permaculture

[steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu (Steve Diver)]

                   PERMACULTURE FAQ    Version 1.1 
                     February 1996 

*     The Permaculture FAQ is divided into three parts: 
      (1)  introduction to permaculture
      (2)  the practical application of permaculture
      (3)  permaculture resources 

*     This FAQ was drafted for the permaculture-mg list
           (permaculture-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu) and can be found
      on the web at: 

        http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/faq.html
                        and 
        http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/permaculture.html


              INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE 

The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an
Australian ecologist, and his student, David Holmgren.  It is a
contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture." 

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and
food production systems.  It is an approach to land use which
integrates human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial
plants, animals, soils, and water management into stable,
productive communities.  

A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological
landscapes that produce food.  Permaculture design concepts may
be applied to single households or whole farms and villages.  A
major emphasis is placed on use of food-producing plants and on
the integration of animals into the system. 

================================================================
Permaculture Defined:

1.   From Michael Pilarksi, founder of Friends of the Trees, and
     published in International Green Front Report (1988):  

     Permaculture is: the design of land use systems that are 
     sustainable and environmentally sound; the design of culturally 
     appropriate systems which lead to social stability; a design system 
     characterized by an integrated application of ecological principles 
     in land use; an international movement for land use planning and 
     design; an ethical system stressing positivism and cooperation.  

     In the broadest sense, permaculture refers to land use systems which 
     promote stability in society, utilize resources in a sustainable way 
     and preserve wildlife habitat and the genetic diversity of wild and 
     domestic plants and animals.  It is a synthesis of ecology and 
     geography, of observation and design.  Permaculture involves ethics of 
     earth care because the sustainable use of land cannot be separated 
     from life-styles and philosophical issues. 

2.   From Lee Barnes (editor of Katuah Journal and Permaculture Connections), 
     Waynesville, North Carolina:     

     Permaculture ("Perm"anent "agri"culture and "Perma"nent "culture") 
     is a sustainable design system stressing the harmonious 
     interrelationship of humans, plants, animals and the Earth. To 
     paraphrase the founder of Permaculture, designer Bill Mollison:  

          "Permaculture principles focus on thoughtful designs for small-
          scale intensive systems which are labor efficient and which use 
          biological resources instead of fossil fuels. Designs stress 
          ecological connections and closed energy and material loops.  The 
          core of permaculture is design and the working relationships and 
          connections between all things. Each component in a system performs 
          multiple functions, and each function is supported by many 
          elements.  Key to efficient design is observation and replication 
          of natural ecosystems, where designers maximize diversity with 
          polycultures, stress efficient energy planning for houses and 
          settlement, using and accelerating natural plant succession, and 
          increasing the highly productive "edge-zones" within the system."

     Permaculture designs have been successfully and widely implemented in
     third-world countries, but there is current need to expand these 
     principles in temperate climates, and especially urban areas to create 
     more enjoyable and sustainable human habitats.  
=======================================================================

                THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF PERMACULTURE                 

Permaculture is not limited to just plant and animal agriculture.  It also 
includes community planning and development, use of appropriate technologies 
(coupled with an adjustment of life-style), and adoption of concepts and 
philosophies that are both earth-based and people-centered, such as 
bio-regionalism.  Many of the appropriate technologies advocated by 
permaculturalists are well-known.  Among these are solar and wind power, 
composting toilets, and solar food cooking and drying. Information on 
appropriate technology and homesteading is available elsewhere. 

Due to the inherent sustainability of perennial cropping systems, 
permaculture 
places a heavy emphasis on tree crops.  Systems that integrate annual and 
perennial crops--such as alleycropping and agroforestry--take advantage of 
"the edge effect", increase biological diversity, and offer other 
characteristics missing in monoculture systems.  

Thus, multicropping systems that blend woody perennials and annuals hold
promise as viable techniques for large-scale farming.  Ecological methods of 
production for any specific crop or farming system are, of course, vital to 
permaculture and sustainable agriculture in general.

