Permaculture refers to both "permanent agriculture" and "permanent culture".  It is an ethical design system that centers around the careful and deliberate organization of whole systems to maximize health, energy flow, and growth potential. 

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Permaculture methods typically mimic the patterns of nature and use many traditional and novel methods of regenerative agriculture to grow food and manage land, with a concentrated effort on organic food production and sustainable living. 

 

Permaculture also includes design of energy and habitation systems, often using technological developments, to increase sustainability and reduce negative human impacts on the Earth.

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A form of regenerative agriculture, permaculture involves the observation and study of natural systems in order to understand intrinsic relationships between components.  This is often done by focusing on planning initial designs to capture, store, integrate and transmute natural water, air, earth and plant cycles into the foods, medicines, and materials we need to sustain our lives holistically. 

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Sustainable food production is possible virtually everywhere if we know how to take naturally occurring energetic inputs, including waste products, and turning them into the inputs for the next cycle of growth.  Permaculture projects have successfully converted desert regions into fruitful food-bearing ecosystems.   It holds major promise in the development of strategies for global reforestation and agro-forestry.

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​Using permaculture methods is one of the best ways to ensure food security within localized regions.  As global politics become more uncertain, the importance of maintaining knowledge of successful food growing strategies in all bioregions becomes critical.  Permaculture's focus on food production helps people to eat foods grown ethically and close to home, which not only benefits the planet, but is healthy for the development and maintenance of our minds and bodies.   

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The Fandom permaculture wikia states; “Permaculture organic design have been proven more productive than industrial agriculture methods. More recently, unsubsidized organic farming was found consistently more productive and profitable than unsubsidized industrial farming (see UN Report on Organic Farming in Africa). Intensive organic or permaculture farms can achieve more than 20 times the yield of a conventional farm (e.g. 200.000£/year per 2 acre with Will Allen Aquaponics ). Other economical aspects are linked to save spending. According to Mollison, 74m2 of garden is sufficient to reduce 50% of food expenses of a family. Fukuoka claims that 5000m2 is sufficient for a farmer to get revenues to live with no-till and natural farming.”

 

As the climate changes, permaculture design contributes strategies which can buffer the effects of excess heat and cold, prolonged drought, fire protection, flood protection, and water storage within the landscape. 

​ Appropedia.org permaculture portal lists a number of the techniques and concepts used in permaculture design, which include:  Agroforestry · Aquaponics · Biochar · Cardboard mulch · Chicken tractors · Cobb · Composting · Earthen ovens · Food Forests · Greywater · Grafting · Guilds · Hügelkultur · Integrated Pest Management · Keyline · Landscape contour ·  Layers · Lacto-fermentation · Mulching · Microclimate · Mycoremediation · No-dig · Passive solar · Polyculture · Rainwater harvesting · Rocket stoves · Seed balls · Straw bale construction · Succession  · Swales · Three sisters agriculture · Worm farming

 

​Additional concepts and technologies which are relevant in permaculture include: Hempcrete, Earthships, Wicking Beds, Perennial Plants, Companion Planting, Biodynamic agriculture, Biointensive agriculture, managed grazing, natural fertilizers (such as compost tea and certain mineral fertilizers), Carbon farming / biosequestration, use and propagation of Open-Pollinated and Heritage seed, Regenerative agriculture, silviculture, and cover crops.

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Utilization of cutting-edge technologies, such as solar, wind, water, biofuel, geothermal, electromagnetic, hydrogen and carbon energy capture and transformation, as well as energy-efficient building design, livable communities, and the triple bottom line approach (ecological-economics-ethics) are also relevant to the realm of permaculture study. 

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​The "permanent culture" aspects broaden the scope of the discipline to encompass myriad ways we can work with the energies in our environments - including human energies - to encourage sustainable living.   Community building, acceptance of diversity, appreciation of synergy, and realization of the mutual benefit of social relationships also up an important component of this multifaceted discipline. 

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Permaculturists aim to create a world in which humans live in balance and abundance; harmonizing with the systems around us by honouring the intrinsic value and unique contributions each component of the environment lends to the health of the whole.   

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​The hope found in Permaculture is that a harmonious way of living; one of vitality, connection, and ongoing development, is not only possible, it is already happening all over the Earth!  We must learn from and join the pioneers in this field who are working already in our communities to forge connections and build sustainable earth-human systems.

 

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Resource notes:

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Rob and Michelle Avis of Verge Permacuture and Takota Coen of Coen Farm are currently offering The Adaptive Habitat Program to help you design your own permaculture project using three free tools that will revolutionize permaculture land design.