Practising Alternative Futures: Mobilising through Permaculture in times of ecological crises

Examining the relationship between humans and landscapes (and natural systems) has been a central part of the ethnological research field from early on (Cambell 1936; Steensberg 2023; Stoklund 1980). Over the years numerous Swedish and Danish studies have focused on how major societal changes, including structural development, industrialization, and urbanization, have altered rural societies and created new conditions for landscapes, farmers, and villages (Johansson 1994; Saltzmann 2001; Højrup 2010). Marie Stenseke (1997) notes that the farmer's (user's and owner's) relationship to the landscape has a decisive impact on land use, operational forms, and local environments. Building on existing ethnological research I am interested in exploring how similar changes in the relationship between farmers/society and landscapes are expressed in an era marked by climate and environmental changes. Hereby, the dissertation investigates how the current biodiversity and environmental crisis transforms the relationship between humans and landscapes in various urban and rural settings in the Øresund region. The study is not only interested in how humans perceive and transform landscapes; it also seeks to understand how landscapes and natural systems may transform human perception and understanding in times of crisis and uncertainty.

For more than 50 years Swedish and Danish societies have experienced significant modernization and urbanization processes, leading to a depopulation of rural areas. This has according to ethnologists Jonas Frykman and Orvar Löfgren been accompanied by a growing alienation from rural landscapes and a decline in knowledge and skills tied to peasant culture (Frykman & Löfgren 2019). Following the empirical material a reversed form of migration is taking place. The farmers and gardeners I encountered during fieldwork are often middle-class academics who transition from urban to rural settings in pursuit of a lifestyle markedly different from their former urban existence. As they adapt to their rural environments and navigate unexpected obstacles, these individuals acquire new forms of knowledge and skills, enabling them to realize their vision of "the good sustainable life".