless.
DOC - Thanks for the post and information!! GREAT!!
I had this book PMed tyo me. I looked on Amazon and seemd to be something good aqnd helpful.
The Cattle Health Handbook by Heather Smith Thomas (http://www.amazon.com/Cattle-Health-Handbook-Heather-Thomas/dp/1603420908). It is more about diseases & treatments etc.. It may be a good reference guide for the "field". Especially considering there aren't any veterinary people readily available.
I had this sent to me by a helpful gurl... there are a bazillion websites on google about cattle. howtoraisecattle.com. (http://howtoraisecattle.com/)
Nice post Okie... Here is the SF Pack Animals FM (http://publicintelligence.net/fm-31-27-pack-animals-in-support-of-special-operations-forces/)
This covers a lot of what you posted here.
You can down load this from here or you can go to SWC and USASAOC refernces section on their portals to download them. Along with a Ton of other useful FM for all the ODA guys.
Here is another good reading paper on feeding dockey's. Maybe be American Dockey's but it's good information still. The Guide To Proper CARE & FEEDING of the AMERICAN DONKEY (http://www.donkeyrescue.org/adopt/care_and_feeding.pdf)
Okay with nothing on Sheep I take nothing on Goats too??
Like how many how or did you rasie at one time. Have you ever taken care of Goats or Sheep?
How big was your holding area or pin?
How much did you feed them in a given time frame? Weekly feed amounts, cost, etc.
Did you ever have any births to deal with? What did you have to do?
Okay this is what I have learned from living in Afghanistan and how they do what they do.
The goat is one of the smallest domesticated animals within Central Asia which has served many in Afghanistan longer than cattle and sheep. Many due to the terrain or people of Afghanistan. Most Afghans raise Goats for the production of milk, meat and wool, particularly in desert, wooded, cities or mountainous areas of Afghanistan. Most keep or raise goats for their milk, cheese and meat, and sheep for wool and meat. Sheep and Goats are also kept typically for cashmere wool, leather and dung for making money for the household. Goats and Sheep are used for their dung for cooking in the more desert areas of Afghanistan and more people consume goat milk and milk products. Not many Afghanistan’s raise goats for cheese production from goat milk. Goats can survive on all types of bushes, lower trees, desert scrub of the Helmand and western Afghanistan areas. If you keep them on or near your FireBase for food for yourself or ANA you must watch out for (or your care keeper) of over-grazing has destroyed many tree and crops of your local area. I think the biggest breed of goats you will find in Afghanistan is the Cashmere goat breed. Not sure if that is a real world bredd, but that is what Afghans called the goat we had and would eat. There are two different kinds I have seen running wild in Afghanistan, I was told but never did any kind of hunting for meat there. But ANA said they would eat them for food.
I have seen or had three different types of goats in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan goat milk is valued for the elderly, sick, babies, people with ulcers, and Afghanistan have even feed it to their children with cow milk allergies. Goat milk casein protein and goat milk fat are more easily digested than from cow milk from what I have been told by medic and can help with guys down range. I don’t what basis is behind this statement.
While in Afghanistan I have had and we raised two different types of sheep. Well we didn’t but our locals did for us. One breed has a white full coat, the other a tan/ beige russet or black one. You see more flocks of sheep the nomad population due for money, and mutton is the chief animal food of them and for a lot of Afghanistan. We had locals that would slaughtered the sheep and goats, take their carcasses and them cut up, rubbed with salts, and dried in the sun. They would use this like a goat jerky for patrolling.
Our goats were kept in a pin. Locals would keep them within their living compounds. Kids would walk them during the daytime on the mountains or open areas. They had feed in the compound area during the winter time and water for them. You really don’t need much for them IMHO just some medium pickets, barbwire and something for shade.
Here is a good web site I found when we had some. http://www.farminfo.org/livestock/goats.htm
Has anyone, I say in the RC-East, worked any of these Teams?? If anyone knows anyone that has been on one these ADT please PM me.
The National Guard's Agribusiness Development Teams (http://www.ng.mil/features/adt/default.aspx)
WASHINGTON (10/6/09) - The National Guard's Agribusiness Development Teams are promoting sustainable farming practices in Afghanistan and are an innovative way for Guardmembers to use civilian-acquired skills in the region, a Guard official said today.
