As part of the Permaculture Teacher Training Course taught ` at Lost Valley January 7-13 by Jude Hobbs and Tom Ward, the fifteen students broke into several groups to consider ten- and fifty-year visions for their land and to prepare presentations related to these visions. The Lost Valley Group included all four staff facilitators for 2002's Organic Gardening, Permaculture, and Community apprenticeship program. We talked about how the Lost Valley community might look in a decade or a half century if we continue to develop it according to the principles of Permaculture.
The basic ethics of Permaculture (a contraction of "permanent agriculture" and also of "permanent culture") include care for the land, care for people, giving away surplus, and living within natural limits. Permaculture's practical implementation often includes a transition into eating more local and seasonal foods, becoming more self-sufficient, incorporating various less-familiar perennial and unusual foods into one's diet, and (in many cases) raising animals to meet some of one's dietary needs.
Our group of four talked about physical systems we could design to support the resident community's transition into such a Permacultural food future. But a basic question remained: will people (not hypothetical idealistic Permaculturalists, but the actual people who are likely to be living with the results of whatever we design) embrace the diet and food systems we are imagining? What additional design factors, ideas, and challenges or problems have we not thought of, and how can we turn these into opportunities to work toward food systems that truly meet the needs and desires of people as well as caring for the earth?
I interviewed fifteen community members (almost three-quarters of Lost Valley's permanent adult population) about four key areas of concern, and received a smorgasbord of useful feedback for our smaller group to chew on.
First, I asked about LOCAL AND SEASONAL FOODS. Were respondents willing to eat more of these? Were they willing to limit themselves to only what's local and seasonal? Did they value this type of food more than non-local and non-seasonal?
Support for increased consumption of local and seasonal foods, at least as an ideal to strive for, was virtually unanimous. Michael stated the sentiment most poetically: "The more local you eat, the more the land gets to shape or dream who you are." Trish observed that the 1400 mile trip the average American food item makes from field to plate is "way out of kilter," and William noted that consuming locally available, seasonal foods supports the local economy and the community's value systems, putting people and the earth first.
The challenges (problem areas or impediments that, according to Permaculture principles, are merely opportunities waiting to be recognized as such) included:
Chocolate: "the one thing," Tammy revealed, "I really wouldn't want to do without."
Fruit: Over a third of interviewees mentioned fresh fruit, year-round, as important to their diets--a need that might be reduced but not eliminated by increased amounts of preserved fruit. (Permacultural fruit explorers and breeders take note.)
Children: "We need to give more consideration to children," Rick offered. "They have different desires and needs than we do." Similarly, Karin said that "with children who like only a few vegetables," she wants to be able occasionally to buy those vegetables for them out of season.
Health: In addition to general nutritional considerations, special health concerns can impact dietary choices. One resident said her doctor had told her to eat avocados and olives regularly--foods not currently grown in our bioregion.
Variety: Virtually everyone valued variety in their diets, though many were willing to compromise variety in order to eat more bioregionally. Steve summed up a common sentiment: "I'm not into a steady diet of just kale."
Second, I asked about MORE SELF-SUFFICIENCY. Did respondents value a move toward growing more of our food on site? (We currently grow approximately 30%--calculated by dollar value--of the food consumed by the community, course participants, and conference guests) Were they willing to support this move by working more on the land and/or by paying higher food fees?
Almost all those interviewed favored boosting on-site food production. Half were willing to pay more and to work more to support increased agricultural activity, while a third were not willing to pay a greater premium than we already do for on-site produce. Michael and Devon both pointed out that investment now in greater self-sufficiency may save us money later, as economic systems increasingly reflect true ecological and social costs.
William was among several who said he saw the benefit of "doing human-scale food production, going back to an agriculturally based society." He recalled liking the system at another community where he lived (the Reevis Mountain School of Self-Reliance), where everyone worked in the garden for an hour every morning. Several others, however, said that they most likely would not have time to add garden or land work to their schedules without becoming overextended or stressed.
Respondents also raised the following issues to be considered in any long-term Permaculture design:
Economic Viability of LVEC Business / Needs of Conference Center: Tammy and Sharon both noted the importance of maintaining a balance that keeps LVEC viable as a business and that meets the needs of the conference center.
Impacts of Additional Staff / Residents: Ory observed that growing more of our own food would require more people, so as to prevent current gardeners from becoming overextended. In light of our current housing crunch, Russ asked, "Where do we house the extra gardeners?"
Local Networks, Neighborhood Cooperation, Gleaning, Bartering: Several members saw these as more promising directions to pursue than greatly increased on-site food production. Even some of those favoring increased self-sufficiency emphasized the value of local neighborhood cooperation--the possibility of trading surplus crops as well as labor to create a stronger local community and greater food security. Steve said he would like us to grow more of our own food, but not all of it: "I don't want to be totally self-sufficient and eliminate contact and interactions with the rest of the world. Local exchanges would be great--they don't have to be distant."
