A radical critique of PDC pedagogy (#journal)

What’s wrong with permaculture design courses? Brazilian lessons for agroecological movement-building in Canada

The authors argue that PDC instruction remains deeply embedded within market and colonial relations, which orients the pedagogy of permaculture to reproduce the basic elements of the colonial capitalist economy among its practitioners. The paper highlights key elements of the agroecological pedagogy used by the Brazilian Landless Rural Workers Movement. The objective is to draw lessons from these inspiring experiences, and to critically assess the pedagogical practices presently informing permaculture communities in advanced industrialized countries. The key arguments and lessons drawn from the Brazilian pedagogical experiences are engagement and coalition-building with established rural and urban movements, as well as progressive farmer, indigenous, and rural associations to foster a just and sustainable transformation of agri-food systems.