The term “permaculture” was coined by Australian ecologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the mid 1970s. It refers to “permanent agriculture,” and is a system of land design for small scale home food production and energy use. The study of permaculture encompasses ecology, sustainability, organic growing methods, efficient energy use, home design, recycling, appropriate technology, and much more. Some of the fundamental principles of permaculture design include the following:
1.working with rather than against nature
2. plant diversity rather than single crop farming
3. taking advantage of “microclimates” in the yard such as sunny, shady, warm, dry or moist areas
4. taking advantage of the interconnectedness between plants, insects, and animals
5. an emphasis on low-care perennial food plants and trees
6. “stacking functions” – each plant, animal or location has multiple uses (for example, chickens have the multiple functions of producing eggs, meat and manure, eating unwanted insects, clearing a garden bed by eating weeds and scratching the soil to loosen it up, providing heat for a greenhouse, and providing education and entertainment for children and adults)
7. gardening in “layers” – root, plant, bush, tree and vine layers, if carefully planned, can make use of vertical garden space and result in productive “food forests”
8. working with “zones” of use intensity such as planting herbs and salad greens close to the house, vegetable beds somewhat further, and orchard and wild areas even further from the house
9. water conservation and management (working with gravity!)
10. use of solar and other renewable energy sources for home and garden
In light of the problems of global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels, permaculture design is a way for anyone to become part of the solution. Permaculture design can be implemented in suburban, rural and even city settings.
PERMACULTURE IS FOR EVERYONE!!!