Permaculture

 

Permaculture Frequently Asked Questions

What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature. A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that produce food. Emphasis is placed on multi-use and perennial plants, practices such as composting, sheet mulching, recycling, companion planting, natural pest contol and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients, graze weeds and provide food and other materials

Where did permaculture come from?

The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. It was originally a contraction of "permanent agriculture" but is often now explained as relating to "permanent culture." Permaculture is an Australian ‘invention’ but has now spread all around the world.

Is permaculture just about gardening?

No. Permaculture is about sustainability, which includes much more than food, however since providing food is a key aspect of sustainability, it is a major focus of permaculture. Permaculture entails much more than just food production. Energy-efficient buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other important components of permaculture. More recently, permaculture has expanded its purview to include economic and social structures that support the evolution and development of more permanent communities, such as co-housing projects and eco-villages. As such, permaculture design concepts are applicable to urban as well as rural settings, and are appropriate for single households as well as whole farms and villages.

What are some other practical applications of Permaculture?

Permaculture is not limited to plant and animal agriculture, but also includes community planning and development, use of appropriate technologies (coupled with an adjustment of life-style), and adoption of concepts and philosophies that are both earth-based and people-centered, such as bioregionalism.

Many of the appropriate technologies advocated by permaculturists are well known. Among these are solar and wind power, composting toilets, solar greenhouses, energy efficient housing, and solar food cooking and drying.

Due to the inherent sustainability of perennial cropping systems, permaculture places a heavy emphasis on tree crops. Systems that integrate annual and perennial crops - such as alley cropping and agroforestry - take advantage of "the edge effect," increase biological diversity, and offer other characteristics missing in monoculture systems. Thus, multicropping systems that blend woody perennials and annuals hold promise as viable techniques for large-scale farming. Ecological methods of production for any specific crop or farming system (e.g., soil building practices, biological pest control, composting) are central to permaculture as well as to sustainable agriculture in general.

Since permaculture is not a production system, per se, but rather a land use and community planning philosophy, it is not limited to a specific method of production.

Furthermore, as permaculture principles may be adapted to farms or villages worldwide, it is site specific and therefore amenable to locally adapted techniques of production. As an example, standard organic farming and gardening techniques utilizing cover crops, green manures, crop rotation, and mulches are emphasized in permacultural systems.

However, there are many other options and technologies available to sustainable farmers working within a permacultural framework (e.g., chisel plows, no-till implements, spading implements, compost turners, rotational grazing). The decision as to which "system" is employed is site-specific and management dependent.

Farming systems and techniques commonly associated with permaculture include agroforestry, swales, contour plantings, Keyline agriculture (soil and water management), hedgerows and windbreaks, and integrated farming systems such as pond-dike aquaculture, aquaponics, intercropping, and polyculture.

Gardening and recycling methods common to permaculture include edible landscaping, keyhole gardening, companion planting, trellising, sheet mulching, chicken tractors, solar greenhouses, spiral herb gardens, swales, and wormfarming/vermicomposting.

Water collection, management, and re-use systems like Keyline, greywater, rain catchment, constructed wetlands, aquaponics (the integration of hydroponics with recirculating aquaculture), and solar aquatic ponds (also known as Living Machines) play an important role in permaculture designs.

[Above taken from a great website http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/perma.html ]

What are the Permaculture Ethics?

Permaculture is unique among alternative farming systems (e.g., organic, sustainable, eco-agriculture, biodynamic) in that it works with a set of ethics that suggest we think and act responsibly in relation to each other and the earth. The ethics of permaculture provide a sense of place in the larger scheme of things, and serve as a guidepost to right livelihood. The ethics are:

Earth Care
People Care
Fair Share

How can I learn more about Permaculture?

Most people find out about Permaculture through friends or the media (TV/Internet). For instance, Gardening Australia (ABC TV) often highlights permaculture demonstration sites. Since the 1990’s, more and more excellent material is available on the Internet.

You can find out more about permaculture through:

Training
All Seasons Permaculture Design Course [Ballarat, starts March]
Introduction to Permaculture courses [search the Net for your closest]
Permaculture Design Course (PDC)

Books
Permaculture One (1978) Mollison & Holmgren. Despite its age, this is still a
great place to start. 127 pp.
Introduction to Permaculture (1991) Mollison & Mia Slay. 198 pp.
Permaculture Designers Manual (1988) Mollison. 576 pages; a huge text - not an easy starting point, but Bill’s concept was a single book to cover all PDC content.
The Permaculture Home Garden (1996) Linda Woodrow. More suited to tropical than temperate climates but very easy to read. 181 pp.

Internet sites
http://www.permaculturemelbourne.org.au [Permaculture Melbourne]
http://www.tagari.com [Bill Mollison’s website]
http://www.holmgren.com.au [David Holmgren’s website]
http://www.permacultureinternational.org [Australian site - good national info]
http://www.permaculturesa.org.au [Permaculture South Australia]
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/main2.html [UK permaculture]
http://www.permacultureactivist.net [USA Permaculture]

Is Permaculture training recognised?

The most common permaculture training is the 72 hour Permaculture Design Course which was developed by Bill Mollison in the early 1980’s. This course has never been formally accredited within Australia but is recognised within the permaculture community world-wide.

In 2003, a series of permaculture qualifications aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework were accredited by Permaculture International Limited (PIL). Called Accredited Permaculture Training (APT) they are government-recognised courses within the TAFE (technical training) sector and are being delivered all over Australia. The All Seasons Permaculture Course covers both the PDC and APT Certificate III in Permaculture curriculum

For information about Accredited Permaculture Training, go to
http://www.permacultureinternational.org/apt

For information about the All Seasons Permaculture Design Course go to our Education page, or our Contact Us page.