Story and photos by PA member, Robin Clayfield, January 2018
The IPC in India recently was a feast of colour, culture and fabulous Indian cuisine with interesting presentations, much networking and diverse learning opportunities as 1200 people from over 70 countries gathered for the week near Hyderabad.
The two day Conference was held at an agricultural research college on the edge of the city and was brimming with Indian farmers. 350 people had travelled around the globe to be be part of the event and other came from all over India. Robin set up a small stall with her books, card games and resources and get to be set up in between Indian seed sellers and traders of Indian crafts and baskets.
She also made a valuable contribution to the Conference by presenting a panel titled ‘Are Women Leading the Change’ as the finale program item for the weekend. One of the sub themes of IPC was ‘Women Leading the Change’ so, as a female pioneer in Permaculture and Social Permaculutre Robin felt well placed to gather key women from different cultures and backgrounds and address this interesting question. The panel that joined Robin was made up of Starhawk, Vandana Shiva, Rowe Morrow, Robina McCurdy, Padma Koppula and Beatriz Ramirez Cruz and was later joined by Robyn Francis and two Indian Women Farmers who’s names aren’t with us to be published.
Robin began by inviting the audience to stand up, thank each other and acknowledge the positive change they were already involved in creating, even if it were just by being there at the Conference and taking the good energy and learnings home. Robin then asked the panel to share on three points:
one way they felt they were personally contributing to change in the world
areas where they felt women were leading the change
comment about the qualities being modelled by women that they felt were vitally important to positive change
The whole session was inspired by Robin contemplating the theme of ‘Women Leading the Change’ and noticing that a very high percentage of the acknowledged pioneers of Social Permaculture around the globe were women, so they are the ones she invited to join her.
The Indian women farmers were magnificent at modelling the empowerment and passion of women who are standing up in India and now becoming more able to be heard.
Robin ended the session by asking everyone in the audience to contemplate one word that described a quality they heard expressed by the panel that they felt was really important to them. She then counted to three and everyone called them out all at once, inviting more of those qualities in the world, in their lives and in their home communities. A great end to the Conference. Look out for a link that will be available soon of the Live to Air Telecast of the panel session.
Robin and Andy Goldring facilitating
The Convergence was held at Polam Farm, a two year old Permaculture designed system that has received much support from volunteers to establish, especially in the months leading up to IPC. For five days 450 people were feed, housed in tents, cared for and given so much access to workshops, talks, panels, demonstrations, traditional living skills, films and networking time as well as many amazing and diverse cultural performances in the evenings.
Robin was kept very busy with offering or being part of many sessions including a workshop on ‘Teaching Permaculture Creatively as a Grassroots Action’ which saw the smallish thatched roof workshop space bulging with about 60 people.
She was on the panel for ‘Open Government and Sociocracy’, was a lead facilitator in the three CoLab afternoon sessions (which drew together those interested in an ongoing collaboration of people wanting to better respond strategically and collectively as a global movement) and also offered the now traditional ‘Jumping’ session as a finale for the Convergence. There is a photo here of Robin and Andy Goldring facilitating the first CoLab session using a ‘web of connection’ and also one of Narsanna, the principal organiser of IPC India, JUMPING his intention for future Permaculture Involvement.
Robin with several of the Australians and Ego Lemas from Timor Leste at IPC India.
Robin Clayfield is an international teacher, facilitator and author who is passionate about healthy groups, organisations and communities, their structures and governance and most importantly, their facilitation and group dynamics.
She presents and consults all around the world to support global health, well-being and whole systems change through using Permaculture, Social Permaculture and ‘Dynamic Groups’ methodology.
Robin is a Permaculture Pioneer and Elder who has lived at Crystal Waters Permaculture Eco-Village in SE Queensland, Australia since 1988. Her books and resources include ‘You Can Have Your Permaculture and Eat It Too’, ‘The New Permaculture Principles Card Game’, ‘The Creative Community Governance and Decision Making Resource Kit’ and the ‘Creative Process Wild Cards’.
She is also the co-author (with Skye in 1995) of ‘The Manual for Teaching Permaculture Creatively’ plus several resources and card games for teachers and facilitators.
Time to book your seat for the 13th International Permaculture Conference and Convergence in India, Nov 2017.
EARLY BIRD rate available for all (Indian and International) until March 31st. Don’t miss out and join everyone on this beautiful Permaculture journey!
[button_link url=”http://ipcindia2017.org/participants.php” target=”blank” style=”blue” title=”” class=”” id=”” onclick=””]Click here to register for IPD India 2017[/button_link]
Thanks to Ian Lillington for sharing — a nice 5 min grab from the IPC people…
Filmed at the 12th International Permaculture Convergence, where people from over 70 countries came together. Thank you very much to all the people interviewed. Visit the IPCUK’s YouTube channel and see their playlists for great content from the convergence and the conference. Many thanks to Jacob Redman and Ana Sany, producers of this video.
Head Chook at PermacultureVisions.com P: 02 4228 5774 A: 280 Cordeaux Rd Mt Kembla Village 2526 Australia E: april@permaculturevisions.com W: permaculturevisions.com
Story by April Sampson-Kelly, 27 October 2015
Recently, we went to IPC UK – International Permaculture Conference and Convergence in London.
I have been going to Permaculture Conferences since 1996 and they are a great chance to glean new ideas and get a sense of where the movement is headed. This conference had a bright confident atmosphere and there was a deep sense of maturity and belonging at the convergence.
Congratulations to Permaculture UK – the hosting association was strong, purposeful, empowered and well-organised with great teams and buckets of enthusiasm.
Great cultural icons
What I loved most about this conference was the was bright and tangible cultural flavour. Of course, the meetings were openly welcome for all the international delegates, but always there was a lovely English cultural flavour.
