Is a World Collapse Possible?

You know and have been told many times that our lifestyle is not sustainable and that if trends do not change a collapse will occur. Natural resources are being depleted at an alarming rate. Sources of drinking water are being poisoned. Pollution in many forms is increasing to dangerous levels. Climate change and its effects are getting worse. The environment and farmlands are being critically degraded. Commercial fishing stocks are collapsing. Populations are still rising. You know all this to be true and can easily add more to this list.

When you hear about these topics you probably do what most other people around you do and dismiss these uncomfortable truths as a concerning problem but hope that one day they will be solved somehow in the future. Although you know that you are contributing to the problem there is nothing you can do about it. You have to hope and believe that governments and associated science and technology organisations will eventually do something to solve it. That’s their responsibility, not yours.

When the world reaches a point where there are not enough resources available to support society and society collapses because of this then your life and your family member’s lives would be in great danger from many sources. But this is not going to happen any time soon is it? So why waste time thinking about it.

But what if you are wrong? What if we have all reached a point in human history where most of our resources are so depleted that our current civilization is about to collapse very soon in your lifetime? A resource doesn’t have to completely disappear. It only has to be harder and more expensive to extract before it affects society severely.

Easter Island is an excellent example of a civilization collapsing as a result of only one resource being depleted. The citizens of this isolated mini world in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean built many giant identical stone statues to please their god. These statues were positioned around the island often many kilometres from where the stone was mined and carved. They used tree trunks as rollers to move these heavy statues to their present locations. Easter Island society, including its culture and economy depended on the production of these giant statues.

The islanders lived in relative harmony for many generations and as the population increased, the production of giant statues increased until every last suitable tree was cut down as rollers. When the supply of suitable trees ran out the statues could no longer be moved and the culture and economy suddenly collapsed. The great Easter Island civilization disappeared and never returned. With no trees they could no longer build boats for fishing, cook food or make shelters. After the famines and riots, the remaining survivors lived a primitive lifestyle until the island was discovered by European explorers.

Every Easter Island citizen would have known that all the trees would eventually disappear long before it happened. This would have been so obvious to everyone yet they still continued their lives as normal until the last tree was used. The Easter Island society, culture and economy did not change their path to avoid an obvious catastrophic collapse.

You know that our society will soon collapse if the world continues to consume resources at the current rate. This is common sense and, like the Easter Islanders, you can see it coming. You may have some hope that some future advances in technology will occur that will literally save our society from collapsing.

Recently, technology created very efficient fuel engines that could have stretched out oil resources much further but the benefits were negated when more people bought bigger cars and more of them. Technology will be unlikely to solve all of our resource orientated problems. Even if a major technological advance did occur in one crucial area, there may no longer be enough time left for this advance to have a significant effect on the world.

Our present modern society has been created solely because of cheap and abundant oil. Oil is a cheap high density fuel and nothing else can practically replace society’s dependence on it. Our entire current infrastructure is oil based from fertilizers, plastics, and transport to motors and general machinery. Without cheap abundant oil our civilization will collapse. Alternative energy sources such as wind and solar can only supplement oil as energy sources.

You may believe that it is possible for our governments to save us through legislation changes. Do you really believe it is possible that every government of the world will unite to implement and force severe lifestyle changes on its citizens and make them use resources in a more sustainable way that is eco-friendly. Every time a government has recently tried to enforce strict austerity on to its citizens major riots erupted. If a government tried to implement the drastic changes that are needed to stop a collapse they would be voted out in the next election or violently overthrown.

This situation is very similar to Easter Island where all the chiefs of each tribe couldn’t cooperate to radically change their lifestyle and culture to protect the trees to avoid a collapse. It does seem very unlikely that our world governments will be able to unite and enforce the many radical lifestyle changes on their citizens in order to avoid a collapse.

In our complex and intertwined global society there was one resource that recently came very close to being depleted and almost caused a global collapse – credit.

In 2008 we already came extremely close to a world financial collapse. After all these years later have you ever wondered why the governments all over the world suddenly started giving unprecedented gifts of $trillions to all the big banks and to everyone else they could find a flimsy reason to? Months later we were told that we were only two days away from global financial collapse and all the major banks closing down. There was no credit available even for solid businesses to operate. This free gift of $trillions to the banks was meant to stop the world’s economy from collapsing and to give the world economy a kick start, and it worked.

What if the banks had all suddenly shut down? What would have happened? The majority of the world’s businesses would have suddenly closed down since most businesses are dependent on bank services and credit. Millions of people would suddenly have no work and no income. ATM’s and banks would be closed so there would have been no money available for people to buy food even if the stores were open or even had any food left. Food riots would occur and the future from then on for almost everyone would have been a hellish nightmare in many ways.

At some stage you will have to think this scenario through for yourself to imagine how it would affect you and your family personally. What will you do when you no longer have access to money and every food store is closed or empty? Nothing has changed to prevent another bank shutdown and the next shutdown will very likely be permanent.

From 2010 onwards non-conventional oil production increased through tar sands, shale oil, biofuels and new technology. This increased production of non-conventional oil delayed peak oil but oil prices remained high. The high oil prices prevented the economy from expanding, which the financial world needs to pay past loans. Central banks tried dropping interest rates to zero to stimulate growth further. This only encouraged huge domestic, business, financial and government debts to occur worldwide to extreme levels but growth still did not increase significantly.

In 2014 Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members increased their conventional oil production and caused a world glut of oil. Global oil prices tumbled down to $40 a barrel. Remember that global conventional oil had already reached Peak Oil in 2005 which caused the Great Financial Crisis in 2008 as oil prices rose above $135 through supply and demand market forces.  This means that Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC members were depleting their already decreasing oil reserves at a much faster rate. This ramped up production of conventional oil can only shorten the time before the next oil crisis.

By the end of 2017 this world oil glut has largely disappeared as predicted by the sixth largest bank in the world, HSBC. Oil prices are now rising steadily and by the end of 2017 oil prices were at $67 a barrel. At this rate of increase it is possible for oil prices to reach $100 a barrel in 2018. At this price the flow on effects will begin stressing the financial markets.

All the banks are very aware of the possibility of another financial crisis. In a desperate attempt to save themselves from another future financial crisis, the banks have convinced many governments around the world to pass a bill that allows banks to use the money in general deposit accounts to bail themselves out. They will convert your money to unsecured shares, which means you will be the last in line to claim your money back if the bank goes bankrupt. Banks are more vulnerable than they were in 2008. There is now over $600 trillion invested in derivatives globally.

When the next financial crisis begins and the banks do confiscate everyone’s savings to save themselves then this will greatly add to the fury of any riots.  It is likely that this action will cause riots. Very few people will watch their life savings suddenly disappear to be used for a banks benefit without protesting very loudly.

There is no doubt anymore that the whole world’s society is extremely fragile. It is now a fact that one single event is capable of destroying our civilization totally. Not only has the problems that led to the 2008 financial crisis have not been fixed but the global financial situation has become even worse than existed in 2008. With Peak Oil occurring in 2015 and the price of oil rising, the world is unavoidably heading for another potential global financial crisis, only this time all the governments around the world no longer have enough money to bail out the banks a second time. In fact most governments are highly in debt. The next financial collapse will be the beginning of a global society collapse.

The most important question now is: When is this global collapse going to occur?

COMPUTER MODEL PREDICTIONS OF A WORLD COLLAPSE

Computer models are useful for us in that they can confirm what we only suspect. They can even see our possible future even when we are not able to. For the purposes of this website the following computer models are used to help you understand that a world society collapse is coming. They are also useful in helping you to understand a little further how and why a collapse will occur. There may be others but these 3 computer models are the most impressive.

World3

In 1972 a cutting edge computer model called World3 was developed in America. It predicted a world collapse if nothing changed, beginning in 2015. The predictions were put into a best-selling book called, “Limits to Growth”. As the book concluded in 1972:

“The most probable result will be a rather sudden and uncontrollable decline in both population and industrial capacity.”

In 2012 Dr Graham Turner from Melbourne University in Australia and CSIRO applied historical data of the last 40 years from 1972 to the model’s predictive graphs and found that the graphs and predictions from World3 are still basically accurate for a collapse scenario. The changes needed to avoid a collapse have not occurred. He updated more data in 2014 to further confirm the models accuracy.

“Collapse was avoidable only if considerable change in social behaviour and technological progress was made early in advance of environmental or resource issues. When this was not achieved in the simulated scenarios, collapse of the economy and a relatively rapid fall of the human population occurred.”

To maintain our society there must be a constant growth in industrial output, which requires increasing amounts of resources. The resources become more expensive to obtain as they are used up. Our society was built on and is maintained by the availability of cheap resources. As more and more capital goes towards resource extraction, there is less money available to maintain our society. The first predicted signs of a collapse appear at about 2015 when per capita industrial output (GDP) begins an increasing sharp decline. Global GDP graphs confirmed this prediction so far.

“As pollution mounts and industrial input into agriculture falls, food production per capita falls. Health and education services are cut back, and that combines to bring about a rise in the death rate from about 2020. It found that if civilization continued on its path toward increasing consumption, the global economy would collapse by 2030. “

“Global population begins to fall from about 2030, by about half a billion people per decade. Living conditions fall to levels similar to the early 1900s.”  By 2080 global industrial output falls almost to zero. There is no rebound in this century, the collapse is too severe.

Resources may still be available but they become too expensive to recover. Expensive recovery of resources denies capital from going to other needy areas of society. E.g. Less money spent on maintenance of industrial structures causes output to decline in a downward spiral as equipment deteriorates.

NASA

In 2014 an independent project using NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre facilities has predicted that global industrial civilisation will collapse in coming decades due to unsustainable resource exploitation and increasingly unequal wealth distribution.

This research project is led by applied mathematician, Safa Motesharrei, of the US National Science Foundation-supported National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Centre, in association with a team of natural and social scientists.

By investigating past cases of collapse, the project identified the main factors which are involved in a collapse of a civilization. These are population, climate, water, agriculture and energy. A collapse occurs when two social behaviour characteristics form.

1. The unequal distribution of resources amongst the population
2. The formation of an economic stratification of society; the Elites (rich) and the Commoners (poor).

This scenario closely reflects the reality of our world now. The populations of developed countries around the world represent the Elites who are the rich, using up most of the resources. The underdeveloped countries and emerging countries represent the Commoners and the poor. The poor workers in these countries “sweat shop” factories are manufacturing most of the products needed for maintaining the rich lifestyles of developed countries. In this scenario a collapse is difficult to avoid.

“Running the model using an optimal depletion rate and starting with a very small number of Elites, the Elites eventually consume too much, resulting in a famine among Commoners that eventually causes the collapse of society.

As the Commoners decline, the Elites are still thriving for a while. Their accumulated wealth and resources allow the Elites to continue “business as usual” despite the impending catastrophe. Eventually the Commoners collapse completely, and as the accumulated wealth and resources disappear, the Elites also collapse.”

