Permaculture

This is a “landing page” for the intersection of permaculture and anarchy.

Introduction

Some common introductions to permaculture include: What is Permaculture?, Permaculture in a Nutshell, Introduction to Permaculture. There are also many videos on YouTube.

Core Permaculture Resources

Issues in Permaculture

Critical insights into some short-comings of the permaculture movement:

Forest Gardening

For temperate climates (Europe, much of North America and Asia) I believe that forest gardening makes more sense than any other documented cultivation modality. Focusing on tree species can actually increase ‘productivity’ of a given plot of land while creating a more complex system than is possible when utilizing only herbaceous plants. There is a recent tendency to equate forest gardening with agroforestry, which I disagree with. Agroforestry is a paradigm being pushed mostly by land-grant type universities that focus on one or two cash crops produced on a large scale in a system that includes trees. Forest gardening utilizes a diversity of species in unique setups that are not easily (nor likely profitably) reproducible on a large scale. Though forest gardening is a relatively new concept to moderns and Westerners, many cultures throughout the world have practiced subsistence methods of forest horticulture. As with other permaculture modalities, ancient and innovative forest gardening knowledges are converging.

Mondragón

Some permaculturalists and anarchists have looked to the organizational model of the Mondragón co-op of Basqueland for inspiration. In recent years, Mondragón has received criticism from anarchists and other labor groups.

Permaculture and civilization

The critiques of civilization have been influential in the contemporary anarchist movement. Ran Prieur has written an accessible, succinct FAQ on the subject. There are many divergent opinions of permaculture among anti-civilization anarchists from outright rejection, to critical acceptance. John Zerzan, perhaps the best-known exponent of anti-civilization anarchy, has spoken highly of Masanobu Fukuoka and other permaculturalists.

Appropriate Technology

Appropriate technology has been popular in many of the same circles as permaculture, but seems to have received little attention from the more industrially-oriented anarchists. Unfortunate, as much of the work being done with appropriate technology is by NGO liberals.

Agriculture

Last updated December 23, 2011

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