Since permaculture is not a production system, per se, but rather a land use 
planning philosophy, it is not limited to a specific method of production.  
Furthermore, as permaculture principles may be adapted to farms or villages 
worldwide, it is site specific and therefore amenable to locally adapted 
techniques of production.  

As an example, standard organic farming and gardening techniques utilizing 
cover crops, green manures, crop rotation, and mulches are emphasized in 
permacultural systems.  Yet, the use of the Keyline chisel plow, rotational 
grazing, the Aerway implement in no-till farming, and a whole number of other 
techniques are adaptable to farms working within a permacultural framework. 
The decision as to which "system" to go with is site-specific and management 
dependent.  

Farming systems and techniques commonly associated with permaculture include 
the Keyline method (soil and water management), rotational grazing, 
agroforestry, swales, contour plantings, hedgerows and windbreaks, and 
integrated farming systems such as aquaculture, intercropping, and 
polyculture.  
Gardening and recycling methods common to permaculture include edible 
landscaping, keyhole gardening, sheet mulching, chicken tractors, solar 
greenhouses, vermicomposting, spiral herb gardens, swales, and polyculture 
intercrops.  Water collection and management systems like greywater, rain 
catchment, and Keyline play an important role in land use designs.  

Permaculture is not about prescription farming, it's about designing 
ecological landscapes that integrate farming and other human activities into
ecosystems with minimal disturbance. Permaculture advocates farm ecology, not 
pharmacology.


                          PERMACULTURE RESOURCES 

The two basic sources of information on permaculture are permaculture design 
courses and permaculture literature. 

The permaculture design course is the primary vehicle for transfer of 
permaculture expertise. The standard course is 72-hours in length and lasts 
two weeks.  Graduates are issued a permaculture design certificate and are
entitled to use "Permaculture" in the pursuit of livelihood and for 
educational purposes. 

The permaculture literature is a rich source of information on a wide range 
of topics dealing with appropriate technology, water management, land use, 
energy-efficient and toxic-free housing, and plant and animal agriculture.   


                    Permaculture Resources in the U.S.

The Permaculture Activist
Box 1209
Black Mountain, NC  28711
(704) 683-4946
Editor: Peter Bane
Cost:  $16, quarterly

     The Permaculture Activist is the leading periodical for North American 
     permaculture.  In publishes articles on permaculture, edible 
landscaping, 
     bioregionalism, aquaculture, etc, and provides a current listing of
     upcoming permaculture design courses.  It serves as an important 
     networking tool in the U.S., Canada, and Central America.  Back issues 
     are still available.  
 
The International Permaculture Solutions Journal (TIPS) 
Yankee Permaculture/Elfin Permaculture, and 
Forest Ecosystem Rescue Network (FERN)
P.O. Box 672
Dahlonega, GA 30533-0672
Editor:  Dan Hemenway
Cost: $27.50, four issues

     The International Permaculture Solutions Journal (TIPS) is published on 
     an irregular basis, but is a rich source of information.  Prior to TIPS, 
     Yankee Permaculture put out a fantastic yearbook called The 
International       Permaculture Species Yearbook (TIPSY).  The TIPSY series 
is a goldmine
     of permaculture information; much of the information is still quite 
useful.     FERN publishes a permaculture newsletter called Robin that deals 
with 
     forest issues.  Yankee Permaculture also publishes The Resources of 
     International Permaculture - TRIP.  Volume 5 of TRIP, published in 1993, 
     is a 68-page issue that contains 1,540 listings of groups working in 
     permaculture, sustainable food systems, and tree-based agriculture.

Restoration Forestry
Friends of the Trees
P. O. Box 4469
Bellingham, WA   98227
(206) 738-4972
Editor:  Michael Pilarski

     Restoration Forestry (1994) is a 525-page guide to resources in 
restoration     forestry.  It contains over 50 review articles, 780 
organizations, 
     230 journals/periodicals, 800 books, 100 restoration forestry projects
     underway, and 100 directories on topics relating to restoration 
forestry, 
     forest ecology, tree seedlings, bioregionalism, and permaculture.  It is 
     a massive addition to tree-based agricultural literature.  Friends of
     the Trees Society also publishes a newsletter, West Coast Permaculture 
     News & Gossip.  

