From almanac-request@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Sun Sep 3 00:59:11 1995 From: steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu (Steve Diver) Subject: Permaculture FAQ To: permaculture-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Date: Sat, 2 Sep 1995 22:51:56 -0500 (CDT) content-length: 12506 - PERMACULTURE FAQ Version 1.0 September 1995 * This Permaculture FAQ is divided into two parts: (1) introduction to permaculture, and (2) permaculture resources * This FAQ was drafted for the permaculture-mg list INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, and is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent agriculture." Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is an approach to land use which integrates human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water management into stable, productive communities. ================================================================== Permaculture Defined: 1. From Michael Pilarksi (Friends of the Trees) in INTERNATIONAL GREEN FRONT REPORT (1988): Permaculture is: the design of land use systems that are sustainable and environmentally sound; the design of culturally appropriate systems which lead to social stability; a design system characterized by an integrated application of ecological principles in land use; an international movement for land use planning and design; an ethical system stressing positivism and cooperation. In the broadest sense, permaculture refers to land use systems which promote stability in society, utilize resources in a sustainable way and preserve wildlife habitat and the genetic diversity of wild and domestic plants and animals. It is a synthesis of ecology and geography, of observation and design. Permaculture involves ethics of earth care because the sustainable use of land cannot be separated from life-styles and philosophical issues. 2. From Lee Barnes (Katuah Journal and Permaculture Connections), Waynesville, North Carolina: Permaculture ("Perm"anent "agri"culture and "Perma"nent "culture") is a sustainable design system stressing the harmonious interrelationship of humans, plants, animals and the Earth. To paraphrase the founder of Permaculture, designer Bill Mollison: "Permaculture principles focus on thoughtful designs for small-scale intensive systems which are labor efficient and which use biological resources instead of fossil fuels. Designs stress ecological connections and closed energy and material loops. The core of permaculture is design and the working relationships and connections between all things. Each component in a system performs multiple functions, and each function is supported by many elements. Key to efficient design is observation and replication of natural ecosystems, where designers maximize diversity with polycultures, stress efficient energy planning for houses and settlement, using and accelerating natural plant succession, and increasing the highly productive "edge-zones" within the system." Permaculture designs have been successfully and widely implemented in third-world countries, but there is current need to expand these principles in temperate climates, and especially urban areas to create more enjoyable and sustainable human habitats. ================================================================= A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that produce food. Permaculture design concepts may be applied to single households or whole farms and villages. A major emphasis is placed on use of food-producing plants and in the integration of animals into the landscape. Permaculture is not limited to just plant and animal agriculture. It also includes community planning and development, use of appropriate technologies (coupled with an adjustment of life-style), and adoption of concepts and philosophies that are both earth-based and people-centered, such as bio-regionalism. Many of the appropriate technologies advocated by permaculturalists are well-known. Among these are solar and wind power, composting toilets, and solar food cooking and drying. Information on renewable technologies such as these is available from a number of other sources. Due to the inherent sustainability of perennial cropping systems, permaculture places emphasis on tree crops. Thus, alleycropping and agroforestry systems appear to hold promise as viable techniques for large-scale farming. Ecological methods of production for any specific crop or farming system are, of course, vital to permaculture and sustainable agriculture in general. Since permaculture is not a production system, per se, but rather a land use planning philosophy, it is not limited to a specific method of production. Furthermore, as permaculture principles may be adapted to farms or villages worldwide, it is site specific and therefore amenable to locally adapted techniques of production. As an example, standard organic farming and gardening techniques utilizing crop rotations, cover crops, green manures, composts, and mulches are emphasized in permacultural systems. Yet, the use of the Keyline chisel plow, rotational grazing, the Aerway implement in no-till farming, and a whole number of other techniques are adaptable to farms working within a permacultural framework. The decision as to which "system" to go with is site-specific and management dependent. Farming systems and methods often associated with permaculture include edible landscaping, Keyline, agroforestry, keyhold gardening, sheet mulching, chicken tractors, solar greenhouses, vermicomposting, spiral herb gardens, swales, and intercropping. Water collection and management systems like greywater, rain catchment, and Keyline play an important role in land use designs. Permaculture is not about prescription farming, it's about designing ecological landscapes that integrate farming and other human activities into ecosystems with productive results yet minimal disturbance. Permaculture advocates farm ecology, not pharmacology. Sources of Information The two basic sources of information