This could explain how “historical collapses were allowed to occur by the elites who appear to be oblivious to their catastrophic path. This is clearly apparent in the Roman, and Mayan cases.” Easter Island would be another example.

“Applying this lesson to our contemporary predicament, the study warns that some members of society might raise the alarm that the system is moving towards an impending collapse and advocate structural changes to society in order to avoid collapse. However, the Elites in general will oppose these changes, being reluctant to change to a more austere lifestyle.”

NASA has since stated that this is an independent project not associated with NASAs activities.

GRO

In 2015 a more advanced computer model, based on the 1972 computer World3 model, and using a more modern System Dynamic computer modelling system, was developed at the UK Anglia Ruskin University. This project was developed by the Global Sustainability Institute with funding by the UK and US foreign office; and supported by British Bank, Lloyds of London; the Aldersgate Group, the environment coalition of leaders from business, politics and civil society; the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries; Africa Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the University of Wisconsin. This 3 year project  began in 2013.

This project is called the Global Resource Observatory (GRO) project and has developed a model to quantify the possible interactions of the human economy with the carrying capacity of the planet.

This latest computer super model was designed to overcome the limitations of the World3 model by recalibrating the incorrect parameters, adding new parameters where necessary, and inputting fresh data. There are now roughly 2,000 parameters in the model, drawing on a database of key indicators on resources and social measures for 212 countries, from 1995 until today, making the model’s prediction far more accurate.

This System Dynamic computer GRO model was then incorporated into a more complex Agent based computer model to explore short-term scenarios of policy decisions by simulating social-economical-environmental systems. This would then assist governments and organizations to make better informed decisions. The model was accurate for up to 5 years.

The year 2040 collapse scenario was only verbally described by the project’s director, Dr Aled Jones, at a steering committee meeting. “The model was run forward to the year 2040, without any feedback loops that would change the underlying current trends. The results show that based on plausible climate trends, and a total failure to change course, the global food supply system would face catastrophic losses. An unprecedented epidemic of food riots would occur. In this scenario, global society essentially collapses within a few decades as food production falls permanently short of consumption.” The model predicted that the world society will collapse to a “horse and buggy” society by 2040.

The collapse occurs not because the resources become totally depleted, but because they just become too expensive to retrieve. Our current civilization was built on cheap retrievable resources and its infrastructure and maintenance still relies on cheap resources for its existence.

Dr Aled Jones also stated that the earlier 1972 World3 model was very “robust” and that its predictions were largely correct. A later Anglia Ruskin University UK news release in November 2015 again confirms the predictions of the first World3 model as being largely correct. 

The possibility of a collapse becomes more alarming when 3 different types of independent and very credible scientific models make the same prediction for the same time especially when one of them has very high levels of UK and US government funding and support.

On June 2013 at the Anglia Ruskin University UK, Dr Aled Jones of the GRO project stated, “The financial and economic system is exposed to catastrophic short-term risks that the system cannot address in its current form. The current economic system behaves as if it is a linear system with no concept of limitations to resources”. This strongly indicates that in 2013 not enough changes in reducing resource depletion were being made to avoid a collapse . Aled Jones has since stated that governments around the world are making decisions that may be speeding up the collapse process.

There does not appear to be any significant changes being made by all the world’s governments to avoid a collapse of our society. There have been positive decisions made but no major action taken.

In 2014 Graham Turner from Melbourne University, after researching and updating World3 data, stated, “Regrettably, the alignment of data trends with the ‘Limits to Growth’ dynamics indicates that the early stages of collapse could occur within a decade, or might even be underway. This suggests, from a rational risk-based perspective, that we have squandered the past decades, and that preparing for a collapsing global system could be even more important than trying to avoid collapse.”

WHAT WILL BE THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF A WORLD COLLAPSE?

Imminent Warning Signs

Unless there is a war or some unexpected major event it very likely appears that we will be following a similar path to the 2008 Great Financial Crash. The main precursors in 2008 were:

• Peak conventional oil was reached in 2005
• Oil prices increased in price from $50 in 2007 to $135 a barrel in 2008
• This caused transport, fertilizer and food costs to rise substantially
• Business costs and the general cost of living rose substantially
• Businesses began going bankrupt and home owners defaulted on house loans
• The sudden large increase in bank loan defaults caused banks to be financially stressed
• Across the world banks began to severely restrict lending
• More businesses became bankrupt causing more unemployment and home loan defaults
• Banks stopped lending to each other and to businesses as their solvency was in doubt.
• Unprecedented huge bailouts occurred before banks and everything else shut down and caused a global society collapse.

Very few people realized just how serious the Great Financial Crash of 2008 was. Unless a person was following the financial and business news everything seemed relatively normal.

According to a HSBC oil report we have already reached Peak oil in 2015 for both conventional and non-conventional production of oil. Oil prices have been steadily increasing from $35 in early 2016 to $67 in late 2017. The most important warning sign to watch for is when Brent oil prices start going beyond $100 a barrel. At this price financial stresses will begin to occur within our society. Higher oil prices to $130 a barrel will almost guarantee a financial crash within a year.

Other Warning Signs

Declining GDP

The World3 model predicts the collapse begins around 2015 when per capita industrial output begins a sharp decline and collapses by 2030. Some trends have changed slightly since 1972 but overall, according to Dr Graham Turner and Dr Aled Jones, reality has followed World3 predictions.

According to the Reserve Bank of Australia global GDP has been consistent since 2011. Watch for global GDP rates to decline. Our global society needs increasing growth just to maintain itself. Consistent negative growth rates mean that our society would be starting to collapse.

Third World Countries Collapsing

As a worldwide depression deepens further financial aid to under developed countries will cease causing widespread famine in those countries. There will be no market for the emerging developing countries where they have the “slave” factories that manufacture most of our elite lifestyle requirements. Climate change is also beginning to affect food production in these areas.

When you hear of hundreds of millions of people in these poor countries dying through famine, food riots and the breakdown of social structures as the world depression continues then the developed countries will totally collapse a few years later. These poorer countries will be the first to collapse. This is the scenario predicted by the NASA model.

There are enough stored resources, equipment and strong social structures in place for most people to weather the depression initially. However, food, resources, equipment and other social essentials needed for maintaining our society will gradually diminish and will not be replaced since many of the overseas “slave” factories have disappeared.

Social structures within our society will begin to break down as resources become scare. Eventually most of the population in developed countries perishes from civil disturbances and famine according to the NASA model. This decaying process may take many years. Unfortunately for survivors after a collapse of this nature there will be less survival equipment available to them than if the collapse occurs suddenly. Much of the survival equipment would be in use.

When Will a Collapse Occur?

As mentioned earlier the 2008 Great Financial Collapse began when peak conventional oil was reached in 2005 and oil price began increasing to $135 a barrel as a result of supply and demand.

In 2015 both conventional and non-conventional oil reached Peak. In September 2016 HSBC, the sixth largest bank in the world gave its clients a research report on oil. In summary it states that:

The current oil glut will shrink to only 1% capacity of supply and demand in 2017 which it has.

Demand is increasing.

81% of oil production is in decline except for US oil production.

The global oil production decline rate is 5 -7% and increasing each year.

New discoveries are limited in size and exploration success rates are at record lows of 5%.

Brent oil price is predicted to increase from $47 in 2016 to $60 in 2017 to $75 per barrel in 2018.

These figures were based on information that US oil production was increasing. More recent articles suggest that this information was misleading and oil production in the US will be in the decline from 2018 onwards. If this is true then this will increase the predicted price of Brent oil much higher. The price of Brent oil at the end of 2017 was much higher than predicted at $67.

It appears the world collapse of society will begin with the price of oil rising above the level of sustainability that our present civilization can afford. Peak conventional and non-conventional oil production has been reached in 2015 and oil prices are steadily climbing higher due to supply and demand forces. At present it appears that the price of oil may reach $100 a barrel or higher in 2018. At this price our global society will begin to be financially stressed and collapse processes may be initiated. By 2019 oil prices could very well reach the $140 level which will definitely trigger another financial collapse within a year, followed quickly by a global society collapse.

If oil prices remain high around the $100 level for a length of time the constant financial stresses will gradually cause the economy to deteriorate into a recession, then to a long depression and finally to a collapse. The same warning signs will occur but over a period of several years. At least this scenario will give you more time to acquire survival skills.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING A COLLAPSE?

This is the part many people will have trouble accepting. It means that their safe, comfortable world will no longer exist. It means that they will have to be responsible for their own lives and will have to survive by their common sense. They will be constantly exposed to real violence and tragedy around them which they will not be able to turn off like a movie.

To survive, people will have to change their beliefs, their habits and let go of precious dreams and expectations of life. They will need more self-discipline to not indulge in their fears, whims and emotional ego outbursts or they will not survive. Not only is the future physically daunting but it will be personally daunting as well if you are not psychologically prepared.

When a collapse occurs it will be easier to survive in the country than in cities and suburban areas simply because you are much less likely to be attacked and your supplies raided as there are less people in the country. In the country there are more opportunities to find or grow food for survival later. Start preparing to escape or even better move to the country now. If you remain in the city or suburbs this is what you could likely expect.

City, Suburban and Semi-Rural Areas

When oil reaches $130 a barrel again it will trigger a sequence of events similar to the lead up of the great Financial Crash. Transport, fertilizers and food cost will significantly rise. Business costs and living costs will also rise. Businesses and home owners will begin defaulting on their bank loans. Banks will start to stress financially and restrict lending. More businesses will default and close down. More home owners will then be unemployed and default on their loans. Many small banks will start going bankrupt and bigger banks will restrict their lending to almost everyone because they do not know which businesses and banks are solvent or not. Eventually most businesses and banks shut down.

There will be no ATM’s operating for people to get money to buy food. Supermarkets would be empty as they operate on only a few days’ supply at a time.

Initially there will be mass confusion and people wandering around aimlessly. This will soon morph into famine riots as household food supplies are emptied.  Sprawling suburbs will be the equivalent of barren deserts. There will be much blame and anger towards the government and this anger will be vented in violent uncontrolled riots, violence and looting, especially if the banks have confiscated their lifesavings.

This time there will be no law enforcers to stop the riots and looting as this scenario will be occurring all over the country and the world. This is what was predicted by the GRO and World3 computer models.

There will be a breakdown of law and order as the number of rioters become too large for the local police to handle. The rule of “might is right” will come into effect.  After all the violent movies people have watched and all the violent video games they have played, many people will believe that they too will have to be violent to survive. Their conditioning will make them insensitive to the value of life.

House after house will be broken into as desperate people search for food. Be prepared to defend your life with weapons as desperate people go from house to house searching for food. Food supplies will be fought over and many people will meet violent deaths. Many more will die of starvation. Cannibalism may occur as people seek to survive by any means.Electricity and water supplies may disappear at any stage making survival even more difficult.

Groups of survivors may band together for better protection and to start some form of viable community. If these survivors have seeds, water and a food supply then routine food production may be achieved later in suburban backyards. A powerful vigilante group will be needed to protect the rest of the community and to allow it to grow.