     Other publications from Friends of the Trees include the International 
     Green Front Report (1988, $7.00), Kiwifruit Enthusiasts Journal (Vol. 6, 
     $17.20) and Third World Resources (1993, $5.00).

Permaculture Drylands Journal
Permaculture Drylands Institute
P.O. Box 156
Santa Fe, NM  87504-0156
(505) 983-0663
Cost: $25, 3 issues per year 

     Permaculture Drylands Journal (formerly Sustainable Living in Drylands) 
     is published in April, August, and December by the Permaculture Drylands 
     Education and Research Institute.  It focuses on permaculture
     concepts and designs for arid lands, with a heavy focus on New Mexico 
and 
     Arizona.  PDJ has published articles on straw bale buildings, solar box 
     cookers, dryland farming, and much more; back issues are available.  
     PDI offers a regular series of Permaculture Design Courses.   

Temperate Bamboo Quarterly
Earth Advocates Research Facility
30 Myers Road
Summertown, TN  38483 
(615) 964-4151
Cost:  $24, quarterly 

     Temperate Bamboo Quarterly is a quarterly publication from Earth 
Advocates,     a permaculture team run by Sue and Adam Turtle.  It focuses on 
the 
     bamboo plant which has unique, multi-purpose uses.  They also operate 
     a nursery with dozens of bamboo species.      

Permaculture Resources
P.O. Box 65
56 Farmersville Rd
Califon, N.J.  07830
(800) 832-6285

     Educational publisher and distributor of permaculture resources and 
     publications.


                    Permaculture Resources in Australia

Permaculture International Journal 
Permaculture International Ltd.
P.O. Box PG6039 
South Lismore, NSW  2480
Australia
Phone:  (066) 220 020
International:  (066) 220 579
Cost: U.S. $24, quarterly (available in the U.S. through 
The Permaculture Activist)

     PIJ serves as the leading periodical for permaculture worldwide.  It 
     contains articles, book reviews, and news of permacultural events 
     around the world.  It serves as an important networking tool.  
     Back issues to the early 1980s are available.

The Permaculture Edge
Permaculture Nambour, Inc. 
P.O. Box 148 
Inglewood 6050 
Western Australia
Cost: U.S. $20, quarterly (available in the U.S. through 
The Permaculture Activist) 

     The Permaculture Edge aims to report activities that are seen to be 
     at the cutting edge of permaculture developments around the world.  
     The "permaculture edge" refers to the "edge effect" found at the 
     boundaries of two ecological systems where there is more synergism, 
     biological activity, and variations in the microenvironment and which 
     can be used to increase yields in designed systems.  It also points to
     permaculture ideas as being "at the edge" of a change in the push 
towards 
     a sustainable future. 

Permaculture Institute
P.O. Box 1
Tyalgum, NSW  2484
Australia
Phone:  (066) 793 442

     The Permaculture Institute in Tyalgum, Australia, serves as the 
     coordinating organization for permaculture activities such as 
     permaculture design accreditation.


                  Permaculture Resources Around the World

Permaculture Magazine: Solutions for Sustainable Living
Permaculture Association (Britain)
Permanent Publications
Hyden House Limited
Little Hyden Lane
Clandfield, Hampshire  PO8 ORU
England
Cost:  U.S. $24, quarterly

     A quarterly journal published in cooperation with the Permaculture 
     Association of Great Britain.  It contains articles, projects, books, 
     and solutions from Britain and worldwide.

GroundCover
Permaculture Association of Zimbabwe
Box CY 301
Causeway, Harare 
Zimbabwe
Telephone/Fax:  (+4) 726911
Cost:  U.S. $30, per year


                     KEY BOOKS ON PERMACULTURE

INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE by Bill Mollison and Reny Mia Slay.  1991.  
Tagari Publishers, Tyalgum, Australia.  198 p. 

