permaculture

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

> However, as I understand it, the practice of natural farming
> goes way back 
> in the roots of the indigenous cultures of NA and elsewhere,
> including such 
> place as Central America.

Basically, I think that we have to look at traditional farming in our area to 
find adaptation of NF that will work locally.  To import one-to-one NF 
farming methods from a humid region with rich soil such as Japan to an arid 
region with poor soil doesn’t make any sense and is bound to fail.

> Or, perhaps the point is that the traditions of natural
> farming have 
> survived in these other cultures, whereas abrupt shifts in
> population in the 
> Americas meant huge losses of cultural habits of
> adaptation?

I think the spread of European cultivation methods and the moldboard plough 
that took place as a consequence of colonization has buried traditional 
farming techniques below layers of conventional farming methods to the point 
where the meaning of traditional farming is no longer understood in some 
parts of the World.

> What boggles the mind somewhat is the variety of regions and
> zones and how 

Well, yes there is a point in having local discussion groups; yet at the same 
time, it is good to be inspired by what is happening in other regions.