Class 2 notes by Trisha C.
“We are nature working,” spoke Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer. So began a discussion and exploration into the nature of permaculture – essentially a way of reestablishing and strengthening relationships between people and the world around us. Some would say it is having a sense of community ecology, or a way of applying living systems design in the least input-intensive way possible. Whatever one’s preferred definition, there is no arguing that it a lens through which to view lifestyles and choices.
Permaculture is based on three primary ethical concerns – care of the earth, care of people and care of the returns or surplus or losses of each action. Each decision should be evaluated accordingly, and each choice made with full knowledge of its effects in each of the three realms. Furthermore, permaculture incorporates eight overarching themes:
These themes help ground the lens of permaculture in a more accessible way, to really help one focus their understanding – and their dedication – to living a life that is harmonious and real.
When taking the principles of permaculture to practice, there is none more active than Bill Mollison. The founder and propagator of modern-day permaculture gardening techniques, he has been responsible for the spread of natural gardening that uses what inputs are already present to build upon and improve the natural environment in a way that is beneficial to all creatures that come in contact with this habitat. Traveling around the world and spreading the word of beneficial relationships, both large and small, Mollison has helped thousands of farmers and gardeners realize the latent potential of the land around them. Permaculture gardening is a way of utilizing symbiotic biological relationships to harness the full potential of plants. For example, rotating food crops and spacing them appropriately to take full advantage of natural cycles and to also train plants to grow with minimal inputs and human intervention.
In India, Mollison and his students set up a land tract dedicated to permaculture farming, and helped destitute farmers regain their livelihoods by teaching them how to go back to low-input, organic farming that utilizes traditional knowledge bases to support a thriving food system that valued food for its nourishing properties. While other systems place a monetary value on food, thereby making it a dehumanized and tradable commodity, permaculture refocuses attention on creating fair and just systems that allow everyone the opportunity to empower themselves and take charge of the health of their own communities as a whole. Using principles of nonviolence and basic respect for the contribution each living thing can make to society, permaculture seeks to reinforce the notion that we are all in it together.
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