The teams, which started out with one team from Missouri, have evolved to roughly a dozen dispersed throughout Afghanistan, Army Col. Marty Leppert told an audience here at the annual convention of the Association of the United States Army. Leppert oversees the program for the director of the Army National Guard.
"These guys have just done incredible work in the last two-and-a-half years," Leppert said. They have stimulated Afghan agriculture, he said.
For the teams, that means engaging with local farmers and helping them to get past many of their challenges, such as water and infrastructure issues.
"Eighty percent of Afghanistan depends on agriculture for its livelihood," said Leppert. "So it's incredibly important that if we're going to attack all the challenges and ills that involve Afghanistan it's important that we attack agriculture as a need."
The big focus has been on education and building capability, he said. But the number one issue is water.
Hey brother -
Dive into Mother Earth Magazine. http://www.motherearthnews.com/,
It is a good sourse of information and some of what you're looking for.
WD
WD - Thanks nice informational site.
Here is something for guys to look at. Good amount of information for SF Leaders.
Going Outside the Wire: Liaising With Special Operation Forces to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan
by Daniel Miller (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/journal/docs-temp/775-miller.pdf)
We cannot enter into alliances with neighboring princes until we are acquainted with their designs. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country – its mountains and forests, its pit falls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.
-Sun Tzu, 490 BC
Introducing a paper on agricultural development with a quote from the ancient Chinese war strategist, Sun Tzu, may seem like a novel way to begin, but designing effective rural development programs in the mountains of Afghanistan, where an active Taliban and al-Qa’ida insurgency is still taking place, requires innovative, “out-of-the-box” solutions. Counterinsurgency work must involve not only military operations, but integrated civilian efforts. The civilian efforts include programs sponsored by the host nation, international development/relief and non-governmental organizations, and donor nations.
Since early December 2001, the international development community has supported the reconstruction of Afghanistan and a number of new approaches to working in conflict and post-conflict environments, including with the military, have been developed. One noteworthy example is the use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) to support reconstruction and capacity building.
The model for PRTs developed from the early success of U.S. Army Civil Affairs (CA) teams, working with U.S. Army Special Operations Forces (SOF), which includes special forces, Rangers, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations soldiers, to conduct limited “hearts and minds” reconstruction projects and to work with local Afghan security forces to provide security in an area. Expanding on this experience, in November 2002, the concept of Joint Regional Teams was proposed to assist in stabilizing Afghanistan and to facilitate reconstruction. In January 2003, the name was changed to Provincial Reconstruction Teams PRTs).
Established as a means to extend the reach and enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Afghan central government into the provinces, the first PRT was established in Gardez, Paktia Province, in February 2003. The primary mission of PRTs is to create stability in an area so that physical, political, economic and social development can take place. Provincial Reconstruction Teams may engage in reconstruction to achieve that goal (just as they may engage in combat operations) but PRTs are neither a combat force nor a development organization. As of the writing of this article, there are 25 PRTs operating in Afghanistan. Provincial Reconstruction Teams are civil-military teams, composed of from 70-100 personnel (Non-US PRTs are actually much larger because they don’t have the maneuver elements nearby like the US model. Those can get as large as 500). Each agency involved in a PRT brings different assets to the team. The military provides basic “life support” such as housing, food, medical, communications, transportation and security to ensure all agencies can operate effectively. They also bring skills such as planning, logistics, reporting, intelligence collection and psychological operations. In the case of the US military, they have money to fund small reconstruction projects to win over the population.
The civilian diplomats are crucial to ensuring those in military commands have accurate and timely situational awareness. They can raise key issues to the decision makers often bypassing bureaucracies of partner agencies. The development specialists, and in many places, agricultural experts are critical to overseeing often millions of dollars in reconstruction projects. The development officers are also responsible for ensuring any projects funded by the military component of the PRT are developmentally sound and will do no harm to the community in the long term. The PRTs were designed and organized to adapt to the needs and conditions of the area where they operated and no two PRTs are identical in their number of personnel or stability strategies.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams have played an important role in the stabilization and development of Afghanistan and provide a valuable model for integrating civilian and military capabilities to assist in both improving security and extending the reach of the central government. While encouraging, there is still considerable territory in Afghanistan beyond the reach of the PRTs where development assistance is urgently needed.
