Olomana Gardens: Permaculture & Aquaponics

It is a great overview of their system... BUT since filming in 2012 Glenn has moved away from submersible water pumps and now uses air lift pumps, he designed and patented a system. They have loads of video demonstrations on YouTube under, I think, three or four different accounts. Plus a lot of folks post their own videos of their visits to Olomana Gardens. Their websites OlomanaGardens.com and OlomanaGardensAquaponics.com have blog posts and their latest videos as well. All of the videos I have seen on YouTube are more recent than this video so obviously I was a bit disappointed not to see more about the Olomana Gardens patented air pump system, but it was also cool to sort of step back in time and see how Glenn has changed things over the years as the technology has evolved. Seeing more of his operation the worms, bees, chickens, ducks, goats and horses really gives a glimpse into how he has utilized permaculture to create a sustainable backyard setup that feeds quite a few families. The three stars was mostly because the info that is free on YouTube is more up to date and better explained/better camera angles for understanding where the water is moving from and going to, etc. I'm glad I only rented it for $1.99 rather than bought the DVD or digital copy. Most of the info on vermicomposting and permaculture practices I already knew because I own a copy of Bill Mollison's book Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, which is easily worth 100X it's weight in gold but usually sells for $120 on Amazon. I love watching Glenn's YouTube videos and will continue to do so. Another book I am saving up for is Recirculating Aquaculture 3rd edition by Timmons and Ebeling. I've heard Glenn give credit for air lift pump idea to their book though he did change a few things.To sum it all up, it is a good video and my only real disappointment was that this video (from 2012) was already a bit out of date as of July 2017. Which really does go to show how many innovations and solutions we have come up with and implemented in only roughly 5 years in the field of aquaponics. It is certainly inspiring.

I DO NOT KNOW IF THERE WILL BE A PART 2, BUT AND I DOUBT IT, ITS HOW THEY SELL THE SO CALLED "BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR" FOR $75.THIS IS A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO AQUAPONICS AND PERMACULTURE ON AN EXCEPTIONALLY WELL ENGINEERED SCALE. IT INTRODUCES YOU TO WORM CULTIVATION, SOIL DEVELOPMENT, STRATEGIES TO AVOID PLANT FUNGUS AND BUILD YOUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE. IT IS SO GOOD, IT MAKES YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ON HOW TO BUILD THIS, HOW TO START OFF SMALL. WHAT COMES FIRST, THE TALAPIA OR THE WORMS. AGAIN, THAT IS WHAT THE BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR IS FOR. MAKES ME WANT TO BOOK A TRIP TO THE BIG ISLAND.THE REALITY IS, THIS A A GREAT STRATEGY FOR PERSONAL CONSUMPTION, BUT EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO GO COMMERCIAL OUTSIDE THE FARMERS MARKET. LARGE FOOD DISTRIBUTORS OPRESS THIS BUSINESS MODEL SO THAT LOCAL CROPS CAN'T GET INTO MAINSTREAM GROCERY STORES. SO WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO BEFORE THIS BUSINESS MODEL CAN BE SUSTAINABLE. WHAT IS NEEDED IS A WAY TO START A CHAIN OF ORGANIC BODEGAS WHERE THE DISTRIBUTORS ARE MORE RECEPTIVE.

Great informative watch. Truly innovative ideas that I wish I could afford to go see in person. My only criticism is if you are watching this movie to gain information so you yourself can do it, keep in mind their farm is in Hawaii (one of the most ideal environments for growing) and they have a lot of land.Regardless, its still brilliant to grow food with permaculture and not having to use pesticides gives me high hopes for the future of food production.

The topic was interesting, but the video didn't go into too much depth or talk about his overall system plans.

It is such a pleasure to see how nature can join different plants and animals to produce a truly excellent outcome at Olomana Gardens. Nutritious food is never guaranteed in monoculture farming techniques, (factory farming of a single plant or animal) which rely on heavy doses of pesticides, artificial fertilizers and hormones, etc. Naturally raised food will not cause diabetes or other deficiency diseases for the people who eat it. We humans are a part of nature and can only thrive under natural conditions. I know that some will say yeah but, we can't produce enough food for 7 billion people this way. I say, what is the alternative? People are out of work because the robber barons don't want to pay a living wage. Don't these two problems suggest a solution? More people are starting small businesses producing nutritious food in new, small sustainable farms. Creative people are finding new answers to many problems where needs in food production, education and medical care, to name just a few areas that are crying out for change.

This DVD shows all the elements of the system from animals and manures to crops and soils or media to sustainable irrigation and harvesting, all set up in a homestead-size format. All of the processes shown can be duplicated on our small farm with little investment and loads of return. A great resource for those newly interested.

Not at all what I was expecting. I thought I was purchasing a "How to" video and while I did get one or two ideas, I did not find it instructional.

Not a scientific video, but has some great ideas for systems. Definitely for beginners.