Permaculture. What it means to me and my practice.
Permaculture is a practice of permanent agriculture. Theory was devised by Australian biologist Bill Mollison, since then many Permaculture schools and practices has established around the Western World. It is form of landscape design using patterns of nature to establish homesteading beneficial for humans and environment (promoting healthy living condition in quality as for us and wildlife). Permaculture opposes industrial monoculture agriculture (heavily reliant on chemicals for pesticides, fertilisers and fossil fuels), it’s proven to poison environment, affect human health, destroys soils, water and other habitats wild life. Human life industrialisation claims to be based on progress of science, which is narrow, tunnel vision focused on one singular goal in each case (for example how to yield maximum wheat grain) in contrast permaculture claims to apply system thinking to the design of location, climate, needs of local human, wilderness need with the focus on this system being able to renew itself naturally. Something similar to permaculture homesteading used to exist in Baltics before Soviet agriculture: kolhoz. It’s known as natural farming: where one household had multiple species of domestic animals, growing all necessary food onsite and even processing textiles. What permaculture offers are with modern information technology, up-to-date natural science research and relevant technology to improve on indigenous natural farming knowledge by creating farms mimicking natural patterns in order to make it easier for human to manage such system, one could say it’s ‘letting nature to it’s work’ but consciously overseen by a human: farmer. To me it’s like a creating a fully functioning ecosystem. There are accounts of such land-husbandry practices in american writer’s Wendell Berry lifelong work on Kentucky farm and Japanese philosopher’s Masanobu Fukuoka experiments with nature governed farming.
‘Permaculture’ as a term is patented to Bill Mollison and his wish was to enable formations of alternative agriculture education system: permaculture schools (examples are Verge permaculture in Canada and Geoff Lawton’s Zaytuna farm in Australia). For latest official climate change research in terms of an alternative agriculture practice, a phrase ‘regenerative agriculture’ has been introduced. I my opinion theory behind it very closely resembles what has been proposed by permaculture. There for I would use these to terms interchangeably as they both follow same principles and ethics. (voices for regenerative agriculture advocates, known to me, are Dr Elein Ingham as part of Soil Food Web community, MD Zack Bush and farmer’s footprint, also Indian scholar Vandana Shiva. Plus official recognition of regenerative agriculture practice by European Commission as beneficial to deal with climate change and maintain soil health, such way of farming are supported in Estonia, Finland, taking up to 60 percent of whole agricultural land)
Permaculture practice must follow 3 ethics simultaneously: human care, nature care, fare share. ‘Fare share’ meaning that person takes a just enough for it’s needs, leaving sustainable amount for all ecosystem (from microorganisms to omnivore mammals) and yield distribution among community is fare covering everyones basic needs. Permaculture same as natural or traditional farming imply one’s personal practice of restraint, moderation and temperance: appreciation for limitation.
Every decision and every new element in permaculture design is to be filtered through 12 permaculture principals. I see them as rules to measure what alteration to the ecosystem sits well with permaculture principals. Also to understand how each element fits into a whole ecosystem.
Observe and Interact
Catch and Store Energy
Obtain a Yield
Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback
Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
Produce no Waste
Design from Patterns to Details
Integrate Rather than Segregate
Use Small and Slow Solution
Use and Value Diversity
Use Edges and Value the Marginal
Creatively Use and Respond to Change
I put my permaculture knowledge to the test when in years 2017 and 2018 I gardened in a Latvian forest. Making food garden according to permaculture principles was successful. However aspiration to make yurts in Latvia failed many of permaculture principles, because material for covers was industrial-man made, synthetic fibre cordura. And since then I have put yurt-making on hold until I would find or make new fabric to be used as shelter cover, which would tick all the permaculture principals.