# `s4ag` skills-for-agriculture
**Practitioner-grounded decision-making skills for farmers, growers, and land stewards — packaged as Claude Code skills.**
[![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@human-avatar/skills-for-agriculture?style=flat-square&color=black&label=npm)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@human-avatar/skills-for-agriculture)  ![](https://img.shields.io/badge/Claude_Code-compatible-black?style=flat-square)
| | Skills | |---|---| | **Philosophy & Systems** | `/s4ag-regenerative`
`/s4ag-permaculture`
`/s4ag-biodynamic`
`/s4ag-syntropic`
`/s4ag-korean-natural-farming`
`/s4ag-indigenous` | | **Land & Ecology** | `/s4ag-soil`
`/s4ag-land-reading`
`/s4ag-water`
`/s4ag-earthworks`
`/s4ag-carbon`
`/s4ag-climate-adaptation`
`/s4ag-biodiversity` | | **Living Systems** | `/s4ag-composting`
`/s4ag-mycology`
`/s4ag-pests`
`/s4ag-wildcrafting` | | **Plants** | `/s4ag-vegetables`
`/s4ag-herbs`
`/s4ag-grains`
`/s4ag-microgreens`
`/s4ag-seeds`
`/s4ag-propagation`
`/s4ag-small-fruits`
`/s4ag-orchards`
`/s4ag-agroforestry` | | **Animals** | `/s4ag-livestock`
`/s4ag-poultry`
`/s4ag-bees`
`/s4ag-pigs`
`/s4ag-goats`
`/s4ag-aquaculture` | | **Growing Environments** | `/s4ag-polytunnels`
`/s4ag-controlled-environment` | | **Farm Operations** | `/s4ag-seasons`
`/s4ag-storage`
`/s4ag-fencing` | | **Business & Market** | `/s4ag-finance`
`/s4ag-direct-marketing`
`/s4ag-market`
`/s4ag-certification`
`/s4ag-agritourism`
`/s4ag-succession` | | **People & Community** | `/s4ag-labour`
`/s4ag-community`
`/s4ag-education` | --- Each skill is a structured guidance methodology: a defined domain, a set of tools, a concrete output. Not generic advice — expert practitioner knowledge encoded as a procedure. **Lineage:** [Elaine Ingham](https://www.soilfoodweb.com/) · [Gabe Brown](https://brownsranch.us/) · [Allan Savory](https://holisticmanagement.org/) · [David Montgomery](https://faculty.washington.edu/dacm/) · [Charles Massy](https://charlesmassy.com/) · [Christine Jones](https://amazingcarbon.com/) · [William Albrecht](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht) · [P.A. Yeomans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._A._Yeomans) · [Bill Mollison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mollison) · [David Holmgren](https://holmgren.com.au/) · [Ernst Götsch](https://agendagotsch.com/) · [Joel Salatin](https://www.polyfacefarms.com/) · [Eliot Coleman](https://www.fourseasonsfarm.com/) · [Jean-Martin Fortier](https://themarketgardener.com/) · [Charles Dowding](https://charlesdowding.co.uk/) · [Michael Phillips](https://www.chelseagreen.com/author/michael-phillips/) · [Robin Wall Kimmerer](https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/) · [Masanobu Fukuoka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka) · [Vandana Shiva](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandana_Shiva) · [Wes Jackson](https://landinstitute.org/about-us/staff/wes-jackson/) · [Paul Stamets](https://fungi.com/) · [Rudolf Steiner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner) · [Cho Han-kyu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_farming) --- ## Install ```bash npx @human-avatar/skills-for-agriculture ``` Run again to update. Restart Claude Code when done. --- ## Use ``` /s4ag ``` Describe your situation. Routes to the right skill automatically. You don't need to know which skill fits — that's the point. Every skill pauses before producing output: confirms the assumptions it's about to build on — your climate, your system, your constraints — and asks you to verify before acting. A plan built on a wrong assumption wastes time and money in the field. --- ## Use cases **Soil problems** — `/s4ag-soil` to interpret a test and build an amendment plan, `/s4ag-composting` to make biological fertility on-farm, `/s4ag-regenerative` to understand the transition from conventional. **Pest and disease** — `/s4ag-pests` for the IPM ladder from identification to conventional-as-last-resort, with biological and cultural controls at every level. **Planning the year** — `/s4ag-seasons` for rotation, succession planting, and a 12-month crop calendar that keeps living roots in the ground. **Transitioning to regenerative** — `/s4ag-regenerative` for the full arc: principles, assessment, entry points, transition sequencing, economics, and the traps that end transitions early. **Livestock** — `/s4ag-livestock` for holistic planned grazing, `/s4ag-poultry` for pastured systems, `/s4ag-fencing` for the rotational infrastructure. **Starting a market garden** — `/s4ag-vegetables` for intensive bed systems, `/s4ag-market` for farmers market operations, `/s4ag-direct-marketing` for box schemes and restaurant relationships. **Trees and agroforestry** — `/s4ag-orchards` for fruit trees, `/s4ag-agroforestry` for silvopasture and food forests, `/s4ag-syntropic` for succession-based design. **Finance and viability** — `/s4ag-finance` for enterprise gross margins and cash flow, `/s4ag-certification` for whether organic or regenerative certification pencils out. ---