Other people will come together to form gangs that take what they want by force. If your defences are not powerful, it may be a good time to move to a more secure or isolated location.

With no powerful authority to restore order, cities and suburbs will most likely be in constant violent conflict as different gangs try to dominate each other. Territories will probably form run by quasi warlords as the stronger and larger gangs take over. This seems to be the usual sequence in cities with ghettos. As the gangs grow larger they will be forced to send raiding parties further afield for food. Country survival retreats near cities and large towns will be targeted.

If you live in the country near a city, unless you are part of a very large community with a well-armed vigilante group, you will have to rely on a good surveillance system and hide when large groups of people are approaching.

One very big advantage for survivors after a sudden world collapse will be the large amount of survival material around. They can take their pick of shelters. Houses and shops will contain huge amounts of equipment needed for survival such as clothes, gardening equipment, tools, water purifiers, solar panels and batteries, 12 volt fridges and lights and much more. A prolonged depression followed by a collapse will see most survival equipment being used and possibly worn out or damaged.

Later, this excess survival equipment can be traded for food with other survival groups in the nearby country areas. This could be a trade system and a way of life that lasts for many years.

Sometimes hard decisions have to be made. Sometimes a decision can be found that benefits everyone. Do you shoot to kill or just warn people? Do you turn starving people away when they beg you for help?  Perhaps giving a begging person a small amount of food to continue their journey is all that is needed. Ultimately, a community needs to evolve to civilized values.

Country Areas

If you escape to the country before the collapse began you will have the greatest chance of survival. You will not be in the vicinity of thousands of desperate people. You will not be part of the traumatizing famines and riots that will occur. You will not be exposed to the following gang wars. If you choose your survival location well the only experience of a collapsing world you will have will be through the radio, if it exists, and through word of mouth with other people.

Left alone except for the occasional contact with your neighbours you will be able to establish food production routines fairly quickly. You will not be completely safe though. There will be the occasional individual or gang wandering across the countryside believing that their best chance of survival is to take from others with force. At the very least they may raid your crops, chickens and even food supplies when you are not around or asleep at night.

This is why you need at least a year of food supplies. Your supplies need to be secure and well hidden. Do not plant all your crop seeds in the first year. If all your crops are raided, you will still survive as not all your crops will be lost. Many may be still growing and will mature later. The first round of crops is to establish a food production routine and a raid or two could be expected. This also will allow for crop failures through lack of experience, detrimental weather conditions, pests and diseases, poor soil conditions etc.

By the second year the number of roaming people or gangs should have greatly decreased allowing you to seriously begin your food production routines. You and your family will never be completely safe for a long time so you will always have to act accordingly. The only law around will be yours. You will have to accept the fact that you are the judge, jury and if needs be, executioner in all situations. This is a tremendous personal responsibility involving a major psychological change.

There is also better safety in numbers and for this reason it will be wise to eventually form an alliance with other groups of survivors a quickly as possible. Routine vigilante patrols would be a must.

There will be no democratic, national government in existence anymore. At best martial law will prevail. At worst the military personnel will have either disbanded to protect their own families or they will be organized into military based communities with only select civilians being accepted. The presence of military personnel in your area after a collapse may or may not mean help and they may not even be friendly. They too may just be taking what they want by force, including taking fit people to work in their communities. Do not assume. Wait until you have facts and you will survive.

What happens next?  Who knows?  Tribal communities, Feudalism, kingdoms or something completely unexpected may develop? There is often a religious revival during catastrophes.

PSYCHOLOGICAL  STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVING A GLOBAL COLLAPSE OF SOCIETY

Commitment to Survive

The first real step in surviving this collapse is to actually commit yourself to surviving. This is a psychological step. You look at all the available data until you are convinced that a collapse is most likely going to happen. You will believe that a world collapse is real because you have been logical and meticulous in your assessment of the relevant data. You have to come to the sobering and scary realization that there will be no-one to save you or your family. You have to plan to save yourself.

No government organization, no media show, no-one will tell you to start preparing to survive until it will be too late. If there are public warnings to prepare for a collapse then everyone will panic and there will be nothing left to acquire for your preparation. Start preparing now before there is panic. This is what you do when you commit yourself to surviving. Every moment of your life is now focussing on survival. A collapse will cause such a sudden and different change that you will have to get it right the first time or you could die. It will be a huge change. Get out of your conditioned video game mentality where you can just push the reset button when you die. This is serious and real. Get serious and real.

While you have the opportunity to prepare while life is normal, you have to be constantly thinking about different aspects of your survival plan. You have to visualize different scenarios that could unfold and how you would survive through them. Some of these potential scenarios are horrible but you still have to go to that horrible place in your mind to work out how to survive those situations in case they occur. Be real. Only visualize potential realities not fantasies.

A word of warning at this point.  Be careful you do not get caught up with only the dark side of survival. You need to have the courage to look at the dark side to be able to plan for it but not indulge in it. You will also need to take time to appreciate the beauty of life around you and remember the love of people around you. If this was the priority in everyone’s life you would not be preparing for a collapse today. This will give you a real purpose to survive and a foundation for living after.

Until the warning signs become more obvious you will still have to live your normal life. It is likely that your survival ideas and efforts will not be supported by your friends and relatives. Many people will strongly resist anything that suggests that they might have to give up their present comfortable lifestyle. No problem. Prepare for them as well. Remember the childhood story of the three pigs. You now have to be the practical pig.

Are you willing to gamble your life and the life of your friends and family by staying in a city if the data starts indicating that there is a very high chance of a world collapse? If you do believe that a collapse is coming, how long are you going to hesitate for before you commit to act? What’s the point of waiting when your present lifestyle will not contribute to your survival whereas acting now gives you and your family more experience in survival and a higher chance of survival? Better to be 10 years too early than 10 minutes too late.

Finally, how much do you really value your life?  Are you really willing to give up a comfortable, but unsustainable lifestyle for your survival? The next step is to actually start with 100% commitment.

To best survive the coming collapse you need to begin living independently as much as possible from society before it collapses. If you can learn to be even 30 % independent then a full transition when the time comes is not so daunting. You need to have lifesaving food production routines in place that work. You need to know what doesn’t work, e.g.  which animals and insects will steal or destroy your food plants, how to stop weevils from destroying your stored flour and rice and how to improve poor soil conditions for growing.

Survival Group Size

Families and small groups are better for survival initially as there are enough people to help each other but not enough to cause serious ego conflicts between different factions thus jeopardizing the survival of the larger community or even individual members. Eventually as small groups are surviving successfully they will be able to associate with other surviving groups for trade or form a larger community for protection if necessary. To maximize survival chances the leader must be of a strong disciplined character and the rest of the group must be disciplined in their allocated tasks.

It took mankind thousands of years to develop attitudes and skills to survive in large, harmonious communities. It is not realistic that this harmony can be suddenly achieved in a large community that is experiencing survival conditions with all its members used to living a self-centred, indulgent lifestyle. It takes time to learn to be selfless and community minded.

Individual survivors do not last long either. In Bosnia, when a city was under siege for a year without food, electricity or water, the lone survivors were the first to die, mainly because they were easy victims for gangs. Secondly, they had no temporary support if they got injured or sick. Even well-armed individuals were quickly overcome as they had to sleep sometime and their strong defences suggested that they had something worth getting and attracted raiders.

One of the worst things you can take with you on a survival journey is an emotional ego. It is so important to act in a calm, rational and practical manner. If you haven’t noticed, emotional reactions always have negative consequences attached. Something will always go wrong when you express negative emotions. You are also not thinking clearly and could make potentially life threatening decisions.

Anger and self-pity are two emotions that will get you killed. Now is the time to practice very seriously about controlling the expression of your negative emotions. Expressing your happy, joyous emotions can only be done when you know it is safe to do so. When you express any form of emotion you often lose your awareness of the environment and the danger around you. You will need to be aware 24/7.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

Surviving the global collapse is only the first part of your survival journey. You and your family will still have to survive for years after the collapse.

So far in Part 1 you have been clearly informed:

1. That a world collapse will happen soon in your life time
2. When this world collapse is going to occur
3. What will happen when this world collapse occurs
4. The best survival location for a collapse
5. Four warning signs to look out for
6. What mental attitudes you need to survive this world collapse.

You now have enough information to be motivated for the next step. The next step is : You now have to act on this information.

1. You will need to start acquiring a 12 month food supply for each person in your family NOW.
2. You will need to start acquiring weapons and equipment that will help you to survive after the collapse.
3. Above all you need to move to the country with your 12 month supply of food and equipment long before the collapse occurs.

The concept of a world collapse and the serious consequences it will have on the lives of everyone is very difficult to comprehend, especially when everyday life is functioning as normal. The concept of a total world collapse of society seems very surreal.

It is important that you read this information in the website several times to help you grasp the reality of this very serious situation. You will need to take a giant leap forward in taking personal responsibility and in control of your life and your family. Nobody else will tell you about a collapse. Nobody else will be able to look after you. They will be too busy trying to survive themselves. The more you prepare before the collapse the greater the chance of your survival.

To survive a world collapse you will need to move to the country, be well armed and have a 12 months’ supply of food. You will needs tools, fishnets and seeds to start a garden. It would be prudent to understand and to stock up on hydroponic nutrients as these will almost guarantee a successful crop for even a novice gardener.

A NEW BEGINNING – Surviving After The collapse

This will be a totally new life for you in many ways. You will have to be responsible for all aspects of your life from now on. You will need to produce your own food, make sure you have a safe water supply, organize a suitable dwelling, protect your family or friends, and you will have a multitude of survival projects to work on. You will be starting from the beginning to build a new life. For several years this will involve a lot of effort for you to just survive. As you become familiar with what works and what doesn’t you will find surviving becomes easier. Most of your important learning will be through personal experience.

It is also important that you collect as much equipment as possible before the collapse in order to help you to survive comfortably after the collapse. This is not about proving that you can survive in the wild with just some basics for a few days as shown in the popular but faked survival TV shows. This is real and is more serious. You will need every advantage you can get.

The following information will serve as a basic guide to fall back on when needed. It will give you an example as to what to buy for a twelve month emergency survival food supply and also suggested menus. It gives you a list of all the equipment you will need to buy, not only to survive but to start a new lifestyle that will continue on for years later.

Even though most of this equipment may not exist years from now it will certainly improve your immediate survival chances. It will give you time to adapt to less equipment being available later on. The more equipment you have the better your chances of survival.  What you buy for your preparation is only limited by your budget. Excess equipment can always be stored for later use or traded for other necessities.

It is very likely that most of the banks will shut down during the next financial crisis precipitating a sudden collapse of society. During the first three to four months of a sudden collapse you could be confined to your house most of the time, waiting out the worst of the riots and chaos to run their course and subside. Even if you are in the country your activities will be limited as there will only be a few very isolated areas that will not be affected during a collapse. Extreme caution will be necessary at all times.

This waiting time is a great opportunity to start reading your stockpile of survival books you have collected. It would be to your advantage to know about as many aspects of creating a new life as possible. You could even begin making some crafts indoors.

