No, not the GMO corn and soy. I am a fan of living technologies. By this, i mean the use of living things in a systematic way to provide for the needs of man.
Is it #appropriatetechnology ? Yes, but it consists of living things.
Is it #permaculture ? No, but it falls well within the scope of permaculture.
I it traditional technology or #primitivetechnology ? Sometimes yes, other times it is a very new discovery.
Needing a name for this subset of #sustainable technologies, I have chosen the term #heritagebiotechnology , or #heritagebiotech . This designation encompasses those biotechnologies that have been past down from ancient times and those that have been rediscovered. It also encompasses any newly discovered #biotechnology that is sustainable, #regenerative , or otherwise appropriate and worth developing and maintaining as an inheritance for future generations.
While I am not necessarily opposed to the idea of gene splicing wheat genes into wheat plants, the splicing of wheat genes into chestnuts is clearly not something that falls under the scope of heritage biotech. Nor is the splicing of alligator genes into catfish, or human genes into corn. This is not how nature works, and the law of unintended consequences will play out around the world in a truly horrific way if these practices continue.
If that is not an example of heritage biotech, then what are some good examples that are?
I am glad you asked!
Look at the #hedgerows in Briton that hold livestock and have no need of wire that will rust or posts that will rot. Look at the #willow that is coppiced to feed #rabbits , or the #mulberry that is coppiced to feed #pigs . Look at the #beehives people have carved into living trees. Look at the living bridges of India.
The people of the canary islands used to depend on the water that fell from the drip line of trees into troughs where they collected it. That is an astounding piece of heritage biotech! Unfortunately, the Spaniards recognized this and cut down the water trees in order to subjugate the people.
Most heritage biotech goes unnoticed by the masses. It is usually a decentralized technology that a single individual can take full advantage of. It is free and open source. One could call is free and open source software ( #FOSS ) in the since that depends on the software that you download into the squishy harddrive between your ears.
It more about what you know than what you have. Septic tanks are expensive, but #worms are free. Grape trellises are expensive, but elm trees are free. Fertilizer is expensive, but compost tea is free. Lawn mowers are are expensive but sheep are valuable.
There is nothing new under the sun, and these kinds of technologies are nothing new. That said, I do not know of anyone else ever using the term heritage biotech to describe these things. I submit the term and it's accompanying explanation to the world via nostr.
#grownostr #permies #multigenerationalmindset #multigenerationalthinking
