What is Permaculture?

native wildflowers

Permaculture is almost a movement at this point, it is a design system that offers a holistic approach to sustainable living and land use, drawing upon principles and practices from a variety of disciplines, including ecology, agriculture, architecture, and social sciences. The term "permaculture" is a portmanteau of "permanent agriculture" and "permanent culture," reflecting its emphasis on creating systems that are both environmentally sustainable and regenerative. Developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s, permaculture has since gained recognition and adoption worldwide as a means to address the pressing challenges of climate change, resource depletion, and ecosystem degradation.

At its core, permaculture seeks to mimic natural systems, utilizing the wisdom of nature to design and manage human environments in a way that promotes long-term resilience and abundance. It is not a one-size-fits-all model but rather a flexible set of principles and techniques that can be adapted to various contexts, from urban rooftops to rural homesteads. In this essay, we will explore the key concepts and principles of permaculture, its applications, and its potential to contribute to a more sustainable and regenerative world.

Permaculture is built upon three ethical principles that serve as its foundation:

1. Earth Care: This principle recognizes the importance of stewardship and the need to take care of the Earth's ecosystems. It emphasizes the preservation and restoration of the natural world, working in harmony with the environment rather than against it.

2. People Care: People are an integral part of the ecosystems we design and inhabit. This principle focuses on creating fair and supportive communities that ensure the well-being and equity of all individuals.

3. Fair Share (or "Surplus to Need"): This principle calls for the just distribution of resources, emphasizing that we should use only what we need and share any surplus with others. It promotes responsible consumption and sharing to avoid overexploitation of natural resources.

These ethical principles serve as a guide for decision-making in permaculture design, encouraging a harmonious balance between environmental sustainability, social well-being, and equitable resource allocation.

When designing a greenspace using permaculture principles:

In addition to the ethical foundation, permaculture is guided by a set of design principles that help individuals create sustainable and regenerative systems. These principles are not rigid rules but flexible guidelines that can be adapted to specific contexts and projects. The number and arrangement of these principles can vary among permaculture enthusiasts, but some common ones include:

1. Observe and Interact: Before taking any action, it is essential to carefully observe the natural patterns and dynamics of a site or system. Understanding the interactions and relationships within the environment is crucial for effective design.

2. Catch and Store Energy: This principle encourages the collection and storage of resources such as water, sunlight, and organic matter, making use of natural abundance when available and storing it for times of scarcity.

3. Obtain a Yield: A fundamental tenet of permaculture is that systems should provide a yield. Whether it's food, energy, or other resources, design with the intention of creating value and usefulness.

4. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services: Emphasize the use of resources that are renewable and ecologically sustainable, rather than relying on finite or non-renewable sources.

5. Produce No Waste: In nature, there is no such thing as waste; one organism's waste is another's resource. This principle encourages the responsible use of resources and the design of systems that minimize waste.

6. Design from Patterns to Details: Start with the larger patterns and then work down to the smaller details. This approach allows for a more holistic and efficient design process.

7. Integrate Rather than Segregate: Encourage beneficial relationships between elements in the system. For instance, planting certain crops together for mutual benefit or stacking functions to maximize efficiency.

8. Use Small and Slow Solutions: Avoid large-scale, rapid changes that can lead to unintended consequences. Instead, implement small, manageable changes that are easier to control and adjust.

9. Use and Value Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength and resilience in ecosystems. Incorporate a variety of species and elements to increase the stability of the system.

10. Use Edges and Value the Marginal: Recognize that the edges or boundaries between different ecosystems or elements often have increased biodiversity and productivity. Utilize these transitional zones for enhanced yields.

11. Creatively Use and Respond to Change: Change is inevitable, and systems should be designed to adapt and evolve in response to changing conditions. Creative thinking and adaptability are essential.

These design principles can be applied to a wide range of contexts, from gardening and farming to urban planning, architecture, and community development. They provide a framework for problem-solving and decision-making that promotes resilience, sustainability, and regenerativity.

Basics of Permaculture Design

Fair warning, most of this post has been taken from a larger post about what permaculture actually is, you can read it here. This post is a little more detailed on the design aspect though.

Permaculture Design Principles

Permaculture is guided by a set of design principles that help individuals create sustainable and regenerative systems. These principles are not rigid rules but flexible guidelines that can be adapted to specific contexts and projects. The number and arrangement of these principles can vary among permaculturists, but some common ones include:

Observe and Interact

Before taking any action, it is essential to carefully observe the natural patterns and dynamics of a site or system. Understanding the interactions and relationships within the environment is crucial for effective design. It’s going to be really hard to pick the right plants without knowing things like how much sun you have, how much water you have, and the requirements of the plants you are wanting to put in a spot. It’s also helpful to ask yourself how you are going to actually use the space. Do I like to go outside and kick a soccer ball around with my kids? Do I like to barbeque? Do I invite people over often, and do I bring them outside? How much time to I have to devote to this spot? What are the maintenance requirements once it is completed? all of these are questions you need to ask yourself in the planning process of building a garden, a back lard landscape, or any other greenspace.

