Research design

This study employs a qualitative research design based on semi-structured interviews with permaculture practitioners, framed around the five key facilitating conditions that give rise to and shape social movements (Snow and Soule 2010):

1. Mobilising grievances
2. Contextual conditions
3. Movement participation
4. Movement dynamics
5. Political consequences of the movement

A social movement analysis of permaculture can build on the body of research cited above.  Interpreting the permaculture movement through the lens of social movements can facilitate the integration of insights from the existing literature on permaculture politics, to contextualise the individual experiences of permaculture practitioners to be interpreted in relation to the sustainability transition, the global food movement, the political ecology of the environment, and the politics of place, in the process constructing a map of how the permaculture movement operates and impacts at global scale.

My semi-structured interviews with participating interviewees were based around the following set of questions:

• Why permaculture, why now?  à Why do we need permaculture?
• Someone new to permaculture asks you about the permaculture movement, how would you describe it to them?
• Under what conditions is permaculture likely to have its broadest appeal to new audiences?
• In what ways do you see permaculture as political (in terms of the internal politics of movement and permaculture in the context of local/national/global politics)?
• What’s your view of how permaculture practitioners connect with each other across the movement (PDC’s, convergences, networks)?
• How would you describe the identity of the permaculture movement and its participants?
• What is your evaluation of the diversity of the permaculture movement (in terms of gender, ethnicity, class, indigenous representation, LGBTQIA+ etc)?
• What do you see as appropriate goals for the permaculture movement as a collective, both in your local area and globally?
• What’s your view on how effective permaculture has been in spreading itself to new audiences and locations (PDC, convergences, media etc.)?
• How do you view the ability of permaculture practitioners to engage with government and business organisations?
• What do you see as permaculture movement’s most important innovations as a collective?
• What resources does the permaculture movement need to succeed, and are these available?
• What are the major obstacles facing the permaculture movement?
• Any other thoughts/comments? Any important questions about the permaculture movement that we haven’t covered?

Other contributions to the permaculture movement

1. Research design
2. Other contributions to the permaculture movement
   1. Publications
   2. Podcasts
   3. Permaculture Design Course
   4. Permaculture’s Next Big Step
   5. CERES Global study tours

Publications

Podcasts

Permaculture Design Course

From 2014-2021 I taught into the Permaculture Design Course at CERES Community Environment Park in Melbourne. I also taught into the PDC for Ballarat Permaculture Guild in 2019 and 2022.

Permaculture’s Next Big Step

CERES Global study tours