The eastern border region of Afghanistan is one example. Here, where counterinsurgency operations are still on-going against al Qaida and Taliban insurgents, U.S. Special Forces (SF) teams, a number of them with civil affairs (CA) elements attached to them, are active. The civil affairs teams attached to these SF teams often focus on hard structures that will be a constant visual reminder of the government such as building schools; constructing health clinics, and implementing other small-scale activities to encourage support for the Afghan government. To date, the development community has done little to integrate their efforts with these SF/CA teams.
In late 2005, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), embarking on an innovative effort to coordinate development assistance with U.S. special operation forces (SOF) teams, placed a development specialist with SOF in Afghanistan. This individual arranged for me to work with a SF/CA team in Paktika province. This paper discusses some of the insights from that experience and highlights approaches that could be taken to better integrate military and civilian operations and to promote agriculture development in Afghanistan in areas where PRTs are not operating. This was a radical shift from the traditional hard-structure type of winning hearts and minds activities SOF was used to.
My first time in Afghanistan to my last time we had Chickens and turkeys. Here are some points I like to talk about with them. Most Locals know all about Chickens so you really don’t need to do much with them. The biggest thing is teaching them how to mass produce or raise chickens for profit and commercial means. We had a small chicken pin that had around 40 to 60 chickens and last time we only had around 5 to 15 at one time.
Determine how large you want your farm to be and how many chickens you plan to raise. A poultry farm usually requires 10 square meters per bird. Which I think we planned for 3 to 4 square feet per bird. This may be your building or the open area, but you will need a building for them. A 30,000 sq ft house is needed for 10,000 chickens, if you prefer cage type shed then the built-up area will be 4000 sq ft to 7500 sq ft depending on the type of cage you use in your poultry farm. Average space needed for a bird in cage type shed is from .4 - .75 sq ft. for you 18C’s.
In Afghanistan a small wall made out of small sticks and a bushy thorn was used to keep them in a general area and then a building for them to sleep in. Remember to follow KISS.. DO what the locals are all ready doing. If they are using wooden chicken coops with a small chicken wire fence then you do it. If their coop in mud huts you do it, if they only have plywood coop, and floor sheds, whatever, then take what they are doing and make it bigger. You can use what they are doing and use what you know or can find on the web and just making it bigger. I will say this in Afghanistan, WATER is key. Locals didn’t fully understand this. We made a large Mud house chicken floor sheds coop, like what you see in and around North Carolina. We made it only of Mud and what the locals were all ready doing and just doubled the size and add water to their coops. Our water was a raised 250Liter water tank and had plastic PVC piping into the Coop. Our water tank was on the sun rise side of the coop and we had piping going from one side to the other side then dropping down to two water feeder trays running down the center line and each side of the coop. Corn meal was thrown in by locals along the side of the coop. We had an open area for the chickens also. The locals had a separate area for chickens that were used for laying eggs. We took their plans and just made their laying coop larger. Easy really, just money was all, our CA guys used CERP funds to provide Micro-grants (or loans) to local individuals for a small business loan.
As the 18 Series checking on the chickens; especially if you’re eating them look at it this way. Chickens are just like your children and other house animals or pets. You should be checking on them and their condition continuous to ensure production of chicken and eggs. You’re not a veterinarian but chickens should be checked regularly to ensure their health. Sick chickens will negatively affect your production, and locals will KEEP a sick or poor chicken because they feel they can eat them later. Tell them to kill it now and they can eat it. If you have chicken then get with your veterinarian to find out about them and the care.
Ok so now you have set up a local (which typical is the local village head) with his very own chicken farm to provide funds, chickens, eggs to locals that he will be hiring to work at his small farm. This is the hard part, getting the local to hire locals to work there. Typically we have found that it is not much in the Afghan traditions to hire others outside of your household or mainly you’re FAMILY. Wives and women are not a part of the Afghan Family, it is all the males. Those shit rooms in every compound you have walked into, isn’t for the men. It is for the women that stay they ALL DAY. We except for the 40 minutes they go to the well with the kids to bring back water, and which is the only time she can talk to other women too. So all you CA people, don’t run water lines to houses or compounds, women like to make that walk to the well.
