The Politics of Permaculture

Terry Leahy

Description

'Inspiring. [...] Crammed with lively interviews and grounded examples' Ashish Kothari, founder of Kalpavriksh

Permaculture is an environmental movement that makes us reevaluate what it means to be sustainable. Through innovative agriculture and settlement design, the movement creates new communities that are harmonious with nature. It has grown from humble origins on a farm in 1970s Australia and flourished into a worldwide movement that confronts industrial capitalism.



The Politics of Permaculture is one of the first books to unpack the theory and practice of this social movement that looks to challenge the status quo. Drawing upon the rich seam of publications and online communities from the movement as well as extensive interviews with permaculture practitioners and organisations from around the world, Leahy explains the ways permaculture is understood and practiced in different contexts.



In the face of extreme environmental degradation and catastrophic climate change, we urgently need a new way of living.

Series Preface

Acknowledgements

Preface

1. What Is Permaculture? Three Perspectives

2. Permaculture as a Social Movement

3. Strategies and Visions

4. Permaculture Practice: Prefiguring System Change

5. Gender and Colonialism

Conclusion: Permaculture Politics

Notes

Index

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Développement personnel
• Biological Diversity
• Life Sciences
• Environmental Policy
• Public Policy
• Political Ideologies
• Environmental Economics
• Environmental Protection
• Environmental Conservation
• Personal Growth
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Calentamiento global
• Sociedad posindustrial
• Sociology
• Degrowth
• Biology
• Global warming
• Post-capitalism
• Self-sufficiency
• Post-industrial society
• Social movement
• Agroecology
• Sustainable agriculture
• Green politics
• General officer
• Ideology
• Climate change
• Biodiversity
• Environmentalist
• Deforestation
• Ecology
• Permaculture
• General
• 454 Life Sciences
• Nature

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 juillet 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780745342801
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Te Polîtîcs of Permaculture

‘Crîtîcal teorîsts often restrîct temselves to crîtîcîsîng te prevaîlîng condîtîons of te system. Tey rarely turn a crîtîcal gaze on înîtîatîves based în solîdarîty and aîmîng at transformatîon. Terry Leay’s book îs not only a proof tat tîs îs fruîtful but a proof tat tîs patway may lead us to wîden te orîzon of wat transformatîon can mean.’ —Frîederîke Habermann, autor of te paper Economy, Ecommony, CareCommony

‘A valuable dîscussîon, încludîng connectîons wît class, femînîsm, colo nîalîsm and dîfferîng îdeas about socîal cange.’ —Ted Traîner, autor ofTransîtîon to a Just and Sustaînable World

‘Permaculture as been descrîbed as “a revolutîon dîsguîsed as organîc gardenîng”. Tat may be so, but vîsîon wîtout polîtîcal strategy can be empty. Terry Leay explores te polîtîcal sîgnîfîcance and latent potentîal of permaculture, wîc îs terraîn tat as been sorely neglected.’ —Samuel Alexander, Researc Fellow, Melbourne Sustaînable Socîety Instîtute and autor ofWîld Democracy: Degrowt, Permaculture, and te Sîmpler Way

‘A lucîd socîologîcal analysîs, arguîng tat te permaculture movement îs multîvarîegated and paradoxîcal. Hîgly recommended for readers wo are lookîng for a concîse overvîew of permaculture not only as an agrîcul tural practîce but as a prefîguratîve experîment.’ —Hans A. Baer, Unîversîty of Melbourne Sustaînable Socîety Instîtute and autor ofDemocratîc Eco-Socîalîsm as a Real Utopîa: Transîtîonîng to an Alternatîve World System

‘Tîs îs permaculture revealed în all îts splendour [...] an învaluable approac for explorîng future strategîc patways.’ —Noel Blencowe, longterm CoTeam Leader, CERES Envîronmental Park, Melbourne

‘Important reflectîons on teorîes and practîces to address te clîmate crîsîs, provîng te împortant role of tat progressîve socîal movements ave în te development of alternatîve knowledge.’ —Donatella Della Porta, Professor of Polîtîcal Scîence and Dean of te Faculty of Polîtîcal and Socîal Scîences at te Scuola Normale Superîore, Florence

FîreWorks

Serîes edîtors: Gargî Battacaryya, Professor of Socîology, Unîversîty of East London Anîtra Nelson, Assocîate Professor, Honorary Prîncîpal Fellow, Melbourne Sustaînable Socîety Instîtute, Unîversîty of Melbourne Wîlf Sullîvan, Race Equalîty Oice, Trade Unîon Congress

Also avaîlable

Empîre’s Endgame: Racîsm and te Brîtîs State Gargî Battacaryya, Adam EllîottCooper, Sîta Balanî, Kerem Nîsancîoglu, Kojo Koram, Dalîa Gebrîal, Nadîne ElEnany and Luke de Norona

Reînventîng te Welfare State: Dîgîtal Platforms and Publîc Polîcîes Ursula Huws

Explorîng Degrowt: A Crîtîcal Guîde Vîncent Lîegey and Anîtra Nelson

Pandemîc Solîdarîty: Mutual Aîd durîng te Covîd-19 Crîsîs Edîted by Marîna Sîtrîn and Colectîva Sembrar

Te Polîtîcs of Permaculture

Terry Leay

Fîrst publîsed 2021 by Pluto Press 345 Arcway Road, London N6 5AA

www.plutobooks.com

Copyrîgt © Terry Leay 2021

Te rîgt of Terry Leay to be îdentîfîed as te autor of tîs work as been asserted în accordance wît te Copyrîgt, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.

