Permaculture in the Middle East: Letter from Jordan

by admin on October 20th, 2009

This is the latest from our Sustainable [R]evolution collaborator/photojournalist Craig Mackintosh, who has travelled to Jordan with permaculture teachers Geoff and Nadia Lawton.

Students from many countries study permaculture in Jordan

Students from many countries study permaculture in Jordan

Geoff, Nadia and I are currently stationed a stone’s throw from the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley. At 400 metres below sea level, this is the lowest place on earth. Geoff and Nadia are teaching a Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC) to 35 students from many different countries. With this course, and other previous Permaculture Research Institute efforts in the region, we have a really good wedge of influence in what is effectively the hub of the middle east – the very open-bordered country of Jordan. Although we have a few ‘westerners’ here, the bulk of the students are from either Jordan or surrounding nations – like Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Qatar, Afghanistan, Turkey and even a couple of slightly further afield train passengers from Bulgaria. Other students come from Australia, Italy, UK, USA, Singapore and China. It’s been great getting to know them. A story could be told about many of these people alone.

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What is the culture of permaculture?

It's becoming painfully clear that the culture of consumption created by the global market economy cannot sustain itself on a finite planet. Ecological and social crises are at hand, and loom larger as populations continue to grow and resources shrink. Scientists may disagree about the number of years we have to make this shift before we reach an ecological "point of no return," but it is clear that the current dominant system is leading us down the wrong path. Another way forward is being called for, and that means a fundamental shift in our beliefs and practices— a cultural shift.

Permaculture,a re-evolutionary design system evoking permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture, is about observing nature and working with its flow. It uses ecological principles to design systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Over the past quarter century it has grown into an international movement for sustainable land use practices-- a code of ethics based in the wisdom of many traditional and indigenous cultures.

What could the future look like if we make this shift toward sustainability? We believe that the culture of permaculture is pioneering a path toward a positive future, while honoring the wisdom of our ancestors. It is a growing, international group who are "changing the dream" of the dominant culture, in the shamanic sense-- shifting the cultural imagination toward an alternative way of living. They actively choose to live in a way that respects the Earth, recognizing that this change is inevitable in the face of global warming, peaking resources, and growing population.

In a modern world irrevocably shifted by human impact, what does a more sustainable culture actually look like? We decided to take our skills as anthropologist/writer (Juliana) and visual artist/activist (Louis) on the road and document this emerging culture in a book called Sustainable (R)evolution and this blog. Along the way we've connected with permaculture experts, photojournalists and activists who are also contributing to the project. Please contact us at julianapeartree@gmail.com if you'd like to get involved too.
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Support the ‘Sustainable (R)evolution’ Book Project

Have you ever wished, when explaining to someone about sustainable alternatives to our destructive global system, you had a visual, easily accessible book that demonstrated what it is all about, and what the world could look like if permaculture design systems became mainstream thinking?

We’ll – we’re making that book.

The Permaculture Research Institute is getting behind a project that would see the creation of a large format book that profiles, with creative writing and quality photographs, some of the many successful Permaculture projects underway around the world.

The final version is unlikely to look like this, but it gives you an idea….

The purpose of the book is to create a resource tool to help drive Permaculture thinking into the mainstream, by spotlighting in the most aesthetic and readable way the potential of Permaculture to solve all of the world’s current problems, by means of inspirational examples of practical, working solutions. We’re documenting a sustainable revolution that spans every corner of the globe – painting an accessible, exciting picture of the positive future that’s already here.

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Juliana, Louis, Craig and our other journalists will be blogging about inspiring sites that are demonstrating sustainability around the world, and posting them here!

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The book will map some of the most noteworthy Permaculture projects worldwide

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