By Koreen Brennan
Many people who have heard of or read about permaculture have done so in the context of gardening or farming. This is, in fact, how the subject came about, through a study of agriculture techniques—many of them ancient and indigenous—that regenerate the land rather than depleting it. Permaculture meant “permanent agriculture.” Later, it became evident that the principles that applied to creating these agricultural systems also applied to other aspects of life, and the concept of “permanent culture” was born.
Permaculture is an approach to problems at the design level. Rather than trying to fix a problem that was created in the first place through poor design, we go straight to the question of: How could we design this better? When you start from the design of something, you have a lot of freedom to question systems and a lot more ways to improve them.
There are many design tools in permaculture that help us to accomplish this. One of the most important is the concept of holistic or “whole systems” design. Many design errors occur because the designer was only looking at one small sliver of the situation—and this could be said about many things in life. The truth is, we are all designers. We each design our lives on a moment-by-moment basis. We may do this consciously or unconsciously, but it is happening one way or the other. We make decisions constantly about our actions, our responses, our relationships, and what we are focused on. Permaculture tools can help us put those decisions into a larger, holistic context, allowing us to integrate our lives more fully with our values, as well as create more abundance and harmony.
The Permaculture Garden
A permaculture designer will approach someone’s garden from the same viewpoint as he or she might approach the design of a city, by searching for ways to create beneficial connections between elements that are not currently working together well or at all.
We live on a planet that has many interdependent elements. If “A” happens, it will cause an effect on “B” “C” and “D”. And these, in turn, will create effects elsewhere. To the degree a permaculture designer understands these interdependencies, the overall design will be better.
Thus, a backyard garden is seen in the context of larger patterns that exist around it—what is the flow of nutrients in that area, such as organic waste streams like food waste or animal manure that could make great compost for the garden? What are the flows of toxins and pollution and how can the garden be protected from those? How does water flow through the landscape—where does it flow from and where does it go? “Invisible” structures are also examined. What community resources exist to support gardening, or urban farming, if I decide I want to sell some of my produce? What help can I get installing the garden, such as a neighborhood garden installation party? How can I create a garden that will serve multiple purposes, beyond just producing food? How can I improve the ecology and community resilience of the area with my gardening?
Permaculture design is more about the relationship of elements in the system, rather than the elements themselves. Many designers see elements as individual items and focus on each element itself. We focus on how the elements can work together, harmonize, align and assist each other to do work—thus both producing and conserving energy and abundance. For instance, when designing a community garden, here are some of the things we will include:
- Share information about how to use the local “organic waste stream” as a no-cost way to build soil (finding food scraps from restaurants, coffee grounds, tree trimmings, etc.),
- Create a rainwater catchment to conserve water by acquiring used food-grade barrels at no cost.
- Provide educational and cultural programs suitable for the community.
- Create ways to share seeds and plants, as well as gardening experience and training for urban farmers.
- Work together to create cooperative economic endeavors where appropriate (like a farmers’ cooperative).
- Create pathways to collaborate with other existing groups toward the end of ensuring continued access to public spaces for community gardens.
In a backyard garden, a permaculture designer would do a thorough site assessment, including a look at what energies are coming into the lot, and which ones are leaving or escaping. We would consider ways to utilize those energies to increase the yield of whatever we want to produce there. We would look for ways to capture existing resources, such as weedy areas or trees that provide organic matter for soil, or rooftops to capture water, and think about where we want to send it. We may look for existing edibles in the yard that people may not know are edible. We would think about what would naturally grow best in the climate of that particular yard (which may be different even than a neighbor’s yard because of shade or other factors), and what kind of care would fit the lifestyle of the people who would be gardening, as well as their budget.
Our plant selection would be based on all of these factors and more. We tend to focus on perennial plants (“edible landscaping”), which need less care than annuals and can look like landscaping rather than a food garden. We would integrate elements into the system that would help support these plants and reduce work and cost or external inputs (like fertilizer), as well as pests and diseases. We might then look for how we can create an abundance of yield, which would provide extra food that could be traded, given away or sold for extra pocket money. And we would look at ways to link people and their garden up to a greater community to give them more support in keeping their garden, such as attending seed swaps, or getting help from volunteers on installing some of the garden.
First Steps
If you are ready to consider permaculture, you can start with a simple exercise yourself. Walk around your yard and notice where energy and things such as water are going and coming, and what is in your yard and how it might be used more efficiently or to a higher capacity. A common error is to allow the water to flow off the property and down the street or sidewalk when irrigating. This is a very simple example of observing the site, noting energy leaving the property, and capturing it by ensuring the irrigation stays in the yard rather than flowing off of it.
One holistic aspect of permaculture design is the importance of integrating the design process itself. Thus, we focus on self-renewal to ensure our personal design capacity is at its best. We also focus on building the capacity for collaboration by working on group dynamics and ensuring team design is functioning well; and lastly, a feedback loop is an essential part of every design. How is everything actually working? Is it achieving its intended effect of a regenerated, healthier ecosystem with more abundance and quality of life for people?
The tools of permaculture design have exciting potential and, once involved, many people feel that permaculture changes their lives. Permaculture helps us to see the world in new ways and provides solutions to seemingly intractable problems, thus inspiring creativity and hope. But design is only one aspect of it—implementation and maintenance of a good design has its own set of challenges and opportunities. Are you ready to dig in?
Author’s note: If you want to learn more about permaculture gardening, contact us about the Permaculture Design Course and permaculture books and materials. The tools you will discover can give you new ways of seeing everything, and help to put you in the driver’s seat of designing your own life.
Koreen Brennan is an ecological designer and educator, entrepreneur, farmer, organizer, public speaker, project manager and community volunteer. She has spoken about and taught permaculture throughout the United States and in several other countries. Koreen manages the design and education firm Grow Permaculture; is a partner in Permaculture Design International; a co-organizer with North American Permaculture Convergence; on the Board of Directors of Permaculture Institute of North America; supports Oglala-Lakota Cultural and Economic Revitalization Initiative; and runs a 10-acre permaculture demonstration farm in West Central Florida. She can be reached at koreen@growpermaculture.com or 727-495-6145.