It is often said that Permaculture is anarchic to a point of dysfunction ie the movement is made up of individuals and small groups that are not in fact able to sufficiently organise amongst themselves in order to mobilize big changes.
If you’re finding yourself triggered with the above message then contact me, I want to amplify what you’re doing so there can be more of it.
Perhaps this is because permaculture design requires that focus on critical thinking, taking initiative and paying close attention to context first and foremost. Additionally if you ask 300 people what permaculture is about each of these are likely to give you a unique answer. This is because permaculture beyond the courses is a lived experience, most teachers encourage their students to come up with their own definition. Those of us who have an inclination to organise around it each have their own interpretation of what needs doing to move this along so there too you’ll see many ideas and different perspectives.
Since I have become active in the International Permaculture Collaboration Laboratory however I have also noticed some other patterns worth shining a light on.
Some bio regional networks and associations are either defunct due to conflict or dormant due to lack of capacity. Why is that?
Part of the problem is that to resolve conflict there needs to be a will to remain at the table and this requires time some people simply do not have.
Here’s a hypothesis derived from many exchanges had with people around the world…
Permaculturalists are generally relatively poor. Most permaculturalists I know cannot afford to volunteer their time and are therefore unable to stay seated at the table when things aren’t going well.
Some of the most well known permaculturists with large projects or very good media coverage do not have time to do much else other…
