What is Permaculture?
- Sally Davidson
- Feb 29, 2024
- 3 min read
The short answer: A design system for ecological living and logical eco-living.
The long answer: A living, evolving system that mimics nature, produces food and energy whilst simultaneously regenerating the Earth.
The word PERMACULTURE originates from the words 'permanent' and 'agriculture' but was later modified to represent 'permanent culture' since social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system.
The ethos of permaculture is one of developing communities into healthy, sustainable and ecologically sound environments in which we can all flourish. Permaculture shows us how nature is both a teacher and guide that can support us in building resilience and adapting to our forever changing environment. As a practice, Permaculture operates by 3 principles which are:
1) care for the earth,
2) care for its people, and
3) take your fair share and give others their fair share.
"Permaculture is not an offbeat “hippie” movement - it is simply a common sense approach to agriculture and living." Val Dambacher
Permaculture isn’t a gardening technique. It’s a complete, intricate design system incorporating plants, living beings, water, energy, waste, the built environment, and much, much more.
Permaculture is about:
Observing nature and her functions, patterns and the interdependence of systems and then designing accordingly.
Building spaces and communities, not just to sustain growth and abundance, but to regenerate and rejuvenate as well.
Growing, harnessing, protecting, and cultivating in order to create self-sustainable environments that thrive.
Manifesting functional, symbiotic relationships that provide a mutual benefit to all parts of the system.
Permaculture grew out of a sustainable agriculture movement – originally developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia in the 1970s. It has since grown into a global movement, inspiring people of all cultures, creeds and religions to get involved and create positive change for themselves and for future generations.
Permaculture founders Bill Mollison and David Holmgren taught from an ethical and ecological basis that used Birch’s Six Principles of Natural Systems, and adapted it to form what are now the 12 Principles of Permaculture:
Observe and Interact – By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.
Catch and Store Energy –By developing systems that collect resources when they are abundant, we can use them in times of need.
Obtain a yield – Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the working you are doing.
Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback – We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well. Negative feedback is often slow to emerge.
Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services – Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.
Produce No Waste – By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.
Design From Patterns to Details – By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.
Integrate Rather Than Segregate – By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other.
Use Small and Slow Solutions – Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and produce more sustainable outcomes.
Use and Value Diversity – Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.
Use Edges and Value the Marginal – The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.
Creatively Use and Respond to Change – We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing and then intervening at the right time.
The hefty Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual, is the bible for the movement.
"An economy that's aligned with Permaculture would be an economy in which the best business decision is the same as the best ecological decision"
- Charles Eisenstein
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