What is Permaculture

Permaculture was developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970’s in response to the Earth’s soil, water, and air pollution by industrial and agricultural systems; loss of plant and animal specifies; reduction of natural non-renewable resources; and destructive economic systems.

Bill and David reassembled old wisdom, skills, and knowledge of plant, animal and social systems, and added new scientific knowledge. Permaculture was born. The result was a new way of sustaining and enriching life without environmental and social degradation. Although many of the parts of permaculture were familiar, it was the overall interlocking framework and pattern that was new, exciting and different.

Unlike modern science, which is reductionist, reducing everything to its smallest components, permaculture places itself squarely on the shoulders of ecology, the study of inter-relationships and the interdependence of living things and their environment. Permaculture offers an understanding of how biological process are integrated, and it deals primarily with tangibles: plants, soils, water, animal systems, wildlife, bush regeneration, biotechnology, agriculture, forestry, architecture and society in the areas of economics, land access, bioregions and incomes tied to right livelihood.

How do you make sense of these and weave them into a design? Your tools are observations, analysis and synthesis and the result is applied design for sustainable living.

There are many definitions of permaculture. Here is one: ‘Permaculture is about designing sustainable human settlements through ecology and design. It is a philosophy and an approach to land use which weaves together microclimates, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, water management, and human needs into intricately connected productive communities (Bill Mollison and Reny Mia Slay, Introduction to Permaculture)

And, as Mollison goes on to say, ‘Permaculture is…working with nature rather than against nature…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.’

It is a synthesis of traditional knowledge and modern science applicable in both urban and rural situations
It works with nature and takes natural systems as models to design sustainable environments that provide for basic human needs and the social and economic infrastructures that support them.
It encourages us and gives us the capacity and opportunity to become a conscious part of the solutions to many problems that face us locally and globally.

Excerpt from Rosemary Morrow’s Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture (second edition)

IPES offers the internationally recognized Certificate in Permaculture Design Course to community leaders who are taking an active lead in the ecological development of their communities. The course comprises 15 days of theory and practice delivered in 5 modules. Students deepen their understanding of the environmental problems of deforestation, climate change and unsustainable farming practices. They learn to observe natural ecosystems in order to recreate nature´s balance and diversity in their own land and communities. In this way, they learn to develop systems which are capable of producing for human needs without harming the environment. Students learn systems thinking and design methodology, carrying out a thorough analysis of their land before choosing appropriate solutions to provide for their food, water, energy and other needs. Students´ understanding of permaculture ethics, principles and methodology are demonstrated in their group design of a plot of land which is presented for evaluation