What is Permaculture?

I'm glad you asked!

According to Bill Mollison (considered the ‘father of permaculture’), “Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is this harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order.

            Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms.

            The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.” These three paragraphs are taken from the back cover of Bill Mollison's book, Permaculture, a Designer's Manual.
Side Note: The sentence about permanent agriculture and stable social order came from the author,(Bill Mollison), but does not necessarily refelect my view on the topic. I do believe that permaculture could be the very best way to grow food and makes a lot of sense, but I would probably not go as far as making the same statement about it as he did.

More on Bill Mollison: he's a researcher, author, scientist, teacher and naturalist- Google his name and you'll find plenty of info on this fascinating guy. We are incredibly blessed to have access to the wealth of research and information he has contributed to the study of agriculture/horticulture/ecology.

            There are many definitions of permaculture, but most agree that it allows an ecosystem to be created in which all of the members involved relate to each other in a way that meets each of the member’s needs, in a self-sustaining cycle. The main difference between permaculture and contemporary industrial agriculture is that industrial agriculture is set up to produce a high yield of a certain crop in one area, serving only the needs of humans. These operations can require massive inputs of energy in the form of fertilizers, fossil fuels, and pest control chemicals, and can cause destructive effects on the surrounding environment. An effective permaculture operation not only serves the needs of human beings, but also a variety of organisms that all have an important role to play in the functioning of the system. Permaculture requires no man-made chemicals to produce its yields, because each of the members of the system has a role in reducing or keeping pests and disease in balance. It should be set up to harmoniously relate to the climate it exists in and make wise use of but not deplete the natural resources of the area. More effective and efficient design schemes would allow their members to interact, contribute to, and benefit from the system more efficiently and conveniently, thus allowing the community of organisms to not only survive, but thrive and diversify. 

          Gardening techniques such as companion planting and using certain plants to attract beneficial insects and repel pests are beneficial approaches that harmonize with the concept of permaculture. More on these topics can be found in upcoming blog posts! : )