GAMCOD1 - grow a million calories from one acre of dirt, year 1

The idea started here.

First, I need to figure out a budget and then do a kickstarter.  I was thinking that this would be my most ambitious kickstarter ever at $300k.  My best ever kickstarter brought in $150k.  Today I learned that somebody is offering to match kickstarter pledges up to $150k - so this makes the kickstarter goal $150k.  (deets)

The plan is to hire

  - five professional gardeners (deets)
  - one professional manager
  - one (maybe two) professional videographers

There will be some cost in seeds and fertilizers.  There are kickstarter fees, and there will be costs for running a kickstarter.  There could be other costs in video stuff.    Calculating budge is here.

Each gardener will have one acre to attempt grow the million calories.  A quarter of that must be flat and be "an organic garden" (deets).  There are some minimums about crops and long term considerations here.

I think each plot will require a permaculture design by the end of the first month.  



What are some new threads that need to be created for this project?

What are some things that need to be figured out?

Things are gearing up!  Anybody else dreaming of this project coming to life??

I'm excited!

I might need to rethink this a bit ...

Maybe the prize stuff should be $20k to reach a million calories and $20K more for whoever gets the most calories over a million.

And maybe the hourly rate is about $35 per hour and pay starts jan 1 (but the gardener could show up later - like in march).   So if a person shows up the first of january and works 40 hours a week through oct 31, then that would be $60,200.  And if they harvest both bonuses, that's more than $100,000 for less than a year of work.

And then we need a sixth gardener here to be paid to do other gardening things ...  standing by ...  just in case there is a need to pop into the GAMCOD program.  

Assuming that all five plots hit a million calories, then this makes the gardener budget  481k.   The manger would be 100k.  2 videographers at 80k each is another 160k.   kickstarter takes 10%.  excavator:  $10k, materials 5k and special advisors/commentators or guest appearances  is 10k ....   that brings us into the neighborhood of 800k.  

Wow!   such a great project!    I think you will attract some very interesting gardeners.  I am excited too see their techniques and what new innovations come for this.  

I am a gardener!   Where do I sign up?

Samantha Lewis wrote:
I am a gardener!   Where do I sign up?

https://permies.com/wiki/178360/permaculture-projects/Paid-Build-Permaculture-Paradise-Wheaton