Permaculture

Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principles in fields such as regenerative agriculture, town planning, rewilding, and community resilience. The term was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who formulated the concept in opposition to modern industrialized methods, instead adopting a more traditional or "natural" approach to agriculture.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Multiple thinkers in the early and mid-20th century explored no-dig gardening, no-till farming, and the concept of "permanent agriculture", which were early inspirations for the field of permaculture.^[4] Mollison and Holmgren's work from the 1970s and 1980s led to several books, starting with Permaculture One in 1978, and to the development of the "Permaculture Design Course" which has been one of the main methods of diffusion of permacultural ideas.^[5] Starting from a focus on land usage in Southern Australia, permaculture has since spread in scope to include other regions and other topics, such as appropriate technology and intentional community design.^[6]

Several concepts and practices unify the wide array of approaches labelled as permaculture. Mollison and Holmgren's three foundational ethics and Holmgren's twelve design principles are often cited and restated in permaculture literature.^[5] Practices such as companion planting, extensive use of perennial crops, and designs such as the herb spiral have been used extensively by permaculturists.

Permaculture as a popular movement has been largely isolated from scientific literature, and has been criticised for a lack of clear definition or rigorous methodology.^[7] Despite a long divide, some 21st century studies have supported the claims that permaculture improves soil quality and biodiversity,^[8] and have identified it as a social movement capable of promoting agroecological transition away from conventional agriculture.^[4]^[8]

^ Birnbaum Fox, Juliana (9 June 2010). "Indigenous Science". Cultural Survival Quarterly. 33 (1) – via Indiana University. Bill Mollison, often called the 'father of permaculture,' worked with indigenous people in his native Tasmania and worldwide, and credits them with inspiring his work. "I believe that unless we adopt sophisticated aboriginal belief systems and learn respect for all life, then we lose our own," he wrote in the seminal Permaculture: A Designers' Manual.
^ Holmgren, David (2007). "Essence of Permaculture" (PDF). Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability: 7. This focus in permaculture on learning from indigenous, tribal and cultures of place is based on the evidence that these cultures have existed in relative balance with their environment, and survived for longer than any of our more recent experiments in civilisation.
^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Ferguson, Rafter Sass; Lovell, Sarah Taylor (25 October 2013). "Permaculture for agroecology: design, movement, practice, and worldview. A review". Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 34: 251–27.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference Scott was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Holmgren Essence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference For Sceptics 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Reiff, Julius; Jungkunst, Hermann F.; Mauser, Ken M.; Kampel, Sophie; Regending, Sophie; Rösch, Verena; Zaller, Johann G.; Entling, Martin H. (4 July 2024). "Permaculture enhances carbon stocks, soil quality and biodiversity in Central Europe". Communications Earth & Environment. 5 (1): 305. Bibcode:2024ComEE...5..305R. doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01405-8. ISSN 2662-4435.

[:3-1] Birnbaum Fox, Juliana (9 June 2010). "Indigenous Science". Cultural Survival Quarterly. 33 (1) – via Indiana University. Bill Mollison, often called the 'father of permaculture,' worked with indigenous people in his native Tasmania and worldwide, and credits them with inspiring his work. "I believe that unless we adopt sophisticated aboriginal belief systems and learn respect for all life, then we lose our own," he wrote in the seminal Permaculture: A Designers' Manual.

[:7-2] Holmgren, David (2007). "Essence of Permaculture" (PDF). Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability: 7. This focus in permaculture on learning from indigenous, tribal and cultures of place is based on the evidence that these cultures have existed in relative balance with their environment, and survived for longer than any of our more recent experiments in civilisation.

[:4-3] Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Ferguson_Lovell-4] Ferguson, Rafter Sass; Lovell, Sarah Taylor (25 October 2013). "Permaculture for agroecology: design, movement, practice, and worldview. A review". Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 34: 251–27.

[Scott-5] Cite error: The named reference Scott was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Holmgren_Essence-6] Cite error: The named reference Holmgren Essence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[For_Sceptics_2021-7] Cite error: The named reference For Sceptics 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Reiff_1–14-8] Reiff, Julius; Jungkunst, Hermann F.; Mauser, Ken M.; Kampel, Sophie; Regending, Sophie; Rösch, Verena; Zaller, Johann G.; Entling, Martin H. (4 July 2024). "Permaculture enhances carbon stocks, soil quality and biodiversity in Central Europe". Communications Earth & Environment. 5 (1): 305. Bibcode:2024ComEE...5..305R. doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01405-8. ISSN 2662-4435.

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