Why Permaculture?
Permaculture can save the world.
That’s a pretty bold statement to make but it is one we intend to justify.
We’ve written and read tomes about the assault on the earth, the crumbling economic system, peak oil and its consequences and ever-increasing attempts to control and manipulate the masses, forcing upon us propaganda, junk food, iffy pharmaceuticals not to mention more and more measures to curtail our freedom.
And all that is happening. BUT… it is happening for a reason.
For any new seedling to emerge, the previus generation has to die.. death is the precursor to birth. What we are witnessing here is not a disaster, it is merely the experience of a new, fresh, untainted, pure of spirit seedling emerging as the old, withered, toxic plants die off…
Remember the seedling.. You can be the old plant and you can try in vain to cling to your withered leaves and support your failing stem and dried up roots or you can shed it all and become the seedling..
The doors are opening for emergence…
So, What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is technically a design technology based on a scientific study of how nature consists of many different species living side by side working symbiotically and naturally to maintain the integrity of the greater whole.
A forest is one such system.
West Cliff Transition
There as many systems as there are climates across the world. Each system works perfectly for the climate and natural consistency and inhabitants of that specific area.
Permaculture is not just a ‘method of growing and gardening’ . We resonate with the description in Rosemary Morrow’s book ‘Earth-users Guide to Permaculture’.
Permaculture offers an understanding of how biological processare integrated. It deals primarily with ‘tangibles’ such as plants, soils, water, animal systems, wildlife, bush regeneration, biotechnology, agriculture, forestry, architecture and societies in the areas of economics, land access,
bioregions and incomes tied to right livelihood’.
Bill Mollison who developed the modern-day science and technology of permaculture in the 70’s who wrote the definitive ‘Introduction to Permaculture’ says..
“Permaculture is about designing sustainable human settlements through ecology and design. It is a philosophy and an approach to land use which weaves together micro-climates, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, water management and human needs into
intricately connected productive communities.
Permaculture is working with nature rather than against her.”
Permaculture can revive land anywhere
It is totally possible to plant edible forest food gardens anywhere there is a green space. Edible food gardens can be created on the urban balcony, in suburban yards, community centres, church land, corporate lawns, on rural land and in the national forest.
How can Permaculture save the world?
As we create the wave of edible food forestry awareness across the planet and encourage people and communities everywhere to take their future into their own hands and start planting to feed themselves AND the future, NOW, people will get that ‘this makes perfect sense’.
Using permaculture design methods, we will create the perfect growing environment for a whole natural system that requires nomaintenance.
It takes care of itself, each element of the whole working together.. chicken poop fertilizes the ground, chickens eat pests on trees, trees provide water and cover for chickens..roots of different berries and bushes do their job on the soil, as do the trees and everything in the garden from bugs and bees to water, animals, plants and trees..
Permaculture systems are healthy systems because they are designed to nurture, heal and renew the whole.. and just like a healthy human, it only requires the perfect environment and nutrition to flourish and need little or no healthcare because the diet is wellness-promoting.
We can feed the future with permaculture…
And we can do a lot more…
The permaculture approach is several fold
- It is a blending of what works, old methods and new technologies and science to create tailored solutions for both urban and rural locations
- It works with nature using natural systems and patterns as models to create sustainable,self-renewing, ecological environments that work perfectly for the greatest good of all elements of the system
These elements include human, social and economic structures and the structures of allother life in the system.
It facilitates us to become what Rosemary Morrow calls ‘a conscous part of the solutions to the many problems that face us locally and globally’.
Permaculture is foundated on
- Caring for the earth
- Caring for the people
- Redistributing surplus to our needs
Pemaculture encompasses
- Reducing of Resources by Recycling and Re-purposing waste efficiently
- Patterns that are proven to work in nature
- Contoured and Tailored Design that is specific to the locations quirks, natural resources and micro-climate
- A living eco-system that works abundantly for every element of the system
Permaculture system design allows for the creation of food gardens that perfectly mimic natural circumstances incorporating features that are proven to work perfectly in nature because they are directly born of the local micro-climate and resources.
Permaculture can benefit anyone – even those stuck in the current paradigm
A local who owns a deforested, derelict, patch of land near us, that we’ve had our eyes on for years as a 30 acre food forest garden, met Pierre the other day.
As Pierre began to talk about food forests and the potential for this land, the guy asked, ’so can you make money out of this?’. That’s OK, he still lives in the old world order focused on making money.
So we figure, there’s a way to use his land that will bring him what he wants, provided he agrees to certain allowances.. such as a tithing of a percentage of the fruiting to those who need it, an allowing of the process to be used as a learning example both in writing and photography and eventually visits. The allowance of a small or large educational facility.
AND like that, he will reap abundant rewards, if he follows our system of design… for it is designed to benefit everyone.
There is a way that this can be done which will also educate…
People are willing to change when a good idea presents itself
In an episode in the first season of Little House on the Prairie, a guy arrives in town determined to educate the farmers in how to make more money by changing from wheat to corn. At first they are wary, even though they recognize that so many people are growing wheat that it is just not selling. They eventually take on his ideas and reap far greater crops.
Permaculture is a strongly rooted seedling idea that cannot but expand. It is the way forward because it leads to abundant rewards and a knowing that those of us who embrace and employ it are stroking, nurturing and feeding not raping the earth. And the earth will feel this and in turn will open out her inner jewels and give us all a heck of a good time!
Permaculture is not a far-away wish upon a star. It is being practised by more and more in-the-know people across the planet. It works for every climate. Permaculturists have reclaimed land and grown food
in the most hostile of environments including
urban centres, swamps and dry and dusty deserts.
Permaculture is God-s solution to the perils of junk food, iffy pharmacare, earth-raping energy use, dependence on gadgets, material stuff, money as a god and media-channelled hypnotic propaganda.
Permaculture will return us to the earth and it will provide abundant nutrition and shelter and it will create a world worth living in and leaving for the future.
FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
We urge you to check out Rosemary Morrow’s book and the many other brilliant guides to permaculture
- The Permaculture ‘bible’
Please support our endeavors to bring forest food gardens to the planet by using our amazon affil-iate store to look for books. Thank you and may your own permaculture experience be fruitful and abundant.
with love and blessings
sunny and pierre
Feed the Future – Food forest garden enterprises across the planet
Sad to see that you neglected to include in your overview permaculture’s cofounder David Holmgren who contributed enormously to its initiation and evolution. Perhaps he should be recognized…
Keith, Namaste. We are always open to learning and information. Our aim with this site is to enthuse and excite others to make their own discoveries as we are making ours. So, we googled ‘David Holmgren’.
It seems that he is focused on offeriing permaculture as a solution to the current chaos we are in so I posted his site on Twitter today which will also appear on facebook and on all our sites that publish our http://www.twitter.com/return2earth messages including this one…!
Thank you so much for pointing us in his direction. And respect to you for your chosen path.. permaculture and all the ‘richness’ of life that it affords to you and others..
Permaculture and reforestation could do even more for our world: stopping flash floods, drought, sequestering carbon, greening deserts, etc.
You can find here ideas on how to save the world