EMERGENCY SURVIVAL FOOD SUPPLIES FOR A WORLD COLLAPSE

You are going to need a twelve months food supply when the global collapse comes whether you bunker down in the city or escape to a safe country survival location. Acquiring a food supply is the most important step towards survival that you can take and this should be your first step now. Without a supply of food the chances of your survival are very slim. A supply of food (and water if this is not readily available) has a number of strategic advantages for your survival.

1. It allows you to safely avoid the initial chaos and the dangerous and desperate food riots of a sudden collapse. You will not be forced to expose yourself looking for food.
2. It gives you valuable time to assess situations carefully and calmly. Decisions made from hunger, panic and fear are more likely to end in disaster.
   If your initial attempts at surviving off the land are not successful, a stored food supply will save your life until your next crop matures or until your next hunt is successful.
3. If marauders, animals or insects attack and raid your food crops you will have enough to survive on until the next crop is harvested.
   When things settle down a little, your food can also be used for trade if you have surplus.

You will need to store at least one year of food for everyone in your group regardless of your survival circumstances.  This stored food will save your life. However, the very fact that you and your children will look clean and healthy will be a sign post to others that you have a  food supply stashed away. A Bosnia survivor stated in an interview that their group would dress poor and be dirty whenever they went out from their shelter to not raise attention to themselves.

What Is The Best Food For An Emergency Survival Food Supply?

The types of food that are good for a survival food store are those that are easy to store, compact, last a long time and are good value as a nutritious meal. They also have to be varied and tasty so you do not develop taste fatigue and lose your appetite. Most importantly, your food has to have enough energy calories in each meal for you to survive.

This latter point is an extremely important aspect of planning an emergency stored food supply which many survival websites often overlook. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation website the average Australian person needs around 1950 calories a day to survive. Any less than these amounts and a person will begin to lose weight. This might be tolerable for a couple of months but for any longer length of time this could become extremely unhealthy and will affect your survival ability.

Some survival websites offer pre-packaged long lasting survival food where you just add water. While many of these meals are good for a couple of months, their recommended meals do not supply you with anywhere near enough energy calories for a long term survival period. You will constantly lose weight to a dangerous level, particularly if you are very active. Being weak and sickly will certainly make survival difficult, if not impossible.

Another important factor that many survival websites overlook is having an adequate vitamin C supply. Until you establish a vegetable garden the lack of vitamin C can cause severe health problems. Vitamin C tablets and sprouts are 2 ways to easily satisfy this requirement. Most viable seeds can be eaten as sprouts, except for tomato, potato and eggplant seeds, which are poisonous. Mung bean seeds have a very long storage life and when they are sprouted, they have high vitamin C content as well as being nutritious.

We have compiled a list of excellent survival foods that will help you to stock a supply for twelve months. These foods are long lasting, practical, nutritious and tasty and also have enough calories to maintain your health. There are also suggested menus that will help you ensure that your meals are nutritious and have enough energy calories for you to survive. All of these foods can be purchased in most large supermarkets.

Two good bulk foods are white rice and spaghetti pasta. Brown rice does not store well. The 2 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg sealed plastic bags of rice you buy in a supermarket are good but they need to be placed in a freezer for 2 days at least to kill any weevils or eggs that may be within the packet. Weevils can also penetrate a plastic packet. Wrap them up in a heavy duty garbage bag to further protect them and to keep them from light and out of sight from other people. Rice and pasta bulks up well when boiled or soaked in water if cooking fuel is not available.

Tins of food are very good survival foods. They are compact, well protected, varied in flavour and will last for at least six years, usually longer if kept dry. 420 g tins of spaghetti, baked beans, chunky soups, chunky meals, tuna and salmon, creamed rice and tinned meats are best. Leftovers from large tins cannot be kept if no refrigeration is available.  Tin food can be mixed with rice or pasta.  You will need can openers. The original manual blade openers will last much longer. Monitor the tins regularly for rust. Cockroach pee can start a tin rusting very quickly. Once a rusted tin leaks it is not long before the rest of the nearby tins are also destroyed.

Honey lasts for many years and is well recommended for its many uses. It is tasty and nutritious, good for flavouring other meals. It is also an excellent anti-viral and anti-bacterial agent. Only store unadulterated honey. Avoid the many brands of honey you buy from supermarkets that have been preheated and may be diluted.

Spices are one of the few flavourings that will last a very long time if kept free from moisture. Some are also good anti-virals for flu, such as tumeric. Sea salt is also recommended for its many uses such as flavouring, preserving, anti-septic, tanning and other uses.

Many whole grain seeds store well for many years but they are a more efficient food source when sprouted. As mentioned earlier mung bean seeds are excellent for sprouting and last several years. They are also easy to propagate quickly in many conditions and they do not look like normal food crops, which is a bonus if your garden is raided. The seeds can be easily sprouted by being placed in a jar with water for a few days, drained and left in the dark with an occasional sprinkling of water. Remove any undeveloped seeds as these are very hard and may damage your teeth. A fine wire mesh sieve works well for separating hard seeds from the sprouts.

If you are overweight it is time to start getting fit and lose weight. You will eventually need to lose your addiction to coffee, sugar, smoking and other substances.  Most of your emergency supply meals will be flavoured rice and pasta dishes mixed with tin food and some sprouts. Farmed or hunted foods will supplement your meals and will stretch your food supplies further as well as improving the flavour.

Storage of Emergency Food Supplies

It is best to store your supplies in plastic containers with reasonably tight lids. The reason why they are recommended is that they stop insects and animal from getting your food. They are hardy and water proof. They are portable and can be stacked in a compact area. Do not use cardboard cartons as storage containers for food as these will be eaten through by rats and mice. They will also disintegrate if they get unexpectedly wet. You will need to check the condition of your food in each container at least once a year.

Where there is a real possibility of your food supplies being raided the plastic containers can also be covered with a heavy duty garbage/bin bag and buried in a dry area or hidden. This is well advised for most locations when the collapse is occurring and if there is a chance of your house being raided.

Label your crates with numbers and make a list of what food you have, how much of each item, use by date or for tins, date packed, and what crate number it is in. You need this list for calculating how long your food will last, adding more food, and what foods need to be replaced if a collapse is delayed a few years.

Hide your emergency food supply from other people and do not tell other people you have a food supply. If you have transparent containers put your food in garbage bags before storing them in crates. You don’t want your supply food to be exposed to light or accidently seen by visitors before a collapse. Desperate times will make desperate people do desperate things.

One of the main problems of having an emergency food supply is that you will never know exactly when you will need it. Your food supply could be sitting around for years with the “best by” dates slowly expiring. Most of the better long lasting survival foods have “best by” dates and not “use by” dates. This means that your stored food is still good to eat for many years after the “best by” date has expired.

As a marketing strategy many food companies will have only a short “best by” date to influence consumers to buy their products more often even though the product will be good to eat for many years later. A good example of this is packet white rice. Most “best by’ dates are only about two years ahead but the rice will easily last another five years longer at least.

Once every two or three years you will need to update your food supply completely. Treat it as you would your car or house insurance. The money you spend updating your food supplies is a form of life insurance for you and your family. Your life is more important than your house. Include this expense in your budget.

Your older stored food will still be very edible years from now. By adding a fresh updated supply you will have doubled your food supply which increases your chances of survival further and it gives you more to trade with later. It also allows you to help more relatives, friends or uninvited visitors to survive. At the very worst it becomes chicken food to be recycled into eggs.

It takes some time to buy all your supplies so start right now. All of the items in the survival food list will be edible for at least 5 years. Our survival food list has combined practicality, nutrition, energy requirements and flavour as much as possible.

SURVIVAL FOOD SUPPLY LIST FOR 1 YEAR FOR ONE ADULT

(based on 1970 calories per day)

SUGGESTED MENUS

Choose ONE item from each of the three coloured Groups A, B, C. and then everything from group D

For example for one day you could have:

(Group A) – 4) 1 can of salmon
(Group B) – 1) 1 cup of rice
(Group C) -7) 1 vegetable tin, 1 fruit tin

Plus all of Group D:
½ teaspoon of herbs or spices or curry to flavour your rice
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of mung bean seeds that have sprouted
2 cups of Coffee or Tea or Cocoa with powdered milk and sugar.

MOBILE EMERGENCY SHELTER

If you had not had time or finances to set up an isolated survival base in the country you will still need to make preparations to live in a temporary shelter to escape populated areas. If the banks and then supermarkets shut down suddenly you will need to escape quickly. You will need to have your emergency food supply and survival equipment ready to be quickly packed and to leave immediately. Buy yourself a car trailer, caravan or mobile van. You will not be able to fit all your food supplies and survival equipment into a car.

You will need to keep enough petrol stored to get your car to a safe location. Do not assume and take an unnecessary and avoidable risk that petrol stations will be open. If you delay for any reason you may find very long queues making your escape impossible. You will not be the only one wanting to leave. Always keep your car tanks full. Rotate your stored petrol every 6 months. Petrol does not store well if exposed to moisture.

If you are not able to buy or rent a country survival base, take some time to plan and check out potential areas where you could set up a suitable temporary base camp. It is better to visit these sites personally so there are no surprises. Make some arrangement with a property owner. Start camping frequently so you and your family/friends can get used to living simply. The more isolated the better. The more you feel comfortable being out of your comfort zone the less likely you will be emotional and irrational when you may have to rough it for a longer period.

Even if you have a country survival base all ready, a caravan or van, you will still need to have basic camping shelter and equipment stored. This is your escape back up if your plans go wrong. You may not be able to access a safe location by car or you may be forced to move from your established country survival base, even temporarily, for some life threatening reason.

SURVIVAL RETREAT LOCATION AND SHELTER

If you have committed yourself to surviving and you have your emergency survival food supplies and your emergency mobile shelter, the next step is thinking about how you will survive after the collapse. To best survive after the collapse you will need to establish a survival base in an isolated country area before the collapse. Ideally, you have been living there full time for at least two years before the collapse. Now would be a good time to move there.

Your level of comfort after a collapse will depend how well you have established your survival base. Some very fortunate people who already live in country houses with established vegetable gardens, chicken runs, an independent energy source such as wind or solar power, solar hot water systems and wood stoves will find very little change in their lifestyles except for increased food production efforts and security. Others who have escaped from the cities with the bare necessities will find the transition to a survival lifestyle extremely difficult until shelter and water needs are met and food production routines are established.

There will be many different levels of survival scenarios that people in different circumstances will have to survive in and begin a new life. For simplicity, only the survival and self-sufficiency needs of establishing a country retreat will be discussed. It would be expected that these needs would be similar or could be adapted to fit other post collapse self-sufficiency lifestyles.

You will need to own your own land and house. If you rent the landlords may decide to move back there just before the collapse leaving you stranded with nowhere else to retreat to. After a world collapse property ownership titles may not exist.

