Fitness Quotes

What does a permaculture practitioner eat?

The following is a direct quote from The current newsletter of the Permaculture Association UK: Permaculture Works (Vol II Issue 11 Autumn 2009) I would LOVE to hear your views particularly if you are a Permaculturist. Page 11 Your letters from Peter Wheat (direct quotes) 'What does a Permaculture Practitioner eat? Clearly local and vegetarian or Vegan, but the typical vegetarian diet is packed with things that only grow well in hotter countries (eg. soya, lentils, sesame, millet etc?) The other key consideration is getting balanced nutrition in terms of protein, carbohydrates and minerals. I would also be interested to know if any readers consider themselves expert in this area?' Peter Wheat End Quote: So Permaculturists what are the glaringly obvious problems here? Excellent answer Boho Garnet, but your information on B12 is actually incorrect. ALL vitamin B12 in the world comes from BACTERIA. Plants nor animals can synthesize it. Animal foods are rich in B12 ONLY because they eat plant materials contaminated by the bacteria. The amount of B12 we actually need is tiny about 3 MICROgrams per day, it is stored in the liver, tissues and kidneys for a long time (at least five years) you would have to be very persistently negligent to actually get B12 deficiency. The cases of B12 deficiency are usually found in meat eaters NOT vegans. Intestinal parasites compete for it, cigarette smoking can detroy it over time as can genetic problems of absorbtion. Very few Vegans actually get vitamin B12 deficiency because many grow their own foods/garden. It is the PROCESSING of manufactured foods whereby microorganisms are routinely washed off produce (with Chlorine) that eliminates the B12 bacteria. Such tiny amounts of B12 is needed that even if you (cont) home grown produce if you are eating it regularly it will provide the tiny amounts needed. Similarly, there is strong evidence to suggest that Vitamin B12 is lacking more in meat eating diets because of the Veggie/Vegan's awareness of diet and even if talking about manufactured vegetarian/vegan foods these are routinely fortified with B12 whereas manufactured mixed diet foods are not. see Davey G.K., Spencer E.A., Appleby P.N., Allen N.E., Knox K.H. and Key T.J. 2003. EPIC-Oxford: lifestyle characteristics and nutrient intakes in a cohort of 33 883 meat-eaters and 31 546 non meat-eaters in the UK. Public Health Nutrition. 6 (3): 259-69. (Continued) Research shows that B12 from fortified foods is better absorbed than B12 from meat, poultry and fish (remember meat eaters get their B12 from secondary sources the bacteria on the plants has to be eaten by the animals). Again numerous research articles confirming this including: Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline. National Academy Press. Washington, DC, 1998. Alongside this there ARE other natural sources of B12 that CAN be found in a Vegan diet such as mushrooms grown outdoors (usually those sold as organic as they have not been subjected to chemicals in production or cleaning). Although fermented soya foods and seaweeds and yeasts don't provide a reliable source (quantity of B12 the same each time) including them in the diet does contribute significantly over time to maintaining high B12 levels. Also see http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArEIJx_o8C2bZQ2hXpZegu7ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090910064727AArqCws Also see the answers here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ako5dVl4YPlqtrX0mJHLGXfty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090910071309AAxc5Vw The glaring obvious problems with being a Vegan 'Permaculturist' is not just about EATING the eggs, milk and flesh of animals. A vegan/veggie 'permaculturist' would have to have ways of doing all the things that animals do within the ecosystem for it to be truly Permaculture and mimicking the natural ecosystem. Clearly vegan/veggie ethics about using animals for labour/pest control, using the yields expected from each (animal) element (fur, feather , excrement, urine, bone, blood, scratching, pest control, weed control/clearing, as food for other stock etc etc) prevents them copying ecosystems which contain animals that regulate/drive the ecosystem. This is the very essence of permaculture. A Permaculture Practitioner does NOT even eat local food UNLESS he can not provide it himself. Permaculture is about self sufficiency with limited trading with neighbours where needs can not be met BUT it is about self sufficiency of shelter, materials, fuel and dealing with wastes ALSO.

Public Comments

1. I believe in it as a good system, but am not in a position to work it myself. If I were, I would expect to remain omnivorous. My permaculture smallholding would include, perhaps, rabbits, hens, ducks, goats, etc. Eggs and milk would be produced and, properly managed, meat would occasionally be available. In Britain, I might expect to be on a very limited diet by Spring, but I would certainly expect to maintain healthy, balanced nutrition.
2. I'm a permaculture farmer, in the U.S.A. Specifically, we live in the Pacific Northwest. We grow 90% of our own food. We eat meat too. Goat, lamb, chicken, rabbit, & turkey. As we are able to expand our farm (hopefully to double in size in the next few years) we will add beef, and pigs. We currently butcher our own small stock ourselves. As we get into the larger stock, like beef, and pigs, we will have our local mobile butcher come to our farm, and butcher the stock here. That way the livestock is never stressed by being loaded up and transported, then forced to wait hours in a stressful new environment before being slaughtered. About the only thing we cannot produce are our grains. Since it rains a great deal in the Pacific Northwest there is limited grain production. In the future however we may indeed try to produce some of our own wheat. Permaculture is not really about WHAT you eat, but rather about keeping everything in balance. For example, the chicken roost is next to the orchard. The orchard has poultry fence about it, to keep the chickens in and safe, when they need to be. Otherwise they are allowed to wander the 40 acres of the farm as they choose. The chickens eat the insects in the orchard, even climbing the trees, and keeping them bug free. We don't have to use any chemical sprays, and get nearly blemish free fruit. The chickens are also adding their manure to the orchard. The rabbits are in long hutches in the middle of the orchard. The chickens go under the hutches, and spread the rabbit manure about, as well as eating any food the rabbits drop. Under one rabbit hutch, is a box, to collect the manure. This is spread on our garden, and flower bed areas. In that box, there is a THRIVING worm colony. So the worms are also added to our garden area. The garden produces a lot of food we feed to the chickens and the rabbits, which in turn of course produce manure. You see how one item feeds, and takes care of the next? Everything flows together. You cannot actually be a Vegan and have a balanced diet. Vegans are dependent on vitamin B12 from outside sources. People who eat meat, get their B12 from the meat. As a permaculture farmer, you CANNOT, viably grow your foods long term, without adding animal manure back, for the soil fertility. Some so-called permaculture farmers use chemical fertilizers. They are Vegans, and don't believe in using (enslaving) animals. Using their manure is a form of enslavement to them. With their chemical fertilizers they are actually harming the soil, and all the microbial life in the soil. They are not true permaculture farmers. All the manure, straw bedding, and rotted alfalfa hay my goats drop goes to build the fertility, and AMOUNT of my soil every year. We spread literally tons of biomass back on our orchards, fields and gardens every single year. Our soil grows, because we work in balanced conjunction with our livestock. Some who does not have livestock on their farm is not a true permaculture farmer. They are breaking the natural chain. Being as close to nature, and keeping everything balanced is what permaculture farming is all about. ~Garnet Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years