hey so, i was reading a thread about permaculture on here, getting all excited about my reply, when finally i noticed it had last been replied to in 2004.... so i figured a new one is long overdue personally, i'm a *huge* advocate of permaculture, and i'd really like to get more people on to the idea. i also feel like discussion / constructive criticism is always healthy, for any idea. so...... permaculture: what do you know about it? what do you think about it? any criticisms? any questions? i guess to give this thread some kind of direction, i'll say that i'm personally still fleshing out my expectations of permaculture, e.g. what i think is acheivable through employing this system of design/production ultimately, i hope it can live up to its name: helping us move towards a Perma(-nent)Culture also, the old thread had two main arguments running through it: #1 - it was suggested that permaculture was actually a step backwards, when compared directly to genetic modification of crops, which was said to far surpass permaculture (to the point of making it irrelevant?) --i personally disagree with this point of view e.g. i guess a traditional wisdom vs science type argument hmm, small note here: not sure that debate is relevant though! permaculture seeks to combine both age-old traditional wisdom AS WELL AS more cutting edge science: sustainable technologies/ ecology/ soil ecology/ botany/ biology etc...... #2 - more implicitly this first argument was making a statement about the purpose of permaculture; that is, is it ment to replace *all* of mainstream, industrial agriculture practices? (i'm not sure on this one) or is it ment to compliment them, replacing them where this is feasible? e.g. issues of obtainable yields/ cost vs benefits etc......... ah hem let the discussions begin!
permaculture is the future of agriculture. Not this bullshit called genetically modified crops or biotechnology. The only people profiting from this crime against nature are the fuckers who like to make a dollar off the suffering of people. Look at what Monsanto has done to farmers in India. They seduce them with myths that their genetically modified seeds will incease efficiency and yield, but conceal a sinister little trait of their product. The termination seed. Meaning, that the seed produced by a crop is sterile and will not yield anything. This forces the farmers to buy even more expensive seed from Monsanto, which eventually leads to bankruptcy and occasional suicides. Doesnt that sound lovely? I think science is a good thing, but it has bred a parasitic arrogance in the mind of humans. theres nothing wrong with natural agriculture. Id rather grow the seed that mother nature has perfected through ages, than some unnatural seed spliced with a scorpion's DNA. permaculture is versatile, it can be used in ANY climate practically, by any people, and can even restore damaged land. you want to find a starting point to live sustainably, both economic and environmentally? Start with the factor that has made civilization possible, Agriculture. Make agriculture sustainable, and you will be on your way to making society sustainable. And that is where pemraculture comes into play. Organic agriculture is good, but what deters people is the "high prices". All you have to do is make it more available. Give incentives to people starting small scale orgainic farms. That can be a good step torwards making orgainc products more available. If you cut the ties that make you one with the earth, you lose who you are, you lose your livlihood, and your humanity. Earth is our only home, so lets try not to fuck it up.
btw. compare the efficiency of small scale and large scale inustrial farms. The large scale farms tend to specialize in one primary crop. Alot of money goes into investing in seed, land, pesticides, fertilizer, equipment and its cost, water and transportation. Industrial agriculture may bring high yields, but what would happen if a diesease plagues the crop? Pretty much all of it will go to waste. What do you think happens to a farm that loses its' primaty money maker? Can someone say bankruptcy? now lets look at the small scale family farm. They tend to have a diversity of products. Fruit, vegetables, milk, cheese, anything the creativity and brain can think of and produce. if one fails, then there are other products that can cover the loss. Industrial agriculture claims that they feed the world. But thats a load of bullshit and misinformation. there is enough food produced in the world to feed everyone, yet why is there still starvation? Its not a matter of how much food is out there, but the availability. i have to give alot of props to the book Fatal Harvest for opening my eyes.
sweet posts!!! ok, wanted to give y'all a link: http://kootenaycoopradio.com/deconstructingdinner/index.html AMAZING radio show, about our current food system/ alternatives coming to light farm on my friends
I read An Introduction To Permaculture by Bill Mollison & Ria Mia Slay about ten years ago when I dropped out of the rat race. It really broadened my whole scope of thinking.Then main problem with the book and all other permaculture books and courses is that they assume the reader has the basic knowledge of growing food. Sadly in today's urbanised society this is no longer true for the majority of people.
I agree, the knowledge to grow food has been lost. An even bigger problem with permaculture being widely practiced is that it isn't neat and clean and tidy. LOL my neighbor came over one time and actually said "You know, if you want to throw all that dead shit you have all over your garden, I'll take it to the dump for you."
I am new to permaculture and there is a permaculture guild in my hometown that I go to with some of my friends who are members. I think its wonderful and the future to the health and welfare of our morbidly obese society.
Well friend, if you know the basics now through trial and error, why not write a small book/pamphlet to bridge the gap from knowing nothing until the point where you think books usually start, or a little further overlapping just to be sure, then put it on the net? You'd be doing a service to people and adding your 2 cents to the field of permaculture. Circle eace:
I used to have a website called Self-Sufficiency Short Cuts. When my HDD went kaput and I replaced, I decided to go for Win2K platform but forgot to instil an FTP program. I have since heard about Filezilla but I am not sure if I get any webspace with my current ISP. Maybe I could use my HF blog.