An ideal survival base would be a minimum of 40 acres in an isolated country area preferably on the edge of a National Park. You will have a source of fresh drinking water either from a bore, a permanent dam or a permanent creek. You will need plenty of timber available for firewood and construction. It will need to be near the sea, a lake or a river for fish, crabs, shellfish and prawns as an extra food source and for salt. Salt can be used for trading later. An established farmhouse is ideal.

There will be a forest nearby for hunting. The land will have good soil for growing crops. The area will be isolated and a very long distance from any large towns or cities. The climate will be moderate where it does not get dangerously cold for very long periods or too hot and humid, limiting working time. It will have a good rainfall.

A used shipping container will make a safe storage shed. They are strong and will keep your supplies safely locked away. It would take a lot of effort for a thief to break into a securely locked container. Keep it under shade or it will get too hot inside. The container can also be used as a safe shelter during extreme weather events or even as living quarters. They are reasonably cheap to convert and are quick to set up.

WATER

Water is the most important requirement we need for survival. Without it we will only last a few days during hot weather. Water also has to be safe to drink. Waterholes in dried up creeks or rivers can be very polluted and unsafe to drink.

There is a tragic story from Australia’s gold rush days when alluvial prospectors began to drink the water from the Palmer River in North Queensland soon after a dry season had ended. The river had just started to flow again and the prospectors thought it was safe to drink because it was flowing. Unfortunately for the prospectors the small trickle of water was flowing through severely polluted waterholes upstream and quite a few of the prospectors died.

A waterhole can become very toxic if an animal or several fish die and decomposes in it. Any large water storage containers, such as house tanks, will need to be screened from animals accidently falling in and drowning.

Your survival location will need a good source of drinkable water all year round. You will need to live near one of the following; a permanent river or creek, a lake and large dam, a bore with a windmill or some other method of water retrieval, a year round spring or at least 3 water tanks collecting water from a roof.

People do not need a great volume of water stored for drinking. Half of one normal house water tank is enough to last a family for a year. Most of the water a modern household uses is for cleaning purposes. Do not use scarce drinking water for gardening or washing, including personal hygiene. Use water from the dam or creek for this. If water is scarce be water smart and recycle your water, e.g. used personal hygiene water can be used for washing which can then be used for gardening.

Always monitor the level of your water tanks regularly to determine whether it is necessary to restrict your water usage or not. It takes time to adjust from a city attitude of abundant water to having to monitor and restrict your water usage.

In most cases water from water tanks does not need to be treated with any chemicals, provided no light or animals enters the tank. It is very pleasant drinking pure water, especially after a heavy downfall of rain. For a few days after a downfall the water has a refreshing ‘sparkling silver’ taste. Make sure all entries into the tank are screened with wire mesh to prevent animals falling in and drowning, even the overflow outlet. All other sources of water may need to be boiled and/or treated with water purifying tablets or chlorine.

If you have access to energy or firewood think about distilling non drinkable water. If you have plenty of firewood on your property you may be able to construct a water distiller using a fire heat source or if you are clever enough, construct a water distiller using solar power as a heat source. There are several good commercial water distillers available.

In the suburbs you can store water in bathtubs and waterbeds for drinking use only. Get used to being dirty. You will need a supply of water purifying tablets or liquid chlorine to help purify any water you find. Swimming pools will be a great source for drinking water as the chlorine gradually disappears.

FOOD PRODUCTION

Anthropologists studying tribal populations have noticed that hunter gatherer natives in hospitable environments would spend, on average, about 2 hours a day on their survival needs. Harsher climates required more effort to survive. In early days, natural food was also more abundant than today and there was less competition for food. However, a combined hunter gatherer with a farmer lifestyle may be your best chance of long term survival. This combination makes you less affected by adverse survival events like bush fires, floods, crop failures, etc. because you will have a variety of food sources.

When your food production routines are established you will find that you will be recycling your food scraps. For example, you catch some small fish for bait in a cast net. With these small fish you catch larger fish to eat. The skeletons of these fish are used to catch crabs or yabbies. The crabs are eaten and the scraps are given to your chickens. Your chickens also receive other fish skeletons and garden scraps. The chooks convert these scraps to eggs for eating. They also produce excellent fertilizer in their droppings. This goes to the garden beds to increase your crop yield. Nothing is wasted.

GARDENING

This is such a large topic and the food crops that you will grow will depend on the climate in your area, soil type and your survival circumstances. You would be very wise to buy several books on different types of gardening.

Eventually, after many years, organic gardening and recycling will be the main forms of gardening. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers eventually will not be available. However, as a life insurance, a large supply of pesticide and fertilizer to help you get a good crop in the early years of establishing reliable food crops routines would be a good idea.

Some people, like me, may baulk at using pesticides but this is not just about learning to be an organic gardener. This is about surviving and the pesticides may save your crop and therefore save your life. Health effects from using pesticides are irrelevant if you and your family are dead from starvation. As you learn more about organic farming later you may not need to use pesticides.

Whatever you grow you will need to allow some plants to mature to seed or save some vegetables or fruit for seeds. Choose the largest and healthiest plants or fruit or vegetable for seed. If you kept the smallest for seed stock all the time you will eventually end up with all your plants producing much smaller vegetables or fruit in the near future. Make sure the collected seeds have been totally dried or they will become mouldy and useless when stored. Store dried seeds in sealed containers and safe from mice and insects.

Make sure your original seeds are natural or organic. You will also need seed stock for your next crop. Many commercial hybrid seeds that you can buy in stores reproduce poorly, if at all, from their seeds later. Store a large variety of seeds before the collapse as some varieties will grow poorly and others will surprise you with their abundance.

All survival vegetable gardens need to be well fenced with 2 metre wire mesh. In Australia birds, mice, rats, rabbits, bandicoots, possums, pigs and kangaroos as well as your chickens will think that you have grown the vegetables just for them and they will eat or damage most of the crop. By the time you replant, the growing season for that particular vegetable may be over. Do the job properly making a protective fence for your garden or you and your family will starve.

Insects and grubs also need to be controlled. Most of these fly to your garden such as moths and grasshoppers, lay their eggs and the grubs and baby grasshoppers have a good feed as they grow. Some people allow chickens into their garden and they are very good at picking off the bugs but they will also scratch up and destroy fresh garden beds and eat crops like lettuce. Using chickens as a method of insect control is not recommended in a survival situation.

You can make a homemade bug spray which will work on some insects or you can just manually pick the bugs off your plant. If you don’t do something you will lose your crop. A homemade bug spray can be made from crushed onion or garlic mixed with water. Crushed garden bugs mixed with water can also work. These work as deterrents rather than killing insects. Commercial pesticides will be needed initially to make sure your crop is not damaged.

It is better to stop the bugs getting to your plants from the beginning. You can cover your plants with fine netting. This is very awkward to use as the plants grow taller or if strong winds blow it off.

The best solution is to grow your less hardy plants in a greenhouse or a shade cloth house. All you need to build a shade cloth house is a series of metal rods or star pickets hammered in the ground at an angle opposite to each other. Lengths of black irrigation piping fit over the metal rods to form an arch for a roof frame. Shade cloth is draped over the irrigation piping with pieces of shade cloth fastened at the two ends. This structure is simple, cheap and movable but also very effective against bugs and animals. Hardier crops like corn, tomatoes etc. can be grown outside in a fenced garden. The shade cloth will last for many years. They are excellent in summer to tone down the intense light and heat but may not allow enough light during the winter months for some species of plants.

The three main ways you will be gardening are soil gardens, hay gardens and simple hydroponic gardens.

Soil Gardens

There are two common ways you can prepare a garden. You can use a pneumatic pick, spade, garden fork or hoe to prepare your soil. Dig up at least 30 cm deep of soil and break the clumps into small pieces. A timber or concrete border around the garden will raise the garden soil higher to facilitate better water drainage. Add fertilizer to ensure a good healthy crop for the first year.

Fertilizer pellets are better as they continue to fertilize the soil for quite some time as they gradually dissolve. Liquid fertilizer will later give a quick boost to the plants. Do not take risks with your first crop. Later, when reliable food production routines are established, you will use natural fertilizers like manure and compost as fertilizer.

The main risk from using general commercial fertilizers is that you may give the plant an excess of certain nutrients that will adversely affect your crop yield. For example, too much nitrogen will cause rapid growth and very leafy plants but very little fruit or vegetables. Too much calcium will affect the uptake of potassium which will give you only small vegetable crops. This is why I recommend using hydroponic nutrients as a fertilizer for soil gardens as the nutrients are in balance. It takes away the risk of not getting a good crop.

A garden that has been well fertilized with decomposed organic matter is also likely to be well balanced in nutrients for the plants but it may take a year or two to establish a rich fertile garden soil. Eventually this is how you will be gardening. All your organic food scraps can now be saved in a compost bin. This can also be mixed with grass clippings, ash and animal manure to create a very fertile garden soil. If you do not have a compost bin you can still improve your garden fertility by placing the scraps in a compost hole in the garden. The location of this compost hole is moved around the garden as it fills.

The Amazons of South America created massive fertile gardens by burying smouldering logs underground. The resultant coke and charcoal that formed decomposed into very fertile soils which are still used today.

You could also organise truckloads of good fertile soil to be brought in to your country retreat before a collapse. The garden beds are raised and extra fertilizer added. If you do not presently have the time to work in a garden then the soil can be covered with a lightproof covering to prevent weeds and left until needed. Timber borders for a raised garden, trellises for climbing plants and fences could be established in readiness for later use. You will need a productive garden to survive at some time after the collapse.

You will need to rotate your crops in different garden plots after the third season so that you do not deplete important nutrients, in particular nitrogen, from the soil. Every fourth year leave a garden plot to lay fallow, that is, to rest. This allows nitrogen to build back up in the soil by nitrogen fixing bacteria. The replenishment of nitrogen in the soil can also be enhanced by growing only legumes (beans and peas) in a garden plot for a season as these plants also help restore the loss of nitrogen. They have nitrogen fixing bacteria in the nodules of their roots.

You will need to water your young plants lightly twice a day. Other plants are watered once a day in the morning. This allows the foliage to dry quicker which does not attract insects and fungi to moist leaves. To save time and energy you may be able to work out a smarter irrigation system other than by buckets.

Hay gardens

Another common way to make a garden is by using hay. First remove the weeds or grass where your garden will be located. You could also cover the weeds with thick layers of paper, cardboard or other compostable material such as bark. This will kill and prevent the weeds from growing through the hay. Pile the hay about 500 cm high and add solid organic fertilizer (preferably lots of manure and compost) throughout. Add soil on top in rows where the seeds will be planted.

When the hay decomposes it creates a rich garden soil. This garden is quicker to make with less energy and can be improved by adding compost and manure. Sweet potato is one plant that will thrive very well as the hay is decomposing and will help to break down the decomposing hay quicker. After the collapse this is one way to establish or to expand a fertile garden when the surrounding soil is not suitable for gardening. A hydroponic system is another.

