Permaculture

Synonyms

Alternative agriculture; Bottom-up global food praxis; Holistic food production; Multifunctional farming strategy; Permanent food production

Introduction

Permaculture is a design system where the goal is the generation and maintenance of resilient permanent cultures. These permanent cultures are based upon the sustainable production of permanent food supplies made possible by designing and managing nested systems of flora and fauna. The design aspect of permaculture is based upon insights drawn from holistic ecology, systems thinking, and sustainable agroecology. Permaculture is now a global movement but has its basis in the pioneering work of the Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who were inspired by agroecological forestry practices of the Southern Hemisphere as well as indigenous farming practices. Mollison explains that permaculture “claims to be designed agriculture, so that the species, composition, array and organization of plants and animals are the central...