permaculture

[christopher nesbitt <christopher.nesbitt@mmrfbz.org>]

I have to back Wesley on this and take issue with the objections and
attacks on both the IPC, in general, and, especially, these scholarships.
The attack made by Lawrence and then half supported by Steve are coming
from people who have not seen or feel he benefit of this kind of support. I
am, honestly, very surprised at the open hostility to bringing in people
from the developing world to the IPC in India.

A little background: I purchased an old abandoned citrus and cattle farm up
a river from a small Maya village in 1988, and by 1991, I could see that
much of my land was pretty damaged. When I bought the land, I was young.
The land was cheap, and the decision to buy it was more of an immigration
dodge that a career choice. The easiest way to stay in Belize in the 1980s
was to buy a piece of land and declare it as a “farm”. Belize was a young
country and wanted farmers. I was a young person who wanted to stay in this
country. Our collective needs aligned. By 1990, I could see the citrus was
at the very end of its productive life span. All the various solutions on
offer, annatto, pig raising, more cattle, more citrus, all showed signs of
both long term damage to the land if implemented, or fragility in the face
of market vagaries and disease, or dependence on external inputs. Being two
miles off the road, up a river, hauling things in by poling a dug out canoe
was difficult.

The price for citrus dropped from USD6 a box, delivered to the factory
where hey made concentrate for export, to USD1 a box. It cost USD.50 to get
t to the factory. Belize was seeing tristeza virus in citrus, and I had
read about the Panama disease in bananas in the 1950s. I saw a bleak future
in any single crop.

By a happenstance set of events, I took my PDC in 1991, at a farm down the
river called BARC, long since abandoned and closed. I had never heard of
permaculture before, and, a few days before the PDC I made an offer for
reduced tuition based on having, a month before the course, been granted
Belizean citizenship. Toy excitement, the offer was accepted, and I spent
the next two weeks attending this class, taught by Michael Pilarski, Rick
Valley, Chuck Marsh, Mark Cohen and Jose Caballero. I ended the day
sometimes going home, up the river to harvest oranges to help offset the
rice of the course, and some nights staying at BARC. I met my future ex
wife at that PDC, another story, but, still….

At the end of the PDC I felt, intellectually, the way I imagine a chicken
feels when it has been worked over by a pack of dogs. These days, with
videos, google, forums, this listserve, a new book out every month, most
people taking a PDC have a pretty good idea of what they are going to
learn. Me? I had no clue. I went in blind and felt like a gigantic truck
full of information dropped on me.

>From 1991-1997, based on what I had learned and studied, and pulled from
the copious amount of notes I accumulated, I started working on what I
thought would be a suitable set of practices based on the principles of
permaculture. I set out to create a “food rainforest”, something that would
be structurally like the rainforest, but comprised of food, timber,
leguminous trees and ornamentals.

In 1997, I took a job in Punta Gorda town, going down river every day, to
my truck, to drive 25 miles to the Toledo Cacao Growers Association, where
I was the manager. I was in charge of keeping TCGAs organic and fairtrade
certifications, and shipping the cacao to the EU. I also wrote grant
proposals to work to expand production, took farmers to Costa Rica and
Panama for training, and took training in Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
I had some opportunities in Venezuela and was invited to the Netherlands to
speak at a conference on “Problems and benefits of organic certification
for small producers in developing nations”.

This was a great time for me, getting paid well, getting to see over 600
cacao farms, travelling to workshops and trainings with other farmers. I
learned a lot about cacao and agroforestry, organic and fairtrade
certification. I learned how to write compelling grant proposals and
informative reports on how that funding got spent. I wrote USD700,000 in
successful grant proposals for TCGA. In 2004, one year into a large three
year project I obtained funding for, I decide I had had enough working in
the cacao industry and decided to stop commuting to work and start my own
NGO on he land where I live.

The birth of Maya Mountain Research Farm (MMRF) was in 2004, though i
started farming in 1988. The pivotal event for what we are doing was my PDC
in 1991. That changed everything in my life. I was fortunate and stupid
enough to buy a piece of land and stubborn enough to stick it out when I
figured out the land was basically destroyed. I imagine I would still be
here, stubbornly, trying more citrus, or some other single species wonder
crop. Peraculture creted a lens for e to look at land.
Between 1991 and 2004 I had been working on the farm, practicing what I
learned at my PDC, reading a broad range of books on the subjects of
sustainability, agroecology,, agroforestry, (Green & Black’s gave me USD200
a year for books), and I also got a lot of training.

In 2004 we got internet on the farm. Before that I had it for work, but
only used it for work. Freed fro the obligations of work, I started looking
things up. I googled “permaculture” and was happy to see the permaculture
world still existed. In the last 13 years, I had met almost no one who knew
anything about permaculture.

