Intro to Permaculture

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Intro to Permaculture"

Theodore Harrell
5 years ago
Views:

1 Intro to Permaculture How Permaculture Can Help You Live The Dream

2 What is this Permaculture? Permanent-Agriculture Permanent-Culture "Permaculture is a creative and artful way of living, where people and nature are both preserved and enhanced by thoughtful planning, the careful use of resources, mimicking the patterns found in nature (bio-mimicry) and a respectful approach to life. Thus embraced, these attributes create an environment where all may thrive for untold generations." -Bill Wilson - Midwest Permaculture Permaculture is primarily a design method

3 "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children" -Bill Mollison, founder of Permaculture What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet. We don t know what the details of a truly sustainable future are going to be like, but we need options. We need people experimenting in all kinds of ways and permaculturists are one of the critical groups that are doing that. -Dr. David Suzuki, Geneticist,Renowned Broadcaster Author of more than 30 books, Host of the Canadian TV series The Nature of Things

4 Brief History Permaculture was conceived in the late 1970s by Australians Bill Mollison & David Holmgren as a practical design method to create sustainable and permanent agricultural systems. Mollison was a field biologist and Holmgren was a graduate student and together they formulated the basic ethics and design principals of Permaculture. These constitute the basis of Permaculture in action. The term Permaculture is an umbrella term that can be used to describe all aspects of sustainable living, including green home construction, community building, homesteading skills, agroforestry, and holistic health care.

5 Peak Oil Did you notice that gas is at $3.50 a gallon? Does this affect you? There is a finite amount of oil reserves left in the earth We have passed the halfway point of production Now it is time to figure out how we are going to live and survive in a post oil society

6 Energy The Sun is our Primary Energy Source "The amount of solar radiation striking the earth over a three-day period is equivalent to the energy stored in all fossil energy sources." What would you do if all of a sudden you had no electricity, gas, or oil? It can and will happen in the coming years... Plan for the future We can work together to to become energy selfsufficient over the coming years, with low cost technologies

7 The Earth Topsoil sustains all life Avg. 3 ft of topsoil across the globe Losing about 1% of topsoil a year to erosion (agriculture, tilling) Topsoil grows at about 1 to 2 inch every hundred years, but can be accelerated So we need to start building soil by increasing the organic matter and humus content of our lands to create better soil health in order to sustain our lives

8 Working with Nature 3.8 billion years of trial and error Nature is best teacher we have (the Permaculture Principles is the curriculum) We are nature working How do we fit in? By becoming stewards of the earth and practicing Permaculture, the Earth is our primary client

9 Ethics Care of the Earth Care of People This includes all plants, animals, minerals, air water Acknowledges the importance of each individual and the communities that support them Fair Share We need to live within our means and share the bounty that nature provides

10 Principles Observe & Interact Catch & Store Energy Obtain A Yield Apply Self-regulation & Accept Feedback Use & Value Renewable Resources & Services Produce No Waste Design From Patterns To Details Integrate Rather Than Segregate Use Small & Slow Solutions Use & Value Diversity Use Edges & Value The Marginal Creatively Use & Respond To Change

11 Using the Permaculture Principles

12 Relationship Everything exists in relationship to everything else (ignoring this creates waste streams) Flow determines patterns Every component in a design has multiple functions and and every function has multiple components To find the connections is the key to good design

13 How can I start to work with Permaculture? Curiosity is a great place to start Observe flows and patterns and interact with components on your property with an open mind Learn as much as you can about plants, animals, weather, natural science, homesteading wisdom, and apply what you learn Start to make connections between components Try to close loops (make your own compost, reuse waste, share instead of consume)

14 Garden Ideas & Tools Begin to think of perennial vs annual plantings and long term cycles of the land Gather together plant/animal species (Polycultures) that you want to grow Consider inputs/outputs, growth habits, nutritional needs and architecture of plants Group mutually beneficial plants into polycultures Place polycultures into the landscape Sheet mulch: compost, newspaper, and carbonaceous mulch Find some cool shady areas to grow mushrooms Use Dynamic Accumulators, like comfrey, sorrel Get a few ducks/chickens and a goat/pigs feed them scraps Close the loops

LTD Farm At L.T.D. Farm LLC, we raise beautiful dairy and meat goats, lovely Khaki Campbell ducks for eggs and meat, exuberant pastured hogs, and delightful free range turkeys.

15 LTD Farm At L.T.D. Farm LLC, we raise beautiful dairy and meat goats, lovely Khaki Campbell ducks for eggs and meat, exuberant pastured hogs, and delightful free range turkeys. We make goat milk soap and all kinds of other farm goodies, host workshops and classes, and run a CSA share program. We re living the dream everyday and are so excited to share these experiences and this enthusiasm with others. LTD Farm focuses on permaculture methods for building the farm systems. By looking at the full spectrum of the land we are stewarding here, we can do it justice and maintain the quality of air, soil and life. We use sustainable methods for the animals, vegetables, perennial crops and the land. The animals here are building the soil as they live their lives on it. No chemicals, antibiotics or vaccines are used on the animals, although we have used them in extreme medical emergencies. All the feed is purchased locally, and most of the grain is certified organic, purchased direct from Whole Grain Milling Company in Welcome, Minnesota. The LTD Farm philosophy is to provide for the animals who then provide for us and you, our customers. All done with respect for their lives and beings,with respect, kindness and compassion. We want them to have good lives, full of normal animal behaviors and experiences. In return they provide us with some of the most amazing farm products imaginable

Workshop Intro to Permaculture & Permaculture in Action May 14 Come learn the basic principles of Permaculture, a comprehensive design-centered approach to all aspects of sustainable living.

16 Workshop Intro to Permaculture & Permaculture in Action May 14 Come learn the basic principles of Permaculture, a comprehensive design-centered approach to all aspects of sustainable living. Andrew is a certified permaculturalist and he will teach you the basic design principles and methodologies of this worldwide movement. A large portion of the day will be reserved for field work. Be prepared to get your hands dirty and your mind full of new ideas. This is a unique opportunity to learn about this exciting new field on a real working permaculture farm. We are learning and growing here every day! We will provide a basic lunch and beverages. Please bring gloves, bug spray, water container, hat, work boots, shovels, snacks, and any other gear that will keep you comfortable outside. $50 per attendee

Origins of permaculture

Origins of permaculture In the mid 1970 s two Australians - Bill Mollison & David Holmgren - started to develop ideas that they hoped could be used to create stable agricultural systems. Niels Corfield