Then a friend told me to Google Geoff Lawton and the concept of Permaculture. I had never heard of either of those two. But I trusted the friend and between Google and YouTube I literally got sucked down the rabbit hole and into a whole new world of possibility.
You see, I have always thought of Permaculture as just another fashion phrase for organic gardening. And gardening was the one thing I couldn't see myself doing. Green things died near me. That said, before now I had no interest in learning how to make them NOT die, either. To my utter amazement, I found that putting plants in the ground and helping them grow only forms a small part of the total concept of Permaculture.
Permaculture transcends cultures, religions, political views, eating habits, borders and burocracies. It doesn't care whether you are black, white, yellow or green, male, female, old or young. It doesn't care whether you are filthy rich or own very little. Yes, it does require a measure of intelligence, and some training, but it can be applied by school children and university professors alike.
Permaculture is not as much a method as it is a MINDSET. When someone asks, I usually roughly define it as "what happens when a hippie and an engineer decide to go farming together", but the 3 ethics and 12 principles of Permaculture can be applied almost everywhere and to every situation. Permaculture is as organic as you can imagine, but it is also highly systemised to the point of where once certain zones have been properly established, very little is required in the way of human interference.
Yes, this sounds weird. Ethics, Principles and Zones are not things commercial farmers and business people are known for. In fact, they are more concerned with "Yield per acre", "Profit" and "Input Costs".
Ethics are WHAT Permaculturalists do, principles regulate HOW they do it, and zones are WHERE they do it. The twist is that Permaculture farmsteads can still be immensely profitable and fulfilling, but without the stress and pressure that other farms are under to perform to a certain "money standard".
What I want from my own farmstead is to produce enough food to feed myself and my immediate family without putting any pressure on the environment or cause any unnecessary health issues. Any surplus will either be processed for later use, sold at farmers' markets or be redistributed to those less fortunate than we are. That immediately covers all three of the ethics without me having to make a serious conscious decision.
The exact "hows" may change over time. What works in one situation may not work in another. Not all my projects may produce a measurable yield in any given season, but - God willing - there will always be a yield produced from somewhere to sustain the big picture and I will not go hungry.
I'll go over the ethics, principles and zones in other posts over the next few weeks. Sharper minds have devoted whole books to the topic and I'll refer a lot to the giants who have gone before me and on whose shoulders I plan to stand. There will also be some links to other resources. Please bear in mind that I may receive some reward from any links that you follow. I promise, however, that I won't post links to products and services that I haven't used myself and like.
You see, I have always thought of Permaculture as just another fashion phrase for organic gardening. And gardening was the one thing I couldn't see myself doing. Green things died near me. That said, before now I had no interest in learning how to make them NOT die, either. To my utter amazement, I found that putting plants in the ground and helping them grow only forms a small part of the total concept of Permaculture.
Permaculture transcends cultures, religions, political views, eating habits, borders and burocracies. It doesn't care whether you are black, white, yellow or green, male, female, old or young. It doesn't care whether you are filthy rich or own very little. Yes, it does require a measure of intelligence, and some training, but it can be applied by school children and university professors alike.
Permaculture is not as much a method as it is a MINDSET. When someone asks, I usually roughly define it as "what happens when a hippie and an engineer decide to go farming together", but the 3 ethics and 12 principles of Permaculture can be applied almost everywhere and to every situation. Permaculture is as organic as you can imagine, but it is also highly systemised to the point of where once certain zones have been properly established, very little is required in the way of human interference.
Yes, this sounds weird. Ethics, Principles and Zones are not things commercial farmers and business people are known for. In fact, they are more concerned with "Yield per acre", "Profit" and "Input Costs".
Ethics are WHAT Permaculturalists do, principles regulate HOW they do it, and zones are WHERE they do it. The twist is that Permaculture farmsteads can still be immensely profitable and fulfilling, but without the stress and pressure that other farms are under to perform to a certain "money standard".
What I want from my own farmstead is to produce enough food to feed myself and my immediate family without putting any pressure on the environment or cause any unnecessary health issues. Any surplus will either be processed for later use, sold at farmers' markets or be redistributed to those less fortunate than we are. That immediately covers all three of the ethics without me having to make a serious conscious decision.
The exact "hows" may change over time. What works in one situation may not work in another. Not all my projects may produce a measurable yield in any given season, but - God willing - there will always be a yield produced from somewhere to sustain the big picture and I will not go hungry.
I'll go over the ethics, principles and zones in other posts over the next few weeks. Sharper minds have devoted whole books to the topic and I'll refer a lot to the giants who have gone before me and on whose shoulders I plan to stand. There will also be some links to other resources. Please bear in mind that I may receive some reward from any links that you follow. I promise, however, that I won't post links to products and services that I haven't used myself and like.
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