Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is
a framework for thinking about and designing environmentally sustainable
farms, gardens buildings and communities. It aims to create systems that
will sustain not only for the present, but for future generations.
It is based on a philosophy of co-operation
with nature and each other, and of taking responsibility for our impact
on population and consumption of things which have high environmental costs.
Permaculture presents an approach to designing
environments which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural
ecosystems and also the productivity of naturally improved plant varieties
and technologies from many cultures and countries.
It was devised by Bill Mollison (who worked on
the land for many years and spent time in both the CSIRO and the University
of Tasmania) and David Holmgren (an environmental designer who runs a property
and a farm design service in Victoria, Australia).
The principles of Permaculture are laid out in
the 'Permaculture Designers Manual' and 'An Introduction to Permaculture'.
They are based on a combination of modern science and traditional wisdom.
Permaculture design is used widely and successfully
in the developing world.
It encourages the individual to be resourceful
and self reliant, and become a conscious part of the solution to the many
problems which face us, both locally and globally.
A good way to learn more about permaculture is
to enrol in courses approved by the Permaculture Institute.
The Food Forest presents a Permaculture Design
Certificate Course each summer and many other short courses on weekends.
Details of courses taught elsewhere on the planet are available through
State and Bioregional groups and various magazines; in Australia particularly
Earth Garden and the ABC's 'Organic Gardener'.
Permaculture is very much a community based movement
and Associations, bioregional groups and collectives operate in each country
to support members, share information and resources and to promote permaculture
practices.
One such organisation is The Permaculture Association
of South Australia is a non-profit voluntary resource body which provides
information through a regular newsletter, and facilitates courses, seminars
and field visits to homes, gardens and farms which demonstrate permaculture.PASA
meets monthly. Its excellent website is at:
http://www.permaculturesa.org.au
Another excellent site with many Permaculture links is at
the Permaculture International site http://www.permacultureinternational.org/index.htm
which
also has a list of organisations offering design courses in all states
of Australia http://www.permacultureinternational.org/globaldirectory/coursecalendar.htm
The internationally accredited
Permaculture
Design Certificate Course is taught at The Food Forest each summer.
Many Permaculture farmers host 'willing workers
on organic farms'; details are at WWOOF Australia's website:
http://www.wwoof.com.au/
More about Permaculture Principles
and Technologies
Processes, principles and technologies
used in Permaculture design include:
Reading the landscape -
Each property falls within a broad landscape which provides a broad set
of limits to the capability of the land and suggests the nature and most
likely location of potential catastrophic events such as floods, elevation
of salty water tables, fire, black frosts etc.
Beyond that an individual property
is analysed in terms of microclimates, soils, topography, aspect, water,
wind, existing vegetation, frost pockets, lime outcrops, access etc to
enable detailed planning within the regional land capability limits. Maps,
aerial photos and plastic overlays are used.
Placement of elements in the
design - The intelligent placement of windbreaks, shade trees and biodiversity
plantings, particular orchard blocks, packing sheds, animal housing and
handling facilities, plantings for the utilization of waste water, the
house etc can lead to a smoothly operating, healthy system
Energy - A permaculture
design is done not just spatially (where things are placed on the ground)
but also in terms of energy flow. This will produce a property which minimises
the use of outside resources and production of waste
Using biological resources
- Many functional horticultural operations can be carried out by plants
or animals without external inputs….pest management, weed control, fertiliser
application, Nitrogen fixation, shade, shelter etc.
Multifunctional elements
- A dam can provide for fire control, waterbird habitat and a cooling and
aesthetically pleasing outlook for the house, a leguminous ground cover
controls dust and weeds, fixes Nitrogen, provides grazing and bee forage.
The more of these useful elements there are in a design the more productive
and stable it becomes.
Important functions of the property
served by various elements -
A job like weed control can be
achieved by, grazing, mowing, mulching, shading, outcompeting, hoeing,
spraying, flaming, steaming, parasitising etc. Marketing can be done by
farm gate sales, subscription farming, local sales to retailers and restaurants,
regional, national or export. Value adding before sale adds another dimension.
Permaculture in action
Permaculture is most effective
at property and regional level where we are dealing with common values
of resources. It works extremely well within a relatively closed economy
where the preservation of the environment and the right of every person
to a life of health and dignity are valued. When World trade puts commodities
onto the market from places that do not share these values, the consequence
is that ecologically sustainable systems sometimes appear to become uneconomic.
Whilst Permaculture systems can
then export ethically produced goods to people who value environmental
sustainability (Europe in particular) it remains an aim to convert all
systems
to a sustainable footing.
There are farms and households
all over the World operating on Permaculture principles. Some profiles
of Permaculturists are on the Permaculture International website: http://www.permacultureinternational.org/globaldirectory/sitevisits/aboutsitevisits.htm
Last Updated 12 Dec 2004
