My son was telling me about his AI (Aritficial Intelligence) assistant – he usually gets stories written that he can read to his children. He asked me what I’d like a story about, so I said I’d like an essay on Permaculture. This is the response, and I thought it was quite good and perhaps those people that are new to permaculture might learn something. What do you think? What do the “less new” permies think?

Permaculture: A Sustainable Approach to Living

Permaculture is a concept that aims to design human environments and cultures that are in harmony with nature and its processes. The term was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s, based on the words “permanent” and “culture”. Permaculture draws inspiration from indigenous and traditional practices, as well as from modern ecological and design sciences¹²

Principles of Permaculture

Permaculture is based on a set of design principles that guide the creation of productive and resilient systems that can meet human needs while regenerating natural resources and ecosystems. Some of these principles are: ²

• Observe and interact: Learn from nature and adapt to its patterns and feedbacks.
• Catch and store energy: Capture and use renewable resources such as sun, wind, water and biomass.
• Obtain a yield: Ensure that the system produces useful outputs that can support human well-being and livelihoods.
• Apply self-regulation and accept feedback: Monitor and adjust the system to maintain balance and avoid waste and pollution.
• Use and value diversity: Incorporate a variety of elements, functions, species and interactions to enhance resilience and productivity.
• Use edges and value the marginal: Utilize the interface between different zones, elements or systems to create opportunities for synergy and innovation.
• Creatively use and respond to change: Embrace change as an opportunity for learning, adaptation and improvement.

Applications of Permaculture

Permaculture can be applied to various fields and scales, from urban to rural, from individual to community, from local to global. Some examples of permaculture applications are: ¹²

• Regenerative agriculture: Designing farming systems that mimic natural ecosystems, such as agroforestry, polycultures, perennial crops, organic methods, etc.
• Town planning: Designing settlements that integrate human needs with ecological functions, such as water harvesting, energy efficiency, waste management, green spaces, etc.
• Rewilding: Restoring degraded lands and habitats by enhancing biodiversity, soil health, water cycles, carbon sequestration, etc.
• Community resilience: Building social networks and structures that foster cooperation, mutual aid, local economy, education, culture, etc.

Conclusion

Permaculture is a holistic approach to living that seeks to create sustainable environments and cultures that work with nature rather than against it. It is based on a set of design principles that apply whole-systems thinking and observation. It can be applied to various fields and scales to enhance productivity, resilience and regeneration. Permaculture is not only a practical concept but also a way of thinking and living.

¹: https://permaculture.com.au/what-is-permaculture/ ²: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture