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  • From: Russ Grayson <pacedge@magna.com.au>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Iraq report -NGO/ media
  • Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 12:39:55 +1000

Hi Darren...
On Thursday, June 26, 2003, at 10:38 PM, Darren J. Doherty wrote:

Russ,
Isn’t Geoff Lawton heading that way!!

Yes, I have heard that he is off to Iraq... though I don't know for whom he is going there or what he is to do.

Talk about front line permaculture...mild fascism inAustraliaseems pretty comfy heh! Its sad though that in these situations the need for pc is never greater...

Yes, Pc can probably do something positive but my feeling - and I say this in ignorance of what Geoff plans to do, so it's not a comment about his project, whatever it is - is that now is not the time. It is my view that permaculture is suited to the longer-term development stage of a post-crisis scenario, not the initial humanitarian phase of emergence relief. I have discussed this with others involved in development and aid delivery and they agree.

Part of the reservation that I and the others have about permaculture involvement in the humanitarian phase is that it is unknown to the other humanitarian aid agencies; that the permaculture personnel may have no experience or knowledge of working with military organisations; that the permaculture organisations may lack home-country support and, where that exists, it may be of low capacity and unable to support field operatives financially and to track their movements; that the permaculture operatives may lack communications (the Iraqi telecom system is still down and satellite phones the only reliable communciations with home-country support) and that it is intervening in a phase of operations in which the provision of life basics - food, clean water, health services, shelter, sanitation, personal security - are the priorities. Development comes at the end of the emergency phase and deals in setting up infrastructure for long term reconstruction.

In addition to the preceding, the security situation in Iraq is detoriorating and aid services are being targeted - don't forget that, through USAID, Bush integrated humanitarian aid into his war-fighting plans. This makes aid agencies targets as they become associated with the combatant forces (this is a big issue within aid circles at the moment). My initial posting disclosed the situation on the ground. It was not the product of some alarmists, but that of a security assessment and training organisation serving the media in Iraq.

but the risks of getting it there are too great for many of us –

Yes, at the moment Iraq is the place for only those organisations you normally find in immediate post-conflict situations - the military, the media, intelligence people and humanitarian aid agencies - in addition to local people, of course.

hopefully fortune favour’s the brave. Maybe an fully armoured D11 would be the go

Well, that's just what the Malaitan Eagle Force did in Solomon Islands during the post-coup conflict of 2000. They converted a huge dozer into a 'tank'. And while on that let me contradict myself. The aid organisation I am associated with in the Solomons did carry out humanitarian work there. It received funding from AusAID to produce seed for distribution to communities suddenly swollen by refugees returning home - who had been forced out of Guadalcanal by the Isatambu Freedom Movement - I produced the instructional material to accompany the seeds in Sydney. Earlier, the Honiara mini-farm had expanded production to produce extra food for refugees flooding into Honiara. It was distributed via the local Red Cross.

Although the work 'permaculture' is not used, the agency could be considered to do that type of work. The difference with fly-in/ fly-out humanitarian aid was that our organisation had been on the ground since 1995 and is still there today, providing follow-up and training.

I understand Geoff does different types of work, more in the line of design consultancy rather than long-term aid where field operatives are 'immersed' in communities and institutions for years.

– that way you get your earthworks done in peace….

Unless there are mines.

..........................................................................................................
Russ Grayson
Media services: journalism-print/ online/ photo
pacedge@magna.com.au Phone/ fax: 02 9588 6931
PO Box 446 Kogarah NSW 2217 Australia
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