Permaculture Overview

A brief overview compiled by Jude Hobbs and Toby Hemenway.

definition | goals | ethics | principles

What is Permaculture?

1. Design system for self-reliant living
2. Respect for the essential nature of things - everything is connected to everything else
3. Build harmony, through cooperation with an attitude of positivism
4. An ecological science - the study of nature and natural systems
5. Integration of water, people, animals, land, plants, agriculture, technologies and community for productive and beautiful environments
6. Global grass roots movement applicable on all scales and situations, worldwide
   
   

Goals

1. Long term self-reliance - consider seven generations
   A generation is the average time interval between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring
   
2. Work with nature rather than against it
3. Think globally act locally
4. Plan for small scale energy efficient systems - intensive rather than extensive
5. Eat a bioregional diet - bring food growing to the cities
6. Hold water and fertility as high on the land as possible
7. The problem is the solution - turn constraints into resources
8. Reforest - restore earth fertility
9. Emphasize native plants
10. Increase sum of yields
    1. Succession, natural ecosystems change over time giving rise to different plants and animals
    2. Stocking, find the balance of various elements keeping one from overpowering the other(s), number of elements in a guild
    3. Stacking, multilevel functions for each element
       
11. Invent and reinvent - close the loops
12. Whatever we take, we must return
    One calorie in / one calorie out = sustainability
    The use must pay (i.e. recycling, tree tax, seed collecting, composting, energy)
    
13. The Earth, Gaia, is the super client
14. Permaculture starts at your doorstep and is a way of life

The work of the permaculture designer is to maximize useful energy storages in any system on which they are working, be it house, urban property, rural lands, or gardens.

Ethics of Permaculture

• Care for the Earth
• Care for People
• Share the Surplus
  
  

Principles of Permaculture

1. Observation
   Protracted and thoughtful observation rather than prolonged and thoughtless action. Observe existing elements throughout all the seasons. We design for specific sites, clients and climates.
   
   
2. Relative Location
   Components are viewed not in isolation, but relative to the functional relationships and timesaving connections among all parts. What is important are the functional relationships among elements, not the number of elements used.
   
   
3. Each element performs multiple functions
   Each element in a system is chosen and placed so it performs as many functions as possible. Increasing beneficial connections between diverse components creates stability.
   
   
4. Each function is supported by multiple elements
   Important functions are achieved via several methods, to insure against failure of one or more elements.
   
   
5. Make the least change for the greatest effect
   Find the "leverage points" in the system and intervene there, where the least work accomplishes the most change.
   
   
6. Diversity
   The functional connections between different elements leads to sustainable systems, creating guilds that work together. As cooperative species mature, abundance and stability increase.
   
   
7. Biological resources
   Use on-site resources, such as plants and animals that reproduce and build up over time and interact with other elements. A resource is an energy storage that assist yields.
   
   
8. Energy cycling
   Yields from the system supply on-site needs and/or needs of the local region, and are reused as many times as possible.
   
   
9. Appropriate technology
   Consider the impact: apply sustainable practices for cooking, lighting, transport, heating, sewage treatment, water, and other utilities.
   
   
10. Natural succession
    Natural ecosystems develop and change over time, and the plants and animals within them change. Plan for the long term.
    
    
11. Edge effect
    The edge - the intersection of two environments - is the most diverse place in a system, and where the energies and materials accumulate. Optimize the amount of edge.
    
    
12. The problem is the solution
    Turn constraints into resources. We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunities.
    
    
13. Get a yield
    Get some immediate returns from your efforts. "You can't work on an empty stomach."
    
    
14. Limits to yield
    The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited, limited only by information and imagination.
    
    
15. Mistakes are tools for learning
    Plan to evaluate your trials - making mistakes is a sign you're trying to do things better.
    

Compiled by Jude Hobbs and Toby Hemenway


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