The Permaculture Movement in India and Its Transformative Potential

In this presentation I show how permaculture activists and practitioners in India have adapted and localised permaculture principles that constitute alternative possible futures geared towards augmenting equality and fostering sustainability. Permaculture denotes both permanent culture and permanent agriculture and advocates three principles; care for people, care for the Earth and fair share. It draws on local cultures and indigenous knowledge, customs, political opportunities and resources. Since the introduction of permaculture in India thirty years ago, there has been constant negotiations between public institutions and permaculture practitioners and activists with regard to permaculture practice as a means of developing solutions at the grassroots level to create resilient communities, safeguard biodiversity, improve water and waste management and re-localise food production. This presentation explores these historical and ongoing negotiations and is animated by the following questions: who are the main promoters and practitioners of permaculture? What are their strategies for grassroots innovations? How are permaculture practices fused with indigenous knowledge, political opportunities and resources? To what extent do they offer the potential to cohere into alternative possible futures?