Permaculture: a philosophy of life

Principles

Right from the start Permaculture has been principles-based. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren have given us three sets of the Permaculture Principles (below). Today Permaculturalists refer to these principles all the time, for inspiration with their designs. These principles are at the heart of all Permaculture teaching.

• Principles from Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison & Reny Mia Slay Stated in Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison & Reny Mia Slay

• Principles from Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, by Bill Mollison

  This is the definitive Permaculture design manual in print since 1988. It is the textbook and curriculum for the 72-hour Certificate course in Permaculture Design.

• David Holmgren Principles Principles proposed by David Holmgren in his book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.

Diversity

In his book Plants, Man, and Life, Edgar Andersen describes the garden/orchard plantings grouped around the houses in Central America. Close to the house and more or less surrounding it is a compact garden-orchard some 20 square metres in extent. No two of these are exactly alike. There are neat plantations more or less grouped together. There are various fruit trees (citrus, custard apple, sapote, mango and avocado), and a thicket of coffee bushes in the shade of the larger trees. There are tapioca (cassava) plants of one or two varieties, grown more or less in rows at the edge of the trees. Frequently there are patches of banana; corn and beans here and there in rows or patches. Climbing and scrambling over all are vines of various squashes and their relatives: the chayote (choko) grown for its squashes, as well as its big starchy root; and the luffa gourd, its skeleton used for dishrags and sponges. The cucurbits clamber over the eaves of the house and run along the ridgepole, climb high in the trees, or festoon the fence. Setting off the whole garden are flowers and various useful weeds (dahlias, rosemay, gladioli, climbing roses, asparagus fern, cannas and grain amaranth).

Andersen is contrasting the strict, ordered, linear, segmented thinking of Europeans with the productive, more natural polyculture of the dry tropics. The order he describes is a semi-natural order of plants, in their right relationship to each other (guilds), but not separated into various artificial groupings. It is no longer clear where orchard, field, house and garden have their boundaries, where annuals and perennials belong, or indeed where cultivation gives way to naturally-evolved systems.

To the observer, this may seem like a very unordered and untidy system; however, we should not confuse order and tidiness. Tidiness separates species and creates work (and may also invite pests), whereas order integrates, reducing work and discouraging insect attack. European gardensj, often extraordinarily tidy, result in functional disorder and low yield. Creativity is seldom tidy. Perhaps we could say that tidiness is something that happens when compulsive activity replaces thoughful creativity.

Although the yield of a monocultural system will probably be greater for a particualr crop than the yield of any one species in a permaculture system, the sum of yields in a mixed system will be larger. In the former, a hectare of vegetables will yield only vegetables throughout the year. In the latter, vegetables are a smaller part of the total yield of nuts, fruit, oil crop, timber, poultry, firewood, fish, seedcrop, and animal protein.

For self-reliance, this means that a family can satisfy all its nutritional needs with the available fruits, vegetables, proteins, and minerals. Economically, having more saleable products at different times of the year protects a family from market downturns and severe losses of one crop due to pests or bad weather. If the market for beef is down one year, for example, only firewood, nuts, fruit, seedcrop, and herbs are sold, keeping the cattle for better times. If frosts wipe out the fruit crop, other produce is available to eat or to sell.

Our aim should be to disperse yield over time, so that products are available during every season. This aim is achieved in a variety of ways:

• by selection of early, mid and late season varieties;
• by planting the same variety in early or late-ripening situations;
• by selection of long-yielding species;
• by a general increase in diversity or multi-use species in the system, so that leaf, fruit, seed and root are all product yields;
• by using self-storing species such as tubers, hard seeds, nuts or rhizomes which can be dug on demand;
• by techniques such as preserving, drying, pitting, freezing, and cool storage; and
• by regional trade within and between communities, or by purchasing land at different altitudes and latitudes.

Diversity is often related to stability in a permaculture. However, stability only occurs among cooperative species, or species that do each other no harm. It is not enough to simply place as many plants and animals as you can into a system, as they may compete with each other for light, nutrient, and water. Some plants, such as walnuts and eucalypts, inhibit the growth of others by releasing chemicals from their roots into the soil (allelopathy). Other plants provide overwintering habitat for pests and diseases harmful to nearby plants. Cows an horses grazed on the same pasture will eventually degrade it. Large trees compete with grain crops for light. Goats in the orchard or woodlot debark trees. Therefore, if we are to use all these elements in a system, we must be careful to place an intervening plant or structure between potentially harmful elements.

So the importance of diversity is not so much the number of functional elements in a system; rather it is the number of functional connections between these elements. It is not the number of things, but the number of ways in which things work. Whate we seek is a guild of elements (plants, animals or structures) that work harmoniously together.