Skills reference ### Philosophy & Systems #### `/s4ag-regenerative` Regenerative agriculture principles, assessment, ecosystem design, and transition from conventional. Covers the five principles (disturbance, living roots, cover, diversity, animal integration), farm assessment, entry points, and the full transition pathway — sequencing, economics, and the most common failure modes. #### `/s4ag-permaculture` Zone and sector analysis, guild design, pattern language, and the three ethics applied to farm planning. Design methodology for integrating perennial systems, stacking functions, and reducing external inputs. #### `/s4ag-biodynamic` The nine preparations (500–508), the biodynamic calendar, and the farm-as-organism concept. Practical methodology for Demeter-aligned practice alongside the evidence base. #### `/s4ag-syntropic` Ernst Götsch's succession-based agroforestry. Stratification, succession stage design, disturbance as a management tool, and placenta species for accelerating recovery on degraded land. #### `/s4ag-korean-natural-farming` Fermented inputs, IMO cultivation (1–4), FPJ, OHN, LAB, and WCA. Low-cost on-farm fertility from indigenous microorganisms. Cost analysis vs. conventional purchased inputs. #### `/s4ag-indigenous` Traditional ecological knowledge as a decision framework. Honorable harvest principles, polyculture traditions, prescribed burning, and relationship-based land stewardship. --- ### Land & Ecology #### `/s4ag-soil` Soil test interpretation (Albrecht/Ingham lens), amendment planning, cover crop selection, compaction diagnosis, and season-by-season fertility planning. The biological foundation of every other skill. #### `/s4ag-land-reading` Structured field observation methodology. Landform and drainage reading, vegetation as ecological indicator, soil profile assessment without lab tests, and translating observations into a potential map. #### `/s4ag-water` Irrigation selection and scheduling, drought planning, drainage diagnosis, water harvesting, and water quality. Yeomans keyline framework integrated throughout. #### `/s4ag-earthworks` On-contour swale and berm design, pond siting and sizing, keyline design, and access tracks that manage water rather than channel it. #### `/s4ag-carbon` Soil carbon sequestration mechanisms (liquid carbon pathway), management practices ranked by carbon impact, measurement approaches, and voluntary carbon market eligibility. #### `/s4ag-climate-adaptation` Farm-specific climate risk assessment, water resilience, diversity as a hedge against variability, infrastructure adaptation, and climate-adapted variety selection. #### `/s4ag-biodiversity` Habitat audit, hedgerow design, wildflower strips, woodland integration, wildlife corridors, and simple monitoring protocols. --- ### Living Systems #### `/s4ag-composting` Hot composting, vermicomposting, Bokashi, and aerated compost tea (Ingham protocol). Fungal vs. bacterial compost — making the right type for the crop and system. #### `/s4ag-mycology` Mushroom cultivation on logs, straw, and substrate. Species selection by climate and market. Fungal networks in the farm ecosystem — protecting mycorrhizae from fungicide and tillage. #### `/s4ag-pests` IPM ladder from identification to conventional-as-last-resort. Threshold assessment, cultural controls, biological controls (12 agents with conditions), organic interventions with honest biology-impact notes, and conventional options with a mandatory sustainable-alternative field. #### `/s4ag-wildcrafting` Wild plant identification protocol, sustainable harvest rates, edge management for wildcrafting yield, value-adding, and the Honorable Harvest applied to foraging. --- ### Plants #### `/s4ag-vegetables` Intensive bed systems (Coleman, Fortier, Dowding). Variety selection, spacing, succession planning, growing calendar, problem diagnosis, and no-dig methodology. #### `/s4ag-herbs` Culinary and medicinal herb cultivation, drying and processing for quality, perennial herb design, and growing for medicinal potency vs. culinary use. #### `/s4ag-grains` Small-scale grain production (wheat, oats, rye, spelt, buckwheat). Heritage and landrace varieties, establishment, small-scale harvest, and rotation planning. #### `/s4ag-microgreens` Variety selection, system design (soil vs. soilless, tray sizing, lighting), seeding and growing, and troubleshooting mould, uneven germination, and pest issues. #### `/s4ag-seeds` Isolation distances, selection criteria, wet and dry processing, storage conditions, and species-specific guides for the most commonly saved