You can now use this farm to feed your ODA and ANA camp. You will buy chicken from the local farm during your visits to the village. You don’t say we will be back here on these days. But more when we come we will likely buys chickens and eggs from you at the bazaar or we will come to the farm to check on the chickens and will by some then. You can also use this process on you’re a camp. We purchased corn from the locals to feed them. Locals crashed the corn up a bit to feed the chickens.
You as that 18C and 18D here are some good web site to look and read up one. Having a guy that has raised chickens for FFA or worked on a chicken farm is best.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/?gclid=CJKR5PW5oqkCFcPD7QodDVfNuA
I like this site as a basic how to: http://www.backyardchickens.com/raising-chickens-basics.php
This is a site I used back in 2007. We had a guy that worked on a chicken farm as a teenager. http://www.farminfo.org/livestock/chickens.htm
Chicken Shed plans: http://www.freechickencoopplans.com/
Has anyone, I say in the RC-East, worked any of these Teams?? If anyone knows anyone that has been on one these ADT please PM me.
The National Guard's Agribusiness Development Teams (http://www.ng.mil/features/adt/default.aspx)
WASHINGTON (10/6/09) - The National Guard's Agribusiness Development Teams are promoting sustainable farming practices in Afghanistan and are an innovative way for Guardmembers to use civilian-acquired skills in the region, a Guard official said today.
The teams, which started out with one team from Missouri, have evolved to roughly a dozen dispersed throughout Afghanistan, Army Col. Marty Leppert told an audience here at the annual convention of the Association of the United States Army. Leppert oversees the program for the director of the Army National Guard.
For everyone working within CJSOTF-A. CMO Office has Contacts for these ADT Teams. EDIT: There isn't any ADT to go around. If your in the EAST Maybe.. and I mean MAYBE you could link up with on if their are close. Conventional is using the ADT up. SOF does have a few, but not enough. Something easy to teach them is Grapes on grape trellis systems and compositing.
IMHO Every SF Soldier thinks Afghans know how the farm. WELL THEY DON'T!! They are survival farmers, grow what they need for NOW or this season. This Program just isn't NG Soldiers or Offricers teaching people.
Something for your back pocket??!!!
Idea for areas that don't have the teachers to teach at a local school.
CA has the Radio in the Box (http://cannoneerno4.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/radio-in-a-box/), well you can use this to teach a class within a school. It is a strach, but I know of one ODA that had done this and it has WORKED.
You get the CA or Local school books for the area and you hire a teacher to a class from the District center from the Radio center. The outlining villages will have the school books that the ODA and CA have distro out. Then every evening at a set time the teach gets on the radio and teaches her class. The "Classrooms" use the hand cranked radios passed out by CA folks.
This was done south of Kandahar. It sounded like a nice idea so I thought I'd post it.
Idea for areas that don't have the teachers to teach at a local school.
CA has the Radio in the Box (http://cannoneerno4.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/radio-in-a-box/), well you can use this to teach a class within a school. It is a strach, but I know of one ODA that had done this and it has WORKED.
I remember a report or NG article where kids in the Outback or some where in Africa were doing home schooling via ham radio in the 60t's.. It can work with some parental help..
Here is a similar idea where the kids learn and earn their HAM license.
http://www.homeeducator.com/FamilyTimes/articles/12-1article5.htm
With a sat dish and small "village" gen-set you could do a lot more..
Good Luck.. :lifter
With a sat dish and small "village" gen-set you could do a lot more..
Never work here, due to people would just miss use them or steal them.
U.S. Military puts up Solar panel lights and within weeks they are stolen and in someones house.
Nice idea, but wouldn't work here. IMHO. Elsewhere yeah. Not in Astan
OK I can't remember for the life of me what kind of irrigation system/dam this is called. So I will try my best to discribe it. I thought I had it in my 18C MOS Book but didn't. :mad:
You use them mainly on ditches or run out streams, dry river/creek beds that fill with water when it rains in high Elevations. YOu can use them on Small Streams and Rivers too.
