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permaculture - Re: Pc slammed in Whole Earth Review

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  • From: Allan Balliett <igg@igg.com>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Pc slammed in Whole Earth Review
  • Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 19:31:57 -0500



Whole Earth took a stand against homeopathy a few years back, pronouncing as being so intrinsicly foolish in concept that no testing to refute it is actually necessary. I don't think that hurt homeopathy one iota.

Who that matters doesn't see HortIdeas for what it really is (SHALLOW/UNIMAGINATIVE/SELFISH).

Let's not spend our energy trying to be more like these people.

-Allan




The problem is, it's hard to find data to refute his claims (I did my best, but to an insider, there may be a faint whiff of the barnyard about some of my reply). We just don't collect data. What do we answer when a farmer asks, "How much more money or produce, or less erosion, will your system get me?" That we just know it works better? Does anyone have any numbers? I've looked at a lot of Pc sites in North America, and I haven't seen one where people are measuring yields.

So are we justified in saying that this stuff works? Or is permaculture just for those, as Williams says, "who do not require optimal solutions to pressing agricultural and ecological problems"?

If anyone's got any hard numbers, or other reputable data, please share them. If not, it points to a huge lack in permaculture, and we should get busy setting up trials and getting reliable data instead of just banking on Bill's wild claims. Without data, more folks like Williams will erode permaculture's credibility.

I've also had inquiries from a researcher who wants yield data from permaculture farms for a thesis. If anyone has these, let me know.

Toby
_____________________________________________
For a look at my new book on ecological gardening,
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, visit
http://www.chelseagreen.com/Garden/GaiasGarden.htm



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