Permaculture's purpose

Steve Diver steved at ncatark.uark.edu
Mon Nov 23 10:52:49 EST 1998


Dan Hemenway wrote: 
> Sherry continues to be wrong about permaculture.  Sustainable agriculture is
> an oxymoron.  Bill said permaculture IS NOT sustainable agriculture in the
> first 15 minutes of the course I took in 1981 but seems to recanted now that
> SA has become a buzzword.  Motivation?  Ask B ill.  However, since
> permaculutre is possible and sustainable agriculture isn't, I figure that they
> are roughly opposites.  

Of course permaculture is not the same thing as sustainable 
agriculture.  But certainly permaculture is one of many models
that fall within the large umbrella of sustainable agriculture.  
Likewise, you can also spin it the other way....  sustainable 
agriculture is one part of permaculture as a whole.  

It is an on-going thread in Dan's posts that "Sustainable agriculture 
is an oxymoron."  

It would be helpful to hear from Dan an explanation as
to where he is coming from on this. 

Sustainable agriculture is a recognized movement with a long 
history.  It is a framework that scads of farmers and university 
people and organizations work under.  

Permaculture is not a production system, neither is sustainable
agriculture.  

Personally I like the diagram Stuart Hill et al developed at 
Ecological Agriculture Projects that shows a continuum
from conventional to low-input....   until way down the
line you get to permaculture at the far end of the scale, 
showing stability and permanance, one of the most evolved 
human created systems.  

Steve Diver



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