permaculture

[Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>]

I posted that article because it seemed to really sum up a lot of the factors 
that one should consider in deciding whether or not the use of domesticated 
animals in food systems would be sustainable.  I also liked her consideration 
of ethical issues.  I have been struggling with reconciling the these two 
(sustainability and ethics as related to domesticated animals).  I have no 
doubt that any domesticated animal could be part of a sustainable system.  I 
even think that most systems would be more efficient and productive with 
domesticated animals included (not to mention wild animals).  
 
My personal reluctance to involve domesticated animals in my systems are 
mostly practical and ethical.  As a household of two with the closest 
neighbors each a half mile away, it has been difficult for me to figure out 
how to have more than just a cat (for killing voles) and fish without having 
too many fences and never being able to leave our place for fear that the 
animals would die of hunger or be killed by predators.  I'm still trying to 
figure out how to have ducks.  Ethically, I reject caging animals for all or 
a good part of their lives and regard this as a form of slavery.  I also 
cannot bring myself to kill the larger, more sentient beasts.  Even killing 
fish seems too selfish for me, but I'm trying to convince myself that my 
situation (marginal land) justifies it.  I feel kind of stupid for not 
wanting to take advantage of all the deer, pigs, and turkeys that live around 
here and that often create problems for me, when they could be a
 solution to my food needs.  However, I am committed to an ethic of creating 
minimal harm, and until I prove to myself that I would be causing more harm 
by growing my own nuts and legumes than I would by killing these animals, I 
won't kill them.
 
Modern people living in rich countries now have access to an incredible 
number of plants and an abundance of new technologies that make it much 
easier to grow all the nutrition you need without relying on domesticated 
animals.  Care for the Earth includes caring for all the wild and 
domesticated animal species on it and each person needs to figure out what 
this means at their particular locale and with their particular needs.  This 
is a very complex and personal topic that I feel should always be an open 
question.  There is no Ten Commandments handed down by the Universe that 
tells us how to deal with the fact that life requires death.  As humuns, we 
feel compassion for others and hopefully are always seeking to maximize the 
benefits to others that we can create, while minimizing the harms.
 
Rain



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I can't recommend highly enough the book by Juliette de Bairacli Levy called
"The complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable".

Scott Pittman
Director
Permaculture Institute
www.permaculture.org