It’s the time to be grateful to all women who make an effort to mentor young ones.
Morag Gamble is CEO of SEED International, an ethical and social enterprise. She writes
“I love this way of living and I love bringing my children up in this environment. I am also passionate about how this way of life can make a positive contribution to society and be environmentally regenerative.”
Necessity is our mother of invention
Being able to grow your own food, or generate our own energy sources is like being able to print money. Self reliance bucks inequality and builds empowerment.
Permaculture women of all walks of life enjoy planting and nurturing trees. Mums are keen to pick fresh food. Many women will, dig swales, fix leaky downpipes, repair steps, replace the oven light, screw a hinge back into place, retrofit stuff, sew, nurse sick animals, saw and bring in the wood. Although it is frustrating that women have not yet earned their right for equal pay, they have developed the art of flexibility.
Women have the perfect nature to live ‘the ethical dream’. They dream of self-reliance, empowerment, being capable and feeling a little challenged. It is not a perfect dream. Life is not perfect. And they know it.
Mum’s the word
Professor Stuart Hill notes: Men will set up new systems but often it is the women who will maintain these systems. Permaculture teacher Chris Evans of Nepal witnessed the ability of the women in the patriarchal Himalayan society to modify designs. The women would quietly rebuild, modify and improve on a wall that was originally built by the men.
Mums Underpin The Permaculture Movement
Yes, many women are:
- shy to publish press releases but will happily write for and about men
- the least likely to travel to conferences because they earn less and are strongly attached to their families and dependent animals
- have their attention divided by a variety of tasks
- accept less pay than men for their day-jobs
- cut costs by doing menial chores, quick repairs and
- can get engrossed in organising rather than speaking at events
- enjoy permaculture lifestyle activities like growing and cooking food
- nurture things, plants, their family, themselves
- value spending time looking after their elders and young
- are more aware that they a mammal and not separate from nature.
This is reinforced through their hormone cycle, act of giving birth and breast-feeding. - can be more emotional. On the positive side, women consider their feelings and a set of ethics is core can develop from those feelings.
- less likely to engage in conflict in wars – their conflict resolution skills involve a lot of talking (yet they are not equally represented in peace-talks)
- managing many of the traditional ‘family-run’ farms
Give Mum Your Support
Women can get discouraged.
They might be the one to ‘hit their shoulder with the shovel’. 
This is not just because they may be new to it. It is not just because they are physically weaker. Injuries occur often because they lack mentors and training. They will desperately try to learn the ‘traditionally’ male skills by looking over a shoulder or reading books or by just trying to follow a practical post on the internet.
Join the communal effort to give women equal financial and emotional support to do courses. Let women ask questions, build their skill base and become empowered. We at Permaculture Visions offer a 40% discount so you and your partner or mum can study happily together.