I invited Toby Hemenway to teach a PDC at the farm in 2005, and in 2006 and
then 2007, we held courses here with Penny Livingston, and, the next year,
with Larry Santoyo. In 2008, we started working with Albert Bates and a
shifting cast of other teachers.

Its against this backdrop of being isolated from the rest of the
permaculture world for many years apart fro hsting and teacing a few PDCs,
that in 2013 Albert suggested we go to the IPC in Cuba.
Cuba was sort of a no brainer. Places like Jordan and New Zealand were too
far away for us. We live in limited incomes, with unpredictable boom and
but cycles, and when we are fat with cach, there is always a looming
drought ahead. While our farm earns some income, and we host students, we
have very little personal income apart from solar contracts for he
government or land use consultancies. Its feast or famine.

Cuba also has good relations with Belize, with no visa required for entry.
i have been treated by Cuban doctors here in Belize for stab wounds, kidney
infection, malaria and dengue. Both my wife and I are Belizean nationals
her being born here, and my coming here when I was 19. We thought it would
be a good idea to go. Most unfortunately, we were financially embarrassed,
which equals “broke”.

Albert made us aware of scholarships to be applied for. We applied. We made
a good case for why it would be valuable for us to attend. We had, at that
time provided hundreds of Belizeans with free PDCs, we work on issues tied
to energy poverty, had a very well established farm using permaculture
priciples for the previous 22 years, donate food weekly to an elderly
feeding program in nearby Punta Gorda (we are big on the ethics), and have
the capacity to work in communities underserved by education in
permaculture.

We still had to come up with travel money, which was a bus ride to Cancun
from Belize City and a plane ride to Havana.

I imagine many of you in first world countries know a lot of other people
involved in permaculture, professionally, personally, socially. you have
probably met at events, been to each others homes, met at other locations.
For us, arriving in Havana from Belize and seeing literally hundreds of
permacuturists headed to Cuba was disorienting. Hundreds of people who were
interested i  or practicing permaculture. Bumping into Penny Livingston was
like an anchor. Then we bumped into some former students.

The next day we met all the other delegates from the developing world. Our
co-ordinater. Margarethe Holzer introduced all of us. I have lost my notes
from that meeting, but there were students from, literally, all over the
world.

For us, working as we have, for decades in the wake of my first PDC, having
brought the permaculture design course pedagogy, and made it relevant by
referencing indigenous experience, into indigenous communities, it was
great to meet to many permaculturists from other parts of the world who
work on issues that overlap the issues we work on. It was a great
experience to hear them speak of the work they do and have done.

In he next few weeks we met some great people, including Wesley Roe, and we
heard some inspiring stories. For us, the best part was being able to be
among other permaculturists working in the developing world. We met people
we knew of, or had written with, including Robyn Francis and her wonderful
daughter, by a fortuitous sitting arrangement on a bus. A short chat wirh
Starhawk led to her being on our teaching team for our annual PDC in 2015.

We came home fired up and in 2014-2015 we taught the first ever high school
level permaculture design course at a school for indigenous children.

In 2015 we went to the IPC in London, again, on a scholarship. Like Cuba,
we came up with up own transportation money. And, although I have been to
London many times wile working for Green & Blacks, for people who live in
the bush being greeted by Vijaya Copsey in the airport and ferried with the
other scholarships to our guest houses was a welcome thing. Talk about
“People care”? They took care of all of us soooooo well. The care threy
rovided for all of us was outstanding.

Like in Cuba, we met with the other delegates, the international
scholarships, and went out to dinner, and had meetings. It was, like Cuba,
a great opportunity for us to meet with other people working on similar
conditions. Among the people we et are some people I think of as heroes.
people like Linda Kaibira of Zimbabwe and Rita Therese Khawand of Lebanon,
especially, but also Paulina Chaverri of Costa Rica, John Nzira of South
Africa, Murad Al Khuffash of Palestine, Beatriz Arjona of Colombia, Rev Fr
Eston and Joyce Pembamoyo of Malawi, Mugove Walter Nyika, also of Malawi,
Aaron Kalala Karumba of DR Congo, Ayouba m kamara of Liberia, Tierra
Martinez of Argentina, Narsanna Kopula of India and Prabhina Shrestha of
Nepal, among others.

So, apart from our experience, these scholarships were fantastic
opportunities for those people, as well. Many times we heard from them that
they were grateful to be able to meet with other people who study and
practice permaculture. That is due to people like Wesley talking with
people like you, permaculturists who might support other people in the
developing world to learn more and meet more people working in permaculture.

The work that Wesley has done in the past, and was attempting to do in his
email o this listserve that basically got shit on, is very important to
developing permaculture in parts of the world where permaculture is one of
the best set of solutions to deal with ecosystem destruction, food
insecurity and rampant poverty.

