The concept of ‘permaculture’ for a long time has been a bit of a mystery to me. During my Environmental Sciences programme at university, my classmates would regularly throw in permaculture as the solution to many of the world’s problems, not just limited to agricultural reform. As we didn’t extensively study the topic, I could not completely grasp how and why. Here at Ananda Valley I’ve come to learn much more about it, through talking to the many knowledgeable people here, as well as implementing permaculture principles in the farm and community as a broader whole.
The principles behind permaculture can be applied to many more fields than just garden design. It has the possibility to facilitate the shifts in norms, values and mind-sets that are necessary to tackle global issues such as climate change and socio-economic exploitation and injustice.
One way that permaculture-thinking can help us, is not to be afraid of change. Permaculture gardens change throughout the seasons and the years, having different soil properties, climatological conditions, and consequentially, different species of plants and animals that grow and live in the garden. It is a natural and dynamic succession that should be encouraged, not held back. The same counts for our ever-changing society. In order to improve or keep up with our livelihoods and well-being, we should not see change as a threat and stop it, but welcome it and actively adapt to it. This could mean that sometimes we have to let go of what we have, in order for something new to grow.
I would encourage everyone to take a moment to study the permaculture principles and how they can inspire us to bring forth societal change. After all, nature is one of our best teachers.
At Ananda Valley, I am co-hosting permaculture workshops in order to spread this knowledge and find new and exciting ways to implement them together. Yesterday was the first permaculture workshop in this series. We discussed the importance of a regenerative culture where the values of earth care, people care and fair share stand in the centre.
Next Sunday, our next permaculture post will be
published on our blog-series. Until then, ask yourself:
how can I welcome positive changes in my life today?
By Florian
