New International Journal Publication (2023) on Permaculture Now Available for Free Download

An Emerging Network for Sustainable Agriculture: A Social Network Analysis of Permaculture Practitioners in the Philippines

Jabez Joshua M. Flores, Inocencio E. Buot Jr., Alexander G. Flor, Ricardo T. Bagarinao, Marisa J. Sobremisana

Source Title: International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development (IJSESD)14(1)

Copyright: © 2023 |Volume: 14 |Issue: 1 |Pages: 16

ISSN: 1947-8402|EISSN: 1947-8410|EISBN13: 9781668479674|DOI: 10.4018/IJSESD.326610

Abstract

The study identified permaculture practitioners and determined how network relationship patterns can help in the mainstreaming of permaculture in the Philippines. Social network analysis was conducted to determine network structure and discover relationship patterns. Results of the study identified 204 permaculture practitioners with 75 individuals belonging to 53 projects that fall under nine project types. This is the first systematic documentation of practitioners in the Philippines. The network structure had a low density (0.185598) suggesting the high diversity of members in its network composition. Degree centrality index (max=92) revealed the network's prominent practitioners while local clustering coefficient (max=0.999) identified the presence of eight organizations and local government offices implying that membership was not limited to the participation of individuals. In conclusion, the way the permaculture network was constructed gave it a strategic position to mainstream permaculture to a broader audience which includes farmers and non-farmers.

Download the full text here: https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/article/full-text-html/326610

Cite this publication:

Flores, J. J., Buot Jr., I. E., Flor, A. G., Bagarinao, R. T., & Sobremisana, M. J. (2023). An Emerging Network for Sustainable Agriculture: A Social Network Analysis of Permaculture Practitioners in the Philippines. International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development (IJSESD), 14(1), 1-16. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJSESD.326610

Quantifying the Connections in a Permaculture Landscape using the PLN-6 Model

The PLN-6 model summarizes the relationships between the six component categories in permaculture landscape, similar to a 'food web.' Using the model, different landscape designs can be easily compared based on networked component relationships.

Out of the many outputs that we have shared and released since I finished my dissertation on permaculture in 2020, I was still not yet able to publish, or event present in a conference, the model my research team created to quantify the connections identified in a permaculture design. It's called the Permaculture Landscape Network-6 model or PLN-6 model. 

I was listening to a video interview of Geoff Lawton where he tried to explain what permaculture is about. He said, "It's more about the connections than the disciplines." This reminded me of the PLN-6 model. And I had that itching feeling that I had to do something with this. The model was supposed to be at the forefront of the dissertation--the main 'product.' But more opportunities came from the other components of the research such as the landscape ecology aspect, the use of drones, and the plant inventory. So I'm writing this blog to remind myself that this model needs to be published someday. Here's an excerpt from the manuscript (available for download here):

PLN-6 is a conceptual model based on actor-network theory, or ANT (Latour,1996). The model offers a simplified representation of permaculture design showing categories which are connected or related. Results showed that most permaculture landscapes have biotic components as the main hub (or actor). This represented how biodiversity and natural resources were valued in the design.

To create this model, we had to go on the ground and do farm and plant inventories, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions to extract information on the existing connections in the design. We also used a drone to identify landscape and farm components. PLN-6 maps were created by GIS expert, Malvin Biguerras, and computer scientist, Jason Obrero.