Jules Dervaes turned his backyard into an urban garden that produces more than 3,100kg of fruit and vegetables per year. His initial goal was to protect his family from genetically modified foods. In addition, he uses alternative energy systems in his home and produces his own biodiesel. All this with the aim of reducing its environmental footprint.
Jules Dervaes and his three children grow 350 varieties of organic herbs, fruits and vegetables on a 405 m2 plot of land, located 15 minutes from the city of Los Angeles (United States). The 3,100 kg produced serve to supply 90% of the family’s vegetarian diet throughout the year. They estimate that they eat for less than USD$2.00 a day per capita. The surplus is sold to restaurants and local food service companies.
“For more than a decade, we have proven that growing your own food in urban areas can be sustainable, practical, successful and beautiful,” the Dervaes family explains on their website. They live in Pasadena, the seventh most populous city in Los Angeles County. His house is located 30 meters from the intersection of two highways. The venture they developed has proven to be a productive model of sustainable agriculture, but also an excellent example of an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
“After finding a safe way to feed ourselves with our backyard crops, we got brave and wanted to go further. We started using alternative energy for our home and making homemade biodiesel for our car,” the Dervaes explain. They also began to use second-hand products in order to reduce their consumption. To expand the initial garden project, they set up an animal farm to produce eggs and fertilizer and put up beehives. “Along with new technologies, we are beginning to adopt the lifestyles of past generations,” adds the family.
Jules Dervaes had learned to farm in 1973. However, the project did not start until 2000, when he learned that genetically modified foods were being introduced to the market. Thus, what had started as a hobby, became something serious. Reaching the current production levels was not easy, since the soil it had was not good. He had to work hard to increase fertility.
In 2001, the Dervaes named the garden “Path to Freedom” and created a website chronicling their successes and failures. His goal is to inspire other people to follow his example. “It will be more and more urgent to return to old lifestyles. What we do is show what things are possible here and now and illuminate a path that others can follow,” said Jules Dervaes in dialogue with The Permaculture Research Institute.
As he seeks to continue increasing the productivity of his urban garden, the family plans to implement more efficient methods to use water. Thus, they will install a gray water filtering system to reuse what is drained through the sink and bathtub to flush the toilet. They will also design a system of gutters to collect rainwater and store it in cisterns.
Three tips from Jules Dervaes
In an interview with The Permaculture Research Institute, Jules Dervaes left three pieces of advice for those thinking of making a similar lifestyle change:
1. Start by taking small steps, but start!
When it comes to entrepreneurship, most people tend to think big. However, when it comes to making a comprehensive change in one’s lifestyle, the only viable path is to start unexpectedly. It’s just a matter of taking many small steps, one after another, until you achieve something big.
2. Do not hesitate
Jules acknowledges that this is easier said than done. Sometimes he himself feels unable to go ahead with his project. To avoid getting discouraged, he refuses to give up. “When everything seems to be against you, being stubborn is an advantage,” he notes.
3. You must be willing to sacrifice to get results
No dream can be easily achieved. The satisfaction of achieving a goal can only be achieved with effort. Therefore, at each stage of the development of your project, you must be willing to pay the price that needs to be paid, no matter what it is.