The COVID-19 pandemic has turned out to be a contentious issue in the Australian permie community. As we are approaching the biennial Australian Permaculture Convergence (APC), a gathering celebrating all things Permie, organisers and participants must navigate the complexities of meeting face-to-face in as respectful and safe a manner as possible.
Individuals within the permie community, like many communities in Australia, hold a variety of different relationships with COVID, and with COVID-safe practices. A number of participants who will be at the APC are beloved permie elders, in their 70s and 80s, who are at increased risk from the impact of COVID. Others among us are immune compromised, unable to be vaccinated while simultaneously at higher risk from complications of COVID.
Others of us are healthy, vaccinated, and committed to keeping our more vulnerable embers safe by doing all we can to stay COVID-safe. Included in this is a concern for our over-burdened health system and health workers, and the vaccination imperative for protecting our health system. Yet others of us are sceptical of vaccination technologies.
Some of us choose not to be vaccinated, and some see mandatory vaccination, mask-wearing and lockdowns as infringements on individual and community rights. There is a concern among some that the pandemic has provided justification for autocratic government and police interventionism; others are concerned that some of the protest actions of this last group have opened the door and invited right-wing, white-superiority, US-style “preppers”, and the culture of racism, misogyny and violence that accompanies them, into the permie space, thus putting members of our permaculture community at risk.
Some of us argue that COVID and vaccine debates have nothing to do with permaculture, while others argue that they are issues central to our ethics: People Care (eg: the importance of keeping people safe); Earth Care (eg: COVID is a zoonotic disease, and zoonotic diseases are exacerbated under industrialised monocultural food growing practices) and Fair Share (eg: discrepancies between food security and access to health care, including vaccinations, between wealthy and impoverished communities).
Organisers of the APC are doing all they can to ensure that our convergence is a physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually safe space.
There will be a couple of sessions at the APC for open and respectful discussion on covid and Permaculture.
Some background reading David Holmgren’s various writings on the pandemic: see, for example, Pandemic Brooding
For a review of the variety of responses within the Australian permaculture community, see Terry Leahy’s piece Permaculture’s COVID Conundrums.
ORDER NOW to pre-purchase your mug for $45.00 – the earlier the better as numbers are limited
It can be picked up at convergence from the Chai Tent.
You can also purchase the mug during the convergence from the Chai tent for $50.00
All profits go to Permafund.
The Chai Tent is supported by a small group of volunteers from the eastern seaboard and South Australia to provide a space for conversations, debriefing and sharing of projects and ideas.
We aim to provide a relaxing space to lounge around that is comfortable and beautiful.
We are working with David Collins, who will be handcrafting cups for APC 2023. He is a highly skilled Australian potter producing finely crafted ceramics on his property on the south coast, NSW.
The 2022 Permaculture Australia Annual General Meeting was held on the 23rd April at Research, Victoria and online.
Congratulations to the following Board of Directors who have been appointed for 2022/2023:
Toad Dell, Queensland
Debbi Long, Victoria
John McKenzie, Victoria
Donna Morawiak, Queensland
Jed Walker, New South Wales
Huge thankyou to the outgoing Directors, Wendy Marchment, Greg Rodwell and Sophie Thompson. Big thank you also to Virginia and Stephen Solomon for hosting the AGM at their residence. It was a gorgeous Autumn day which was perfect for a pot-luck lunch outside post the AGM followed by a tour of the house with a Retrosuburbia perspective. The property is one of the Retrosuburbia case studies and is undergoing further changes to ease the load post retirement from paid work.
Special thanks and acknowledgement was given to Wendy Marchment with a bouquet of flowers, on her work as Secretary over the past four years. In particular, on getting PA’s compliance and governance systems up-to-date, having established many templates and processes including the Directors’ induction checklists which will make the transition easier and smoother for incoming Boards.
“It is with great pleasure I accept the honour of being a patron of Permaculture Australia. I have been involved in the organisation since it’s incorporation as a non-profit in 1987 as a Founding Director and five years as Editor of the Permaculture International Journal, which nurtured the early growth of the global permaculture movement. Since the early 80s, I have been teaching permaculture and consulting internationally, including working closely with Bill Mollison.
Over the past two decades my key focus in PA has been the design and roll-out of the Accredited Permaculture Training vocational education and qualifications to take permaculture practice to a new level of proficiency and professionalism, and to support the organisation’s transition from global to a more focussed national voice for the permaculture community in Australia.
Now as a PA Patron I offer my experience, insights and historic perspectives to the Australian permaculture community in promoting the important role permaculture has to play in meeting the challenges we face, as a nation and as a planet in crisis. In a rapidly changing and uncertain world, the permaculture ethics, principles and practices provide guidance and direction for solution-oriented actions by individuals, households and communities to adapt and regenerate our physical environments and social landscapes.
Permaculture Australia is growing and maturing as a dynamic, member-based organisation that embraces the diverse nature of permaculture people, projects, groups, enterprises and initiatives around the country. Through this collective voice, we can provide vital support and inspiration for each other and use this platform to reach out to the wider Australian community and those searching for solutions and the hope that arises from meaningful action.
