permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <llondon@bellsouth.net>]

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html

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Title: Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources - Alternative Farming Systems

Introduction to Permaculture:
Concepts and Resources

Alternative Farming Systems

 

Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702
Phone: 1-800-346-9140 --- FAX: (501) 442-9842



Index
Introduction to permaculture
Permaculture defined
Characteristics of permaculture
The practical application of permaculture
The ethics of permaculture
The principles of permaculture design
Permaculture resources

United States
Australia
Around the world
Books on permaculture
A few good books for the permaculturist's bookshelf
Permaculture e-mail discussion groups & web links
About this publication (formerly The Permaculture FAQ)

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Introduction

The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist, and one of his students, 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 a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.

A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that produce food. Emphasis is placed on multi-use plants, cultural practices such as sheet mulching and trellising, and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients and graze weeds.

However, permaculture entails much more than just food production. Energy-efficient buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other important components of permaculture. More recently, permaculture has expanded its purview to include economic and social structures that support the evolution and development of more permanent communities, such as co-housing projects and eco-villages. As such, permaculture design concepts are applicable to urban as well as rural settings, and are appropriate for single households as well as whole farms and villages.

"Integrated farming" and "ecological engineering" are terms sometimes used to describe perma-culture, with "cultivated ecology" perhaps coming the closest. Though helpful, these terms alone do not capture the holistic nature of permaculture; thus, the following definitions are included here to provide additional insight.

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Permaculture Defined
 

1. From Bill Mollison:

Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments.

2. From the Permaculture Drylands Institute, published in The Permaculture Activist (Autumn 1989):

Permaculture: the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways.

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

Permaculture (PERMAnent agriCULTURE or PERMAnent 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.

4. From Michael Pilarski, founder of Friends of the Trees, 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.

5. From a Bay Area Permaculture Group brochure, published in West Coast Permaculture News & Gossip and Sustainable Living Newsletter (Fall 1995):

Permaculture is a practical concept which can be applied in the city, on the farm, and in the wilderness. Its principles empower people to establish highly productive environments providing for food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs, including economic. Carefully observing natural patterns characteristic of a particular site, the permaculture designer gradually discerns optimal methods for integrating water catchment, human shelter, and energy systems with tree crops, edible and useful perennial plants, domestic and wild animals and aquaculture.

Permaculture adopts techniques and principles from ecology, appropriate technology, sustainable agriculture, and the wisdom of indigenous peoples. The ethical basis of permaculture rests upon care of the earth-maintaining a system in which all life can thrive. This includes human access to resources and provisions, but not the accumulation of wealth, power, or land beyond their needs.

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Characteristics of Permaculture†
 

• Permaculture is one of the most holistic, integrated systems analysis and design methodologies found in the world.
• Permaculture can be applied to create productive ecosystems from the human- use standpoint or to help degraded ecosystems recover health and wildness. Permaculture can be applied in any ecosystem, no matter how degraded.
• Permaculture values and validates traditional knowledge and experience. Permaculture incorporates sustainable agriculture practices and land management techniques and strategies from around the world. Permaculture is a bridge between traditional cultures and emergent earth-tuned cultures.
• Permaculture promotes organic agriculture which does not use pesticides to pollute the environment.
• Permaculture aims to maximize symbiotic and synergistic relationships between site components.
• Permaculture is urban planning as well as rural land design.
• Permaculture design is site specific, client specific, and culture specific.

†Source: Pilarski, Michael (ed.) 1994. Restoration Forestry. Kivaki Press, Durango, CO. p. 450.

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The Practical Application of Permaculture

Permaculture is not limited to plant and animal agriculture, but 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 bioregionalism.

Many of the appropriate technologies advocated by permaculturists are well known. Among these are solar and wind power, composting toilets, solar greenhouses, energy efficient housing, and solar food cooking and drying.

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 alley cropping and agroforestry-take advantage of "the edge effect," increase biological diversity, and offer other characteristics missing in mono- culture 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 (e.g., soil building practices, biological pest control, composting) are central to permaculture as well as to sustainable agriculture in general.

