Let's start with the obvious question, the FORAGE framework, how did this come about?

Being somewhat dyslexic I struggle with quite a few of the acronyms for the many frameworks used in permaculture design so last year, 2021 I came up with my own framework when I was out walking. I needed the acronym to spell out a word so I can say it out loud without having to keep asking somebody how to say it. I’ve also noticed that permaculture people just love to speak in acronyms, when this happens, I automatically switch off because there is no hope for me anymore to understand such nonsensical language. No matter how many times I look at the word SADIMET or OBREDIMET my mind just explodes.

After several miles of walking, I found an anchor word for each of the six letters in the word forage that I reckoned I could build a design with. I have not been brave enough to use this framework up until now when I’m feeling much more comfortable with what permaculture design is and the fact that it’s all made up just like everything else in the world. I’m also no longer bothered if people wish to criticise it.

In truth, I could not have selected a better subject matter, mental health, to wrap around this framework. Whether this was because the framework came without somebody else's rules directing how the framework is to be used or the fact that this is a good framework, it’s probably more the first option.

Creating a personal framework means you can just make it up as you go along. I’m not sure if it’s dyslexia or just the level I’m at on the autism spectrum but a framework needs to be very simple for me to understand how to use it.

Focus, Observe, Research, Apply, Gather, Evaluate, these words make sense to me because I was the one who placed them together and gave them their meanings for how they will be used in this design.

 

Did you like using the forage framework for the first time, and how did it work for you?

I love the fact that I had a whole section dedicated just to research, but I’m jumping ahead a little.
Focus, this section was very valuable it allowed me the space to think about just what I wanted the design to be focused on, I knew I wanted the design to be around mental health, but I have struggled over the years whilst researching this design on how I was going to present it in a design. In the end, I sat down and allowed myself the space to do nothing but focus on what I wanted to archive.
Observe, now knowing the aim of my design next came the time to also step back and observe both myself and my environment.
Research, in the design, this section is only short but believe me, these few short paragraphs contain 5 years of research. I like the fact that there is a whole section with no limits, no other expectations, just a place to go away and do some research.
Apply, as my designs have progressed applying the permaculture principle and ethics has become most enjoyable. I like to use creative writing when applying them, this gives me the chance to view a design from many perspectives. Like everything during my diploma, it took me a while to understand these are just anchor points and now, I have fun with them.
Gather, when your mind is full of chaos due to all the thoughts running around it’s great to be able to have a section to just gather everything together and begin to form a design from these ideas.
Evaluate, as with any permaculture design the evaluation section is always of value to pick up on the things that have been overlooked in the original design.

 

In what ways did the principles and ethics most significantly shift your decision-making?

Integrate rather than segregate, when it came to selecting the four activities that would become the focus of the gather section, I wanted to be able to do one with the other, three together or all four at once or just do one. I didn’t want to have to start planning my days and weekends with certain activities. Hence why I’m fascinated with the concept of Tenkara, the rod is telescopic and fits into a backpack along with the net, so if I’m out walking by the river and I spot fish rising I can just get my rod out and have a quick fish then head out onto the moors without questioning why the heck I’m I carrying a fishing rod when I’m looking for mushrooms. People around the town think I’m mad as it is without them having to see me on the moors holding a fishing rod and looking at the ground.

I could continue with each of the principles picking out a place that each significantly shifted my decision making but I would be back to rewriting the design in this section. It’s interesting, my decision-making was influenced more in this design on mental health through the principles and ethics than when designing food systems. I’ll need to think about this some more, perhaps it’s because this is my first attempt at taking on a topic such as mental health with the principles and ethics and I’m viewing the subject through a different lens, or I’m just taking for granted how the principles and ethics are used when designing food systems.   

 

Where did the principles and ethics have the most influence on your actions?

The maintenance section was a place where the principles and ethics started to speak for themselves. As I started typing, they fell out of the tips of my fingers onto the keyboard to form a comprehensive word soup explaining to me how they could all be used together as the keepers of the design maintenance. 

Quote.

“Observe and interact, Design from patterns to details. it’s in the maintenance section that these two permaculture principles come into their own. Permaculture design is about solutions; therefore, I’m always observing the patterns taking place in my everyday life.  The principle, apply self-regulation and accept feedback is now important in the maintenance stage along with valuing renewable resources and services. I’m at the point where I am integrating rather than segregating the things, I need to be doing to improve my mental health.

The maintenance stage is about looking at the whole system and using the permaculture principles as the guide to obtain a yield in this case in the form of great mental health. Through using small and slow solutions, I’m producing no waste and using and valuing diversity to creatively use and respond to the changes taking place in my daily life. All of this is carried out mindful of the permaculture ethics, earth care, people care and fair share. This is pure and simple permaculture applied to thoughts.”

 

Any reflections on using the design tools, which was most useful?

Wilf Richards functions and elements table, hands down this is by far my favourite tool. It’s a good opportunity to pop elements into a list and see how they fare in the function group. Always entertaining to drop something into the list as a wildcard to see if it makes the final design. Just to note, for those who are paying attention, there is another version of this design, but it is behind a paid firewall.  

 

I like reading but I’m never going to read all the books you listed in the appendix; can you recommend three?

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander

The Inside-Out Revolution: The Only Thing You Need to Know to Change Your Life Forever by Michael Neill

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Best on Audiobook, Robin’s voice is pure magic)

 

What went well?

After over five years of thinking about a mental health design, finally sitting down with a framework that as it turned out seemed to be made to fit this kind of design, the process of writing the design flowed out of me and into the framework. It was as if the framework was a step ahead of me all the time guiding the path to the outcome that was presented with the four activity solutions.   

In truth I never expected this design to ever be presented, it always seemed far too complex for me to do the topic of mental health justice. I think using myself as the subject enabled me to spend so many years observing and learning without the pressure of a client needing an outcome straight away. 

 

What has been challenging?

Trying to find a framework to work with that I felt I understood enough to keep me focused on the complexity of the subject matter of this design. Mental health seems to be a topic everybody has an opinion on, and everybody seems to know what you need to be doing to improve your mental health.

Stepping back from all this chatter and taking the extra online courses some, of which involved using myself as the subject matter I found challenging. The life coaching courses stand out, these challenged my own beliefs and through them, I’ve been able to leave many things behind. 

 

What are my long-term vision and goals for this design?

The obvious statement here is, to now follow the findings in this design and to have improved mental health.

Yet I feel there is something more. In the conclusion of the evaluation section, I stated.

 “I have a good feeling about this design, a feeling I’m not able to put into words but I know it is going to grow in directions I never expected.”

I ended the section with that thought but I will continue it here in the more relaxed environment of the “personal reflection” section, not quite part of the design but still part of the design,  this is the bonus song on the album that can sound very random which the artist can get away with because it's not on the album even though it is, I’ve never been able to work that one out, but I digress.

I have this feeling that’s nudging me, saying to me, “yeah, this design is far from finished, you have not even started it. The framework, the design, why do you think it flowed so well, think about it.”

It’s going to be interesting to hear different people's thoughts on this design.

 

What are my next achievable steps?

Doing exactly what I’m going to be doing once I’ve proofread this design several more times for spelling mistakes, (thank you Wilf Richards for having to continually point out those random words that keep slipping through the various spelling and grammar editors I need to use) and that is releasing it into the public domain. It’s a personal design with an obvious “I could have saved you five years of research and told you that” outcome for the design. The design also uses a framework I made up whilst walking. This design can go many ways so let's see what the future holds.

 

Three, Two, One, Publish…