Permaculture – [ˈpərməˌkəlCHər]
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What is Permaculture?
The development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.
The term permaculture was coined by David Holmgren, then a graduate student at the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education’s Department of Environmental Design, and Bill Mollison, senior lecturer in Environmental Psychology at University of Tasmania, in 1978.[1] It originally meant “permanent agriculture”,[2][3] but was expanded to stand also for “permanent culture”, since social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system as inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka‘s natural farming philosophy.
It has many branches including ecological design, ecological engineering, regenerative design, environmental design, and construction. Permaculture also includes integrated water resources management that develops sustainable architecture, and regenerative and self-maintained habitat and agricultural systems modelled from natural ecosystems.
Mollison has said: “Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.”
The twelve principles of permaculture most commonly referred to were first described by David Holmgren in his book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (2002).
The Twelve Principles of Permaculture:
- 1. Observe and Interact,
- 2. Catch and Store Energy
- 3. Obtain a Yield
- 4. Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback
- 5. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
- 6. Produce No Waste
- 7. Design From Patterns to Details
- 8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate
- 9. Use Small and Slow Solutions
- 10. Use and Value Diversity
- 11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal
- 12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change.
(Credits: Wikipedia)
“The United States government continues to push for the use of more chemically-intensive and corporate-dominated farming methods such as GMOs and monoculture-based crops,” while “the United Nations is once against sounding the alarm about the urgent need to return to (and develop) a more sustainable, natural and organic system.“
That was the key point of a publication from the UN Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) titled“Trade and Environment Review 2013: Wake Up Before It’s Too Late,” which included contributions from more than 60 experts around the world.
Source: https://www.technologywater.com
“The world needs a paradigm shift in agricultural development: from a “green revolution” to an “ecological intensification” approach.” – UN/Wake up before its too late – Report
