pcplantdb

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Stephanie Gerson wrote:

> Wow, this is very exciting.
>
> Johns, I completely agree with you that this could be an entirely new
> direction/initiative - but Lawrence, I completely agree with you that it's a
> definite possibility we should pursue.  I also think that if we refrain from
> "re-inventing the wheel" and integrate ourselves within the already existing
> SARE network, we can prevent this from becoming a "particularly heinous
> example of 'feature creep.'"
>
> I'd like to respond to a few things Lawrence wrote:
>
> “It has already been infiltrated, they already know about permaculture and
> use it.  What they need is what we can offer, PIW.”  Hmm, not according to
> the SARE representatives from Hawaii, New Mexico, and California that I spoke
> with last week.

That _may_ be true but I'll bet my area is representative of the 
forward-thinking and progressive
attitudes, policies and outreach of the new generation of Extension agents. 
You should subscribe to
the sanet-mg list and read this for yourself. The organic agent in a nearby 
county I referred to maintains her own sus ag/
small farming mailing list. You choulld get on that list also.

> Hawaii and New Mexico said they were definitely interested in
> Permaculture, and California thought it would be a stretch (that most
> extension agents have never heard of Permaculture, but are certainly becoming
> more and more interested in organic agriculture).  So there is definitely room
> for more infiltration!
>
> “There is a sustainable farming curriculum with a permaculture course at one
> of the community colleges.  So, yes, Extension is interested in permaculture,
> teaching it and promoting it.”  That’s wonderful!  Can you tell me more
> about this?  It would be a great reference for future conversations with
> extension agents.
>
> ”Steve Diver, who is on this list and used to be an Extension agent, can
> tell you a lot more about this.”  Great tip, Lawrence – I’ll get in
> touch with him.
>
> “As for USDA, they are already involved with permaculture in various ways,
> especially as far as library resources are concerned. The National
> Agricultural Library has a collection called The Alternative Farming Systems
> Information Center; this is the group that would likely be the most interested
> in PIW and might promote it widely. A SARE grant proposal might include
> establishing a relationship between PIW and AFSIC. USDA already hosts a number
> of databases, some created by Dr. James Duke, herbalist.”  This sounds like
> a potentially fruitful endeavor, I’ll look into it.
>
> “Online resources are part of this program; PIW is a tool and is online so
> it will fit perfectly in to their outreach program.”  Nice.
>
> “We need to help create those types of relationships all over the country;
> our relationship with USDA, mostly through Extension and AFSIC, will go a long
> way toward making this happen.”  Yes exactly.  I will reiterate what I
> already wrote to you (as excerpted from the unfinished SARE proposal) – that
> we must mimic the kinds of relationships we seek to portray, and weave
> similarly symbiotic relationships with other sustainable agriculture education
> entities, integrating ourselves within the existing guild(s) of sustainable
> agriculture research and education. 

There's al;so the issue of jobs and self-employment. That should be an 
integral part of our effort,
the economic factor. Community coleges and business/tech/arts incubators are 
offering fabulous opportunities
to skilled people seeking business opportunties, sometimes in collaboration 
with the community colleges.
I am currently involved with some people in this sector of the economy and 
the educational system.
I am hoping to get some fund raising tips to pass on to you.

> So, I will get in touch with Steve Diver and look into The Alternative Farming
> Systems Information Center.  Any other already-existing relationships between
> Permaculture and USDA agencies?

Steve is on this list but may be in archive-reading mode.

--
L.F.London
Whole Earth Permaculture Communicator Advocate
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech