home permaculture basics about me permaculture links	1. Introduction to permaculture The term Permaculture was first coined by Bill Mollison as a contraction of permanent agriculture, but he has since considered that it would be more accurately described as permanent culture, as it encompasses very much more than agriculture alone. Basically it is the design of sustainable living systems, which can be as simple or as complex as you desire. So while a simple system could include the use of some permacultural principles to design garden and orchard on a residential section, a more complex system could include the design of an earth brick house which is independent of any outside services and which is incorporated into a self-sufficient permanent food forest which includes a wide variety of carefully selected species of plants and animals. Principles upon which permaculture is based include: • Every problem has a solution inherent within itself, e.g. disposal of grey water from a house can provide the raw materials for a highly productive wetland. • There is no waste, only unused resources, e.g. tree prunings can provide firewood, or mulch or compost for the garden. • Everything used in the system performs many functions, e.g. tagasaste species is a fast growing, hardy shelter bush which fixes nitrogen into the soil and provides shelter for young plants, food for bees, excellent firewood, forage browsing for stock and nutritious compost for the garden. Permaculture ethics emphasise care of the earth, which includes care of people and all living things, reduction of pollution and waste products, recognition of the intrinsic worth of every living thing, contribution of surplus time and resources to help achieve the aims of earth and people care, and cooperation not competition. Thus permaculture emphasises that food should be produced where it is required and not transported huge distances to cities, communities should be designed to be self sufficient in food and possibly energy, and natural rather than chemical fertilisers should be used for growing food, to name but a few. Permaculture sees conventional agriculture as being the most destructive human activity on the planet, and all commercial food production is aimed at producing money rather than food. Thus the application of permacultural principles can have a huge impact on the way we live, the amount of leisure time we have, the quality of the food we eat, and ultimately on our physical, mental and emotional health. It affects almost everything that we do, from architecture to aquaculture, from economics to energy use. In this series I will provide practical hands-on advice and suggestions that you can apply to your situation to provide yourself with a more abundant supply of cheap, healthy food. As a start, you can begin right now by setting aside an area, which can become a composting area. All kitchen scraps and any other organic waste (e.g. newspaper, but not glossy paper) can be used to make nutritious plant food for use in your garden. It should be kept well aerated and turned occasionally, and should be kept damp, not too wet or dry. Try to keep the type of material used in balance, e.g. not too much newspaper. If you live in an apartment situation, you can use an onion sack, remembering to partly fill it loosely, not packed tight, and keep it on a plastic sheet on a sheltered balcony. Happy composting.
Custom permaculture designs to suit your needs Alan Willoughby MSc, PDC * PO Box 296, Tauranga, New Zealand * Tel (07) 544 3087 * willoughbys@xtra.co.nz © 2006-9 Permaculture Designz Site designed by Dreamscape