Since permaculture is not a production system, per se, but rather a land use and community planning philosophy, it is not limited to a specific method of production. Furthermore, as perma-culture principles may be adapted to farms or villages worldwide, it is site specific and there-fore 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 empha-sized in permacultural systems. However, there are many other options and technologies avail-able to sustainable farmers working within a permacultural framework (e.g., chisel plows, no-till implements, spading implements, compost turners, rotational grazing). The decision as to which "system" is employed is site-specific and management dependent.

Farming systems and techniques commonly associated with permaculture include agro- forestry, swales, contour plantings, Keyline agriculture (soil and water management), hedgerows and windbreaks, and integrated farming systems such as pond-dike aquaculture, aquaponics, intercropping, and polyculture.

Gardening and recycling methods common to permaculture include edible landscaping, keyhole gardening, companion planting, trellising, sheet mulching, chicken tractors, solar greenhouses, spiral herb gardens, swales, and vermicomposting.

Water collection, management, and re-use systems like Keyline, greywater, rain catchment, constructed wetlands, aquaponics (the integra-tion of hydroponics with recirculating aquaculture), and solar aquatic ponds (also known as Living Machines) play an important role in permaculture designs.

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The Ethics of Permaculture

Permaculture is unique among alternative farming systems (e.g., organic, sustainable, eco-agriculture, biodynamic) in that it works with a set of ethics that suggest we think and act responsibly in relation to each other and the earth.

The ethics of permaculture provide a sense of place in the larger scheme of things, and serve as a guidepost to right livelihood in concert with the global community and the environment, rather than individualism and indifference.
 

1. Care of the Earth

...includes all living and non-living things–plants, animals, land, water and air

2. Care of People

...promotes self-reliance and community responsibility–access to resources necessary for existence

3. Setting Limits to Population & Consumption

...gives away surplus–contribution of surplus time, labor, money, information, and energy to achieve the aims of earth and people care.

Permaculture also acknowledges a basic life ethic, which recognizes the intrinsic worth of every living thing. A tree has value in itself, even if it presents no commercial value to humans. That the tree is alive and functioning is worthwhile. It is doing its part in nature: recycling litter, producing oxygen, sequestering carbon dioxide, sheltering animals, building soils, and so on.

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The Principles of Permaculture Design

Whereas permaculture ethics are more akin to broad moral values or codes of behavior, the principles of permaculture provide a set of universally applicable guidelines which can be used in designing sustainable habitats. Distilled from multiple disciplines–ecology, energy conservation, landscape design, and environmental science–these principles are inherent in any permaculture design, in any climate, and at any scale.
 

1. Relative location
2. Each element performs multiple functions
3. Each function is supported by many elements
4. Energy efficient planning
5. Using biological resources
6. Energy cycling
7. Small-scale intensive systems
8. Natural plant succession and stacking
9. Polyculture and diversity of species
10. Increasing "edge" within a system
11. Observe and replicate natural patterns
12. Pay attention to scale
13. Attitude

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Permaculture Resources

Four ways to learn about permaculture include: the permaculture design course, the permaculture literature, the Internet, and permaculture workshops.

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 the term "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 land use, plant and animal agriculture, water management, appropriate technology, energy-efficient and toxic-free housing, and community design.

Since 1995, the Internet (e.g., World Wide Web and E-mail) has become an important resource and networking tool in the dissemination of permaculture information. A selection of web sites is listed below.

Permaculture workshops are commonly held as one- to three-day events to provide training on technologies such as vermicomposting, solar greenhouses, straw bale construction, sheet mulching, and organic gardening.

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Permaculture Resources in the United States

The Permaculture Activist
Box 1209
Black Mountain, NC 28711
(704) 298-2812
Editor: Peter Bane
Cost: $19, quarterly
http://kumo.swcp.com/xines/
 

The Permaculture Activist is the leading periodical for North American permaculture. It 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 available.

