by
Paul
Benhaimhouses, and create communities without wreaking havoc. It is a
set of practical principles modelled on nature which help us to
understand the ecological impact of our lives. In doing so it
creates a connection, a sense of personal responsibility for the
health of the planet and, most important, a means of treading
more lightly on the earth.
Permanent-agriculture originated in Tasmania in the 1970s
through the work of Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, in order to
address the problems of environmental degradation. Its origins
were firmly rooted in soil preservation and creation, and its focus
was mainly on agricultural and horticultural systems.
Permaculture: less effort = more reward.Permaculture does not advocate a return to peasant
agriculture, which is labour intensive, or an increase in
conventional organic agriculture, which still depends on machinery
and a transport infrastructure.
Traditional organic agriculture still consumes more energy
than it produces and does not provide a sustainable solution to the
problem of producing food without irrevocably damaging the
environment. Instead permaculture offers another alternative.
A good example of permaculture design is a forest garden.
Imagine a natural forest. It has a high canopy of trees, lower
layers of small trees, large shrubs, small shrubs, and herb and
ground layers, including plants which are mainly below ground and
climbers which occupy all layers. The production of plant material
is mind-boggling compared to a wheat field which is only a single
layer about half a metre high.