"Stability Through Diversity"

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. It is also the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems.

The following is a collection of ideas and associated links attempting to relate the significance of the concept of stability through diversity. To go straight to more Permaculture sites and bypass my "soapbox", click here.

I believe that the Permaculture concept of Stability Through Diversity applies to economic as well as environmental matters. In Western economies we are losing economic diversity with the growth of big businesses and franchises, I'd suggest that this is resulting in our economy and society becoming less stable. It could be that the internet, through websites like this, and Wikipedia,  the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit,  and Google that rates websites by the relevant links to them, will bring about a reversal of this trend. Big businesses in Australia have grown their influence, in part, by their control of information through the power of network advertising on commercial TV. The internet is based on the free exchange of information giving it stability through diversity.  This website implements the stability through diversity concept via our Link Policy  that allows us to promote any unique WA business, organisation or innovative individual that will provide a reciprocal link, as well as many that don't if their content is relevant.  To read more about how the internet is breaking the control of information, previously held by big business, visit David Meerman Scotts website Web Ink Now .

The stability through (bio)diversity concept forms a part of the basis of Natural Sequence Farming developed by Peter Andrews. For years Peter was ridiculed by the land care establishment for his ideas. Peters treatment is symptomatic of the dilemma facing innovators in the Western world that has adopted the scientific principals that states that nothing is true until it is proven. On the face of it this seems an entirely reasonable proposition, but the problem is that it is very expensive to prove anything to scientific standards so it is only big businesses that stand to generate money from a product or idea that have the funds to prove anything. This extreme scientific approach allows the corporations to deny a whole body of human knowledge gained over generations. This process has resulted in an industrial food  and medical system in the Western world. There is no doubt that modern science produces some spectacular, well publicised cures for disease, but how many of these diseases are the result of an industrial food system? How can it be that Australia has a first world economy yet our state of health is such that we have to recruit doctors from third world countries to fill our needs? Why do we spend billions of dollars on medical research but very little on researching agricultural practices that avoid the use of chemicals in the food chain? 

There is now a growing acceptance of Organic Farming  principals and complimentary medicines that form part of a growing Health and Wellbeing Products and Services industry. People are voting with their dollars and saying that they don't care if something is scientifically proven or not, if it works for them it is OK. The Internet is playing a part in this process as it is breaking down the "cathedrals"  build around the medical and some professional establishments who have previously controlled information to underpin their position in society.  The internet, is evolving to present balanced information without interest group or commercial bias. You can now access informational and make up your own mind what to believe. I'm not questioning the dedication and commitment of health professionals but ask if the profession hasn't allowed itself to become too closely aligned to drug companies that sees a profit in illness rather than looking to prevention. Increasingly Doctors like Dr Dingle are taking a more holistic approach including Diet Environment, Attitude and Lifestyle. Websites like  Elaine Hollingsworth's Doctors are Dangerous provides information that allows you to take control of your health and escape the sickness industry.  Interesting ideas of the place of water in prevention and curing diseases are presented by  Dr. Batmanghelidj  who has dedicated his time to promoting public awareness of the healing powers of water.  Another great example of an individual changing the status-quo is Leanne Preston and her company, Wild Child. Leanne set out to produce a natural cure for head lice and founded a company on a philosophy of a desire to help children. In doing so she had to take on the pharmaceutical establishment and bureaucracy, as well as challenging the business idea of placing profits ahead of ideals. Hers is an inspiring story and her book is well worth reading.  Any hope for the future of our society requires science to develop sustainable energy sources rather than continually consuming the global capital of non-renewable energy. If any of this makes sense to you then you'll probably be interested in ideas discussed by Clive Hamilton and  in the Wellbeing Manifesto . I'm in no way endorsing all that Clive has to say, but he does make some interesting observations which can be balanced by comments by Paul Kerin in the Weekend Australian. No doubt, eventually, economics will decide outcomes, if we waste finite resources eventually they will become to expensive and we will no longer have access to them. Is there then a place for government to show some vision and develop policies and education programs to bring about change to extend the availability of resources rather than rely on market forces to decide? Paul Kerin argues that the people are best equipped to decide how to spend their money, but given that Australia is in the middle of a mineral boom and the national debt is growing rapidly, perhaps we are not making good decisions. Government supports anti smoking programs because it is not good for our health, perhaps they should support anti consumer debt programs because they are not good for our wealth.

Al Gore is reported as saying that "he sees a threat to citizens independence with the concentration of media ownership to fewer and fewer owners. With increasing wealth and power of the media there has been a corresponding increase in public disenchantment and apathy.  Media and journalism before 1960's was based on a conversation with detailed reports in the newspaper, but since TV overtook newspapers as the main source of news and information, individuals have been unable to have their voices heard - only those that can afford to pay for advertising, the major political parties are able to participate.  Al Gore sees the internet as a sign of hope for people to have a conversation and to use knowledge to regain our collective power"  ( Newsletter for Men Of The Trees Western Australia Dec 2006 Issue #106)   I think he is right, a form of commercial censorship exists in the mainstream media that gives the views of big business precedence over small businesses.  This website and our radio programs have been set up to reverse this bias, we only promote the unique local attractions and products of Western Australia.

Money is obviously very important,  but when money becomes the driving force, as has happened in Australia in the last 20 years, we loose sight of human values and the health of our society and its members suffers, bring about the need for organisations like Beyond Blue.  Change is starting to happen, driven by thinking people who see that there is another way. This is happening through things like Farmers Markets , Organic Farming, Permaculture and the Slow Food  movement. All are part of a process of people taking back control of their food supply and economic destiny, that in recent years has been hijacked in the western world by  multinational corporations.  In Australia the advent of compulsory superannuation has resulted in Capitalism taking on the characteristic of a Communist economic model. The productive assets of the country increasingly are owned by "everybody" ( via Superannuation funds) or foreign companies so governments are reluctant to enact legislation that limits the power of these organisations. Globally, so called Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWAF's) are having a similar effect.   As a result a hand full of unelected individuals are making decisions affecting the lives of millions of people. We now have a situation where the capitalist and communist models have merged, both seem hell bent on destroying true private enterprise - look how Coles, Woolworths and Bunnings are destroying small retail businesses. 

I'd welcome someone in authority to explain any error in my logic. If what I've written makes sense to you, then you might be interested in the following pages Farmers Markets , Organic Farming, Permaculture , Slow Food  and Sustainable Living . If you agree with the ideas expressed here, please feel free to link to any of these pages from your website this way you are helping to spread the concept of stability through diversity! If your website is relevant to the content of this site I'll happily provide a reciprocal link.

Barry Green, Managing Director, Western Tourist Radio barry@touristradio.com.au 

Recommended Reading
The Permaculture Home Garden,  Linda Woodrow ISBN 0 670 86599 0
Back from the Brink, How Australian landscapes can be saved Peter Andrews ISBN 978 0 7333 1962 4