Permaculture
"Permaculture give us a toolkit for moving from a culture of fear and scarcity to one of love and abundance."
- Toby Hemenway
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture studies and applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development.
Permaculture (the word, coined by Bill Mollison, is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture and permanent culture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people — providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order.
www.permaculturenews.org
Southern Exposure
Trees are situated with the tallest at the north end of the orchard and the smallest trees and bushes at the southern end so that rows can be close together but still receive ample sunlight. This works on flat land too. Swales are used on hills between rows of trees to slow down water runoff and allow it to be absorbed evenly across the hillside. Cover crops are planted between rows to keep the soil from drying out, eroding, and becoming barren. They also prevent weeds from taking over and give our animals extra grazing land which brings their valuable fertilizer into the orchard where it can help regenerate the land.
(Slope is exaggerated in the image to more easily convey the message.)