PERMACULTURE ONE: A PERENNIAL AGRICULTURE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS,
3rd ed (Reprint of 1978 ed) by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren.  1987.  
Tagari Publishers, Tyalgum, New South Wales, Australia.  127 p. 

PERMACULTURE TWO: A PRACTICAL DESIGN FOR TOWN AND COUNTRY IN
PERMANENT AGRICULTURE by Bill Mollison.  1979.  Tagari Press, Stanley, 
Australia. 150 p. 

PERMACULTURE: A DESIGNER'S MANUAL by Bill Mollison.  1988.  Tagari
Publications, Tyalgum, Australia.  576 p.   

THE BEST OF PERMACULTURE by Max O. Lindegger and Robert Tap.  1986.
Nascimanere Publishers, Nambour, Australia.  136 p. 

THE PERMACULTURE WAY: PRACTICAL WAYS TO CREATE A SELF-SUSTAINING
WORLD by Graham Bell.  1992.  Thorsons, London.  239 p. 

THE PERMACULTURE GARDEN by Graham Bell.  1994.  Thorsons, London.  170 p.

URBAN PERMACULTURE by David Watkins.  1993.  Permanent Publications, U.K.  
152 p.

PERMACULTURE IN A NUTSHELL by Patrick Whitefield.  1993.  Permanent 
Publications, U.K.  75 p. 

EARTH USER'S GUIDE TO PERMACULTURE by Rosemary Morrow and Rob Allsop 
1994.  Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, NSW Australia.  152 p. 

GETTING STARTED IN PERMACULTURE by Ross and Jennifer Mars.  1995.  Candlelight
Trust, Hovea, Western Australia.  60 p. 


         A Few Good Books for the Permaculturist's Bookshelf

CORNUCOPIA: A SOURCE BOOK OF EDIBLE PLANTS by Stephen Facciola. 1990. 
Kampong Publications, Vista, CA.  678 p. 

DESIGNING & MAINTAINING YOUR EDIBLE LANDSCAPE NATURALLY by Robert
Kourick.  1986.  Metamorphic Press, Santa Rosa, CA.  370 p. 

TREE CROPS: A PERMANENT AGRICULTURE by J. Russell Smith.  1987. Island Press,
Washington, D.C.  408 p.  

THE PERMACULTURE BOOK OF FERMENT & HUMAN NUTRITION by Bill Mollison. 
1993.  Tagari Publications, Tyalgum, Australia.  288 p.  


          ELECTRONIC SOURCES OF PERMACULTURE INFORMATION

1.   Permaculture-mg Internet Discussion List

         permaculture-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu

2.   Permaculture at Communications for a Sustainable Future

         http://csf.colorado.edu:8080/

3.   Organic Gardening & Permaculture Information

         http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/The_Sustainable_Farmstead.html
         http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/permaculture.html

4.   Permaculture Global Assistance Network

         http://www.peg.apc.org/~pgan

5.   Permaculture International Journal

         Email:  pcjournal@peg.apc.org

6.   Cross Timbers Permaculture Institute
     
         http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/

         Email:  7539.1353@compuserve.com

7.   Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute

         Email:  103070.2354@compuserve.com

8.   Correspondence Course in Australia on Permaculture

         http://www.qldnet.com.au/acs

9.   Permaculture List in Australia

         perma@cessysv.eepo.dialix.oz.au

10.  Dwayne's Home Page at Latrobe

         http://www.latrobe.edu.au/nexus/Permaculture/permaculture.html

11.  Amy's Home Page with Permaculture Material

         http://wwwpub.utdallas.edu/~amyd/index.html
     
12.  Carmela's Home Page with Permaculture Material

         http://www.ozoline.com.au/permaculture/index.html

13.  The Tree House

         http://www.charm.net/~flora/>

14.  Plants for a Future On-Line

         http://www.liv.ac.uk/~rmorris/pfaf/index.html

15.  Permaculture FAQ on the Web

         http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/faq.html
         http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/permaculture.html


===========================================================
*  Compiled by Steve Diver

   Send comments and updates to:  steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu 
   or permaculture-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
===========================================================