Hydroponic gardens

The best form of gardening for survival is hydroponics. There are several types of hydroponic systems, ranging from complex and expensive Nutrient Flow Technique systems to simple and cheap sand cultures. A simple hydroponic sand culture system has many advantages for a garden where the main focus is survival, especially for novice gardeners. These are:

1. They are very simple, quick to set up and can be utilized immediately.
2. Crop success is almost guaranteed, even for the novice gardener. Your life will depend on successful crops occurring. Your crops will grow quicker and larger than in most soil gardens.
3. They are portable. They can be moved around to avoid damage by storms and are easier to hide.
4. Local soil conditions are irrelevant. Many soils are deficient in one or more plant nutrients making it very difficult to grow a successful crop. In a hydroponic sand culture garden you are giving the plant all the nutrients it needs.
5. They are very easy to maintain. There is no weeding or digging making it less time consuming which allows you more time for other survival issues.
6. They are very water efficient. You are able to grow more produce with less water.
7. Other mediums besides sand can be used. The sand is only needed to support the plant and to anchor the roots. Even soil can be used.
8. The hydroponic nutrients are excellent fertilizers for normal soil gardens.
9. Nutrient solutions can be made naturally. Fish emulsion can be used as a nutrient later on when your chemical nutrients are depleted.
10. Plants are healthier and are more resistant to pests and diseases.

Hydroponics is the growing of plants without using soil as a source of nutrients. There are many different types of hydroponic systems and it is very likely that the lettuces, cucumbers, shallots and other vegetables that you buy from your local supermarket are produced in a hydroponic farm.

When you add fresh compost to a garden, the plants are not able to use it until the bacteria in the soil breaks the compost down into very simple chemical molecules. These chemical molecules (nutrients) are then dissolved into the water within the soil. The plants are now able to absorb these nutrients through their roots and the plant grows. Plants cannot absorb solids.

Hydroponic nutrient solutions contain ALL the nutrients a plant needs for healthy growth. Just as important, these hydroponic nutrients are in the right balance. An excess or deficiency of any nutrient can ruin a crop. Many soils have a deficiency or an excess of important plant nutrients. This is why hydroponics will nearly always give better crop results than soil grown vegetables.

All genuine liquid commercial hydroponic concentrates come in 2 containers. One container has nitrates and the other container has phosphates, sulphates and trace elements. In concentrated form these nutrients cannot be mixed together or a precipitate (solid) will form which the plants cannot use.

When a gardener is ready to use some nutrients in his garden the concentrates are diluted up to 400 times. For example one litre from each container is added to a 400 litre container of water. Plants are then watered with this diluted solution when they need it. Since none of this solution is lost like in soil gardens where it drains away, very little is used compared to soil gardens. None of the nutrient solution is wasted.

Plants do not need much nutrients. I am always amazed that all a tomato plant will need for its entire life is just 3 tablespoons from each container plus water. That tomato plant will produce 5 kg to 10 kg of tomatoes from that small amount of nutrient.

Hydroponic systems range from very complex and expensive to set up to very simple and cheap to set up. I prefer a simple hydroponic sand culture garden and crop results are still high.

All you need is a non–metal container about 25 cm high. Metal containers will react to the nutrients.

Drill a small hole 3 mm to 5 mm wide into the container about 25 mm up from the inside bottom. This is for excess water drainage so the plants will not be over watered. It also creates a nutrient reservoir for 2 or 3 days without the need for watering. For neater water outflow insert a small straw section or tube into the hole. Excess nutrients can be collected and reused so there is very little wastage.

Add 10 cm to 20 cm of coarse sand into the container, depending on the size of the plants. Beach sand needs to be washed four times to remove the salt. The sand contains no nutrients for the plant. Its function is to anchor the roots and to support the plant. The sand also allows oxygen to reach the roots. Medium to fine perlite is also suitable but more expensive. Perlite is very light in weight and more porous but it is hard to separate the roots from the perlite for reuse.

Add some seeds or seedlings to the container, use some hydroponic nutrients and you have a basic hydroponic system that is very reliable for growing vegetables. Just make sure that those vegetables are suitable for your climate and season. Shading may be needed during summer.

Any size container can be used from a half of a milk container to a children’s swimming pool.

You can create a large area for a hydroponic sand culture using the same principal. Wrap some polythene builder’s plastic sheeting over two horizontal wires that are 1 metre apart and about 30 cm off the ground to form a cross section U-shape. The wires are kept tight by wire tensioners. The wires are supported by vertical pieces of timber at 1 metre intervals. This also stops the plastic bulging out when sand is placed inside. The width is held in place by horizontal lengths of timber at 2 metres intervals. An occasional prop on the side may be needed to keep the wires straight.

The ends of the plastic are draped over a timber board 15 cm high. This completes the container and the lower height at the end allows for emergency drainage during a heavy rainfall. An outlet valve is placed at the lowest point to drain the container of water or nutrient when necessary. If the container is longer than 10 metres then run a 1.5 inch irrigation pipe down the centre for both drainage and watering purposes. The piping has 15 mm holes about 1.5 metres intervals along the pipe. Heavy duty shade cloth is placed over the holes to stop the sand from entering the pipes.

The piping can be used for extra drainage during rain. The piping can also be connected to a water/ nutrient solution tank and be used to water the roots while keeping the surface sand dry to avoid algae and fungus growth.

The container is filled to a height of 15 cm with course washed sand (not with saltwater as some gravel companies do).

A 40 metre hydroponic sand culture garden is enough to feed an average family with a variety of vegetables. It is better to have a number of shorter lengths to avoid one problem affecting the whole crop.

Many commercial hydroponic nutrients on the market today are not designed for vegetable production. They have been designed for maximum marijuana production. If you used these nutrient solutions on your vegetables your plants would be very leafy but would produce only a small amount of vegetables. This might be okay for lettuces but I have found that most of these nutrient solutions also contain other substances besides nutrients, such as growth hormones, fillers, emulsions and possibly other substances not listed.

In one commercial hydroponic nutrient solution for vegetables I have found that the nutrient balance was completely different to that recommended by university horticultural research. I only found this out after wondering why my young tomato plants turned purple and weren’t growing well. Now I make and sell my own hydroponic nutrient solution that contains only the pure nutrients needed by vegetable plants. Nothing else is added.

I have a career background in chemistry and biology and have spent many years growing vegetables in my own gardens. I use the latest research data from three international horticultural universities and their recommendations for a hydroponic nutrient formula for vegetables and it works very well.

My formula is a general purpose formula that is suitable for all stages of a plant’s growth and will produce high crop yields. For maximum crop yields commercial growers use a separate formula for each of the early plant growth, flowering and fruiting stages. These can also be supplied on request for experienced hydroponic growers. Using a three stage nutrient system becomes very complex and expensive for a household gardener growing several varieties of vegetables at different stages and is not recommended for most gardeners. The three (or two) stage nutrient system is more suited for single crop production.

It is advisable to stock up on seeds and hydroponic nutrient powder as much as possible well before the collapse. For preppers living in Australia it is better to store hydroponic nutrients in powder form as it stores longer and is more value for money.

PLANTING GUIDE

Many vegetables will only grow at certain times of the year. For example, peas will only grow during the colder months as the hot summer sun will destroy this delicate plant. It is a huge waste of effort and seeds trying to grow vegetables out of season. Practice growing vegetables in pots before the collapse to know what to plant in a survival garden later. The Planting Guide below will help you to plant your vegetables in the right season depending in which climate you live in.

FISHING

Many peoples’ experience of fishing is to throw a fishing line into the sea at the end of a crowded jetty and wait patiently for any type of fish to commit suicide. You know you would starve if you had to depend on this method of fishing and so would most people. There are much easier and better ways to catch fish.

FISHING WITH NETS

Fishing can be a very effective and easy way to obtain food. The most effective way for anyone with no experience to catch fish is by a net. You will get a feed 90% of the time or more depending on your location. There are 3 types of nets you could use.

Gill Nets

In most states in Australia only licenced fishermen are legally allowed to possess a gill net. However, if you can get hold of one or even a smaller length of one and store it for use until after the collapse it will definitely be a source of large fish for you and your family with very little work involved. You can buy just the nylon netting, floats, rope and sinkers separately and make the complete net up later when needed. Fish will try to swim through the net but the larger fish will get caught by their gills. A boat or canoe would make setting the net easier and you will be able to fish in deeper water. Set the net in a bay, river or large creek, anchor it or secure it to shore so that the tide and very large marine creatures won’t move it and wait, usually overnight. Bring your catch in next morning or earlier if there is a need for it.

You will not want to be seen by other survivors that are not in your group or they may raid the fish or most likely take the net when you are not there. For this reason it will pay to stand watch over the net during the night. All survival equipment is too valuable to risk being stolen. It is also possible to have heavier weights on the bottom of the net so that the floats do not reach the surface. This way the net remains totally underwater and is less likely to be seen. This is an easy way to feed a group of people as this type of net targets larger fish. The thick nylon mesh will allow the net to last for a long time if it is looked after and rinsed in freshwater and dried after use.

Drag Nets

These are about 11 metres long with 1 inch wide mesh and are also very effective at catching a meal of fish with the advantage you do not have to leave your net overnight. With one person on each end of the net, the net is dragged a short distance over sand or silt at about waist deep forming a semicircle. Poles are often fastened to the ends of the nets to make dragging the net in the water easier. When both people head towards shore, the fish are trapped within the semicircle and are dragged up onto land to collect. It will not take very long for a beginner to be successful.

The most important thing to remember is to make the vertical height of the net form a bow or arch to catch the fish as the net is dragged up the shore.

You will almost always catch a feed of fish after a few drags even if they are small. Sardines and herrings taste good even if they are small. Often you will get a mix of medium size fish and small fish. Drag nets are excellent for catching bait for line fishing or for crab bait. Be very careful you do not tear your net on rocks etc. as the nets are not replaceable. They can be repaired though.

In many places at certain times of the year, usually just before the wet season, prawns will school over sea grass flats and muddy bottoms. You will see the prawns jumping in front of you and you will have to drag the net a little faster but the procedure is the same as for fish. It is common to catch a bucket of prawns when they are schooling. Prawns are boiled in sea water for about 1 to 2 minutes until they turn a pinkish colour.

Drag netting at night will often be rewarded with larger fish, even in areas that weren’t successful during the day. One system that works well is one person rows a boat and has one end of the net fastened to the back of the boat and the other person walks along the shore with the other end. After a suitable distance the boat heads to shore and the net is dragged ashore.

Wear footwear and if you are in the tropics wear a body cover, such as jeans or pantyhose, to protect your legs from the deadly box jellyfish. In Northern Australia be careful of box jellyfish being caught in the net as even broken off tentacles will sting. If stung, quickly remove the tentacle strands with your fingers. This may sting your fingers but it is very important that the long tentacle strands are removed. If available pour vinegar over the stings to neutralize them. Give CPR if needed.

You can buy 100 metres lengths of just nylon netting to store away to make drags nets up when your present nets wear out. The lead for bottom weights and the floats can be recycled from the old net. Extra lead can be obtained from old car batteries.

