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Re: Just a few holes in the Permaculture suit?



Robyn Francis Said-
> it is the work and vision for a more sane and equitable world for our
>children to inherit that is the driving passion.

I greatly admire your dedication and am also motivated by a concern for
the future.

> Please - the short comings of an ill-thought attempt by 2 people to 
> arrest pc from the thousands of people practicing it around the world 
> does not mean that the system or philosophy itself has to be denigraded 
> or devalued.

Can the philosophy as a whole be questioned or is that heresy?

Is the philosophy we both know may contain many of the answers for the
future 
reaching it's full potential?

> I constantly encounter folk who think they're 'doing pc' because they 
> have mulch on their garden beds and maybe a few chickens. The absence or 
> presence of integrated design is what differentiates a standard organic 
> garden from a pc system.

For this to be correct wouldn't organics have to exclude what you call
"integrated design" and I, as an organic gardener with a PDC call common
sense?

>While gardening & food production is central to
> practicing pc it is not by a long shot what pc is about. Anyone who 
> teaches pc as being simply herb spirals, mandala gardens and companion 
> planting is missing the point and misleading their students. If the 
> strategic thinking behind the keyhole and banana circle or herb spiral is 
> taught then, yes, it is pc.

Are people sharing our concern for the future attracted to PC for
answers and getting philosophies rather than practicalities?  What is
our  measure of success, the extent that we convince ourselves it is
correct or the extent that students are empowered?

To ascertain the extent of the empowerment of the teachings I will ask
(in part again), what is the extent of use of herb spirals, keyhole
gardens, mandala's and similar amongst those that have done a PDC with
these as components of the course?  What is the extent of empowerment
from the "strategic thinking behind the keyhole and banana circle"?

While I agree that self empowerment in fruit and vegies isn't the
entirity of PC it is possibly the best contribution a lot of people can
start with and if so, a useful indicator of the success of the movement.

If PDC students aren't being given the knowledge and skills to empower
themselves but just given philosophies, is the certificate at the end
some sort of trade off that makes them feel they've learnt what they
need to know?

If you take away the certificate at the end of the course, with it's
implied carrot of allowing the holder to teach and demonstrate
supposedly acquired knowledge do you take away a lot of the reason for
doing the course?

Neil Barraclough