Permaculture

Permaculture is a way of designing our homes, gardens, farms, communities and businesses to be productive, energy-efficient and sustainable.

Permaculture comes from the words 'permanent 'agriculture' and 'permanent culture' and evolved in Australia in the 1970s.   It can help us provide for human needs by mimicking elements of natural eco-systems, such as energy cycling and zero waste.

Permaculture is taught and practiced by many people on every continent.   Its design principles can help us all grow food, build homes and other buildings and create communities whilst enhancing the local environment.

 

Ethics

Earth Care

We must look after the earth and its resources for its own sake and also for our long term survival.   This means caring for and improving the soil and the waterways, reforesting the hills and restoring biodiversity.   It means leaving the smallest ecological footprint possible.

People Care

We need to design systems which allow people to meet their basic needs for food, water, shelter and community. We need to allow people self-determination at local levels.   And we need to ensure that future generations will be taken care of.

Fair Share

We need to set limits to our consumption and share our surplus produce, time, energy and knowledge.   We can do this by redeveloping our sense of community and through schemes such as co-ops and community supported agriculture.

 

 

 

Principles

Permaculture is based on the principles of natural systems.   For example, using biological resources wherever possible (e.g. growing nitrogen-fixing plants instead of using chemical fertilizer), and energy cycling (e.g. using laundry water in the garden, and making compost).  

To design a resilient system we need diversity and multi-functionality (e.g. a hedgerow can provide privacy, food, a windbreak and leaves for mulch.   Chooks provide eggs, meat, pest control, manure).   We also need to design things in the right location to save energy (e.g. grow often- harvested vegetables nearest the house, put a greenhouse on the north wall of the house, live close to town).

 

Design

Permaculture design features may include some of the following:

Food Forests: Using vertical space to maximize harvest: roots, herbs, shrubs, small and large trees and vines.

No-dig vege beds: No-dig beds reduce energy involved in cultivation, avoid soil compaction and give good drainage.  

Mulched planting: Garden beds are mulched to reduce the need for watering and weeding.

Herb Spiral: Uses vertical space to include more plants. Creates different microclimates - heat loving herbs at the top and moisture loving ones below.

Water in the landscape: Water can create a microclimate, provide aquaculture (e.g. fish and water chestnuts), and attract beneficial insects and frogs.

Chook tractor: Chooks scratch and manure the land for you.