Cast Nets

These are round nets that are thrown onto a school of fish. The lead weights sink deeper around the fish. As the cord holding the net is pulled towards shore the lead weights, which are attached to the bottom of the net, come together to stop the fish from escaping. The net is dragged ashore or onto a boat and the fish are collected.

It takes some practice to throw the net so that it opens up in a large circle just before it hits the water. There are several ways to throw the net and it helps to get first hand advice from an experienced thrower.

Fasten the end of the rope to your left wrist. Your right hand grabs the top of the net and also the middle of the net. The left hand lifts up 3 loops of the net from the bottom to be held by the index finger of the right hand. Finally the left hand grabs a handful of weights from the bottom of the net and you twist your right hand as you throw. Easier said than done. Throw only a small distance at first until you get the technique right. If this young boy can do it so can you.

Casts nets are very good for getting bait for fishing lines and that will be their main purpose but in desperate times baitfish may be small but they are quite edible. Cast nets can also be used to catch prawns and can be used in places where drag nets can’t.

You can catch many medium and large size fish with a cast net using a different style of fishing. If you throw a cast net over a small rock pool washed by small surf you can catch quite a few medium size bream and other fish. The bream entangle themselves in the net and the net is carefully unsnagged from the rock pool.

You can also throw the net over a ledge under a rock in the water. Then use a stick to poke deep into the ledge. Quite often good size fish hide under ledges and will try to escape but will be entangled in the net. Again carefully unsnag the net from the rock.

If you walk through shallow water on a calm day sometimes you will disturb a flathead or sole that has been hiding half buried in the sand. The flathead will generally go a short distance and then it ‘disappears’ as it buries itself in the sand again but deeper. Throw the net over the spot where the flathead disappeared, then poke a stick through the mesh of the net into the sand until you disturb the flathead again. Again the flathead will try to escape but this time it will entangle itself in the net. Large flathead can be caught this way. These methods of netting may not be legal in some states but will be useful after a collapse when you need to survive.

Your nets will last for several years if you wash them in fresh water after each use. Do not leave fish trapped in the mesh or rats and mice will eat holes in the net. Hang your nets up in a bag out of the sun and weather. Rats and mice will make a nest within a net lying on the ground. Stock up on fish nets and netting as they will be very good food producers during survival conditions.

FISHING WITH LINES

To catch fish consistently with a fishing line you need to know what fish you are after, where to fish for them, when to fish for them and how to fish for them. If you are just throwing a line out and hoping for the best you will starve to death for you will be wasting time when you could be better looking for other sources of food. When you do know what you are doing then line fishing can be an easy way to catch all the fish you need.

Always try something different if there doesn’t seem to be any fish around or move to a different place. Each location is a unique fishing experience. You have to figure out what fishing method is best and even this will change with seasons, tides, weather and time of day.

The best time to fish is around 3 hours during sunrise and sunset on an incoming tide. This is when fish are actively looking for food. In deeper water fish tend to bite throughout the day. Local knowledge and experience will be important. In general, avoid eating fish with no scales, unless you are familiar with them, as many of this type of fish are very poisonous to eat. Other fish have poisonous spikes that can be very painful and sometimes fatal. Obtain a fish identification book for your area.

Another important survival factor will be that you will have to change your attitude towards your fishing tackle. When the collapse occurs you will not be able to go to the nearest store and replace your tackle and nets once they are lost or damaged. You will now need to be very careful not to take risks in even losing one single hook or length of fishing line.

In the past you may have fished over rocks and snags and if you lost some tackle when you got snagged it didn’t matter because it was cheap and replaceable. After a collapse you will have to be very careful where you fish. A single hook cannot be replaced if lost. Don’t lose your tackle to rust or to exposure from excessive weathering either. Only use a few hooks for fishing. The bulk of your hooks are stored away from the sea spray which will rust hooks. Use wire traces to stop a fish from biting your hook off. You may not catch as many fish but you will be able to fish for a long time until you learn to make your own hooks somehow.

Although lures can be excellent at catching some types of fish they all will eventually be lost through snags and break ups if they are used all the time to catch fish. The amount of fish caught for the energy used in lure fishing may not be economical for survival unless you know what you are doing.

A side cast reel will last far longer than any other reel as there are less major parts to rust and there are less moving parts because of its simple design.

The most reliable way to always catch fish with a fishing line is with bait. The majority of fisherman today will go down to the local tackle shop and buy the bait they need. You won’t have this luxury when a collapse occurs. You will have to obtain your own bait. This is where a drag net or a cast net is important. If you cannot catch bait with these nets then it is often an indication there are not many big predator fish around either.

Small fish can be caught with small hooks and used for bait. If you are using fish for bait I have found using live fish is even better. Use the fish straight from the net or place the live bait in a bucket or pool for later use.

In some locations sharks and stingrays are very common and can often be caught late in the evening or night. One shark will feed a lot of people. The skin can be used as leather. Use size 4/0 hooks or larger with a wire trace. Target only smaller sharks as large sharks will break your line and you will lose tackle. Soak the skinned shark fillets in seawater for a few hours to remove any ammonia odour.

If there are no bait fish you can use oysters, pipis, yabbies, solder crabs, or mussels in the colder climates and the soft lumps on surf rocks called cunjevoi for bait. Using a garden fork you can dig for wiggler worms in the sand between high and low tides of a bay. You can dig up large blood worms in the mud or smaller rock worms in the pebbly areas. Wash your pitchfork with fresh water afterwards to avoid rust.

It takes a bit of training and skill to catch the large surf worms with your fingers and using a small piece of fish for bait. If you drift a fresh fish skeleton in shallow water across the surf sand at low tide you will see the heads of large surf worms pop up appear above the sand as the wave retreats. With the left hand tease the worm with a small piece of fish until the worm grabs the bait.

As you get the worm to stretch just a little bit you carefully put the finger and thumb of your right hand just under the sand around the worms head but not touching it. You wait until the worm begins a small upward movement just before it starts dragging the bait back down its hole. During this upward movement you quickly squeeze your finger around the worms head tightly and pull the worm out of its hole quickly. You will find you will have a worm up to one and a half metres long. Pieces of this worm make excellent bait for whiting, dart and bream.

Yabbies are very common in bays on the sand or mud flats at low tide. You will see hundreds of marble size holes. To catch these you need a yabby pump. It doesn’t take too long to figure out how these work but simply all you are doing is sucking up the yabbies out of their holes. Yabbies make excellent bait for whiting and bream and it is best to fish the yabby banks at high tide.

Mud crabs are often present where there are mangroves. These can be caught by throwing out a fish skeleton on a line. When a crab takes the bait the line will slowly go tight. Drag the crab back to shore or boat. They will often grip the bait tight until they reach shore especially at night. Use a fish net to scoop the crab up before it lets go of the bait. Night fishing is often a better time to catch crabs. Boil the crab in seawater for about 12 minutes.

Crab pots traps are also used for both mud crabs and sand crabs. Secure a fish skeleton at the bottom of the net and leave the crab pot overnight. For mud crabs place the crab pot near some mangroves or in a tidal creek with a muddy bottom. For sand crabs place the crab pot over sandy areas. Be careful of the mud crabs claws as they are very powerful and could cause you an injury. The crabs can be killed almost instantaneously by stabbing them with a knife underneath at the tip of the crab’s flap.

Mud crabs can also be pulled out of their holes in the mud using a long hook.

A word of warning. Many small rock and coral crabs may be poisonous to eat.

Australian aborigines built many fish traps along the Australian coastline. These were simply a wall of rocks blocking the fish’s exit to the sea. Fish would swim over the rock wall at high tide and would be trapped as the tide went out. The aborigines would either collect the fish at low tide or spear them in the shallow enclosed pools. After a collapse you can also use your drag nets set across a shallow tidal creek at high tide.

Some of the fishing methods I have described above are currently illegal to use in many states. These methods are only mentioned to help you to survive after our society collapses. Check with your relevant fishing authority as to what fishing methods are illegal in your state at present.

CHICKENS

If they can survive the raiding gangs from the collapse chaos period then chickens will be a great asset to your food production. Not only will you be getting a regular supply of nutritious eggs as well as an occasional chicken meal but you will have an excellent source of fertilizer for your garden. You can use their feathers for arrow flights or for soft beds. The emphasis is on raising egg laying hens not on raising them as a meat source. Although the latter will happen over time as your chickens grow old or as you need to cull some of your roosters, it is more food efficient to focus on egg production.

To raise chickens you will need a strong predator proof enclosure. This is usually a small mesh high quality wire that will keep out snakes, rats, goannas, wild dogs, foxes and feral cats. The chickens need to be totally secure and safe. This is very important or you will lose your chickens very quickly to predators. The chicken pen may even need some roof protection against hawks. Avoid white chickens. Their obvious white colour makes them easy victims to predators and they are often the first to be caught.

During the collapse period you will need to keep your chickens near you to protect them from people looking for an easy meal. I strongly recommend a small cage about 2 metres square consisting of thick wire mesh, including the floor, to protect against large animals. This is then covered with fine wire mesh to protect the chickens from snakes. A small python will still crush several adult chooks to death even though they are too big to swallow and eat. The chickens will also need a weather proof enclosure within this cage to roost at night and to lay their eggs.

A year supply of chook food is reasonable cheap. You will need about 1 kg of mixed whole grain seed per week per chicken which is 56 kg of mixed seed per year. For a rooster and five young hens you will need to store a minimum of 300 kg of mixed grains per year. Your food scraps will help supplement the other nutrients they need and also stretch the grain supply to last longer. The chickens also need pasture to graze on for greens and insects etc. Move you cages around the yard to achieve this. The chickens will also keep your grass near the house short. In return you will receive about 3 to 5 eggs per week per chicken.

If you are available to watch over them let your chickens out of the pen to forage about 1 hour before sunset each day if possible. They will wander too far away if you let them out earlier. Just before dark they will return by themselves to the pen to roost because they know it is safe from predators there. You must remember to lock the door afterwards or they all could be gone the next day.

The chickens will need a hay filled box to lay their eggs in. If you have a solid floor under their roost you can collect their manure for fertilizer as it builds up. Make sure they have shade and plenty of water or they will die of dehydration from exposure to the hot sun. At about 18 months old the chickens will go into a moulting stage where they do not lay eggs. They will resume laying eggs normally after 3 to 4 months.

You will need a rooster for the hens to lay fertile eggs so you can have chicks. If you do not have a brooding hen that wants to hatch her eggs then you will have to try and hatch the eggs yourself to continue the line of hens. Collect about a dozen eggs and incubate the eggs at a constant 37 degrees centigrade somehow. Turn the eggs over occasionally. At exactly 21 days all the eggs will hatch at the same time. Keep the chicks warm and feed them scrambled egg to start with. Use a shallow water dish or the chicks may drown in a deeper one. 50% will be roosters but you won’t be able to tell the difference for several weeks.

