 |
| What is Permaculture? |
|
|
|
| Permaculture design seeks harmonious integration of landscape and people to provide food, shelter, energy and other material or non-material needs in a sustainable way.
This holistic ecological approach to the design and development of human settlements takes into account food production, structures, technologies, energy, natural resources, landscape, animal systems, plant systems, and social and economic structures.
Permaculture is applicable to both urban and rural contexts, and to any scale of design. It is about working with, rather than against, nature.
Permaculture draws upon traditional practices of earth stewardship and integrates this with appropriate modern technology. The term ‘permaculture’ was coined in the 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Work is now being carried out in over 100 countries by many thousands of permaculture design graduates.
Permaculture = PERMAnent AgriCULTURE + PERMAnent CULTURE
The Permaculture Ethics are : Earth care • People care • Fair share
To understand how these ethics are applied in the design process, following some of the fundamental principles used in Permaculture design. For more information about Permaculture, visit our links page, or see our mail order books and fact sheet about Permaculture.
|
|
|
Permaculture Design Principles |
|
|
| Diversity : Aims to integrate a variety of beneficial species of food, plants and animals into design. This builds a stable interactive polycultural system which provides for human needs and also for the needs of other species. |
|
| Edge Effect : In general, there is more energy and more diversity of life on the edge where two types of natural systems overlap. On these borders one can access the resources of both sides. Using the edge effect, and other natural patterns that you observe, creates the best effect. |
|
| Energy Planning : Placing the elements of your design in such a way as to minimize the use of energy (including fossil fuels and human labor). Utilizing the energy and resources that you have, first on-site and then from outside the system, as effectively as possible. Onsite energy resources include natural forces such as gravity, windpower and waterpower. This saves time, energy and money. |
|
| Energy Cycling : In a natural system there is no waste or pollution. The output from one natural process becomes the resource for another. Recycle and reuse all of resources as many times as possible. |
|
| Scale : Creating human-scale systems. Choose simple, appropriate technologies for use in designs. Only create systems that are manageable. Start small and take achievable steps towards an ideal goal. |
|
| Biological Resources : Use natural methods and processes to achieve tasks. Find things in nature (plants, animals, microbes) that are supportive of the system design and minimize outside energy input. |
|
| Multiple Elements : Support each vital need and essential function in more than one way, so that a temporary failure in one element will not stop the functioning of others. Also, recognize that there is almost always more than one way to achieve any task. |
|
| Multiple Functions : Most things can be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of functions. One rule of thumb in Permaculture is to try to design three uses for every element of the system. This can save space, time and complication in any particular project. |
|
| Natural Succession : Work with nature and the processes of natural systems. Anticipate future developments through research and observation when necessary. |
|
| Relative Location : Place every element of your design in relationship to others so that they benefit from each other. For example, store tools near where they will be used. |
|
| • back to top • |
|
| Zones in Permaculture Design |
|
|
| Zones are guidelines to help plan where things will be placed in a landscape. The key to efficient energy planning is the use of zone and sector planning.
To plan what elements to put in various zones, consider how many times per year they will be visited. Put what you use most near to your house or the center of activity. Put those things which are visited least and need the least maintenance in areas farthest from the center of activity.
|
|
| ZONE 0 : ‘Centre of activity’ house zone - energy efficient, easy to maintain house design, glasshouse, black water treatment system, lifestyle needs etc. |
|
| ZONE 1 : ‘Kitchen gardens’ - which need continual observation, frequent visits and work input. This includes vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants, small animals, a place for tools, compost system, water storage, washing areas, clothes line etc. |
|
| ZONE 2 : ’Food Forest’ - dense planting of mixed orchard trees, shrubs, windbreaks, larger vegetables, terraces, grey water drainage, bees, bird and bee-attracting plants etc. Plant and animal species which require care and observation for example, milking cows fenced in from a pasture which is in the next zone. |
|
| ZONE 3 : ‘Farm zone’ - commercial crops, pastures for animals, green manure, aquaculture, low maintenance trees, large systems, big sheds, woodlot, windbreak etc |
|
| ZONE 4 : ‘Harvest Forest’ semi-managed / semi-wild area which borders forest - managed for wild gathering, forest and fuel needs, hardy food, unpruned trees, grazing etc |
|
| ZONE 5 : Wilderness unmanaged or barely managed natural wild systems. A place for learning and observing. A place where we are ‘visitors not managers’. |
|
| • back to top • |
|
| Sectors in Permaculture Design |
|
|
| Sectors deal with the natural elements in your landscape (sun, light, wind, rain, fire, views and waterflow). Good planning and design allows us to manage incoming energies for system advantage, identify where they come from, and either enhance them or protect our systems from them. Map external energies that flow across your site or features that are outside your boundary. When available, aerial photographs can help |
| |
| Examples of Natural elements / sectors include: |
| |
-
Winds – direction, qualities (ie hot, cold, strong, gentle), frequencies, salty
-
Sun path – winter and summer
-
Typical fire direction
-
Water flows, flood prone areas
-
Access – roads and pathways
-
Pollution sources – noise, air, water, chemical, visual...
-
Driving rain, storms and cyclones
-
Wildlife, animals – movement patterns, habitat corridors
-
Utilities – power, phone, gas etc.
-
Neighboring activities
|
| Text supplied by Morag Gamble of SEED International, edited & translated by IDEP |
| |
|
| • back to top • |
