Permaculture Workshop

Fiona Morris - Atelier Rabbit

FEI Capita Selecta - Wageningen University - 22-07-2015

fiona.morris@atelierrabbit.com www.atelierrabbit.com

Illustration by Cecilia Macaulay

Overview:

Zoning exercise

Design method summary

What is Permaculture?

PERMANENT AGRICULTURE

Definitions:

• ...the conscious design and management of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.

• ...the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. (Bill Mollison, 1988)

Philosophy:

• working with, rather than against, nature; • observation before action; • looking at systems in all their functions, rather

than asking only one yield of them; • allowing systems to demonstrate their own

evolutions (working with sucession) – self-organisation & ecomimicry concepts.

Concept first published, 1978, Australia ‘Permaculture 1: A perennial agricultural system for human

settlements’

How observing natural, sustainable, productive systems...

...could inspire people to take responsibility through designing productive ecosystems with integral conservation, land repair, and social sustainability

Spread from self-sufficiency agriculture to:

• Horticulture• Architecture• Ecology• Economic

systems• Land access

strategies• Development

Permaculture design application:

‘Permablitzing’... ...to painting...

(Melbourne, Australia - www.permablitz.net) (City Repair, USA)

...and grassroots sustainability movements:

≈ 2015The Last Oil Shock by David Strahan (2007)

IMF FOOD PRICE INDEX

IMF OIL PRICE INDEX

€

2-10 = 1

BBC Documentary (2009) – www.youtube.com/watch?v

=vJMgfKqKXwY

Alternatives to industrial mono-cropping for the challenge of diminishing resources and biodiversity…

Rebecca Hosking – Devon, UK

Landscape restoration, community, education, & economy…

Julius Piti, CELUK project Chikukwa, Zimbabwe

The stream dried-up, and the land was eroding...

• Help from a permaculture centre stimulated:– return of water flow– land recovery– improved productivity– peer-to-peer learning– an organic, community-based NGO

• http://permaculturenews.org/2013/08/15/the-chikukwa-permaculture-project-zimbabwe-the-full-story/

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTMWsjG0N-0

Permaculture design system:

EARTH CARE: Care of all living & non-living things – harmless, ethical, &

rehabilitative activities. Provision for all life systems to continue and increase.

PEOPLE CARE: Provision for people’s basic material and social needs to avoid

broadscale destructive practices. Promoting self-reliance & community responsibility.

FAIR SHARES: Contribution of surplus time, money, & energy to achieve the

aims of earth & people care. Setting limits to population and consumption: by governing our own needs, we can set time and resources aside to further the above principles.

ETHICS

(Mollison & Holmgren,1978)

Ecological, attitudinal & spatial design principles such as:

Create a yield

All elements are multi-functional

Important functions are supported by many componentsLet nature do the

work

Diversity (for stability)

PRINCIPLES

ETHICSPRINCIPLESSYSTEMS THINKING

Interactive components in synergistic, interconnective organisation

Animal management

Crop management

Water management

Soil management

Cycling of energy/materials

Weed management

Pest management

Permaculture Approach

Techniques are site & issue dependent – there are no universal templates

AGRO- ECOLOGY

TECHNIQUES

ETHICSPRINCIPLESSYSTEMS THINKINGZONINGSECTOR

ANALYSIS

Systematic assessment of abiotic and biotic influences on the space

ZONING= Energy planning

...to mushrooms.

ZONE 0 House/village/centre of human activity

ZONE 1 (home garden) 6-12m periphery. Frequent use/ high maintenance/ constant observation.

ZONE 2 (home orchard) Less intensive - animals/perennials/orchard/ structures.

ZONE 3 (farm-scale) Broad-scale farming – crops/ water-storage/ managed woodland.

ZONE 4 (managed woodland) Wild forage/ fuel - pasture/ range/ water-storage.

ZONE 5 (wilderness) Natural/ unmanaged – where you learn the rules to apply elsewhere.

The relationship between accessibility and intensity of use of space (input-output).

...to mushrooms.

...to mushrooms.

...to mushrooms.

...to mushrooms.

...to mushrooms.

ZONE 0 House/village/centre of human activity

ZONE 1 (home garden) 6-12m periphery. Frequent use/ high maintenance/ constant observation.

ZONE 2 (home orchard) Less intensive - animals/perennials/orchard/ structures.

ZONE 3 (farm-scale) Broad-scale farming – crops/ water-storage/ managed woodland.

ZONE 4 (managed woodland) Wild forage/ fuel - pasture/ range/ water-storage.

ZONE 5 (wilderness) Natural/ unmanaged – where you learn the rules to apply elsewhere.

The relationship between accessibility and intensity of use of space (input-output).

A few resources:

• Introduction to Permaculture, Mollison & Slay• Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, Bill Mollison (WUR

library)• Farm for the Future - BBC Documentary (2009)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJMgfKqKXwYFordhall Farm - Grass pasture system:

www.fordhallfarm.com/fordhall_farm.php?pid=9Martin Crawford - Agro-forestry Research Trust:

www.agroforestry.co.uk• (EN) UK Permaculture Association:

www.permaculture.org.uk/ • (NL) Permacultuur Nederland: www.permaculture.org.uk/• Plants for a Future - database: www.pfaf.org