permaculture

[Pacific Edge Permaculture <pacedge@magna.com.au>]

on 7/10/00 10:54 AM, John Schinnerer at johns@eco-living.net wrote:

> Aloha,
 
> My question is:  what would be a "permaculture approach" to instructor
> registration (if indeed "registration" is appropriate)?

This question of 'registration' of permaculture teachers has been a vexed
one in the history of the permaculture movement. Aside from the question as
to whether registration is a good thing or not, it has in fact been going on
for some time, at least in Australia. From the early days of permaculture,
the Permaculture Institute, now based in Tasmania, has maintained a register
of permaculture teachers. This was made possible through the practice of
permaculture teachers forwarding the details of design course graduates.

Although some permaculture practitioners questioned whether this was being
done in recent years, information passed on to me indicates that the
Institute is currently registering teachers who teach permaculture design
courses to standards they have recently set.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with an organisation registering people
qualified to teach. Such a list can be a useful reference point for others
who wish to verify whether a person offering a course is actually qualified.

The question becomes one of whether the organisation's standards have been
agreed to be those in the movement interested in commenting on and
influencing those standards. Such a process, of course, would be a
requirement for democratic and transparent operation.
 
> I doubt that it would involve increasing centralization and control, at
> least not without being increasingly hypocritical.

It's likely any membership organisation would register its practitioners,
however such a process might involve a minimum of 'centralisation' and
bureaucracy. 

For example, were it to adopt a role analogous to that of a professional
service organisation, there's no reason for Permaculture International
Limited (PIL) not to offer a service to members of 'registering' them - of
placing online and in print the goods and services they offer to the public
and to other people in permaculture. Were PIL or any other membership
organisation to offer this hypothetical service, they would - like any other
professional body - be free to set minimum skill and performance standards
and develop a code of practice.

The difference is that this would be a member service and would not be an
attempt to set standards for the practice of permaculture among non-members.
 
> How do we embrace wisdom "outside" of permaculture and incorporate
> "external" insights so as to avoid the dead-ends of specialization and
> inbreeding that already afflict medicine, architecture, engineering, , etc.
> etc. ad nauseum?

Much permaculture 'wisdom' has, as we know, been sourced from outside. Any
body of knowledge needs to do this for a couple reasons:

1) to remain relevant to contemporary social, economic, technological and
political trends and changes

2) to maintain itself as an adaptable system capable of responding
constructively to contemporary issues and opportunities.

As to your question of how we do this John, the best way that I can see is
to:

1) maintain links with allied organisations and bodies of thought,
maintaining a two-way flow of information with them

2) review and change permaculture content, practices, standards, teaching
content and methodology in light of research and new knowledge

3) maintain permaculture as an 'open system', as a node in a wider network
of social change/ environmental/ 'green' business/ solutions-oriented
organisations and individuals and stimulate the flow of information through
this network, incorporating information which is of use

4) cooperate with other appropriate organisations/ individuals by building
constructive and cooperative relationships, participating in coalitions and
in joint projects

5) welcome and encourage diversity of thought, practice, training and
education in permaculture.
 
> As for "globalization," there is no necessity for permaculture to jump on
> that bandwagon.  It is a choice whether to be (bio?)regional, ecologically
> local, locally appropriate, or to think that we must organize (often a
> semi-subconscious synonym for "control") on a global basis.  There may be
> more drawbacks than benefits in embracing the multinational corporate
> myth/model of "globalization."

Perhaps we can utilise those aspects of globalisation which we find
appropriate - such as this computer-based communications network.

I don't see that permaculture needs to 'control' as you (and I) fear. This
is why the network is the appropriate model (a pattern of nature?) - made up
of free and voluntarily participating nodes who exchange information,
provide mutual assistance and discuss issues which come up from time to time
to gain a wider perspective and clarity.

Not all aspects of globalisation are negative. Today, I think we need to
think and act locally and globally. Participation at the global level can
facilitate the development of local responses to the negative impacts of
economic and cultural globalisation.
 
> As for the internet, jolly good ideas for the 3% of the world's population
> that (like us) have ready access.

And that's the problem with computer-based communications. Because it has
become ubiquitous in the economically advanced countries, it has become the
'norm' for communications. In doing this, it marginalises those not on
global  telecommunications networks and without access to the technology and
the know-how to use it.

Once you have access to the technology, email and the web are very
cost-effective. I don't know how you successfully finance magazines and
newsletters these days without reasonable subscriptions and the necessity to
pay people to produce them because they are so time consuming and expensive.
Like access to the internet, these factors are pertinent to people in
developing countries too.

> In short, I favor a low-tech (bio?)regional approach of some sort, modular,
> with connections between regional groups (traveling
> liaisons/instructors/??) forming some sort of a web of consensus and
> providing for sharing of methods, techniques, and "standards" (such as they
> may be - obviously a hot topic) within the realm of permaculture.

Sounds like I described above.
 
---------------------
PACIFIC EDGE
Permaculture & Media
Russ Grayson and Fiona Campbell

PO Box 446, Kogarah NSW 2217 AUSTRALIA
Phone/ fax   02-9588 6931   (IDD-61+2+9588 6931)
Email: pacedge@magna.com.au
WWW: http://www.magna.com.au/~pacedge/

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