Catch and Store Energy

This principle encourages the collection and storage of resources such as water, sunlight, and organic matter, making use of natural abundance when available and storing it for times of scarcity. When I think of this, I mostly think of a garden’s ability to catch runoff and make sure more of it is seeping into the ground than running away off my property. This happens in a few ways, one is to always have something on or in the soil. It could be plants or mulch, just so that the soil isn’t bare. Or course there are some best practices that you could use, in particular using keyline design, with is a method of managing water runoff in landscapes on hilly land. Another is the use of swales and berms of areas that are a little flatter or even with a dip in them. If you have an area on your property that looks like a small pond every time it rains, this might be for you. Catching and storing energy could also look like starting a compost pile in your back yard. This reduces your own personal food waste, as well as makes it cheaper to feed your plants, and helps improve soil conditions.

Obtain a Yield

A fundamental tenet of permaculture is that systems should provide a yield. Whether it's food, medicine, or resources for crafts, design with the intention of creating value and usefulness. I personally have a lot of medicinal herbs in my garden, I really liked learning about herbalism and I like to make my own teas as well, so growing plants that had medicinal value has worked well for me. Ask yourself what you buy a lot of at the store that you could be growing from home. For you this could be anything, it could be that you really like fresh tomato salsa as a snack so you start growing some tomatoes and peppers. Maybe you’re like me and like teas, so you start growing some mints and some other herbs like chamomile and lavender. Whatever you though do with intention and start small.

Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services

Emphasize the use of resources that are renewable and ecologically sustainable, rather than relying on finite or non-renewable sources. Also, you do not have to buy every single thing new, not only is this extremely costly, and depletes even our renewable resources, but it is just unnecessary. I am currently working on redesigning my vegetable garden and I am going to build some garden boxes that I am going to source from an old fence that was torn down. Not only are these materials free, but they also will last for a few years, and who doesn’t want to feature reclaimed wood as part of their sustainable garden? Looking for reclaimed wood, old pots a nursery is giving away cheap or free, and plants that a friend doesn’t want anymore, or wants to trade for something new helps out tremendously.

Produce No Waste

In nature, there is no such thing as waste; one organism's waste is another's resource. This principle encourages the responsible use of resources and the design of systems that minimize waste. Reducing plastic waste is a great start, but you can also reduce different kinds of wastes. Composting is a great way to divert some waste away from landfills and decrease food waste, mulching is a great way to get rid of excess wood (I have a a small pile that is growing from all my recent projects), a great way to break up leaves quicker so they can go back into the soil. I even plant some perennials, perennials are plants that will come back every year. I try really hard every year, but some years I miss saving some of the seeds on my annual plants, or even my trees. Planting perennials allows me to have go buy less plants, although I’m not totally sure who needs less plants haha! You can also reduce waste by the way that you water and how often you water. Xeriscaping is a great way to reduce how often your water, if you even need to water at all. Drought tolerant plants in general are a great addition to any garden or landscape as they require less water, so therefore less maintenance, which gives you more time to do other things in your garden. Opting for a drip irrigation system is a way to reduce waste by reducing them amount of water you waste. If you are watering your plants in the middle of a hot summer, in the middle of the day with a sprinkler or sprinkler system, you are absolutely wasting water. More on this in a later post, but most of the water gets carried away by the wind and by evaporation. If you want more information on the pros and cons of different methods of watering, your local extension service probably has an article that can hep you out.

Integrate Rather than Segregate

Encourage beneficial relationships between elements in the system. Everyone as heard of the three sisters planting method of planting corn, pole beans, and squash together, but do you know that there are other plants that are beneficial to each other? This method is called companion planting and includes planting crops together such as dill and basil, or planting crops in between other crops, like planting marigolds for pest control. You can also plant things that keeps pests away from you, some common plants that keep the insects away from you are lavender, basil, and citronella.

Use Small and Slow Solutions

A common criticism of permaculture design is that it can be hard for people to switch to and it can be hard to start if you’re just starting out. Avoid large-scale, rapid changes that can lead to unintended consequences. Instead, implement small, manageable changes that are easier to control and adjust. I’ve actually heard a few people talk about a method of switching from conventional to permaculture landscapes by just growing your permaculture area a few feet every growing season. it makes sense because you’ll either go from nothing and grow to your whole property, or you’ll get to a sweet spot and stay where things are manageable for you.

Use and Value Diversity

“Biodiversity” you hear it everywhere you learn about ecofriendly gardens, landscapes, and crops. Biodiversity is a source of strength and resilience in ecosystems. Incorporate a variety of species and elements to increase the stability of the system. In any greenspace, you don’t just want the plants, your don’t just want the animals, or even the microbes, or the insects, you want it all and you want it all working together. You want your space to function as a little ecosystem, and the more self reliant it is -the more biodiversity it has- the less inputs you will have to manage. Inputs being watering, fertilizing, soil regeneration, weeding, and whatever else you can think of that you have to do to a garden besides just enjoying it.

