This article from The Baffler, titled "Against Activism", expresses a key aspect of what I wish to address. <http://thebaffler.com/salvos/against-activism>
There is a huge problem with volunteer-driven activism. I have witnessed a great deal of focus among organizers on how to tap the energy of volunteers, but very little on how to feed the base of that energy. This is a fundamental error, in violation of Permaculture principles -Principle #2: Catch and store energy, Principle #3: Obtain a yield, Principle #5: Use and value renewable resources and services. In my small suburban garden, it has taken six years of feeding the soil before finally producing a successful vegetable harvest. Prior to this year, I have had access to substantial amounts of lambs quarters and day flowers, wild and weedy plants requiring little input and thriving in poor soils and drought conditions, but few other useful cultivated types.
There are instances when a specific campaign is both winnable and important enough to warrant depleting your base. When it comes to the longer struggle, we must cultivate our activists like we cultivate a garden.
This is also the argument for raising the minimum wage or expanding the social safety net. Sustained productivity requires feeding.
