So what is this Permaculture stuff?

ROMNEY, W.Va. - Oct. 20, 2015 - PRLog -- So what is this Permaculture stuff?

So what is this Permaculture stuff? I have written several articles on this blog that mention permaculture.  I’m surprised that no one has asked yet, but the many visitors that have visited the site have not asked many questions at all.  Hopefully that will change and everyone will become more interactive.

The Definition

Wikipedia’s definition is as follows: “Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles centered around simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems.”

I have heard others define permaculture as a design science that can be used for agriculture, but can also be used outside of agriculture.  It is the function stacking of sustainable poly culture.

David Holmgren and Bill Mollison first coined the term and wrote a book on how to design permaculture.

Permaculture Design Course (PDC)

There are several Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) out and they are based off of the Mollison’s book.  To receive a PDC certification you are required to attend 72 hours of classroom lecture, take and pass a final exam and do a permaculture design on a property (on paper) to be turned in and graded.  The 72 hours can be done via video on demand or classroom.

An agriculture Permaculture design consists of an extensive checklist of items that need to be considered in the design. Some items that need to be considered include zones, sectors, elements, water, soil, earthworks, and much more.

Each of the above items requires great detail in a design.  An example includes zones, which is a place on the property dealing with the function of that place and how often you visit that place.  Zone 0 is inside your house.  Zone 1 could be an herb garden right outside of the kitchen that you visit every day.  There is a zone 2, 3, and 4.  This goes out to zone 5, which is the forest or treed area that you do not touch other than an occasional stroll through to observe nature.  Your entire property needs to fit into the zones above, although many suburb lots will not have all five/six zones.

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