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Preface

Dear readers,

This is the second book I have written


so far, to pass on my over 40 years
of experience as a farmer practising
alternative agriculture. I was inspired
to do this by the many people who
have come to visit the Krameterhof:
among them teachers, professors
and doctors as well as farmers and
gardeners. My darling wife, Vroni,
and my children were particularly
eager for me to put my experiences
and discoveries into writing. My first
book, an autobiography entitled The
Rebel Farmer, sold over 120,000 copies
in just under two years and was a great
success. It was presented with a golden
book award and I received well over a
thousand letters from enthusiastic
readers. This made me realise that Sepp Holzer
there was a great deal of interest in
my work. When my daughter Claudia and son Josef Andreas offered their help,
I simply could not refuse.
I want this book to help people realise that trying to understand and live in
harmony with nature instead of fighting against it is well worth the effort. On
the countless trips I have made to oversee my projects abroad, I have seen many
terrible sights which have stayed with me and even given me a few nightmares.
Whether it is in Bosnia, Colombia, Brazil, Thailand or in the United States, it is
plain to see how irresponsibly nature is treated everywhere. Many people seem
to have lost their ability to think independently about or to feel responsibility
for our planet and its future. The result is a loss of respect for nature and our
fellow creatures. Tens of thousands of hectares of scrubland and rainforest are
intentionally being burned to make way for monocultures and, of course, any
wildlife is destroyed along with it. A small few profit at the expense of large
swathes of society, who generally do not know how to provide themselves with
food. The poverty and hardship people endure in ‘developing countries’ knows

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Sepp Holzer’s Permaculture

no bounds! Young and old alike are treated like refuse and live on the streets
from hand to mouth. Only the powerful have rights, which I have seen and
experienced for myself. In addition, this happens in areas where no one should
have to go hungry, because the soil is fertile and the weather is favourable.
There should be more than enough food for everyone. Many people have lost
their land to powerful landowners and with that the ability to provide for their
families. They have had their independence taken away, which then becomes
very difficult to take back. So many of these people live rough on the outskirts
of town in terrible conditions, whilst their land is relentlessly overworked and
ruined.
Many people think that this cannot happen in Europe, but we are already
well on our way! Most small farms only provide a subsidiary income, because
the farmers do not know how to make enough money from them to live on
any more. Today, very few people dare to forge their own way and consider
alternative farming methods. Instead many people look to subsidy programmes
to tell them how to run their businesses and alter their farms accordingly. Either
that or quantity is prioritised over quality and farmers try to compensate for low
prices with a larger volume of produce. The result is a monoculture maintained
with large quantities of chemicals. Many people are deterred by the bureaucratic
obstacles that are put in their way when they try to practice alternative farming
methods. It is every person’s duty to defend their rights, land and even their
concept of democracy and make them their guiding principles. If we do not,
there is a real danger of finding ourselves in an administrative and bureaucratic
dictatorship.
I have already described how difficult it is to forge your own way in my
first book. Some years ago I had a visitor from New Zealand. This visitor was
the late Joe Polaischer – our lives took similar paths. He chose to leave Austria
and emigrate to New Zealand to set up a permaculture farm under difficult
conditions. He had visitors all the way from Europe and they were delighted
with what he had accomplished. Joe was a remarkable man. He was a teacher
and had a great deal of practical experience, which is exactly what we need right
now. His achievements should make it clear that there are people on the other
side of the world who want to live in harmony with their environment and not
at odds with it. Treating our planet and fellow creatures with respect – and not
being motivated by rivalry, jealousy or hatred – is the only way!
My dear friend Joe, for your commitment to using land sustainably, your
contribution to the development and teaching of permaculture in Austria, you
have my most heartfelt thanks.
I would also like to thank my colleagues of many years Erich Auernig and
Elisabeth Mohr, who have always supported me in my work. Without their tire­
less efforts it would never have been possible to raise such a large amount of
public interest in my farming methods. With their help, I have been able to show
thousands of interested visitors around the Krameterhof and oversee countless

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Preface

projects abroad. I have also had the opportunity to pass on my experience


through presentations and seminars. I would also like to express my gratitude to
Mrs Maria Kendlbacher and her daughter Heidi who look after our guests on the
Krameterhof. I also thank my brother and gamekeeper Martin Holzer.
Most of all I would like to thank my family and my darling Vroni! Through­
out our more than 36 years of marriage she has always stood by me and sup­
ported me completely. Without her it would never have been possible to run the
Krameterhof so successfully and still have time to write a book. It is a joy to have
such a wonderful family.
In this book I have tried to answer the most frequent questions raised at
my presentations and seminars. I hope that this book helps you to find your
way towards living a life in harmony with nature: whether it begins with a
windowbox, a garden, or a field is not important. If this book helps one person
to start thinking ecologically and independently, it will have done its job. I wish
you success putting your ideas and, perhaps, permaculture projects of your own
into practice.

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