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  • From: Russ Grayson <pacedge@magna.com.au>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Hierarchies and certification..
  • Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 22:40:08 +1000

On Monday, July 7, 2003, at 08:48 PM, Marsha Hanzi wrote:
It seems to me that now that Bill is moving out of the scene there is a certain maneuvering to  see "who will be at the top now that he is gone"...I think this is well-intentioned, based on the fear of the movement "losing quality".

"Losing quality"... yes, the lack of quality assurance for clients of permaculture designers has come up from time to time but no solution has been found. This is in part because permaculture lacks a central body. Moves in regard to the newly-announced accredited permaculture course and to other things has brought cries of 'centralisation' from those wary of that level of organisation. Opinion appears to be split here between those who would continue as at present and those who want a higher profile for permaculture, for which a representative body may be required.

There has been sporadic moves to head in the direction of greater organisation. The Permaculture Institute's attempt to trademark permaculture terms and to approve only teachers adhering to their compulsory course content and structure is one example. So too is Permaculture International's move to set up an accedited course approved by the national training authority.

I think Bill's vision was of a nationally distributed grassroots movement operating at the home and local level (through community-based associations). Promoters of greater organisation say that if permaculture is to become more influential at the critical local government level and in other organisational contexts, then it will have to have some kind of peak body or at least a strong regional organisation. Their challenge is in getting other permaculturists to agree to this.

LEADERSHIP
The Permaculture Institute occupied the position of peak body in this country, by default, for 20 or so years.

Confidence in the Institute started to wain in the late-1990s but an unknown number of permaculturists continue to recognise the Institute as the 'supreme' body, though I don't think they would use that term. Mid-way through 2003, the Institute continues to hold some influence but Permaculture International, originally set up to publish Permaculture International Journal (PIJ), has risen to become an unintentional and de-facto challenger.

GUESSING THE FUTURE
My guess for the future? Allegiance to the Institute will wain over the next few years, in part because it offers little by way of services to the wider permaculture community, only registration on the approved teachers list for those complying with its policy on course content.

And Permaculture International? It receives grants that provide a modest financial basis and its lot could improve with the nationally-accredited permaculture course. The success of that course will be determined by:

- the demand for permaculture training (and the ability of course providers to answer the inevitable question from prospective students: 'Where are the jobs?')

- the ability of would-be course providers to -

a) support the cost of using the course

b) if using their own premises as teaching venue, their capacity to upgrade it to precribed standards as a teaching venue (Registered Training Organisation)

c) their willingness to acquire their workplace trainers' certificate (something around AU$1000 according to adult training institutes in Sydney).

If sufficient demand is generated and maintained, PIL will be well-placed to become the authorative permaculture organisation in the country.

PIL has established a website and a print newsletter and holds an annual gathering but there is still some way to go before it can develop other member services that will provide compelling reasons for more permaculturists to join it. Despite having a part-time, paid office manager, Permaculture International remains an organisation of limited capacity. If it could publish a contemporary version of PIJ then its lot would improve, but that would require organisational capacity that I believe is presently beyond it. The organisation does the best that it can.

CONTINUED SLOW RECRUITMENT TO PERMACULTURE
I suspect permaculture here will continue in its present form, as practiced by individuals and a declining number of local groups, for the foreseeable future. This is not a pessimistic assessment but, I believe, a realistic one based on current knowledge.

Permaculture will continue to inspire people at the household level, something I learned again only last week when I got to talking with a journalist who works in a Sydney photography shop. He had just come across Bill's introductory book and was interested in that "other book that costs more than $100" - the Designer's manual. His is not the only case of 'spontaneous discovery' I have come across and the availability of Bills' books, and to a lesser extent those of Rosemary Morrow, in public libraries has much to do with such discovery.

MORE GUESSWORK
I foresee no 'scramble' to assume some kind of national leadership of permaculture in Australia. I suspect that the dynamics of the movement as they presently exist will throw up leaderships:

- David Holmgren, I think, will be recognised as the present intellectual leader, especially given the recent publication of his book

- Bill will continue to be recogniced and respected as the 'father' of permaculture

- PIL will assume de-facto 'leadership' of permaculture in Australia and become the design system's 'spokesperson'

- a hierarchy of training providers may develop with those offering the accredited course at the 'top' (such as Robyn Francis' Permaculture Education, the Crystal Waters College, perhaps Ian Lillington's operation in South Australia; later, if the market is big enough they could be joined by Southern Cross Permaculture Institute and, perhaps later, Permaculture Research Institute and perhaps one Western Australian operation); it is these organisations that will be seen as the 'professionals' and that will set the pace in training. That is, if they can compete with institutional training providers such as TAFE colleges and, perhaps, a university.
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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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