If the poor will always be with us, why are they without “us”ness?As a Psalm beautifully states: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” It is often where the the overlooked underdog, the under-appreciated apprentices reside, that the treasures are hidden, like jewels, like a diamond in the rough.
Margins contain open space, a blank space to create beauty. I wondered: Is poverty lacking? Lacking opportunity? And who exactly are the “non-poor”? Those who lack lack? Generalizations marginalize. What awakened my wonder was the amount of prana, vitality and love the neighborhood held for one another. Living in slums of Kolkata, I observed families living in cement rooms, with one bed for everyone to share and a hole in the ground to use as a toilet and unclean water available at a shared tap for the neighborhood, only available with running water from 6AM to 8AM. Living overseas in Africa, Asia, South America and the South Pacific Islands caused me to contemplate the true nature of wealth and sustainable resources. I grow mushrooms under nursery tables, where they get ample water and little sun.” The Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Permaculture: creating and edible ecosystem, Christopher Shein. Even dark nooks and crannies can be used to cultivate crops. The vines also provide shade during the summer and let light in the Winter. Try growing heat-loving vines like beans, grapes, kiwis, melons, and squash on the side of a stucco or brick wall to benefit from the stored thermal heat and to soften the edge between the garden and the built environment. Marginal spaces that may not be suitable for traditional garden beds can also be turned into productive areas. This increases the number of edges to maximize plantable space and minimizes path space. If you have six keyhole beds in a circle, one path will be the entrance and there will be a round area in the middle to give some room to turn around. Garden mandalas are circular arrangements of multiple keyhole beds. For instance, keyhole beds are modeled after an old-fashioned keyhole. This can mean designing vegetable, herb, and flowerbeds in unusual shapes. Permaculture itself has been seen as marginal for many years” ( /uk).Įdges can be used to enhance productivity when considered during the design, and a permaculture garden does just this: “In a permaculture garden, we aim to make use of all possible space. If the most productive bit of woodland is the edge, then design it to have a bigger edge…Marginal could be ideas, views, unusual plants, wild animals or people at the ‘edge’ of society. This is central to the idea of using edges as a design method. woodland and meadow) is generally more productive and richer in the variety of species present than either habitat on its own. The otherwise discarded and thrown away in permaculture is considered valuable and important, when used with creative resourcefulness.Īn edge can be thought of as: “The place where two ecosystems or habitats meet (e.g.
Or we can think of it as, border of a page of stickers. In permaculture, the edges and pauses between notes and empty spaces, like filling in the coloring book page outside of the lines, with color and design. The eleventh permaculture principle, Use Edges & Value the Marginal speaks to the overlooked, under appreciated underdog, which is often the unlikely disguise of abundant potential of rich bounty, seeds and conditions ready to burst forth with life. “Don’t think you are on the right track just because it is a well beaten path”
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