Permaculture

This Mollison/Holmgren term has evolved into the hybrid ideas of "Permanent agriculture and Permanent Culture". Permaculture is a systems thinking design system for sustainable and regenerative systems that considers ecological theory amid previous intelligently designed lifeways of indigenous cultures alongside modern technological advancement and thought. Permaculture ranges a diverse field of design methods - from perennial-based agricultural systems, to the homestead, to an individual or community structure.

The majority of permaculture design work is considered within the framework of 'zones'. Holmgren has also theorized a series of 'meta-zones' in which he describes a sphere of influences. In this meta-zone system, Zone 0 represents a person's core, their self, whereby energy inputed for change has a high likelihood of impact or result. This series of meta-zones ends at the global level, such that, at Zone 5, or the global level, one is less likely to experience any form of direct impact. I particularly appreciate this analysis as it is a beneficial reminder to individuals that we must first improve and impact ourselves before we can imagine impacting a world in chaos.

Permaculture is thought of as a unique design system because of its core ethics and principles. Regardless, once considered a fringe movement of alternative culture, permaculture is now seen as an intelligent, informed, and truly importan body of study:

"What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet. We don't know what details of a truly sustainable future are going to be like, but we need options, we need people experimenting in all kinds of ways and permaculturists are one of the critical gangs that are doing that."

~Dr David Suzuki geneticist, broadcaster, and international environmental advocate

Wikipedia: permaculture References et al

We are especially interested in Open Source Permaculture.

Online Resources

• Permaculture Wiki
• WikiEducator: permaculture design
• WikiEducator: category:permaculture
• Plants for a Future Database >7k species, lots edible perennials
• NewCrop Perdue's edible species profiles
• AgroForestryTree Database World Agroforestry Center's tree species profiles
• Forest, Farm, and Community Tree Network more agroforestry resources
• Food and Nutrition Library 2.2 lots of free e-books on food, nutrition, farming