permaculture

[Andrew Millison <amillison@gmail.com>]

Thanks for the reflections, Scott, and the honest assessment of the first
part of the event from your perspective. I found the sub-theme of the whole
trip very interesting: how our small society dealt with the logistical
chaos, which you are attributing to the 140 event crashers which pushed the
planning and infrastructure over the edge.

I'm not refuting your statements, just adding a bit to what you said.

As far as the Havana tours, one thing that I found very valuable was seeing
how the Permaculture flag was being waved at multiple locations within
neighborhoods, and imagined how many places it was seeping in to the fabric
of the community that we couldn't see. Also where our guides explained how
the government had officially recognized the value of sites, and gave them
official recognition and protection, showed the level of support they
garnered. I would put my own neighborhood here in Corvallis, Oregon up
against them in a contest of urban food production density. (shouldn't we
have "most food grown in the city" contests?). But it was fascinating to
observe their "activist" Permaculture systems, with signage and intentional
community education.

The 20 acre urban farm we saw that day had many interesting layers to it as
well, from the mosaic of fields with productive hedgerows surrounding, to
their large scale worm composting system, to the community enterprise piece
that employed many with a diversity of types of yields.

I reflected at the time that it would have been very hard for it to not be
an amazing experience, simply for the opportunity to meet and connect with
so many wonderful people and all of the communication on so many topics
that occurred. I didn't know what to expect or have previous trips to
compare it with, so seeing it all with new eyes, I took the value that I
could from each facet.

I appreciate hearing what Scott and others have to say about their
experience. It's good to get the collective memory out there to get the
most learning from it that we can.

Thanks,

Andrew


On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 9:07 AM, Scott Pittman <scott@permaculture.org>wrote:

> IPC11 Musings
>
> It had been 3 years since my last visit to Havana and the change was
> shocking.  Many more automobiles spewing smoke from 1950's models of Ford,
> Chevy, Olds, Pontiacs and various other brands was throat tightening and
> eye
> watering.
>
> I was in Havana for the International Permaculture Convergence.  The first
> event was a gala dinner in an old estate in the heart of Havana.  The place
> was packed and there was panic among our hosts from Fundacion Antonio Nunez
> de la Naturaleza y el Hombre as the numbers continued to grow and they
> scrambled for more place settings, tables, and chairs.  The problem was
> that
> over 140 unexpected guests had arrived who had not RSVPed their intention
> to
> attend.  This set the stage for a chaotic two weeks of trying to
> accommodate
> 25% more people than had been planned for.  It was also apparent to me that
> most of the attendants of this event were there to party rather than deal
> with the many issues facing the rapidly growing International Permaculture
> movement.
>
> Permaculturalists from 47 nations descended on Cuba over 400 strong and
> overwhelmed the organizational capabilities of our sponsors.
>
> The conference was held in a large Havana hotel and the speakers were
> translated into English and Spanish for those of us who are language
> challenged.  For the most part the speakers were English speakers who
> represented both the well known and the unknown in the permaculture world.
> I was disappointed in the selections as I was hoping to hear from Latin
> American permaculture which represents an incredible array of projects.  A
> majority of the presenters were from the U.S.A. and Australia.  I was most
> impressed by Tierra Martinez an Argentinian permaculturalist who presented
> on projects both urban and rural that are making a difference in the lives
> of thousands of people through the work of his organization Instituto Na
> Luum.
>
> While the presentations of Albert Bates, Robyn Francis, Andy Goldring, and
> surprise guest  Darren Doherty were very educational and exciting I was
> still left with the question of where are the  Latinos.
>
> My sympathy and admiration went to the translators who were faced with
> multiple English and Spanish idioms and with speakers who seemed unaware
> that they needed to take into account that their words were being converted
> to another language.  The translators continued with us for the rest of the
> journey, through the convergence and on the tour and did an incredible job
> against all odds.  Herding cats comes to mind.
>
> The conference began what was to be a pattern of standing in line for
> meals,
> and standing in line for accommodations; sometimes for over 2 hours!  This
> was again the surprise guests who suddenly materialized the night before
> the
> conference.  This of course threw the whole schedule of speakers off and
> Roberto Sanchez, known for his role in the video "Building Community", was
> doing everything except pulling out his hair, and he may have done some of
> that.
>
> Our final day in Havana was an urban tour of permaculture projects.  I had
> seen most of the projects three years ago so I only went on the morning
> half
> of the tour.   I once again was disappointed in most of what I saw.  This
> was definantly not permaculture! Sorry.  It reminded me of the ubiquitous
> "herb spiral" which monotonously decorates every first permaculture design.
> I saw keyhole gardens where the key hole was too small to accommodate the
> knees of the gardener, paths that were considerable larger than the
> vegetable beds, and a shocking lack of food amidst the ornamentals.  I
> certainly appreciated the proud gardeners as they took us through their
> home
> gardens pointing out the salient parts but it seemed more beginning "master
> gardener" level than having been designed.
>
> Is this sour grapes?  I don't think so, I am attempting to inject a little
> realism into an event that took thousands of dollars, and gallons of fuel
> to
> bring to fruition and I think that we should be more mindful of our purpose
> and more in engaged in the process than I feel was exhibited during this
> IPC.
>
> I spent a lot of time reflecting on what is being taught, in the world at
> large, as permaculture?  Is there any continuity in permaculture design
> from
> country to country, how subjective is what is being taught, following the
> whims and limited knowledge of the teachers.  This is an important thread
> to
> pursue and I will continue this journal of my Cuban trip in the next
> segment
> "the convergence" where I discuss my presentations of "Capitalism and
> Permaculture", "Permaculture Professional Standards", and "Developing a
> "Permaculture International Aid and Relief Group".  These are all subjects
> dear to my heart and, much to my surprise, were well received.
>
> Lest I sound dour and curmudgeonly I would like to say over all my
> experience was a very positive one and this was the result of many
> conversations with new and old friends who all share my concerns regarding
> the state of the world and permaculture.
>
> Scott Pittman
> www.permaculture.org
>
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-- 
Andrew Millison
(541) 752-9118
www.beaverstatepermaculture.com