At my current point in my life, I am a student and do not have the money or means to currently practice permaculture. I have been spending a lot of my free time studying permaculture so that I know what to do when I have the time and means to practice permaculture. For me, the most relevant thing that I have been working on now is setting up a personal plan for tiny living and early retire extreme for myself. This segment of permaculture, tiny living and ecovillages and communities, is also important to me because i'm going to be going to college soon and once I graduate in four years, I'm going to be completely on my own. So, I want to get on my feet running!
I am of the mindset that if you learn the basics of something that is all you really need, because the parts create the whole- like autonomous self-assembly. Using the basics to make the more complicated stuff allows people more
freedom of thought, in my opinion. The more complex it gets, the more room there is for people to interject their own opinions and values.
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Joseph Lofthouse wrote:What is permaculture?
Permaculture, by the definition
Bill Mollison gave in
Permaculture: A Designer's Manual is
permanent agri
culture. He expands upon this to later restate that permanent agriculture implies a
permanent
culture. Stable and accessible agriculture is necessary for a stable and permanent society/culture is the essence of his discussion in Chapter 1 as to why permaculture s necessary for global stability, repair, and continuity.
Perhaps a better question, is what is the purpose of permaculture? Here's
the answer:
Bill Mollison wrote:
The Prime Directive of Permaculture:
The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children.
Make it now.
This setups the ethical basis for the permaculture design process.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote: Why would permaculture be of use to me?
Permaculture is site and client specific, so unless I can read your mind or you filled out a permaculture client questionnaire and submitted it publicly to read, I wouldn't know of what use permaculture is to you. However, one of the best reasons would be because by creating and implementing a permaculture design, you could establish a system that is self-regulating and self-sustaining which allows you to be a lazy bastard and still get food.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Who practices permaculture?
This depends on how you define permaculture. Another way of understanding permaculture is of a horticultural society. This older version of permaculture has been practiced by the ancient Oaxaca, the Nuaulu, Ceram, Indonesia, Owens Valley Paiute, and the Kumeyaay of Southern California (reference: 58 minutes 57 seconds of
Toby hemenway)
Joseph Lofthouse wrote: How can I modify my life to be more permaculture?
Permaculture is not a doctrine or belief system. Permaculture is a design process.The best I can suggest to you on this is to learn more and do what you feel will make a positive impact in your own life.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote: Where is permaculture of most benefit?
Everywhere! There is room for change and improvement everywhere. Deserts are not always deserts, and nor are forests forever forests. Things always change and are always in flux, but we can act to influence how things change. Check out what
Geoff Lawton has been able to do in deserts. Here are some other great videos by Geoff Lawton showing great permaculture works done by his friends, students, and other permaculture artisans in
Urban areas,
Cold CLimates,
High Cold Dry and Windy Places,
Urban & Desert,
Up North in Canada, or on
An Entire Mountain. Permaculture is of use everywhere!
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:What are the essential components of a permacultural farm? And community?
Once again, this is site specific. Take what you know and apply it how you see fit. If you need to learn more, seek out the information and learn it. A good place to start is the
Ultimate Guide to a Profitable Permaculture Farm by the Permaculture Apprentice.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:My people have always taken care of the Earth and shared the surplus. What would the "ethics of permaculture" suggest we could be doing differently?
How is permaculture similar to or different from other schools of thought such as prepping, environmentalism, homesteading, back-to-earth, tree-hugging, druidry, etc...
Once again, permaculture is a site specific and client specific design process. Integration is what we want, and protecting
local values is part of that. Conquering the world, its peoples, and all forms of life is part of what got humanity into the current ecosocial mess we have right now. If what you are doing works fine right now, don't fix what isn't broken.
Permaculture is different in that it is a design process. There are different branches of permaculture, each related to one another. Each one is unique unto itself. By being adaptable and flexible, permaculture makes itself useful to more people.
For more discussion on the types of permaculture out there, I suggest visiting the
purple vs brown permaculture thread.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Is there a religious/spiritual component to permaculture?
That is solely up to you and the people you live with. Please refer to the purple vs brown permaculture thread for more on this issue.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:How militant are permaculturalists about the "right way" to do things? Is this forum the norm for peaceful co-existence among permaculturalists with different theories?
Some people are assholes, and some people are not. Militant-ness just depends on your community. There is no normal. In my opinion, I think Paul Wheaton's setup is awesome! Other people like Reddit. Whatever floats your boat!
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:If permaculture is a design method, what designs are arising, and how are they different than the designs of traditional farming families?
