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01/29/2006
A Correction
I have been in the habit of quoting something I recall Geoff Lawton saying to me in an interview along the lines that with permaculture we would only need 2% of the current arable land to feed the world. I have written this here and here. Most people tend to conclude from that statement that we only need 2% of the land to produce the same tonnage of food. By my own admission this seems pretty astounding so I emailed him for a clarification and he said that in fact we can "produce the same amount of nutrition on 2% of the equivalent area now used by the global industrial agricultural system".
This is a crucial difference and makes a lot more sense- especially when you consider the many over-fed but under nourished members of western civilisation.
23:11 Posted in General | Permalink | Email this
Comments
that's still a completely astounding claim, and sounds too good to be true to me. geoff is one of bill mollison's prodiges. mollison's a larger than life character, and i don't think he always lets truth get in the way of a good story, and likewise the figures he comes out with to illustrate certain points are sometimes quite clearly exaggerations. i wondered when i studied under them both last year whether geoff took bill's figures at face value, he did speak in their general defence at one stage.
these exaggerations are ok i guess if it gets people inspired and into permaculture. they are both amazing motivators and have achieved so much and i think quite strategic thinkers so maybe they exaggerate for a reason. maybe they think hopelessness is exaggerated and as people often split the difference between competing claims, you need to promise more than is true ??
but i can see the danger that a claim like this makes me think that, well, if we can achieve so much on 2% of land - we only need to do 1/50th as well and we'll produce enough food - so survival/sustainability sounds so easy. why even worry?
unfortunately the facts are that every year bar one this millenia, the world has consumed more grain than it has grown drawing down stocks. (see the fao food outlook.) even before peak oil hits, agriculture is in crisis. post oil peak we're going to have to try to produce way more food than our pre-industrial forebears in an unstable climate with severely depleted soils and aquifers without the benefit of cheap agrichemicals or massive international trade. if anything holds the answers it's the type of functional design solutions offered by permaculture but we'd be kidding ourselves if we think that's going to be so easy! it might be fun and rewarding but it won't be easy.
david holmgren offers a less sexy, but grounded and deeply considered vision of permaculture so there are streams of permaculture for sticklers like me.
great interview btw - i thought i heard it all, but i missed the 2% claim, what time is it at?
Posted by: adamf | 01/30/2006
Adam
I agree with what you are saying. It's already too late for people in some countries to implement permaculture solutions and in the other places politics will ensure it becomes too late as well. Not that we shouldn't try obviously.
I intend to interview David Holmgren too (if he's available) so I can get ask him specificly about this issue.
The 2% comment is at 45:21 - right at the end - infuriatingly it ends with him saying they have proof and then I didn't have time to ask him for further details
Posted by: Aaron | 01/30/2006
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