I personally feel that there’s much healing to be done as we move forward, on a personal level of deep reconnection with nature, of shifting from a ‘me’ to ‘we’ focused society through community action, and of acknowledging and embracing the wealth of indigenous and first nation wisdoms, their intimate connection to, and knowledge of, Country.
Another world is possible, and through a strong Permaculture Australia we can harness our collective energy, skills and experience to be more effective change-makers.”
Robyn Francis, August 2021
Read more about Robyn’s permaculture experience and insights in our interview with Robyn in 2020 here
Welcome to new PA Professional member WaterUps, who are also generously offering PA members a big discount on their entire range of products. Read more to find out some staggering statistics on how much plastic and water they’ve saved and reused, as the end of Plastic Free July comes to an end. You can also read more about the team in this article we did in 2020 too.
“The lockdown has seen a lot of people focus on their gardens and the physical and mental health benefits they offer so it’s been really nice to see so many people exploring how to grow their own food and, even better, do it in a sustainable fashion.
“The reduced food miles/carbon footprint and of course reduced waste (plastics and unused food) are all additional benefits that can help reduce the pressures on our fragile environment so we’re so happy to be able to play our part whilst also promoting and supporting groups like Permaculture Australia who contribute so much good to the community.”
Interestingly, as it’s “plastic free July” we’re incredibly proud to be able to report that we ticked over the 8.6 tonne figure of the amount of plastic that we’ve saved from landfill and that has been recycled to our products.
In turn, It’s estimated that the people who are using WaterUps® have then saved nearly 25.5 million litres of water compared to the same gardens using an above ground irrigation system!
We’re pretty proud of those numbers and thank you for your support in helping us achieve this, and for encouraging others to find our more about our efforts.
Discount offer for PA members
Catch and store water to help obtain a yield with a wicking garden bed from WaterUps From Down Under. By recycling plastics (over 8.5 tonnes already!) we’re helping reduce waste and to significantly reduce the amount of precious water needed to keep plants happy and healthy in all manner of garden and growing environments. WaterUps can reduce your watering needs by up to 80% and gardens can be left for several weeks without the need to be re-watered. We are thrilled to offer a 20% discount on our product range for all Permaculture Australia members (log into the PA website for the discount code). For more please visit www.waterups.com.au.
Thanks to your generous donations, PA’s Permafund has supported 59 projects in 17 countries. Each month we’ll bring you a wrap up of some of the projects being supported, so you can follow their progress and fantastic outcomes.
They say a picture tells a thousand words, so scroll through and check out the photo updates shared from Sustainable Communities Kenya. The team have been busy training farmers in organic farming skills, with more activities still occurring before the crop harvest occurs in July and August, and “are happy how our farmers have benefits so much because of the Permafund grant.”
The IRDS Project team in India have completed the training for fifty rural tribal farmers in growing tomatoes, brinjal, beans and castor oil and provision of seeds. This included a focus on eco friendly farm inputs, low cost crop tonics, and intercropping. Criteria used to determine the farmers included: young, has interest to try new methods in agriculture especially the integrated agriculture, allocate time to training and other project related activities, and has land to practice the new permaculture skills.
“IRDS expresses its sincere thanks to PA’s Permafund for their partnership. The farmers are taking care of their cultivation crops now, and they are happy to raise various crops in their lands that will ensure diverse crops and various out come as a result for their sustainable livelihoods.”
The reality and impact of COVID in India, was shared in the project update from Aranya India, with many team members, family and the project communities negatively impacted by COVID directly.
“The situation here isn’t as great. Many of our family, friends , staff and the farming community have been affected with COVID. We have started working on the one acre permaculture projects, however couldn’t continue with the sudden resurge in COVID cases. The villagers shut their boundaries and are not stepping out of their homes whatsoever. However, we have managed to work a little bit with the help of our ground level staff and volunteers. As the monsoon is nearing, we have procured the plants for plantations and earthworks have started.”
And finally, we are thrilled to introduce a new project in Zambia. The Youth Empowerment for Development Initiative (YEDI) plans to train rural communities to improve land, become more resilience and sustainably produce food using permaculture principles.
The scope of the project is ambitious, aiming to not only teach permaculture but also to train local leaders to nudge farmers towards ‘climate smart agriculture’ where traditional beliefs at times hinder the adoption of sustainable practices. (For examples of such beliefs see Considering Religion and Tradition in Climate Smart Agriculture: Insights from Namibia).
Permafund will follow YEDI’s progress with interest, as its goals of land conservation and permaculture ideas may provide lessons for many projects in such hot, subtropical areas with limited rainfall.
For more information:
PA’s Permafund provides small grants for permaculture projects implemented by community organisations across the globe. Since 2012, we have supported 59 projects in 17 countries, thanks to generous donations. Permaculture Australia is a registered charity and registered environmental organisation, and donations over $2 are tax deductible in Australia. To find out more, including how to donate here.
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