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permaculture - Re: permaculture slammed in wer

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Subject: permaculture

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Felicity Wright <flickwright@ozemail.com.au>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: permaculture slammed in wer
  • Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 09:47:59 +0000


keller wrote:
>
>
> > I spent three years researching, developing and then undertaking a major
> > research project to gain a better understanding of small, indigenous
> (snip)
>
> > now all been published in two volumes and is recognised as the
> > benchmark. What we were trying to assess, and to a degree 'measure' was
>
> Can you give us the title? Or do you think it is irrelevant for the topics
> discussed here?
>
Maybe not irrelevant but a bit tangential. It just occurred to me that
while we were discussing science we were also discussing the western
paradigm of understanding and quanitifying - some of the issues we
wrestled with constantly in developing the initial project described
above. It was never an academic project but developed by a 'regional
resource body' an NGO that was an association of 'art centres'
(ostensibly Aboriginal owned and controlled organisations usually
located in remote communities) that wanted to advocated on behalf of
members more effectively and to do so needed to understand the needs of
its stakeholders more accurately. Not dissimilar to permaculture, there
were lots of fuzzy claims and assumptions about art centres both
positive and negative and little data. It was a kind of mapping project
that involved extensive on site research, surveying multiple
stakeholders (devised questionnaires for each group, staff, governing
bodies, clients) and collation of mountains of data. It morphed into
something bigger than anticipated that was then published. The titles
are: The Art & Craft Centre Story Volume I Report and Volume II Summary
& Recommendations (published by Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
Commission - ATSIC - Canberra in 1999 and 2000 respectively).

We ended up doing a third volume that is bigger and prettier (and more
readable) than the other two called The Art & Craft Centre Story Volume
III 'Good Stories from Out Bush' that is about best practice in art
centres. It was partly to change/challenge peoples' understanding of
best practice so included lots of examples of best practice that were
about governance and thinking outside the square and delivering
socio-cultural outcomes. Of forty-two examples included only a couple
look at specific 'yield' issues although I defy people to say the others
aren't examples of best practice. Art centres are funded organisations
and everyone is obsessed by what they deliver in terms of financial
indicators - the economic indicators. This is only a part of the story,
if you don't look at socio-cultural indicators for such activities (and
likewise permaculture) you may as well pack up and go home and hand over
to private enterprise.

cheers
flick




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