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  • From: christopher nesbitt <christopher.nesbitt@mmrfbz.org>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Confronting the Context: Permaculture and Capitalism
  • Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 15:11:20 -0600

I think an example is that I own a farm. Among the over 600 species I manage,
I grow pineapples. I cannot sell them in season as the market is flooded. I
can process them for the off season, by making jams and jellies, and then
harass my friends to buy the pineapple jam from me around Christmas, (which I
do, literally going door to door selling my jam to my friends, hahaha). That
is "business" and is an entrepreneurial enterprise. While I bought the jars
from the government of Belize at a subsidized wholesale price, it is not
capital intensive, and value adds my production. I own the means of labour
(do most of the work myself), and the canning equipment didn't cost much.

I also sell piglets and people buy them. I had to buy 4 pigs and build a
piggery for them, and all of that sent me back about USD800. I have sold or
traded 50 piglets at either USD25 each or a trade of comparable value, which
grossed me the equivalent of USD1250. I netted USD450, minus the two years of
feeding them excess from the farm, including the skins and hearts of the
pineapples I planted. I then use my pig manure to make great compost and
apply that to my pineapple and tree crops, getting spectacular growth rates.
Since most of the pig food comes from trees, anyway, this is a good way to
cycle the nutrients back to the farm, while also making some money.

I will be fattening up three sows for the next four months, and then BBQ'ing
them at the Saturday market, and value adding the value of the pork meat. Its
all profit since I do not eat pork. pork, a delicacy in Maya communities,
sells for USD1.75 a pound. One pound of pork can make two BBQ plates, and
sells for USD3.50 with some tortilla and beans. I have to share some of the
money with someone who makes BBQ since that is not one of my skills. He is an
entrepreneur, and built the BBQ device from an old propane tank, and learned
the skill set of making BBQ.

In strict senses, that is both capitalism and entrepreneurial.


_____________________________
Christopher Nesbitt

Maya Mountain Research Farm
San Pedro Columbia, Toledo
PO 153 Punta Gorda Town, Toledo
BELIZE,
Central America

Country code 501-630-4386

www.mmrfbz.org
www.facebook.com/MayaMountainResearchFarm




On Sep 15, 2013, at 1:58 PM, rafter sass ferguson wrote:

> Hi Scott,
>
> I think the article I linked to would probably answer your question. But in
> case you don't feel like reading it, here you go:
>
> I'm borrowing the definition of capitalism that has been used for the last
> 30 years by the Center for Popular Economics. Capitalism is a
> political-economic system characterized overwhelmingly by these 5 elements:
> (1) Private ownership of the means of production
> (2) Wage labor (i.e. selling your labor to an owner)
> (3) Production for sale (not for use)
> (4) Market exchange (as the central mechanism for making allocation
> decisions)
> (5) Profit maximization (as the central mechanisms for making production
> decisions)
>
> I'm using the term entrepreneurial enterprise to refer to people taking
> risks with their resources to try and make a living as their own boss (or
> co-boss with their colleagues) - to try and turn their big ideas and
> ambition into a livelihood.
>
> Hope that clarifies things.
>
> Warmly,
> Rafter
>
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 14, 2013 at 7:21 PM, Scott Pittman
> <scott@permaculture.org>wrote:
>
>> Before we start the conversation I would like to know what is the
>> difference
>> in the dichotomy you present "entrepreneurial enterprise" and
>> "...capitalism"??
>>
>> Scott
>>
>> "To change something build a new model that makes the existing model
>> obsolete" Buckminster Fuller
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
>> [mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of rafter sass
>> ferguson
>> Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2013 3:11 PM
>> To: NE PC Listserv; permaculture; permaculture
>> Subject: [permaculture] Confronting the Context: Permaculture and
>> Capitalism
>>
>> Here's hoping for some *new* conversations about capitalism and
>> permaculture - because we've heard all the old ones enough times by now...
>>
>> So let's sound the funeral dirge for that ol' smoke 'n' mirrors that says
>> we have to choose between *entrepreneurial enterprise* and *opposing,
>> undermining, and replacing capitalism.*
>>
>> See you in the comments!
>>
>>
>> http://liberationecology.org/2013/09/11/confronting-context-permaculture-cap
>> italism/
>>
>> Warmly,
>> Rafter
>>
>> --
>> Rafter Sass Ferguson, MS
>> PhD Candidate | Crop Sciences Department
>> University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign
>> liberationecology.org
>> 518 567 7407
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Rafter Sass Ferguson, MS
> PhD Candidate | Crop Sciences Department
> University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign
> liberationecology.org
> 518 567 7407
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward list
> maintenance:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> message archives: https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/permaculture/
> Google message archive search:
> site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture [searchstring]
> Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
> Avant Geared http://www.avantgeared.com





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