Design into Lives: Larry observed that we could achieve greater food self-sufficiency if we more deliberately designed it into our lives so that it was easier. Non-garden staff could still process food in meetings and do other simple things--grinding grains, baking, etc.--in discrete blocks of time, if we set up appropriate systems to facilitate these activities.
Third, I asked about NEW AND UNUSUAL FOODS that might be part of a Permacultural diet. Were community members open to trying these foods? Were they excited about the possibilities?
This question elicited the most universal "yes" of any that I asked. Every respondent was open to exploring new foods. Tammy summed up her experience with such foods as yacon, sunchokes, and unusual mushrooms: "Strange foods, prepared well, can be delicious." These considerations emerged as the major potential impediments:
Tastiness: While respondents seemed willing to try just about anything, several said they wouldn't continue to eat it unless it tasted good.
Food Associations and Comfort: William noted that many of us have strong memories and associations related to specific foods--especially ones we may have eaten growing up--and that these provide comfort. We need to take these associations and emotions into account when attempting to introduce new foods and/or displace old ones.
Rate of Adjustment: As William pointed out, humans rarely adjust to new foods overnight. To avoid sudden radical changes in our diet and the psychological discomfort resulting from them, he suggested an adjustment period during which we'd increase the amount of any new food in our diet by about 10% per year.
Finally, I asked about HOMEGROWN ANIMALS / ANIMAL PRODUCTS. Should Lost Valley have more animals than we keep currently? (We have a dozen hens and five ducks.) Would respondents eat, care for, and/or pay additional money to have more food-producing animals here?
Half of the respondents were willing to pay more for homegrown animal products than for ones coming from outside, and half were also willing to help in the care of additional animals. Most seemed relatively comfortable with our current chicken and duck populations, and Rick pointed out their educational value, saying that the connections that the children make with them are worth the extra money we may be paying to have our own eggs. However, the idea of adding more animals generated much less unanimous support.
Space, Energy, Care: Longer-term residents had the greatest reservations about adding animals, asserting that, given the current state of our land and our community, we don't have the space or the energy to care for large or herd animals. Several people warned about the costs as well. Goats were the one larger animal that most (but not all) residents could envision consenting to have here at some time in the future, if circumstances were favorable and if they had long-term caretakers.
Stability: Most members agreed that dedicated staff are essential for any animals we do take on. In Karin's view, animals are a huge commitment and residents (including animal enthusiasts) come and go too frequently at Lost Valley to provide the stable base of caretakers that would be required to keep them responsibly. Larry agreed that we would need more stability in our population and in our lifestyle before we could consider taking on larger animals, but he did raise the possibility of having micro-livestock (rabbits, snails, fish, more fowl) in the nearer-term future. In the very long term, under more stable community conditions, he could envision allowing goats to browse a couple of acres in the new forest.
Context: Michael and others emphasized the importance of making sure any animal raising and butchering would be done in a respectful, sacred manner. Devon said she'd be in favor of switching to more homegrown animal products only as an alternative, not as an addition, to our current food choices--i.e., only if we cut out other items that come from far away.
Local Networks, Neighborhood Cooperation, Bartering: The group as a whole saw these forms of local cooperation as the most promising directions to pursue, rather than growing many more animals and animal products ourselves. Given the sentiments expressed by a substantial number of members, this cooperative model is the only animal-related food future that the community would be able to consense on. Trish said she would rather support other local people who raise animals--hormone-free, free-range, and under humane conditions--than to try to turn Lost Valley into a full-scale farm. Karin and Steve agreed that we're better off buying or trading for meat than attempting to raise it all. Several mentioned the possibility of cooperating with neighbors in the use of draft animals or "brush-cutting" goats, if we wanted to make those part of our agricultural approach.
Ten years from now, fifty years from now, how much of the vision expressed in these interviews--borne of people's real needs and preferences, rather than abstract Permacultural theory--will be in place? I suspect that if we're to have a truly Permacultural, sustainable food future, it will align much more with the greater wisdom of the group, as expressed above, than with any "ideal" diet described theoretically in the pages of a textbook. Most of the challenges above do seem like opportunities--they're the factors we'll encounter in the coming decades as we work to figure out how to feed ourselves sustainably.
The one thing I'm not sure we'll be able to achieve is finding a bioregionally adapted substitute for chocolate. For Tammy's sake, please prove me wrong about that.
Chris Roth edits and co-facilitates Lost Valley's Organic Gardening, Permaculture, and Community apprenticeship program.
©2002 Talking Leaves
Spring 2002
Volume 12, Number 1
Food and Spirit, Grief and Hope