on permaculture are permaculture design courses and the permaculture literature. Permaculture design courses are the primary vehicle for transfer of permaculture expertise. The standard course is 72-hours in length and lasts two weeks. Graduates are issued a permaculture design certificate and are entitled to use "Permaculture" in the pursuit of livelihood and for educational purposes. The permaculture literature is a rich source of information on a wide range of topics dealing with appropriate technology, water management, land use, housing, and plant and animal agriculture. PERMACULTURE RESOURCES THE PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE The Permaculture Institute in Tyalgum, Australia, serves as the coordinating organization for permaculture activities such as permaculture design accreditation. Contact: Permaculture Institute P.O. Box 1 Tyalgum, NSW 2484 Australia Phone: (066) 793 442 PERMACULTURE RESOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES: THE PERMACULTURE ACTIVIST Contact: Peter Bane Box 1209 Black Mountain, NC 28711 (704) 683-4946 Cost: $16.00, quarterly THE PERMACULTURE ACTIVIST is the leading periodical for North American permaculture. In addition to articles on permaculture, edible landscaping, bioregionalism, etc., it also lists permaculture design courses and serves as an important networking tool in the U.S., Canada, and Central America. THE INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE SOLUTIONS JOURNAL (TIPS) Yankee Permaculture/Elfin Permaculture, and Forest Ecosystem Rescue Network (FERN) Contact: Dan Hemenway P.O. Box 672 Dahlonega, GA 30533-0672 Cost: $27.50/four issues TIPS is published on a sporadic basis. A yearbook called THE INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE SPECIES YEARBOOK (TIPSY) was the format prior to TIPS. The TIPSY series is a goldmine of permaculture information and resources; most notable are several lists of plants and their uses. Back issues are still available. FERN publishes a permaculture newsletter called ROBIN, which is concerned mainly with forest issues. Yankee Permaculture also publishes THE RESOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE - TRIP. Volume 5 of TRIP, published in 1993, is a 68-page issue that contains 1,540 listings of groups working in permaculture, sustainable food systems, and tree-based agriculture. RESTORATION FORESTRY Friends of the Trees Contact: Michael Pilarski P. O. Box 4469 Bellingham, WA 98227 (206) 738-4972 Cost: $7.00 RESTORATION FORESTRY (1994) is a 525-page International Guide to Sustainable Forestry Practices. It is rich with ideas, practices, and resources. Other key publications from Friends of the Trees include the THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN FRONT REPORT (1988, $7.00), KIWIFRUIT ENTHUSIASTS JOURNAL (Vol. 6, $17.20) and THIRD WORLD RESOURCES (1993, $5.00). Friends of the Trees Society also publishes a newsletter. SUSTAINABLE LIVING IN DRYLANDS (SLID) Permaculture Drylands Institute Contact: Scott Pittman P.O. Box 27371 Tucson, AZ 85726 (602) 623-0054 Cost: $12.00, quarterly SLID is a newsletter/journal focusing on permaculture concepts and designs for arid lands. SLID has published articles on straw bale buildings, solar box cookers, and dryland farming. TEMPERATE BAMBOO QUARTERLY Earth Advocates 30 Myers Road Summertown, TN 38483 Cost: $24/year TEMPERATE BAMBOO QUARTERLY is a new publication from Earth Advocates, a permaculture team run by Sue and Adam Turtle. It focuses on the bamboo plant which has unique, important multi-purpose uses. PERMACULTURE RESOURCES IN AUSTALIA: INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE JOURNAL Permaculture International Ltd. P.O. Box 7185 Lismore Heights, NSW 2480 Australia Phone: (066) 220 020 Cost: U.S. $20.00/quarterly Note: subscribers in the U.S. can send their payment to THE PERMACULTURE ACTIVIST. The INTERNATIONAL PERMACULTURE JOURNAL serves as the leading periodical for permaculture worldwide. Each issue contains informative articles as well as news of permacultural events in Australia, the U.S., and other places around the world. It serves as an important networking tool. Back issues to the early 1980s are available. THE PERMACULTURE EDGE Permaculture Nambour, Inc. P.O. Box 650 Nambour, Queensland 4560 Australia Phone: (074) 943 955 Cost: U.S. $20.00, quarterly. Note: subscribers in the U.S. can send their payment to THE PERMACULTURE ACTIVIST. THE PERMACULTURE EDGE is a new quarterly publication from Australia. The "permaculture edge" refers to the "edge effect" that can be used to increase yields in designed systems. It also points to permaculture ideas as being "at the edge" of a change in the push toward a sustainable future. BASIC PERMACULTURE LITERATURE: THE BEST OF PERMACULTURE. By Max O. Lindegger and Robert Tap. 1986. Nascimanere Publishers, Nambour, Australia. 136 p. PERMACULTURE ONE: A PERENNIAL AGRICULTURE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, 3rd ed. By Bill C. Mollison and David Holmgren. 1987. (Reprint of 1978 ed.) Tagari Publishers, Tyalgum, New South Wales, Australia. 127 p. PERMACULTURE TWO: A PRACTICAL DESIGN FOR TOWN AND COUNTRY IN PERMANENT AGRICULTURE. By Bill C. Mollison. 1979. Tagari Press, Stanley, Australia. 150 p. PERMACULTURE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. By Bill C. Mollison. Island Press, Washington, D.C. 579 p. INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE. 1991. By Bill C. Mollison and Reny Mia Slay. Tagari Publishers, Tyalgum, Australia. 198 p. THE PERMACULTURIST'S BOOKSHELF TREE CROPS: A PERMACNENT AGRICULTURE. By J. Russell Smith. 1987. 408 p. Costs about: $20.00 CORNUCOPIA: A SOURCE BOOK OF EDIBLE PLANTS. By Stephen Facciola. 1990. 678 p. Costs about: $35.00 DESIGNING & MAINTAINING YOUR EDIBLE LANDSCAPE NATURALLY. By Robert Kourick. 1986. 370 p. Costs about: $20.00 * Compiled by Steve Diver. Send comments and updates to: steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu, or permaculture-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu .