Permaculture

Total Design and Integration

Brief Description

Permaculture is a design system based on ecology and ethics for the production of food, housing and community development. It is a proven method to develop rich, productive and resilient farms and gardens. Its principles are to observe healthy, natural systems and then to design human systems on the basis of the patterns observed in the natural systems. It offers a practical, creative approach to the problems of diminishing resources and threatened life support systems now facing the world.

Permaculture is a philosophy, which works with natural rhythms and patterns of Nature to consciously create designs that care for both people and the Earth itself. Permaculture mimics the patterns and relationships found in Nature to provide an abundance of food and energy.  It harmoniously integrates landscape, shelter and people so that their needs are provided in a way that is sustainable.   It concerns itself with wellness and health in many facets: environmental, economic, social and psychological. This is farm and landscape design with not only ethics, but also a deep understanding of the 'Book of Nature'.

Application:

Techniques are concerned with how to do specific things, such as organic gardening and water harvesting. “Patterning” is also concerned with techniques or strategies that are aesthetically and ethically appropriate to the place.

Our Questionnaires, Client & Community Interviews are based on Permaculture Principles.

"Agriculture is one of the greatest contributors to the destruction of our environment. Forty per cent of the world's soil and water has been polluted by farming," he says. "The great challenge for sustainable agriculture is to produce the food and fiber needed, while maintaining fertile soils and clean water, and enhancing the health of ecosystems. The impetus for the work I do is to leave our children gardens, not deserts."

- Bill Mollison, founder of Permaculture

Permaculture is a design system and a way of life based on ecology and ethics. Created in Australia in the 1970s by Bill Mollison and his students as a way to develop rich, productive and resilient farms and gardens (permanent agriculture), it has evolved to encompass integrated, sustainable design and living in all its forms.

The practice of Permaculture is based on two things:

  • Observation of healthy, natural systems.
  • Design of human systems on the basis of the patterns observed in the natural systems.

Permaculture designs whole systems based on patterning of landscape, function, and species assemblies. It asks, where does each element go? How can it be placed for maximum benefit in the system? Permaculture is multi-dimensional.

The design process includes techniques, strategies, and patterning.

  • Techniques are concerned with how to do specific things, such as organic gardening, or water harvesting. Techniques are one-dimensional.
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  • Strategies are concerned with how and when to do more complex things. Examples include Biodynamic gardening and Fukuoka farming. Strategies are two or three-dimensional.
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  • Patterning is concerned with techniques or strategies, which are aesthetically and ethically, appropriate to the place. Techniques entail What, Where, When, Why and How. Techniques are many-dimensional.