David Holmgren > Quotes

“Traditional agriculture was labour intensive, industrial agriculture is energy intensive, and permaculture-designed systems are information and design intensive.”
― David Holmgren

“In nature animals survive and thrive by constantly observing (using different senses) and interacting with their environment. In traditional societies, children learned to become competent adults by observing and interacting in environments shaped by kin and culture. In the modern world, formal education has replaced self-directed observation to a significant degree, and we have become separated from interactions, which are now mediated through technology and monetary transactions. In the process of gaining new technological skills and sophistication, we have lost much of our innate capacity to learn and look after ourselves, let alone design appropriate responses to emerging challenges.”
― David Holmgren, Essence of Permaculture