What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a design science. Simply put, it's
the study of creating regenerative living
systems. This is done by examining how
nature already functions.
A forest does not require humans to truck in huge
loads of fertilizer and pesticides for it to sustain
itself. Forests have existed for millennia in a
perpetual process of regeneration --
constantly recycling their nutrients and
automatically replanting new life.
How do they do this? And how is it that our
"modern" systems of agriculture not only
fail to be this sustainable, but actually succeed in polluting
the environment?
Usually, when the term "Permaculture" is
used, it refers to sustainable agriculture and
landscape design -- however these same concepts can
be expanded to include community and
socio-economic systems, as explored
in the writings of David Holmgren, ecologist and
permaculture co-originator.
Why
it's so important...
Permaculture is a growing movement. Since its
inception in the 1970's, it has spread throughout the
world. As more and more people learn the art of
creating sustainable ecosystems, the more effective
we can be in shifting the tide of
global warming and ecological destruction.
Permaculture has already had its string of truly
miraculous stories. Take the work of Geoff Lawton, an
Australian permaculturist. He was asked to regenerate
one of the most desolate areas of the planet -- the
Dead Sea. The area he was asked to revive had been
over-farmed and heavily sprayed with pesticides for
many years. Within six months, the results of
utilizing permaculture principles were truly
extraordinary 
.
How do I learn more?
First off, I would suggest watching a number of the videos on this
site. The initial videos cover a general
overview of permaculture, and the later
videos go more into specific permaculture
techniques.
I've also listed a number of good books to start
with.
However, the best way to immerse yourself in the
subject is by taking a permaculture course
or visiting a permaculture
farm.
Background
The permaculture movement was started by Bill Mollison and David Holmgen. The word is
derived from the combination of two words: permanent agriculture.