I'm basically looking for one in a dry creek bed that gets water, not really flash floods. But fills when it rain or rain comes down a hill/mountain side. Like you live down in a valley and you can see it rain up in the mounatins. You know by morning or with XX set of hours you will have rain coming down your creek/stream.
How the Dam or irrigation system works is you build three "walls" in a semi-circle. Each wall is seperated by a set distance due to the amount of water typically running down/along the creek/stream. The height of each wall is different based on the same factors. The first wall starts to slow the water down, second wall slows the water down to a stop spilling over into the third walled area. The third walled area spills back into the stream/creek to flow down stream. If there isn't that much water it still "catches" water to be used in the area.
There is a name for this kind of irrigation system or Dam system. That's what I'm looking for so I can google it. The measuremeants are base off river/creek size or amount of water flowing. Maybe stream velocity, etc. I know this is some Redneck Engineering, but it has a real name.
Looking for some help. Thanks :munchin
I built a Village bread oven in the Peace Corps.
http://www.lifebread.org/oven-faqs.htm
I used this style of oven to build an oven on Erromango Vanuatu, but it did not last. In a dryer climate this oven will last, in the jungle it has a short half life, the heat + humidity + sea air = rusty useless mess in six months.
More:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af3cBk_Od28&feature=related (10,000 foot view on how to make a full on brick oven. )
http://www.traditionaloven.com/ovens.html
I found this searching for oil drum oven plans. This looks like it is a really cool way to build a tandoori oven.
http://www.gourmetindia.com/topic/873-tandoor-oven-construction-ii/
Are you talking about Spate irrigation???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spate_irrigation
OK I can't remember for the life of me what kind of irrigation system/dam this is called. So I will try my best to discribe it. I thought I had it in my 18C MOS Book but didn't. :mad:
You use them mainly on ditches or run out streams, dry river/creek beds that fill with water when it rains in high Elevations. YOu can use them on Small Streams and Rivers too.
I'm basically looking for one in a dry creek bed that gets water, not really flash floods. But fills when it rain or rain comes down a hill/mountain side. Like you live down in a valley and you can see it rain up in the mounatins. You know by morning or with XX set of hours you will have rain coming down your creek/stream.
How the Dam or irrigation system works is you build three "walls" in a semi-circle. Each wall is seperated by a set distance due to the amount of water typically running down/along the creek/stream. The height of each wall is different based on the same factors. The first wall starts to slow the water down, second wall slows the water down to a stop spilling over into the third walled area. The third walled area spills back into the stream/creek to flow down stream. If there isn't that much water it still "catches" water to be used in the area.
There is a name for this kind of irrigation system or Dam system. That's what I'm looking for so I can google it. The measuremeants are base off river/creek size or amount of water flowing. Maybe stream velocity, etc. I know this is some Redneck Engineering, but it has a real name.
Looking for some help. Thanks :munchin
Are you talking about Spate irrigation???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spate_irrigation
This is close to what I've done before. Not the name I remember, but after googling Spated Irrigation Designs I found a good web site.
This document has design information and Eroision Control.
Here is the web site.. FYI if your in Astan the Web sence blocks some of the link. No reason given. But most of it you can find information that can help you out.
http://www.spate-irrigation.org/guide/guidehome.htm
Information on Pakistan Spate Irrigation Network. Good reading for us in Astan.
http://www.spate-irrigation.org/pakistan_network/pakistan_networkhome.htm
Way I see this being used it to "dam" up the river. From the pooled area you have made what OKIE posted as a Water Catch System. Just like you do at your house with Rain Barrels. You can do the same thing at your house with a large water tank and make a gravity feed watering system. Say for you garden or yard.
Here in Astan if your VSO is close to a dry river bed that gets water when it rains or rains in the Mountains of Zabul. Well you make these "dams" or "walls". In turn you are slowing the water down. From a "pool" you can use CERP and buy shovels and picks and have the locals dig a irrigation ditch to the field area. Buy some Gas water pumps and you just open up the farm land with water for better farming. Many other ways of making ditches but I think a 18C can think up at nice fun & fast way. Then get the locals in to clean it up and make their mud walls to act as weirs.