vegetables. #### `/s4ag-propagation` Softwood, semi-ripe, and hardwood cuttings; division; layering; whip-and-tongue and chip-budding grafting. Mycorrhizal inoculation at the propagation stage. #### `/s4ag-small-fruits` Variety selection, establishment, training and pruning systems, mycorrhizal-dependent nutrition (blueberries, strawberries), and IPM for berries and brambles. #### `/s4ag-orchards` Species, variety, and rootstock matching. Establishment, open-centre and central-leader pruning, orchard nutrition, and the holistic orchard approach (Phillips) for ecological pest management. #### `/s4ag-agroforestry` System selection (silvopasture, alley cropping, food forest, windbreaks, riparian buffers), species selection, design methodology, and integration with other farm enterprises. --- ### Animals #### `/s4ag-livestock` Holistic Planned Grazing (Savory framework). Grazing planning, stocking rate calculation, recovery monitoring, multi-species integration, and fencing for rotation. #### `/s4ag-poultry` System selection (fixed vs. mobile, layers vs. meat birds). Egg mobile and pastured broiler systems, housing, health management, feed integration, and chicken tractors in market gardens. #### `/s4ag-bees` Seasonal management calendar, inspection methodology, swarm management, integrated Varroa management (organic through conventional), disease diagnosis, and natural beekeeping approaches. #### `/s4ag-pigs` Woodland and pasture systems, rotational management, nutrition from pasture and supplement, housing, and health basics. Rooting as a land preparation tool. #### `/s4ag-goats` Dairy, meat, fibre, and land-clearing systems. Milking and breeding, FAMACHA worm management, targeted grazing for scrub control, and browsing vs. grazing ecology. #### `/s4ag-aquaculture` Small-scale fish, crayfish, and aquaponics. System selection, water quality management, on-farm feed production, and integrating aquaculture effluent into farm fertility. --- ### Growing Environments #### `/s4ag-polytunnels` Crop planning and rotation under cover, ventilation and humidity management, soil biology maintenance in covered systems, enclosed-environment pest and disease, and season extension. #### `/s4ag-controlled-environment` CEA system selection (DWC, NFT, ebb-and-flow, aquaponics), nutrient management, lighting (LED spectrum, DLI targets), crop selection, and economics of CEA vs. soil growing. --- ### Farm Operations #### `/s4ag-seasons` 12-month crop calendar (Northern Hemisphere temperate, adjustable by zone), 4-bed rotation design, livestock seasonal tasks calendar, succession planning formula with worked examples, and annual review template. #### `/s4ag-storage` Root cellar design and management, grain storage (moisture targets, pest control), cold storage requirements by produce type, and post-harvest handling to reduce losses. #### `/s4ag-fencing` Permanent vs. temporary system selection, electric fencing (energiser sizing, earthing, troubleshooting), rotational paddock infrastructure, predator exclusion, and maintenance. --- ### Business & Market #### `/s4ag-finance` Enterprise gross margin calculation, whole-farm cash flow, break-even analysis, grants and loans navigation, and the financial profile of transitioning to regenerative (managing the income dip in years 2–4). #### `/s4ag-direct-marketing` CSA/box scheme design and pricing, farm shop setup, online sales platforms, and building restaurant and wholesale relationships. #### `/s4ag-market` Farmers market selection, stall display and presentation, pricing strategy, product mix decisions, customer conversation, market-day operations, and performance tracking (Fortier sellout-rate methodology). #### `/s4ag-certification` Cost-benefit analysis for organic, biodynamic (Demeter), and regenerative (ROC, Soil Association) certification. Transition period requirements, participatory guarantee schemes as a lower-cost alternative. #### `/s4ag-agritourism` Enterprise design, planning permission and compliance, pricing agritourism experiences, marketing, and managing guests on a working farm. #### `/s4ag-succession` Succession planning for retiring farmers, land access pathways for new entrants, tenure models (community land trusts, share farming, farm business tenancy), and family transition management. --- ### People & Community #### `/s4ag-labour` Hiring and job design, wwoofer and volunteer management, apprenticeship design, employment law basics (minimum wage, accommodation deductions), and farm culture. #### `/s4ag-community` CSA community building (beyond a box scheme customer base), food hub participation, cooperative structures, and community land ownership models. #### `/s4ag-education` School farm visit design, workshop and course design, establishing the farm as a learning institution, and translating farm knowledge to online content.