New Publication for 2024: Birds Take Center Stage in New Research on Permaculture Landscapes and Biodiversity

Title: Multi-staged Bird Species Classification Through CNN using Bird Vocalizations 

Authors: Albert John De Vera, Rock Christian Tomas, Jabez Joshua Flores, Anton Domini Sta. Cruz

Abstract (preview): The biodiversity of birds may serve as a proxy for the Gini index of a permaculture landscape. Manual biodiversity monitoring can be expensive, time-consuming, and requires highly trained ornithologists. To mitigate these problems, an automated solution is proposed using digital signal processing (DSP) and image classification using deep learning. 

In book: Advancing Sustainable Science and Technology for a Resilient Future

Purchase the book here: https://www.routledge.com/Advancing-Sustainable-Science-and-Technology-for-a-Resilient-Future/Oruganti-Karras-Thakur/p/book/9781032790206

Lectures and Webinars for May 2024

MAY 3 - Permaculture Designs in the Philippines, 47th SOLVE Urban Agriculture: Approaches in Boosting Yields and Nutritional Value, SEARCA via Zoom (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM) SEARCA

MAY 4 - Faithful Futures: Engaging Faith Perspectives on Environmental Sustainability in Filipino Culture, University of the Philippines Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga Faithful Futures: STS Policy Forum

Register here: bit.ly/FaithfulFutures

MAY 6 - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for data collection and applications in permaculture design. UPLB Data Horizons, UPLB Data Science Guild (12:00-5:00 PM, REDREC Building) UPLB Data Science Guild Secure your ticket to this journey by registering through this link: bit.ly/DataHorizons-Registration

May 8 - 41st Sustainable Shared Growth Seminar: Permaculture and Transition Towns, FMDS, UPOU (9:00 AM - 12:00 NN) UPOU Faculty of Management & Development Studies

Registration URL is https://tinyurl.com/41stKKK

The FMDS Perma GARDEN @ UP Open University

Welcome to the FMDS Perma GARDEN! Officially opened to the public on March 21, 2023, the garden serves as the physical centerpiece for UPOU’s Sustainability in Action Living Laboratory Campus initiative. “Garden” is an acronym for “Growing Appreciation Toward Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition.”

Credits: Jabez Flores - script, videos, photos, editing Raizza Anna Alforja - script and voiceover Music: Relaxing Ballad Musician: Alexander Nakarada

P.S. It's been a while since we posted something on this blog. Now you know why!

Lecture on Permaculture Organized by Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia

Last Tuesday, November 14, a general lecture on permaculture was organized by Universitas Padjadjaran (UNPAD) for the Natural Resource and Environmental Economics course. The lecture entitled "Permaculture: Lessons Learned from the Philippines and Indonesia" was attended by undergraduate students from UNPAD and graduate students from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU). 

The first speaker, Dr. Jabez Joshua Flores of UPOU, talked about the status of permaculture research in the Philippines. According to him, even though there are many permaculture practitioners in the Philippines, the academic community in general seems to be uninterested in the topic in spite of its relevance in the age of climate change. He ends the talk by challenging the students to conduct their own permaculture research. The second speaker, Dr. Ernah of UNPAD, discussed the output of her team's research on permaculture ethics in Kebun Hanif Regenerative Farm--a permaculture site founded by alumni of UNPAD. 

If you are interested to watch the lecture, you can request a link to the video recording by email us at permacultureresearchph@gmail.com.

Second Publication on Permaculture in the Philippines for 2023 (Free Download)

Working with Nature: Practitioners' Perspectives on Permaculture Design in Agricultural Landscapes in the Philippines

Jabez Joshua M. Flores and Inocencio E. Buot, Jr.

Source Title: Nature of Journal Studies

Volume 22      Issue No. 1      January - June 2023

Online ISSN: 2244-5226

(Date of Publication: 6 September 2023)

Abstract

A reductionist view of agriculture as merely food production for profit

often leads to the unsustainable management of agricultural landscapes and their

surrounding ecosystems. Permaculture offers alternative views of agriculture. This

paper looked into how various perspectives of permaculture have influenced different

approaches to sustainable agriculture in the Philippines. The experiences of seventeen

practitioners from twelve permaculture sites were compared using key informant

interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observation using the video blog (vlog)

technique. Interview transcripts were analyzed and interpreted while key messages

were extracted from the vlogs. Results revealed three prevailing perspectives of

permaculture in the Philippines: ecological, socio-cultural, and agricultural. The

ecological perspective was shared in 7 permaculture sites, making it the most common

among respondents. The view emphasized an individual’s participation in the

processes of a larger ecosystem and their symbiotic relationship with nature. A sociocultural

perspective highlighted the human dimensions of permaculture, such as food

culture, personal relationships, and daily life. Moreover, an agricultural perspective

focused on sustainable agribusiness models. The diversity of perspectives has

enriched permaculture as a science and practice and is viewed as a regenerative design

process benefiting farmers and non-farmers alike. Though approaches may differ, the

goal of permaculture to design sustainable and nature-based farming systems remains

the same.

Download the full text here: https://www.journalofnaturestudies.org/

Cite this publication: 

Flores, J. J., Buot Jr., I. E. (2023). Working with Nature: Practitioners' Perspectives on Permaculture Design in Agricultural Landscapes in the Philippines. Journal of Nature Studies (JNS), 22(1). 

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.