Hello Everyone:
About the time Bill and David put together permaculture, waves of mass peoples education movements were sweeping the world. There was the literacy movement in Brazil, and some other South American counties. Viet Nam had anyone who was literate go and teach the children during the war - to ensure when it was over they could participate fully. I was part of an exciting literacy campaign in Lesotho where anyone with grade 4 could teach herdboys who brought a candle at night to a rondavel. It worked and threatened the rackets in South Africa....another story. There were barefoot doctor/nurse movements. It was an exciting time.
The principles was "Each One Teach One: And also as diversity and biodiversity is a major principle of permaculture, having people simply teach it gave the diversity of styles we have today. I don't know that Bill was actually opposed to Universities because he'd probably never have had the input to become an ecologist without the University of Tasmania and David's input. It is simply another road to get to the top of the mountain....or perhaps many roads lead to the sea.
I am convinced this diversity is critical or Permaculture will suffer from over-regulation. In Australia you can go through the TAFE - Technical and Further Education pathway. I know students who have followed it and found it very good. I am simply passionate about really open access to courses because intelligence and aptitude are not tied to University entrance.
If we had it only in Universities what would happen to those people in the orphanages in Uganda, in the mountains of SW Ethiopia, the Afghanis Peace Youth, Camerouns and East Timor where there are thousands of farmers who have learned permaculture. (They are locked out of this discussion through lack of resources but they are very very good and their lives have changed). Also its still in some way a prototype....and will evolve I believe but I don't know which ways.
As a teacher of Permaculture for nearly 30 years I find the totality of it elegant and beautiful. I am grateful for such good content. It is the design component and understanding of Patterns and Orders that gives it its edge. You need all the rest to apply these. I find only that the evidence grows for the permaculture content of the PDC and we play with it at our peril. But I add evidence. Look at the new principles we now have Eco-cities and for Zone III. I don't teach all the new material but it underpins what was there in the curriculum in the 1970s.
Where people alter the curriculum there students are penalised by not having sufficient basics to become competent.
Dave about the topics....there are about 40 you can teach if you split
water into Rural and Urban domestic for example. So you are right. How can a College put a course together unless many teachers have PDCs, or they have a team of PDC teachers. Sydney university had a Semester or Term in its Organic agriculture as a basis for farm designs and it is taught by PDC graduates so the systems approach to integrate units works.
And Graham....you are right about disdain, I'd call it impatience. I am so grateful for the opportunity to go to University and to be able to take the time and luxury to learn. But..... I no longer want to go to a formal institution and do assignments where teachers know the answers. I like relevant information which challenges me. However other learning types do enjoy formal courses. We there is the provision for diverse learners. Ive met too many brilliant people in developing countries who run rings around me....and often their Universities are modelled on the west.
Cassie I am not sure that University where Bill and Geoff taught offered a Degree or Diploma in Permaculture I think it was simply they were sponsored of used the venue. Check it out in case Im wrong. It happens fairly often.
And Leila, no one else caught the wave and although I have reservations etc about bits and pieces Leila, it isn't just a rehash of traditional methods. Nothing else has arisen in the last four decades which even approaches it in scope and application to so many regions of the world. Ive looked at every scheme because Im not a permaculture fundamentalist. But the more I work with it, the more I see how much deep and complex it is.
Im not concerned about what universities do. I am passionate about the Right to Accurate and Relevent and Useful information of everyone especially those for whom these are difficult. This is what permaculture represents to me.
Hey, this is a big topic and has got me going.
Thank you so much.
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