This depends on what you define as "traditional". Also, I am not sure what you mean by "what designs are arising"?
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Do some design elements show up repeatedly?
Yes, I am currently working my way through
Chapter 4: Pattern Recognition of
Permaculture: A Designer's Manual. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 also talked about things related to your question. Polycultures and guilds are reappearing elements. Timing and schedules of events are repeating. There are tons of things that show up again and again!
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:What's up with hugelculture and mulch?
Paul Wheaton's got an entire article on hugelcultures!
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Tell me about no-till and whether it's essential to permaculture...
No tell is just that- no tilling or minimal tilling. An alternative might be
subsoil tillage. Essential-ness depends on you and your needs.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:How do I grow root crops without disturbing the soil?
You don't. Soil will be disturbed, but that is not inherently a bad thing.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:If I convert my farm to permaculture do I have to stop growing annual crops?
No, you don't have to stop growing annuals. You do what fits you and your sites' needs.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:How much more labor is permaculture going to require?
The main protion of the labour, in theory, will come during the design and implementation phase of a
project. Maintenance will decrease as you progress from zone 0 outwards to zone 5. This is all up to you and how you wish to design your site. If you want to be a lazy bastard, you can. You can make your design to require as little or as much effort as you want it to. It is up to you, the designer.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Is the ideal permaculture farm a food forest? Or a savannah? Or does that depend on climate and soils?
That is all site specific, but permaculture can be done anywhere.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:How are permaculture and biodynamic similar or different?
check out this thread
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Does permaculture advocate not using agricultural chemicals? Or other poisons? How about naturally derived poisons like pyrethrins, garlic, tobacco, or hot peppers.
In general, yes, permaculture advocates not using artificial chemicals and poisons. Naturally occurring ones are awesome and cool to use! The main thing, I see, going for naturally occurring poisons is that they might degrade easier and require less energy input to obtain and use. However, the usage of such things, artificial or not, is always up to the individual and their good judgement.
If you are having to use poisons to fight pests, it might be useful to consider planting a
polyculture, creating a guild, or adding other elements into your system to handle the "pest" problem more effectively. By creating predator habitat and confusing the "pests" with tons of bright and strongly scented plants, predators will be able to handle your "pest" problem for you. Instead of you having to work that you don't really have to do.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote: Does a traditional garden kitchen have a place in a permaculture farm?
YES!!!
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:There are sure a lot of forums at permies.com devoted to building houses... Is that part of permaculture?
Yes, it is. House design and usage optimization is part of zone 0 planning.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Same observation applies to energy... How does energy use patterns fit into permaculture?
Try visiting the
sustainable electricity thread. Energy use patterns depend on you and your needs. IF we know your needs, we can help figure out what would work best for you.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:How are sustainability, self-reliance, and permaculture related? How are they different?
Self-reliance is caring for yourself. Sustainability is about caring for the being able to maintain itself. Permaculture is about regenerative design. Regenerative design goes beyond sustainability by making it so that the system is not just able to sustain itself but provide a surplus which can be reinvested back into the system and used to expand the system's potential or build up reserves. Self-reliance is a branch of permaculture because it falls under the part of taking responsibility for oneself; however, complete self-reliance neglects community. Since humans are social creatures, this may or may not be right for you. That depends on the person.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Do I have to give up my truck to be a proper permaculturalist?
I'm with Alder Burns on the "remedial commonsense" thing! Do what you think works for you. Proper-schmoper!
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Do some permaculturalists practice it as a science while others approach it as a form of art?
That depends on who you talk. Refer back to brown vs. purple permaculture thread.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote: While I'm on the topic, is the idea of a "Gifting Economy" common in permaculture thinking? I have always given away far more vegetables than I sell. Does permaculture have much to say about economics?
Yes, a "gifting economy" is a common idea to many people because of different ways that people interpret the
third ethic. One of the main things I have read in permaculture is about nurturing local economies first and then caring for the larger economies later. Another worthwhile discussion on economics is
greed.
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I am sorry if most of my answers were, it depends, but it truly does. You are smart and knowledgeable! I have listed many resources in the
Guide to Getting Help Thread for the benefit of the permies community to teach themselves or help others assist them. At school, when people asked me to help them on their homework, I would guide them to an answer. I did not give answers outright because that does not teach them anything. I believe self-education is the best way of learning, but I can and will teach when requested of. I want people to think for themselves, so I try not to tell people how to think when I can.
I hope at least some of this was helpful to you Joseph!