After doing reasearch it seems that modern drip irrigation systems started in Afganistan in 1866 according to wicpedia yea I know not the best source but.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_irrigation
Yeah Roman aqueducts would be great, but these people don't have an afghani dollar to save their lives with. IMHO Dirt, Mud and Rocks is the best thing going around here.
To get piping is to get an NGO in to the area. As you being CA know. Most NGOs don't go outside the major cities here. SECURITY!! Whatever, guess they don't know about the protects alomost daily in Kabul and Kandahar.
In the late 1960's many Americans lived in the Hellmand, the area for anyone that has served around Gerishk. There is a large Car lot with new SUVs, HiLux, ETC; that area was a mini USA cities. That "LOT" was told to me to have been the center point of many builds American's live at. Soviets bulldozed it all down. American's made the channel irrgation system that now "feeds" Helland areas along RIng Road and southern Helland.
This is no joke... We have more than enough people that have been deployed to Afghanistan that should be able to answer this question.
Most Afghan's don't own a watch or have power in their homes. So if your talking to a Afghan and you ask him what time did XYZ happan. How can he tell you?
Most Afghans can't read or write their own langauge. Most can't speak it properly; like us American's. Me included in this!! :D Most Afghans don't know the days of the week, months within a year.
So if you ask a Afghan when did this happen? Better, when were you born? How can he answer you?
BTW - I really hate people putting January as that enter date for DOB, ETC.
BLUF - How does a Afghan tell time?
Why is this important with VSO? Why is it important period for that matter?
This is no joke... We have more than enough people that have been deployed to Afghanistan that should be able to answer this question.
Most Afghan's don't own a watch or have power in their homes. So if your talking to a Afghan and you ask him what time did XYZ happan. How can he tell you?
Most Afghans can't read or write their own langauge. Most can't speak it properly; like us American's. Me included in this!! :D Most Afghans don't know the days of the week, months within a year.
So if you ask a Afghan when did this happen? Better, when were you born? How can he answer you?
BTW - I really hate people putting January as that enter date for DOB, ETC.
BLUF - How does a Afghan tell time?
Why is this important with VSO? Why is it important period for that matter?
Come on no ideas!?!?!?!?!
It's been a week and no one can post on this?!?!?! Who has been to Astan and asked questions with time in them?
Come on no ideas!?!?!?!?!
It's been a week and no one can post on this?!?!?! Who has been to Astan and asked questions with time in them?
With all due respect, it seems that the idea is to IMPOSE Western standards and norms onto a people who don't want (or need it). From their perspective, the Afghans were doing fine before the gringos arrived. If an Afghan doesn't understand the concept of time, clearly it's not necessary for their daily survival.
Days (moon phases), seasons, significant weather events...that seems to be their unit of measure for time.
Having said this, I have NO DOUBT the average Pashtun could EASILY tell you when the last Bacha Bazi party was. Fricken sickos.
Hours and minutes mean nothing to the average Afghan...unless they are foreign "volunteers" that are following the caravan.
Come on no ideas!?!?!?!?!
It's been a week and no one can post on this?!?!?! Who has been to Astan and asked questions with time in them?
Afghan people, as stated in the previous post by Lindy, can give you a time AS it is associated to an event more accurately than if you just ask "when?". ie. "Did it happen before or after the last time you visited your uncle?", Obviously there are more questions involved to reach your answer.
CH
With all due respect, it seems that the idea is to IMPOSE Western standards and norms onto a people who don't want (or need it). From their perspective, the Afghans were doing fine before the gringos arrived. If an Afghan doesn't understand the concept of time, clearly it's not necessary for their daily survival.
Days (moon phases), seasons, significant weather events...that seems to be their unit of measure for time.
Having said this, I have NO DOUBT the average Pashtun could EASILY tell you when the last Bacha Bazi party was. Fricken sickos.
Hours and minutes mean nothing to the average Afghan...unless they are foreign "volunteers" that are following the caravan.
Indy Great points!! Bacha Bazi party LMAO!!! Good one!!
Afghan people, as stated in the previous post by Lindy, can give you a time AS it is associated to an event more accurately than if you just ask "when?". ie. "Did it happen before or after the last time you visited your uncle?", Obviously there are more questions involved to reach your answer.