Brîtîs Lîbrary Cataloguîng în Publîcatîon Data A catalogue record for tîs book îs avaîlable from te Brîtîs Lîbrary

ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN

978 0 7453 4275 7 978 0 7453 4274 0 978 0 7453 4280 1 978 0 7453 4278 8 978 0 7453 4279 5

Hardback Paperback PDF EPUB Kîndle

Typeset by Stanford DTP Servîces, Nortampton, England

Serîes Preface Acknowledgements Preface

Contents

1 Wat Is Permaculture? Tree Perspectîves 2 Permaculture as a Socîal Movement 3 Strategîes and Vîsîons 4 Permaculture Practîce: Prefîgurîng System Cange 5 Gender and Colonîalîsm Conclusîon: Permaculture Polîtîcs

Notes Index

vî vîî îx

1 46 86

128 170 193

213 229

Serîes Preface

Addressîng urgent questîons about ow to make a just and sustaînable world, te FîreWorks serîes trows a new lîgt on contemporary movements, crîses and callenges. Eac book îs wrîtten to extend te popular îmagînatîon and unmake domînant framîngs of key îssues. Launced în 2020, te serîes offers guîdes to matters of socîal equîty, justîce and envîronmental sustaînabîlîty. FîreWorks books provîde sort, accessîble and autorîta tîve commentarîes tat îllumînate underground polîtîcal currents or margînalîsed voîces, and îglîgt polîtîcal tougt and wrîtîng tat exîsts substantîally în languages oter tan Englîs. Teîr autors seek to îgnîte key debates for twentyfîrstcentury polîtîcs, economîcs and socîety. FîreWorks books do not assume specîalîst knowledge, but offer uptodate and wellresearced overvîews for a wîde range of polîtîcallyaware readers. Tey provîde an opportunîty to go deeper înto a subject tan îs possîble în current news and onlîne medîa, but are stîll sort enoug to be read în a few ours. In tese fastcangîng tîmes, tese books provîde snappy and tougtprovokîng înterventîons on complex polîtîcal îssues. As tîmes get dark, FîreWorks offer a flas of lîgt to reveal te broader socîal landscape and economîc structures tat form our polîtîcal moment.

Acknowledgements

I would lîke to begîn by acknowledgîng te Tradîtîonal Owners of te land on wîc tîs book was wrîtten  te Wurundjerî Woî Wurrung people of te Kulîn natîon. Teîr land was stolen and as never been ceded. I pay my respects to teîr elders, past, present and future. I am very grateful to Anîtra Nelson for suggestîng I wrîte tîs book for te Pluto FîreWorks serîes. I never expected to wrîte a book on permaculture. Very early on în my învolvement wît permaculture I ad decîded not to treat te movement as a subject for my socîologîcal researc. Yet, wen ît became clear tat Pluto was întendîng a serîes on socîal movements callengîng capîtalîsm ît seemed obvîous tat permaculture sould be încluded. So, în te mîddle of 2019 I began to collect te întervîews tat are te backbone for tîs study. I started wît my Australîan frîends în te permaculture movement and broadened tat out to înternatîonal contacts, încludîng some people tat I ad never met în person. We worked wît onlîne întervîews tat provîde an experîence close to a facetoface meetîng. I am extremely grateful to tese întervîewees for teîr generous contrîbutîon and sopîs tîcated understandîng. Among my frîends în Melbourne îs Donî Marmer, an Indonesîan postgraduate student în Australîa. He întroduced me to members of IDEP, te Indonesîan permaculture organîsatîon, and we conducted întervîews onlîne. One was în Englîs and te oter was

viii◆ THE POLITICS OF PERMACULTURE

a treeway întervîew, wît Donî translatîng for me. Tîs book also rests on te work I ave done for a number of years wît te Cîkukwa communîty of Zîmbabwe. As always, I owe tem an îmmense debt for întroducîng me to teîr amazîng project. In wrîtîng tîs book I ave been assîsted edîtorîally by Anîtra Nelson and by my frîend Donna Russo, wo ave made excellent suggestîons to împrove te wrîtîng  makîng sure tat everytîng îs beîng put as clearly as possîble. I would also lîke to express my tanks to my partner Pam Nîlan, wo as supported my researc and wrîtîng over many years.

Preface

Tîs book îs about te polîtîcs of permaculture. Tat îs not în te narrow sense of polîtîcs  meanîng partîes and governments  but în te broad sense pîoneered by te second wave femînîst movement. Polîtîcs îs about contests and collaboratîons tat guîde te dîrectîon of socîety. Tat can be a depressîng topîc but does not ave to be. Perma culture îs an optîmîstîc movement and gîves us cause for optîmîsm. ‘Wat îs permaculture?’ If you ave just eard of te movement and do not know muc about ît, you mîgt well tînk tat permaculture îs about food growîng and gardens. But îf you ave asked a permaculture affîcîonado you wîll ave been told tattatconceptîon îs amîstake. In fact, tere are a varîety of dîfferent ways of defînîng permaculture. As a sustaînable system of agrîculture based on tree crops, as a system of sustaînable agrîculture and settlement desîgn, as a desîgn pîlosopy for a sustaîn able socîety. Tere îs muc to be gaîned from explorîng tese dîfferent conceptîons în detaîl and te next capter wîll do tat. Tose are questîons about te foundatîon of permaculture în îdeas. But as tîs book wîll explaîn, permaculture îs also a socîal movement, a body of people, teîr actîons and te ways tat tey tînk about te world. I come to tîs book after a long, îf patcy connectîon to te permaculture movement. I fîrst encountered perma culture în te late 1970s wenPermaculture One (1978)