New construction of the eco-village

We want to make the larger part of the investment on the property outside the existing farm houses or “sluice”. We will do necessary renovation of the farmhouse and the barn immediately but we will then aim at investing in the eco-village and the permaculture landscape surrounding it. The centre of the eco-village is planned to be located on the large exposed bedrock zone of the property, slightly closer to the property’s eastern border then to the main road. We have already contacted the county museum "Gotlands fornsal" and the county administration about doing construction work so close to five historic ruins on the site.

We want to start with building a model eco-house that people could live in during any season. We calculate that there will be roughly 10 smaller houses, the size of a forest cabin that would circle around the larger common building and a smaller bathing house. Other buildings like root cellar, baking oven, food processing kitchen, greenhouses, artist studios, seminar room, and sanctuary. All buildings will be surrounded by permaculture forest garden cultivation.

This will involve larger investments for the houses, in the size ranking order from 5-9 million SEK during the 3-10 upcoming years. With 30 members it will be at the most 300 000 SEK/person or 100 000 SEK/member share and total rent of 200 000 SEK paid in over the 16 years. So the investment is actually very low per person. The explanation is that all the smaller more expensive household white goods and utility infrastructure will be of a simpler standard and collected in the common hall and bathing house. Also the construction of the houses will be made of locally produced natural materials such as logs, straw bales, clay, stone and the members´own labor!

Other investments

In addition to the houses in the eco-village we will invest in renewable sources of energy, mainly solar power and eventually a wind turbine to obtain energy from the wind. The water system needs to be complemented with a new well close to the eco-village and rainwater collection for a fresh supply of water. The sewage system, with only kitchen/bath "grey water", will be managed through biological treatment in a greenhouse. The road infrastructure will be minimal so the emergency vehicle access is possible over the exposed bedrock and a footpath will connect the "sluice" area to the eco-village.

The permaculture will require a large investment, partially in money but mostly in time. We will need to create conditions for year-round cultivation; this includes the landscape design, planting and care for the thousands of trees and plants. The cost of cultivating the land, the purchase of trees and plants can cost up to 800 000 SEK and will be carried out parallel with the eco-village investing during 3 years. The permaculture will partially support Suderbyn’s food needs but could also provide a barrier against the noise from the road.
After the eco-village and the permaculture are established, we will prioritise the careful historic renovation of the oldest wooden loghouse from 1834.

What is permaculture?

Permaculture is a practical science and an analytical and planning instrument. The core of permaculture is a design system. Its based on the place's conditions, ecology, energy-effectiveness and an ethical approach. Permaculture is built on cooperation and a local resource closed circulation.

Permaculture was invented by an Australian in the 1980’s. It was a reaction on how easily modern agriculture could so easily devastate a sensitive piece of land in just a few decades. The word permaculture is actually an abbreviation for Permanent Agriculture. Through time permaculture has started to be used more and more commonly in various countries and within different sectors. Permaculture is about building up a base of resources and utilizing it effectively.
The goal of permaculture is to have a sustainable society, which creates meaningful work, a better environment, health, solidarity and security. Zones are a central thought in permaculture design, where zone 0 is the housing and everything is planned in a radius from the central house.

Swedish research in permaculture

There are several scientific essays that have been about permaculture at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences lately. Kralmark (2004) writes about the permaculture’s relationship to sustainable development, Råberg (2007) wrote about permaculture in an eco-village design, and Henriksson (2007) about in cold green houses. During Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences´ eco-conference in November 2007 the scientists discussed if it was possible to operate permaculture in a larger scale in Sweden because of climate reasons. Nordiskt forskarnytt för ekologiskt lanbruk (trans: news about ecological agriculture) reported about IFOAM’s annual congress that the importance of permaculture demonstrations was brought forth.

How area-dependent is the project?

The purpose of the property acquisition is to construct Sweden’s first permaculture forest garden with integrated housing. The best example of a forest garden in Sweden today is in Skania. The forest garden in Holma, in the municipality of Höör occupies 5000 m² but lacks the housing component. The demonstration in Holma was partially financed through the Swedish Board of Agriculture and Natura Foundation has its central purpose in education and training, and is directly connected with a folk high school for permaculture. A new investment on the west coast is the permaculture forest, Hällskogen, and an eco-project Hällmarken in Svenshögen, in the municipality of Stensund. The county administration in Västra Götaland and Swedish Society for Nature Conservation have both contributed to the “start phase” of the project which its purpose is to demonstrate permaculture-inspired continu without clear-cutting. Not even here will significant housing be integrated into the forest property. To construct a forest garden with housing there needs to be a satisfactory area for closed circles of nutrients and water. All 5 ha are required for outdoor cultivation, indoor cold green houses and housing. All because we are striving for a high degree of self-sufficiency in food, there will be a diverse variety of plant species grown so that we can harvest all year long. The area will sadly not be enough to support construction material. Sadly the area might not even be adequate for our energy needs. To complement the property with nearby forest property is a wish.

Why do we choose a cooperative society (Swedish: ekonomisk förening)  as form of ownership?

Have a non-profit form of ownership

Permaculture is based on a long-term thinking of cultivating the soil to enrich resilience, the biological diversity and restore the balance of nature. A cooperative society as form of ownership does not require a short-term focus on profit.

To render possible broad participation in a demonstration farm

To motivate others to join the project for generating both investment capital and labour capacity the form of ownership must allow an expansion of the ownership to additional people.

Managing through a democratic and transparent ownership

Cooperative societies follow the democratic principle of “one man – one vote”. Cooperative societies also require transparency against their members. We regard this important for the demonstration farm.

To increase social diversity in Swedish agriculture

Agriculture in Sweden today is dominated by Swedish middle aged and elderly men. The demonstration project aims at expanding the participation of young, women and people with foreign backgrounds. The governing board today is made up of just those three groups.

Participate in development projects with public support

Demonstration projects are risky and therefore can choose to participate in innovative actions where there is public grant financing to lessen the risk. This form of ownership allows soliciting support from several sources.

Participating in international cooperation

Membership in Swedish and international societies are not always open to private, for-profit organisations. At the first board meeting it was decided to apply for membership in Global Ecovillage Network, which is only open to democratic organisations.