There was a touching sense of pride and value in:
Native foods (such as apples, berries, cider, beer, sandwiches, cheeses).
Traditional folklore such as wreaths for crowning the hard-working, well deserving volunteers, and traditions such as natural plant dyes.
Epping forest, London IPCUK delegates from Africa and Hong Kong marvel at the abundant wild food in a major city.
The Arts – theatre, poerty and song.  Three Acres and a Cow did a fantastic play that mentioned the clearances and sang about the value of people versus the land. This made me surprisingly sad because I am descended from people those very same people who were undervalued and shipped off. Later, as I left the English Autumn, I remember how blessed I am that my people landed in a rich and creative culture.
I really enjoyed the magical personal and fun session by Charlie Mgee, so proud of you and pleased our little crowdfunding donation was very well spent!!
Local history was honoured. Even the venues were of cultural significance.
The Conference venue [The Quakers Friends house] is an old English Society that has changed the notion of peace around the world.
The Convergence venue [The World Scout Headquarters] is also an English international movement and has taught many young people world-wide life skills (including myself).
We enjoyed a guided talk through Epping forest by permaculture teacher, Richard Webb. It was great to see these cultural icons. (people, traditions and places)
A clear future for the permaculture movement
Keri Chiveralls is heading up the first Permaculture Graduate Diploma with world-wide recognition.
Since the last Permaculture International a lot of social aspects of the movement have been addressed. The movement is getting more skilled at finding the balance between people care and earth care.
We are seeing a lot of strategies that were once touted as alternative-living or hippy practices (composting, solar power, growing your own food, supporting local markets, fixing things and having a go at doing-it-yourself) are now recognised as common-sense and even good business strategies.
There is a huge passion in building scientific based research and a world-wide scientific research community to investigate, document and publish findings.
There is also incredible growth in permaculture education at university level (The new Permaculture Design and Sustainability Program at CQUniversity looks very exciting).
The eductation and training for young people is also growing (including the fantastic energy from Charlie Mgee).
Finally, the most promising development for me was the emergence of co-operation overcoming the competitive corporate thinking that rules most of the western world and building a new community of resilient, intellectual harmony.
Co-operation on the world-wide permaculture stage
April and Wes Trotman discussing the value of getting together at International Conferences and Convergences.
The Next-Big-Step project got hundreds delegates together listening to one another and talking about their passion and challenges and we saw the beginning of a plan to bring permaculture together as truly cohesive and aware  — documenting one another’s projects:
successes
failures
goals and
well-researched movement.
This Convergence demonstrated the incredible potential of co-operative projects rather than competitive permaculture. Competitive behaviours sometimes rear their ugly heads in permaculture.
This is all part of a democratic, empowered society.
It was a joy to see the maturity of a movement that can sit together and learn from one another regardless of how famous or successful each individual has become.
Story by Ian Lillington who attended the International Permaculture Convergence in London. September 2015.
David Holmgren and Jonathon Porritt addressed the opening session of the International Permaculture Conference (IPCUK) in London on September 8 this year.
IPC UK 2015 opening session. Photo: James Lockley.
Cooriginator of the permaculture design system, David Holmgren, talked about the ‘waves’ of permaculture’s growth and says we are in the middle of the fourth wave. Former head of Friends of the Earth, Jonathan Porritt, acknowledged that permaculture’s principles were an influence on both his thinking and his spirit as he advocates for a mindset that is not dominated by greed and overconsumption.
Opening address by David Holmgren at IPC UK 2015. Photo: Wendy Marchment.
Permaculturists from at least 78 nations were in the unique structure called ‘The Light’ in central London for two days, representing the 135+ countries globally, where permaculture is happening.
David’s voice and ‘big-picture thinking’ is familiar to most of us, but it was news to hear Porritt focus on food security and setting limits to population (as well as consumption). Porritt said that conventional statements about ‘doubling the food we produce by x’ makes no sense unless we address food waste. Around 30-45 percent of food at the farm does not turn up on the plate, and more is wasted once it is scraped off the plate uneaten. He also adressed meat consumption as much demand for new agricultural land is geared to producing feed for meat production, such as soy production in Latin America.
There is not a sensible conversation about soil nutrients, water etc, that have to be part of debate about food security and also to ignore waste and meat obsession.
As with energy, the answer is to reduce the need for more, not to obsessively produce more.
Both intellectual and spiritual
Porritt has been central to the organic food movement and has been part of GM debates. Looking back, he realised that debate hardly touched on the relationship between humans and the earth, especially the reciprocities involved. In contrast, the heartland of permaculture is different as ita  is set of design principles that underpin the way humans produce our food.
Permaculture allows us to be part of intellectual and spiritual process that is going on. Porritt places a strong emphasis on the spiritual. He has learned to end his deep apocalyptic fear and to come back to the story of hope.
Conferences like this are important in making us dig deeper and draw on the wealth of resources that are available to us and connect to web-based stuff like www.foodtank.com, who’s analysis of the world of permaculture reported more than a million people certified in permaculture of some sort.
The value of enclaves and outposts
Enclaves – refuges – are places where people can withdraw from th world of modern agriculture, says Porritt. He went on to say that permaculture has a role in creating such places.
Outposts are different and they are connected, They are where people access the front line to engage in where there is difficulty and danger and where they can grapple with daily issues of food insecurity. Outposts are created when people join with local communities to address of social justice as well as food production.
In the mix of action and dreaming, there is a balance to be found and the permaculture movement provides opportunity to find the right place to be to act for a better world.
It’s an exciting world to Jonathan Porritt, one of creative chaos in which we permaculture practitioners have big role to play.
Robin set up a small stall with her books, card games and resources and get to be set up in between Indian seed sellers and traders of Indian crafts and baskets.
Robin then asked the panel to share on three points:
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