I am too polite to tell anyone here to go fuck themselves, which is good.
That would not serve anyone. But watching people I know from writing, some
of whom I have great respect for, shitting on what Wesley has done, is
doing and is trying to do by asking for help to enable people from the
developing world to participate in a global permaculture event, to meet
permaculturists from across the globe, especially as it was from some
people here who are permaculture elders, was disappointing. If this had
been a face to face conversation I would have tried to explain why what
Wesley does is so important, or just gone straight to “Go fuck yourselves”
because what Wesley is doing is important. Knowing Wseley a little forom
here, and a little more from Cuba and London, I doubt he would say "Go fuck
yourselves", either. I am glad I have time to go over this so my first
inclination to tell anyone to go fuck themselves has faded, as I am sure
that being told to go fuck yourselves would not be conducive to future
dialogue.

if you don’t get it, if in your relative privilege and first world comfort
you see no need to bring people to the IPC who could otherwise not afford
it, fine. Do not donate any money. But please do not take energy to shit on
someone working to do just that. Wesley is all that permaculture should be,
dripping with the ethics. When he wrote to you, he wrote to people he
thought were his friends. And he got shit on.

Wesley, continue doing what you do. Many people owe you soooo much for your
work. Myself and my wife, included.

_____________________________

Christopher Nesbitt


Maya Mountain Research Farm

San Pedro Columbia, Toledo

PO 153 Punta Gorda Town, Toledo

BELIZE,

Central America


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

On Sun, May 28, 2017 at 2:22 PM, Steve Hart <stevenlawrencehart@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Well said George.
>
> Wes..don't forget to spit ya dummy on the way. Stay warm and fuzzy and
> continue stabbing others in the back too..but make sure its the Passive
> Aggressive approach you take. Hypocritically....or just stay on board and
> add to the healthy debate...Steve Hart
>
> On 26 May 2017 at 19:24, Georg Parlow <g.parlow@gmx.at> wrote:
>
> > Wes,
> > I would think you are old enough to take out your own garbage. Please
> > scroll all the way down and find the link to manage your subscribtion
> > (including: unsubscribe)
> > Take care, stay safe!
> > Georg
> >
> > > Am 26.05.2017 um 07:35 schrieb wesley roe Santa Barbara Permaculture
> > Network <lakinroe@silcom.com>:
> > >
> > > A bunch of garbage delete from the list serve please
> > > Wes
> > >> On May 25, 2017, at 9:10 PM, Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >>
> > >> On Thu, May 25, 2017 at 10:14 PM, Steve Hart <
> > stevenlawrencehart@gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> Great insightful debate / banter. The question must be asked and is
> > anyway
> > >>> exercised by 1,000s of our global family to not bother attending an
> > IPC.
> > >>> Lawrence has aired his view which I concur with to a point.
> > >>>
> > >>> I personally do enjoy the party and catching up with many at such
> > events,
> > >>> whenever I can make it. Many like LL have a different focus which
> > should
> > >>> also be equally respected as should everyone elses position and
> > preference.
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >> I think the IPC's are a great thing to have......for those with time
> and
> > >> money to attend.
> > >> The problem arises when the organizers are "just trying to fill seats"
> > to
> > >> pay for the event and
> > >> bring in speakers who don't adequately represent the mindset of the
> > >> millions of permaculture practitioners
> > >> from countries around the world who come to learn from each other and
> > forge
> > >> a future for the movement,
> > >> not facilitate those few who seek great fortunes from permaculture
> > without
> > >> doing their duty to solidify the movement's infrastructure,
> > >> develop, disseminate and perpetuate standards of education, mission
> and
> > >> purpose of the movement and cooperate on public image and outreach.
> > >>
> > >> "Time will come where we have a chat room like this where all comments
> > of
> > >> any nature can be aired and discussed
> > >> debated and argued. It may be too rough for some but the healthy
> banter
> > is
> > >> long overdue....bring it on...Steve Hart"
> > >>
> > >> Right on about that. Onward.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> Lawrence F. London, Jr.
> > >> lfljvenaura@gmail.com
> > >> https://sites.google.com/site/avantgeared
> > >> permaculture mailing list
> > >> permaculture@mailman1.ibiblio.org
> > >> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
> > >> http://mailman1.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > >
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Kia ora Ehoa
>
> [image: Picture]
> *Steve Hart*
> *Ecology Architect*
> *Designer, Teacher, Builder of Ecologically Sustainable Resilient
> Environments, through Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture
> and Systems Ecology.​*
> Skype: tipenemanawa
> Phone: +64 220 75 62 11
>
> Permaculture Global Design:
> www.permacultureglobaldesign.org
>
> The Permaculture International College
> www.permaculturecollege.eu
> https://permaculturecollege.academia.edu/SteveHart
>
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