The Permaculture Philosophy
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 5:57PM
Simply put, Permaculture is about sustainability…. A methodology of building natural homes and abundant food production systems, regenerating degraded landscapes and ecosystems, and more. Permaculture philosophy emphasizes the synergy between all of the elements of a group, rather than focusing on the individual parts. While much of what we already do at Microfarm meshes well with the ideals of Permaculture....food gardening, plant guilds/companion planting, building with recycled and locally sourced materials, composting, backyard poultry & goats, rain harvesting, etc....don't be surprised to see our menu of permaculture services expand to include multifunction landscape design, and watershed/wastewater management & recycling.
Food Forests & Food Guilds
Designed and managed ecosystems that mimic the architecture and beneficial relationships between plants and animals found in a natural forest or other natural ecosystem.
Poultry & Backyard Animals
Fostering the relationship between domestic/wild animals and food plants results in a more productive garden. Foraging by chickens, goats and other domestic animals directly benefits food gardens by cycling nutrients, clearing fallen fruit, and controlling weeds and pests.
Rainwater Harvesting
Permaculture encourages landscapes that are designed to absorb rainwater, as opposed to outdoor environments that shed runoff, where it rushes down hillsides, streets, and roadways, causing erosion and carrying pollution directly into waterways. Rainwater harvesting can be practiced by channeling runoff through earthworks into the soil, or capturing runoff from roofs or other hard surfaces to be stored in cisterns.
Designing for Multiple Functions
Permaculture stresses to always capitalize on the investment of work and resources. Everything should serve multiple functions through design. It can be as simple as a water collection cistern creating a warm microclimate or as complex as a road channeling cooling winds to a home, while draining runoff to an orchard, simultaneously acting as a fire defense line, all the while providing access to a property.
Heirloom Plant Varieties and Animal Breeds
Counter to the mindset of industrialized agriculture, Permaculture design for gardens and farms focuses on utilizing and preserving heirloom plants and animals to keep them thriving through use. Permaculture creates complete systems where seeds are saved on-site and animals are allowed to breed to reduce reliance on increasingly conglomerated agricultural suppliers.
Watershed Restoration
The health of watersheds, as clean and running water is a primary necessity of human culture. Reversing the process of landscape degradation and pollution, permaculture design strategies repair watersheds, purifying water, reducing flood danger, slowing erosion, and increasing water availability.
Natural Building
The goal is to design and build structures that are both strikingly beautiful and sustainable. Permaculture encourages climate specific design, using biological resources before technological solutions. For example, designed structures often use the sun for heating, and breezes and vegetation for cooling. A permaculture-designed building might feature a wind blocking woodlot to assist in heat retention (through slowing wind speeds) and heat generation (through firewood), or a pond on the sun side to reflect sunlight indoors reducing needs for heating and lighting.
Waste Management
Waste is turned from pollution to a resource through permaculture design. In permaculture, waste is a resource whose functions have yet to be uncovered. Kitchen waste is composted, beautiful homes are built from reclaimed and recycled materials, and wastewater is returned to the landscape for productivity.
Ecological Economics
Since permaculture focuses on the connections between things more than the parts, the design of resilient economies relies on each contributor to build a strong network. Many small businesses and contributors are valued over a few larger corporations.
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