It may be possible to use the body heat of a restrained chook to incubate eggs. As a quick thought the chooks legs may be tied together through two holes in a bowl which contain the eggs. It may be very restrictive for the chook for three weeks but at least you have more hens later. Again this is only a method to consider for survival situations.

A rooster’s morning crow will give away your presence or let people know that you have chickens. If you do not want this to occur place the rooster in a dark sound proofed box every night and let him out during the day. A rubber ring around his neck will also interrupt a potential loud crow.

OTHER LIVESTOCK

Only in the more isolated and less populated country areas will you be able to raise and protect larger numbers of range livestock with some degree of success. If this can be successfully done for a year when the worst effects of the collapse are past then you will have a great advantage for future survival and a comfortable lifestyle.

Horses will eventually be the main means of transport again, including associated buggies and trays. Work animals such as Drysdale horses and bullocks will be needed for ploughing fields or moving logs and will be in demand.

Other livestock such as goats and cows for milking, cattle for food and leather, will be also become an important part of the new beginning. Pigeons can be used for messages.

There are very few people around nowadays that have a good knowledge of working with farm animals so it will be important to obtain as many books as possible in this area as possible before the collapse.

SCAVENGING

This is not a wise option unless you know what you are looking for and know how to find it. If you do not know what you are doing you could very likely get food poisoning or worse. Many mushrooms and fungi are edible but some will kill you. Some species of small rock or coral crabs are also poisonous to eat. Many plants need to be boiled and prepared before they can be eaten.

Much of the information of surviving in the wild like a native has been lost and the resources are greatly reduced compared to years ago. The amount of energy spent random scavenging may be greater than the energy you eat. You may also expose yourself unnecessarily to potentially dangerous and desperate people who will claim these areas as their own.

However, there are sources of food that are worth scavenging for. Living near the sea you have oysters on the rocks, shellfish such as pipis in the surf sand, edible seaweeds in rock pools or whelks (shellfish) on the tidal mudflats. On the land you have mushrooms, berries and you may know of fruit trees nearby or the location of vegetable farms and orchards. These latter food sources will most likely be stripped bare in a short time or be well guarded.

HUNTING AND PERSONAL PROTECTION

Unless you live in an area with plenty of game and know what you are doing you will expend more energy than the food you catch. You will also be seriously competing with a lot of other experienced hunters for the same limited amount of food and they may want to get rid of their competition.

For this reason another safer way to obtain meat will be by trapping small animals. There are a number of trapping methods available but for simplicity and effectiveness the standard spring loaded rat trap and the trap door cage would be the best. In a city, even rats themselves could be a regular supply of meat for quite some time. They can even be caught with a strong fishing line and a baited hook. Pumpkin seeds or similar make a good bait.

Many types of birds can be caught by a set fishing line and a hook with worms or fish for bait. Even other animals such as lizards, rats and other mammals can be caught this way using different baits.

Rabbits can be caught by finding a rabbit warren, which is a rabbit colony in the ground with several holes, and smoking them out. First you have to locate and place a net over all the exits except for the one where you build a smoking fire. You will have to be quick to catch the rabbits before they escape.

Everything and anything will be hunted including the local park ducks, domestic cows, horses, dogs, cats and rats. It will only be a relatively short time before most animals are hunted out or have been scared out of your area. This mode of food production then collapses as a viable means to survive.

Although firearms will eventually run out of non-replaceable ammunition, in the short term while a collapse is still occurring, they will be the best weapon for hunting and for personal protection. For this reason it will be wise to stock up on ammunition, for without it a rifle is useless. If your budget is open then it would be advantageous to owning a number of different rifles for different size game. A powerful air rifle would be excellent for hunting small game and birds as they will not be scared out of the area. You also will not alert other people to your presence. It may also be possible to manufacture more pellets from old batteries if your original supply is used up.

Binoculars can be used to locate game as well as unwanted intruders. Night vision binoculars will be even better. Long distance listening devices may also help you to determine a gang of intruder’s intentions as well as a hunting aid.

Long after the collapse has occurred a recurve bow may be the best option to hunt with. Ammunition for rifles will be gone. Worn pulleys and other parts on a compound bow cannot be replaced. There are no moving parts on a recurve bow and the arrows are reusable. New replacement arrows can be made. They will also be effective for personal safety if needed.

A good quality hunting knife will be a constant companion wherever you go. Make sure you spend the extra money on a very good quality hunting knife as it will be used frequently and for a long time. Several knives stored for later use will be even better. Sharpening stones will also be needed.

Your hunting weapons will also be the weapons you will use for your protection. Make sure you have plenty of ammunition to last several years. Hopefully by then the situation will be a lot more civilized. Your night vision binoculars, long distance listening device, walkie talkies, 12 volt alarms, watch dog, 12 volt LED spotlight will all give you an advantage if you have intruders and these may even discourage an attack on your house.

The laser pointers combined with some knowledge of Morse code will give you the means to communicate quietly over long distances at night and day. This will be useful to alert others of danger or just telling the workers in the field that dinner is ready. Personal walkie talkies for each family member would also be advisable. Setting up alarms in a country setting may not be practical unless you can find a way to stop animals, birds and bats tripping the alarm. Video cameras and spotlights using solar energy may be the better option for increased security.

Surveillance drones may also save you hunting time as well as checking out safe areas and intruder movements

12 VOLT POWER AND APPLIANCES

There is no reason not to have the luxuries of modern life after the collapse if possible. Solar panels can provide almost all the power you need to live a comfortable life after the collapse. Although the solar panels, batteries and appliances will eventually break down they will last for some considerable time. Even when they do break down it is possible that there will be a trade system operating supplying these items from suburbs to country areas in exchange for food.

If you have a well-equipped solar powered country house as a survival base, seriously consider backing up extra solar panels, batteries, wires, connections and appliances. They will break down eventually. At some time in the future these luxuries will not be able to be replaced but for the first generation after the collapse they should still be available.

The most important uses for solar power after a collapse would be for lighting and for powering a portable 12 volt refrigerator. The latter will preserve excess food for later consumption rather than wasting it. You will also be able to create ice for eskies which will be a very tradeable item.

You will need at least a 10 amp solar panel which will be large enough to power a small 12 volt portable fridge and a few LED lights. You will also need a couple of deep cycle batteries about 120 Ah each and a controller. You need enough power in your batteries to use as a backup for when there is a period of cloudy weather. A backup wind generator will complement the solar panel.

Your connecting wires need to be thick enough to carry the current without resistance. Avoid using the common cheaper double black and red car speaker wires as these are much too thin. 6 mm grade is usually sufficient for most small jobs. Any less and you risk losing power through wire resistance.

A fridge is very useful for spacing out your meals when you have caught a large fish or animal that is too big for one meal. This helps to conserve energy as you do not have to fish or hunt every day. Leftover cooked food can also be stored safely. Bait can also be stored for later use. If the fridge is in freezer mode then ice can be made for an esky to act as a fridge. Freshly caught fish can be kept for a later meal without spoiling on a hot day. An esky will keep vegetables like beans, tomatoes, peas, zucchinis etc. for a longer period. Even a cold drink on a hot day is worth it. It is important to get quality well insulated eskies and 12 volt refrigerators and not the cheap ones.

The solar panel can also be used to recharge AA and AAA batteries for torches, walkie talkies, radios etc. Although the latest AA and AAA rechargeable batteries can be charge a thousand times they will get lost or damaged. Keep extra stocks of these batteries on hand. LED night lights also make night life much easier. You will also need at least one good torch for each family member. The best torches are the zoom torches.

A 12 volt LED spotlight powered by a small 35 Ah deep cycle battery makes it very portable. This will be very handy for hunting, the odd night fix it jobs and for security. It could also be used for spearing fish and crabs at night and for night netting.

There is only your budget to stop you from being set up in a complete solar powered lifestyle. You could even have solar charged battery operated bicycles, cars or buggies. A solar powered energy source can also be supplemented by wind power, fuel generators and even a steam engine if you have plenty of wood available. If you live in a country retreat it would be well worth while to set yourself up to live off the power grid.

Most importantly do not forget to obtain some 12 volt or AA powered radios. Since this is most likely going to be your main source of information about the outside world then it would be best to buy the better radios with the ability to pick up a wide range of bandwidths. You may need extra antenna wire for better reception. Stock up on batteries. 

LIST OF EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR A NEW BEGINNING

This is not about proving that you can survive on the least amount of modern technology. This is about giving you and your family the best chance of surviving using whatever methods or equipment is available. The more survival backups you have the better your chances of surviving.

You must also take into account that many of the survival advantages you have will slowly disappear as the availability of modern technology equipment gradually disappears over time. Hopefully a multi-community exchange barter system will evolve to delay your loss of the technological advantage for survival. That is, bartering food produced in the country for equipment abandoned in the suburbs. Even if they cannot be replaced they will give you plenty of time to adapt to a life without them.

The more equipment and spares you have, the longer the time you will have to slowly and successfully adapt to a life without them. The existence of a barter system is not guaranteed. Your location may be too isolated or it may be too dangerous for trade to occur. These are very real possibilities so you will have to allow for these in your preparations and plan to be independent. Trade will be a bonus.

It is very important to have a very good supply of hardware equipment on hand. A well supplied workshop with all the tools and equipment is a must. If some general equipment becomes lost then it may be possible to make new replacements yourself. This will greatly extend your technological survival advantage. You will also need this to literally rebuild your life so the more hardware you have the better.

It is assumed that you have established or will be moving to a country retreat and your preparations for the collapse are just beginning. You also have a lockable weatherproof storage shed and a substantial bank account.

The recommended number, including spares, is based on the author’s own personal experience and circumstances. It is a rough estimate of what may be needed for several years after the collapse. You will have to adapt this list to your own circumstances.

There will be many areas of survival that I have not mentioned that may also be important in different circumstances. I have tried to cover most of the major areas but more importantly I have got you to think about your own survival needs. This will need to be a full time preoccupation before the collapse and certainly after the collapse.

It is very important to not take any risks that could lead to an injury. There will be very little medical back up available and a simple small cut could fester into a life threatening sore. You would then be a liability to the rest of your survival group. Ambulances and doctors will not be available. Many women and babies will die during childbirth after the collapse. Prepare your medical supplies accordingly.

You may see and hear of many terrible things that fellow human beings have committed but ultimately you will need to work within a community for your best chance of continuing survival. It is through helping each other in times of need that the bonds of a strong community and friendships are forged. These are not only your best assets for survival but also the main ingredients for a happy fulfilling life. A new society built on the foundations of truth and love would be the best inheritance we could ever give our great grandchildren. Let’s do it right this time.

If you have read all the content in this website and have already been preparing for a world collapse then you also have the skills, knowledge and foresight to be a good leader. It will be up to you to make a personal jump and give yourself the authority to start organizing a survival community after the collapse. The sooner you do this and the larger the community you create the safer you and everyone else will be from raiding gangs. By working together the chance of long term survival for everyone increases many fold. The lives and happiness of the surviving people around you will depend on you to do this. This is the supreme sacrifice you will have to make for everyone to be safe and civilized again. You live for others.

Cheers