CH
Yes and No...IMHO These are my observations with time. No amswer but just what wI have learned with Afghnas over the years.
I say this because as you stated.. If you ask: "Did it happen before or after the last time you visited your uncle?"
Then how do you get the TIME FACTOR on when is Uncle came if he does know Time, Days, Weeks, ETC. Yes I have had some Afghans that didn't know weeks. They understood day and setting and rise of Moon and sun. But not a week.
I ask this because it seems guys, QPs, don't fully understand the time factor here.
When you ask when did the TB come in your village. Or What time of day did they come through here?
Your working through a Terp and that is a big factor. If the terp does understand Time then how can he translate the points or question to the local??
Anyone ever watch "Lost in Transaltion" on military working with terps in Afghanistan??? GREAT Video!!! 7 mins long.. Google it.
Lindy your right.. Afghans.. "country Poeple" does care about time. They roll with the sun and moon. Only the City people do.
But when your working with a muslim society you have a big factor IMHO.
PRAY TIMES.. Every good Muslim knows when he or she should pray. If you keep this in mind it will help you out when asking question on events that happen.
Other thing to remember is afghans and a lot of muslim societies have two afternoons and evening. An early afternoon and Late afternoon; with evening. So if you know this word with your terp it will help you determine when the event happen.
If it is night time you have the moon setting in the sky. As messed up as that seem. I have found that Afghans look to the sky to see where the moon is as a "clock".
FINDING AGE OUT - You need to know the history of that Muslim Country.. The historical events that is. This helps finding out when people were born.
Ask him if he was born before, during or after the soviets came into Afghanistan. Break it down further on what point here answered. During.. well what does he XYZ.. remember.
Ask him if he was born when the King live in Afghnaistan. Ask him if he was born when the king left Afghanistan.
Most don't know the Months and most even use the Iranian & Afghan Calendar which is typically called the Persian Solar Calendar. Just Google it if you care about. To long to explain. But Most Afghans don't care about months, years ETC.
Why would a Afghan have a watch??
Well if your in a Bigger city - Kandahar, Kabul, Herat, ETC. To tell time of course silly. Well, what about in Uruzgan, Hellmand, Paktika, Khost, ETC?
IMHO if that person has a watch on. Look at the time on it. See what it is set for. If it isn't the current time. Yeap - Gotcha bitch!!
But do keep in mind that many people trade in neighboring country. But you just never know.. never.
Why would a Afghan have a watch??
Your working through a Terp and that is a big factor. If the terp does understand Time then how can he translate the points or question to the local??
To attempt to get your POL.
"I always feel like someone's watchin' me."
Regarding the second issue (terps), this is an issue that still freakin' pisses me off to no end; especially as we approach the 10th anniversary. Why if F do we (intel community) still not have enough Pashto or Dari speakers? In addition to that geek stuff we do, SOT-As should also be able to provide translation support.
greenberetTFS
09-01-2011, 09:59
This is no joke... We have more than enough people that have been deployed to Afghanistan that should be able to answer this question.
Most Afghan's don't own a watch or have power in their homes. So if your talking to a Afghan and you ask him what time did XYZ happan. How can he tell you?
Most Afghans can't read or write their own langauge. Most can't speak it properly; like us American's. Me included in this!! :D Most Afghans don't know the days of the week, months within a year.
So if you ask a Afghan when did this happen? Better, when were you born? How can he answer you?
BTW - I really hate people putting January as that enter date for DOB, ETC.
BLUF - How does a Afghan tell time?
Why is this important with VSO? Why is it important period for that matter?
DOB,January 26 1937...........:rolleyes::eek:
Big Teddy :munchin
Here is a great VSP site idea.
We all need water, trucking it in cost big time Dollars and FORCPRO issues.
The new Special Forces Tactical Facilities: FM 3-05.23 doesn't have these any more. Unlike the old Pappy Green Base Camp Book or Special Forces Base Camp Operations FM 3-05.230.
