What is Permaculture?

Permaculture

In the book "Permaculture - a Designer's Manual" Bill Mollison defines permaculture as: "The harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way." Mollison and David Holmgren launched the concept of permaculture (PERMAnent CULTURE or PERMAnent agriCULTURE) in 1978 with the publication of "Permaculture One." As you can see from Mollison's description, permaculture is concerned with a lot more than farming.

In the words of Steve Diver, Agriculture Specialist at the National Center for Appropriate Technology and permaculture design course graduate:

"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 plants, cultural practices such as sheet mulching and trellising, and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients and graze weeds. However, 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."

Permaculture is more a generalized toolkit of community or site design principles than a method of agriculture. While the original permaculture concept incorporated some of Fukuoka's method, the concept was quickly expanded to the point where agriculture is only one component, and may be minimal or not present at all. Specific methods of agriculture used will vary from site to site depending upon the needs, goals, preferences, and perspective of the designer and site owner.