Creatively Use and Respond to Change

Change is inevitable, and systems should be designed to adapt and evolve in response to changing conditions. Creative thinking and adaptability are essential. I think of it as being scrappy or being resourceful. This last one is really so open to what your needs are, the main take away is to be flexible with your plans.

Agroforestry Basics

What is agroforestry?

Agroforestry is a farming method that combines perennial trees, shrubs, and crops, and sometimes animals in a way that benefits both the environment and people. It's like a special type of farming that's designed to be good for the land and for those who depend on it.

In agroforestry, farmers intentionally plant trees alongside their crops and maybe even include animals in the mix. This combination of trees, crops, and animals has several advantages. The trees can provide shade, which helps protect the crops from harsh sunlight and can also serve as a windbreak, shielding the crops from strong winds. These trees can also improve the soil quality by preventing erosion and adding nutrients. Additionally, they help in cleaning and managing water resources, which is crucial for farming, both on land and farming fish.

Agroforestry isn't a new idea; it's been practiced for centuries in different parts of the world. What's new is that people are now recognizing its many benefits, not just for producing food but also for protecting the environment. By using agroforestry, we can grow food while also taking care of the land and the natural world around us. It's an eco-friendly way of farming that's gaining more attention as we seek sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for agriculture.

Here in the United States, the top 5 methods of agroforestry we use are alley cropping, forest farming, riparian buffers, silvopasture, and windbreaks.

Let’s explore what each of these are:

Alley Cropping

Alley cropping, also known as intercropping is a planting method where you plant multiple rows of trees and then plant other crops in between the rows of trees. This helps sequester carbon, increases biodiversity, decreases soil erosion, and can even be a way to transition monoculture to polyculture.

Forest Farming

Forest farming typically looks like farmers or even homeowners growing high-value specialty crops under the shade of the trees. Some people use forest farming to grow mushrooms, or herbs that don’t need full sun.

one of the crops typically grown under the forest canopy are mushrooms

Riparian Buffers

These are strips of permenant vegetation consisting of trees, shrubs, and herbs, and grasses that are planted and managed together adjacent to bodies of water. Typically the plants in these buffers aren’t plants that you would typically harvest, however, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be. There are plenty of plants that thrive in a riparian buffer that could be harvested for food purposes, their medicinal properties, or handicrafts. If you want a more comprehensive overview of riparian buffers, you can read an article here by the US Forestry Service.

The different areas to a riparian buffer

Silvopasture

This combines livestock with pasture and trees. The livestock would be the main source of income/harvest, and of course they would mainly be eating the grasses in the pasture. The trees are there to provide shade and shelter for the livestock, and a potential secondary income for the farmer. This is also a great to incorporate animals into your garden or crops.

Windbreaks

Also known as shelter belts, I’ve seen these mainly in areas where it is much more flat than where I live, and there isn’t nearly as many trees nearby. I live in Arkansas just for reference, we have lots of trees. Wind breaks work by well, breaking the wind, they create a microclimate with less wind than the surrounding areas. This is great when you have areas that are prone to soil erosion by high winds, and keeps the water from evaporating as higher rates. If grown near livestock, these wind breaks can also help decrease animal stress and even mortality.

These rows of trees between patches of crops are an example of how a windbreak can look

Agroforestry for homeowners

For homeowners, especially if you are into increasing biodiversity, and growing your own food and medicine, there’s no doubt you’ve heard about a food forest. There’s YouTube videos, blog articles (such as this one), magazine articles, books, you name it. If you are a homeowner looking to add some trees to your back yard, chances are you have come across food forest advice.

A food forest, also known as a forest garden or edible forest, is a type of sustainable farming or gardening system that mimics the structure and functions of a natural forest ecosystem while primarily focusing on the cultivation of edible, medicinal, and decorative plants. It is designed to provide a diverse and self-sustaining source of food, incorporating a variety of fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, and other edible plants, along with supporting plants, to create a balanced and low-maintenance ecosystem. Here are some key characteristics of a food forest:

Layered Structure

Food forests are typically organized into different vertical layers, much like a natural forest. These layers include tall canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, ground cover, and sometimes root crops. Each layer serves a specific purpose and contributes to the overall ecosystem.

Edible Plants

My favorite part of a food forest! The primary focus of a food forest is growing edible plants, including fruits, nuts, vegetables, and herbs. However, these systems can also incorporate other useful plants, such as those used for medicinal purposes, fiber, or timber.

Low Maintenance

Food forests are often considered low-maintenance because the diversity of plants helps reduce the risk of pests and diseases. The different species also support one another by improving soil health and providing nutrients.

Perennial Plants

Most plants in a food forest are perennials, meaning they come back year after year. This reduces the need for annual replanting and maintenance.

Biodiversity

Food forests are designed to be highly diverse, with a wide range of plant species. This diversity encourages beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife to thrive, which can help with pollination and pest control.

Sustainability

Food forests are sustainable by design. They use organic and regenerative farming practices, promote soil health, and minimize the use of synthetic chemicals.

Food forests are a holistic and environmentally friendly approach to food production, promoting food security, biodiversity, and sustainability. They can be adapted to different climates and regions, making them a valuable tool for local food production and community resilience.