If you have water anywhere around your VSP site. You get a gas powered water pump. Build you a two tank (250L) elevated water filtration system. This filtered water (a 1000L (250G) tank) is pumped into say a kitchen or bathroom by a electrical water pump. You set up both black water lines and grey water lines from your "bathroom". The Black water (toilets and urinals) lines go to a 1800L (500G) tank that is buried underground as a spetic tank with leech field lines. The best way is to have locals build you a spetic tank out of bricks and not use a plastic water tank.
Now your Grey water lines (your hand wash sinks and showers) you have them lead into a 250L tank that is a two stage filter. This will filter out the soap and BS from the sinks. This grey water filter tank will have a leech line leading to a farm field to provide filtered water for crops for your VSP site. If this Grey water tank is getting full fast you can add a line to lead over to a animal "keep" area. Water for chickens, rabbits, turkeys, goats, sheep, etc.
Just something to think about.
Power supply needs.
For anyone that had been on a Fire base will know that power is key with all the crap we are doing now. No all the Power Point shows we have to send up.
I know generators are hard to come by, but with the whole contracting thing. But outside of having to wait on that contractor to get on that ring flight. What have you done our been doing.
I'm looking at making our living areas out of the 20ft SEALAND containers with independent break panels so if the containers ever have to be moved you just disconnect the SEALAND break from the generator main breaker panel.
Heck has anyone (FOO) been able to buy a large generator 35KWa to 50KWa in Afghanistan lately?
Looking to see what others had done OIF or OEF or elsewhere as far as power.
Why not just steal shit from the Air Force. :D
All joking aside. I have some banjo picking hillbilly relatives that live in the mountains so these types of problems are not new to me. What about getting a generator off of a vehicle, power up some deep cycle batteries with it using either a gas motor or wind power then use a power converter to make the power you need? Most if not all the stuff you need could be cannibalized off of vehicles.
Heck is I was am electrical engineer maybe I could cannibalized off of vehicles to make a generator. Not happening, to much work. Batteries only work for short periods IMO. Thanks tho.
Has anyone worked with any National Guard's Agribusiness Development Teams?
Looking to see if anyone would know how to contract the Agribusiness Development Team HQ within the National Guard Bureau. Looking to see about get data for a providence.
Ok.. I figured I'd put this here because of the reason. I'm looking fire a good overall cookbook. Maybe it could be the old fashion betty crocker ones. Maybe I'm will need to get 2 or 3 books.
I'm looking for something that would cover cooking basics to cooking from scratch.
Hey we look at it add.. You can kill it you can grill it. Its everything in between.
Any suggestions?
Thought of putting this in Redneck Engineering. But thought this needed a bump
The Reaper
01-23-2014, 20:09
Here is one for you.
Think this couldn't make a difference?
The business model is to sell someone in the community one of these water purifiers for a small fee ($80-$100), and then let them provide safe water to the community, for a smaller fee.
It produces enough chlorine per six minute run to treat 55 gallons of water.
All you need is the device, salt, a 12v. battery, and a few drops of water.
Every ODA should have several of these to take on any deployment.
TR
Thought of putting this in Redneck Engineering. But thought this needed a bump
Nice. Certainly looks like a great field shower............Or a great addition to a fish cleaning/field dressing station without running water.
Here is one for you.
Think this couldn't make a difference?
The business model is to sell someone in the community one of these water purifiers for a small fee ($80-$100), and then let them provide safe water to the community, for a smaller fee.
It produces enough chlorine per six minute run to treat 55 gallons of water.
All you need is the device, salt, a 12v. battery, and a few drops of water.
Every ODA should have several of these to take on any deployment.
TR
Kool Little set up this thing has. I agree every ODA should have this if not in the medical kit or as an additional item was like a FORCEMOD or G8 action needed here.
Nice post TR!
The Reaper
02-07-2014, 21:34
Kool Little set up this thing has. I agree every ODA should have this if not in the medical kit or as an additional item was like a FORCEMOD or G8 action needed here.
Nice post TR!
No worries, hermano.
The vendor said they were asked to upsize the MSR MIOX water purifier. He also said that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation paid for the design and initial production.
It will make chlorine for purifying as long as you have salt, a battery, and water, for very little investment.
Can you imagine providing villagers with a simple and inexpensive way to kill the bacteria in their water in less than an hour? Zero to hero, brother.
Glad you liked it.
TR