Nurture Nature: Women in Permaculture

I came across this article recently and found it compelling. Woman have always had a strong tradition of tending to the earth and growing food for nurturing the home and family. Permaculture is a way of creating a whole system approach to these vital skills. It is disappointing that woman are not feeling well represented in this relationship of life and permaculture. Below is an interview from Omega that brings those concerns to light. I feel that yes permaculture can use more diversity from women to even multiculturalism. The principles of permaculture can be utilized throughout the world with an embrace of diversity for the planet while nurturing nature.

the interview below:
http://www.eomega.org/article/lets-bring-more-women-into-permacultures-leadership
Omega: How do you see the place of women within the permaculture movement today?

Lisa: Currently we see a lot of women active in the permaculture movement. That said, not a lot of women are seen as being at the top levels of permaculture, the superstars. One of the principles of permaculture is diversity, but there are certain people who don’t see themselves reflected in the movement. Doing this teacher training is one solution to bring more diversity into leadership. The more diverse the leadership is, the more relevant it becomes, connecting it with other movements working for social change and environmental justice.

Statistically, if you look at it, if you have about 30 percent women in power, it changes the agenda of organizations. That’s a pretty powerful thing.

This teacher training helps draw attention to the need for more women in leadership positions within permaculture. There have been a lot of women working behind the scenes. They are the organizers, the people that hold classes or events in the community. They are the people that keep this running. Part of this training is recognizing these women as an asset and supporting them to put out there what they are thinking.

Omega: Have you seen the role of women in permaculture changing at all in recent years?

Lisa: Women in the northeast have been organizing, largely due to Omega being really interested in permaculture, and giving us a venue to hold gatherings. Out of that, women have been enabled to have their own gatherings, and to talk among themselves. By having places like Omega that are standing behind us, we’re able to further this momentum.

Omega: What do you think women can do to ensure that their voices and viewpoints are heard in a stronger way within the permaculture movement and within the environmental movement more broadly?

Lisa: What we’ll be doing in this course is really creating a regional support network, as well as creating more teachers that are qualified and available. By creating this network, women can organize and cross-promote each other. We’re helping ourselves be more visible.

Permaculture Teacher Training for Woman
http://www.eomega.org/workshops/permaculture-teacher-training-for-women#-workshop-description-block

I have found some more information showing the strong connection between woman and farming

Women Farmers are Guardians of Crop Diversity in the Andes
http://foodtank.com/news/2015/06/the-role-of-women-in-protecting-crop-diversity-in-the-andes

Women farmers across the world play an important role in the conservation and care of crop diversity. The maintenance of crop diversity is central to food security, nutritional diversity, health, and cultural traditions for rural communities globally. In the Andean highlands, smallholder women farmers use local knowledge and skills transmitted through generations to select and conserve seeds of traditional crop varieties. Andean women farmers protect biodiversity through their seed saving practices, sustainable agricultural practices, and unique culinary uses of different crops.

The importance of biological diversity and crop genetic resources is fundamental to sustainable agricultural production, yet biodiversity loss is quickly accelerating due to factors such as social, agricultural, and cultural change. The Global Biodiversity Outlook 4, a recent report by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity states that the “wild relatives of domestic crop species are increasingly threatened by habitat fragmentation and climate change.” In addition, factors impacting the loss of crop diversity include land use changes, off-farm migration, market integration, cultural change, and population reduction in rural communities. In the presence of the growing loss of agrobiodiversity, women farmers’ conservation efforts on farm (in situ) are essential.

images from google search women in permaculture and foodtank.com