Tuesday 17 November 2009

Save Farming?

Well it's certainly an interesting question. Many permaculture practitioners don't see themselves as farmers, but as gardeners. Modern farming has moved towards monoculture on an industrial scale for what economists call "economies of scale". To support this method of farming though requires huge amounts of man-made inputs, in varying concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium... unless that is of course, you can find natural replacements for these much needed mineral inputs! (see forest gardening diagram below!)

So, production of food is of utmost importance, that's a gimme, but how are we going to provide for ourselves let alone our extended communities, counties, regions, countries or continents? If these fossil-fuel inputs are reducing, FACT, and monoculture farming is dependent upon these reducing inputs, FACT, why save farming?

"It’s probably too late to prepare for peak oil, but we can at least try to salvage food production." - George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 16th November 2009

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2009/11/16/if-nothing-else-save-farming/

Thursday 12 November 2009

What is Permaculture?

Not being the most organised person, i could personally benefit from having an everyday PA. So this little blurb possibly should've been the first posting on this blog. Nevermind, sack the literary agent! I know that many of you (because so many of you read the rantings of this maniac) would like to know more about the principles behind Permaculture. Until i have a really good grounding in it, i will leaving the explanation to the godfather of Permaculture, Bill Mollison. He's an Aussie, which is a shame, but we will let this one by... just this once;~)

'Even anthropocentric people would be well-advised to pay close attention to, and to assist in, the conservation of existing forests and the rehabilitation of degraded lands. Our own survival demands that we preserve all existing species, and allow them a place to live. We have abused the land and laid waste to systems we need never have disturbed had we attended to our home gardens and settlements. If we need to state a set of ethics on natural systems, then let it be thus:

Implacable and uncompromising opposition to further disturbance of any remaining natural forests, where most species are still in balance;

Vigorous rehabilitation of degraded and damaged natural systems to stable states;

Establishment of plant systems for our own use on the least amount of land we can use for our existence; and

Establishment of plant and animal refuges for rare or threatened species.

Permaculture as a design system deals primarily with the third statement above, but all people who act responsibly in fact subscribe to the first and second statements. That said, I believe we should use all the species we need or can find to use in our own settlement designs, providing they are not locally rampant and invasive.

Whether we approve of it or not, the world about us continually changes. Some would want to keep everything the same, but history, palaeontology, and common sense tells us that all has changed, is changing, will change. In a world where we are losing forests, species, and whole ecosystems, there are three concurrent and parallel responses to the environment:

CARE FOR SURVIVING NATURAL ASSEMBLIES, to leave the wilderness to heal itself;

REHABILITATE DEGRADED OR ERODED LAND using complex pioneer species and long-term plant assemblies (trees, shrubs, ground covers);

CREATE OUR OWN COMPLEX LIVING ENVIRONMENT with as many species as we can save, or have need for, from wherever on earth they come.

We are fast approaching the point where we need refuges for all global life forms, as well as regional, national, or state parks for indigenous forms of plants and animals. While we see our local flora and fauna as "native", we may also logically see all life as "native to earth". While we try to preserve systems that are still local and diverse, we should also build new or recombinant ecologies from global resources, especially in order to stabilise degraded lands.'

Bill Mollision, Permaculture: A Practical Guide for a Sustainable Future, p.6

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Anthropoclastic Climate Change

Yes i'm a fan of Dmitry Orlov. Yes i believe that we are experiencing catastrophic climate change. There's no debate to be had. Most of the sceptics argue about whether it is man-made or natural; what a pointless discussion, it's happening NOW. Easily observable dramatic changes in our climate. The ramifications are beyond terrifying. We all need to be considering keeping a diary of changing patterns we see each day, week, month, if for no other reason then to learn when conditions are right for sowing, growing and cultivating food. There is nothing else to really think about other then food security. That's my rant part over with, i'll share with you, Dmitry's take on this...

"Anthropoclastic climate change" is reminiscent of "anthropogenic climate change," which is a theory that climate change is being triggered by human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), agriculture (through deforestation, bovine flatus and so on), cement manufacturing, leaking or flaring gas into the atmosphere, chemical manufacturing... the list is very long. Anthropogenic climate change is the theory that these human activities are highly disruptive of the climate. Anthropoclastic climate change is the theory that a highly disrupted climate, which is what we already have, is highly disruptive of human activities, and, in consequence, highly destructive of human life. The anthropogenic theory is a case of man pointing the accusatory finger at man, while the anthropoclastic theory is a case of man pointing the accusatory finger at nature. I will leave it up to you to decide which of the two gestures is the the most futile, but, futile gestures aside, I believe that there are steps to be taken to let us survive climate change, and that these steps should be given due consideration before too long."

http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2009/11/anthropoclastic-climate-change.html