Goals and practices

The goal of permaculture is responsible production and land stewardship and sustainable agriculture. Those who practice permaculture argue that by shifting their focus toward production and limiting consumption, people can reduce their own ecological impact on the land, the food system, and the energy grid and extend Earth's limited natural resources for future generations, with the added benefit of maintaining plant and animal habitats. Practitioners note that living according to such a philosophy can be applied on a large scale. For example, planned real estate developments can be designed as ecovillages—that is, planned communities with dwellings built and operated with sustainable materials, renewable energy resources, and centrally located farms or community-supported gardens. Permaculture can also be applied on an individual scale, with small garden plots in suburban backyards.

Some of the ideas of permaculture involve combining sustainable architecture and agroforestry with garden planning that includes companion and succession planting, soil fertility monitoring, rotational grazing, and incorporating renewable energy, such as using animal manure as the feedstock for a biogas digester. Wherever possible, various elements in the design should serve multiple functions. Raising chickens, for example, can provide eggs, meat, pest control, and soil enrichment: as they range throughout the garden, the birds dig, scratch, and till the soil, and their waste is a good source of nitrogen, which can be composted for use as fertilizer. Closed-loop agriculture, or zero-waste farming, is often cited as a goal of permaculture—by returning all the materials and nutrients used to produce plants and animals for human consumption to the soil, usually through composting or feeding plant excess to animals. This ensures that the soil stays healthy and will be able to produce crops in the future.

(From https://www.britannica.com/technology/permaculture)

Some (Simple) Examples of Permaculture

Here are some real-world examples:

• Personal Vegetable Gardens Yes, growing veggies is a very basic example of permaculture! If you garden in an eco-friendly, natural way, you're already practicing permaculture. Remember, it is essentially just imitating systems that exist in nature, so starting a garden and using natural methods for things like pest control and fertilizing certainly counts.
• Vermiculture Vermiculture, often called worm composting, is the practice of using worms to create rich compost. You're setting worms up to do what they do in nature, meaning you're engaged in permaculture.
• Rainwater Collection When you collect or harvest rainwater and use that in your garden, you are watering your crops in a natural, sustainable way. You are using what your environment gives you.
• Food Forests Food forests are more advanced than your basic vegetable garden, but they're a fantastic example of permaculture. Food forests layer different types of edible plants, fungi, and animals together until it becomes a self-sustaining, natural system, which is the very goal of permaculture. These are all designed to imitate natural, resilient ecosystems and usually involve seven different layers that work together to live and thrive.
• Natural Building Practices This type of permaculture centers around using natural materials (like cob, bamboo, adobe, and more) to create buildings, homes, and other structures to minimize environmental impact.

Critiques of permaculture

Critics of permaculture point out that it is unreasonable to expect most people—especially those in densely populated areas—to have the space, equipment, and time to raise their own food. In addition, some aspects of permaculture may be difficult to apply on an individual scale within an urban centre, such as human-waste composting projects, which may run afoul of municipal codes. Some elements—such as aquaculture or biogas digester systems—have start-up costs that can be prohibitively expensive. Some critics also note that high labour requirements and the prospect of lower crop yields may make permaculture inefficient economically, especially when competing with contemporary large-scale resource-intensive industrial farming.

(From https://www.britannica.com/technology/permaculture)

Moreover, AI Overview, by Google, points out (four) Challenges to Implementation of permaculture:

• Knowledge Gaps A significant portion of the population is unfamiliar with permaculture principles, making it difficult to encourage widespread adoption. Many farmers aren't familiar with permaculture, so there's a lack of knowledge on how to proceed. Widespread educational efforts are difficult, and many may not have the money it would take to shift their farming techniques to something new.
• Societal Shift Embracing permaculture principles requires a considerable shift in mindset and habits, which can be challenging for individuals and communities to adopt.
• Funding and Effort Transitioning to permaculture techniques can require financial investment and time, and there's a need for greater support and educational efforts to facilitate the change. A farmer might even incur short term losses as permaculture is a long-term solution. The switch may lead to some short-term losses, like smaller crop yields and some financial loss. However, proper permaculture rectifies that situation itself, and practitioners trade short-term losses for long-term gains.
• More Suited to Small-Scale Farming Critics of permaculture often say that it's a practice more suited to small-scale operations and farms or gardens. While it's true that it's easier to institute permaculture designs and practices for smaller gardens than giant agricultural efforts, it isn't impossible. Furthermore, ermaculture doesn't have to serve as a solitary approach. For instance, areas may combine permaculture with sustainable forestry for a broader effect.

Permaculture as a Spiritual Path

(From https://soulfulandwild.com.au/reflections/permaculture-as-a-spiritual-practice)

Beyond its practical applications, permaculture holds a unique potential to awaken our spiritual connection with the Earth. Here are some of the ways that permaculture can be utilised as a spiritual path: