The sense of hope and possibility in environmentally conscious professionals after the experience of learning about permaculture

Abstract

This research is concerned with understanding how the experience of learning about permaculture affects the sense of hope in environmentally conscious professionals. The ability to cultivate a sense of hope, which is defined as seeing a pathway to achieve one's goals and the agency to follow it, is critical in the complex state of the world that brings a deep sense of uncertainty. The research adopts a hermeneutic phenomenological approach in order to provide rich insights into the lived experience of environmentally conscious professionals as they learn about permaculture. Across a duration of up to seven months, ten professionals learnt about and applied the concept of permaculture within their business setting. Data was collected from an initial interview, a final in-depth open interview, written reflections, session content and additional data insights throughout the process which provided rich insights into the participants' experience. The findings demonstrate that the experience of learning about permaculture increases the sense of hope in environmentally conscious professionals by: (1) expanding the sense of possibility through a new way of thinking; (2) developing pathway thinking by developing a strategy; and (3) enabling a sense of agency through identifying small, manageable steps to achieve one's goals. Furthermore, action that arises as a result is conscious as it is mediated by reflexive and reflective thinking that emphasises ethical decision making. The research builds on hope theory by emphasising the key role of a sense of possibility. It contributes to methodology by providing a hermeneutic process that leads to rich and authentic insights. In addition, it provides contributions to the conceptual and practical knowledge of permaculture in a non-land based context, and empirical contributions to business and economics through its real-world application and relevance to business.

Date of Award	27 Mar 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Northumbria University
Supervisor	Kathryn Haynes (Supervisor) & Karim Sorour (Supervisor)