Welcome to the Permaculture Association Blog
You can find a wealth of news and knowledge that follows the work of members and partners.
The word ‘regeneration’ is fast becoming the keyword of this decade. With sustainability not living up to its meaning, and with the near daily reports of how climate change, global warming and our lifestyles are irreversibly damaging the planet, we need to think beyond business as normal. And while the business world is going gaga over missions to Mars and self driving cars, Carol Sanford calmly highlights what businesses should be focusing on to survive and become powerfully disruptive in the next 50 years of worldwide change.
An exciting food project called Grown in Totnes has started trading in this South Devon market town, selling processed grains, peas and flours to local shops, bakers and colleges.
It all started with the publication of the Crop Gaps Report, which identified gaps in the area’s local food provision of vegetable protein, grains and oils.
Members of the Transition Town Totnes Food Group went on a mission to supply grains and legumes - beans and peas - all grown, processed and sold within 30 miles of Totnes. They carried out a survey of potential customers using a questionnaire, studied the data in the report, and listed the skills and resources they would need and could access in the town.
In 2012, I started a small education charity in Southern Africa. In its first five years, it has made remarkable progress, but like many in development, I often worry about navigating my work in a way which feels ethical, innovative, holistic and which makes the most of local resources and wisdom. These challenges combined with the pressure of this kind of work can leave one feeling lost, isolated, or worse, burnt out.
A new course led by respected permaculture teacher Chris Evans seeks to address this. Permaculture for Development Workers invites practitioners working at all levels in development to consider incorporating permaculture into their approach and demonstrates how doing so could increase the suitability and sustainability of their programmes – as well as supporting development workers’ personal resilience.
Insects are disappearing. Remember how in the '90s when you went for a drive down a country lane on a summer evening, you'd end up with hundreds of splatters on the windscreen? No more does that happen. Your car is no longer like a 1 ton moth collecting sheet. That's not to draw a parallel between vehicles and insect roadkill, although hold that thought.
We are seeing fewer insects in everyday life, whether you realise it or not. Studies suggest insect numbers have declined by around 50%.
Tackling Social Inequality: Charity and Co-operation?
“We cannot force up the wages of labour, or force down the prices of provisions, without disorganising society” – Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1846
Irish potato famine
It’s a sad fact that this quote, from the Treasury official responsible for the Government response to starvation during the potato famine in both Ireland and Scotland, seems relevant again today.
Monthly Posts
2016 December
2016 November
2016 October
2016 September
2016 August
2016 July
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