Yankee Permaculture, Elfin Permaculture, and Forest Ecosystem Rescue Network (FERN)
P.O. Box 52
Sparr, FL 32192
Editor: Dan Hemenway
Email: YankeePerm@aol.com, and Elfpermact@aol.com
Cost: $27.50 for four issues
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalog.html

Yankee permaculture carries a number of publications on permaculture specific to North America. Past issues of Dan Hemenway's publications are still used in permaculture courses and as reference guides. A complete listing of articles, information sheets, and publications is available at the website listed above.

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. Current up-to-date listings are available on diskette.

The International Permaculture Solutions Journal (TIPS) and Permaculture Review, Overview and Digest (PROD) are published on a sporadical basis. TIPS and PROD feature permaculture articles, book reviews, and resources.

The International Permaculture Species Yearbook (TIPSY). Prior to TIPS, Yankee Permaculture put out a fantastic yearbook called TIPSY. The TIPSY series is a goldmine featuring plant species lists, articles, and resource listings.

Robin newsletter is a publication of FERN that deals with forest issues.

Restoration Forestry
Friends of the Trees
P. O. Box 4469
Bellingham, WA 98227
(360) 738-4972
(360) 671-9668 Fax
Editor: Michael Pilarski
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4663/

Restoration Forestry: An International Guide to Sustainable Forestry Practices (1994) is a 525-page guide to resources in restoration forestry. It contains over 50 review articles, 780 organizations, 230 journals and 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. Cost is $27, plus $4 postage & handling.

Agroforestry Guide to Hawaii: A Resource Guide Directory to Reforestation, Restoration, Forestry, Agroforestry, Permaculture & Sustainable Agriculture in the Hawaiian Islands (1997) is a 187-page directory with over 800 references. Cost is $22, plus $3.30 postage & handling.

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 Resource Guide (1993, $5.00) and the West Coast Permaculture News & Gossip newsletter.

Travelers Earth Repair Network (TERN) is a database maintained by Friends of the Trees containing over 2,500 permaculture contacts in 100-plus countries. The aim is to link travelers with individuals and organizations involved in sustainable agriculture, forestry, permaculture, and ecological restoration. The fee to access the TERN database is $50. Hosts are listed free of charge.

Permaculture Drylands Journal
Permaculture Drylands Institute
P.O. Box 156
Santa Fe, NM 87504-0156
(505) 983-0663
Cost: $25, 3 issues per year
http://members.aol.com/pdrylands/PDIhome1.htm

Permaculture Drylands Journal (formerly Sustain- able Living in Drylands) is published in April, August, and December by the Permaculture Drylands Educa- tion 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 many other topics of interest; back issues are available. PDI offers a regular series of Permaculture Design Courses.

Dry Country News
Box 23-J
Radium Springs, NM 88054
Cost: $10, 4 issues per year
http://www.zianet.com/drynews/

Dry Country News is devoted to Earth-based, low- impact living in the American Southwest. Whether you call it homesteading, permaculture, or sustainable living, Dry Country News is packed with information of interest to desert dwellers everywhere. Topics covered include alternative construction methods (straw bale, cob, adobe, etc.), gardening in a difficult desert climate, solar energy techniques and applications, desert herbs for food and medicine, sustainable irrigation methods (rainwater catchments, drip, pitcher) and more.

Earthword Journal
Eos Institute
580 Broadway, Suite 200
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(714) 497-1896
Cost: $20, 4 issues

Earthword Journal is a glossy permaculture magazine published collaboratively by Eos Institute and the permaculture Institute of Southern California. It explores the ecological interface between urban and rural communities and is geared to the professional designer, architect, and land-use planner.

The Bay Area Permculture Guild
Bay Area Permaculture Group
P.O. Box 9606
San Rafael, CA 94901
Email: bapg@slip.net
http://www.nbn.com/~bapg/
Cost: $20, 4 issues per year

The Bay Area Permculture Guild is a newsletter for he emerging grassroots movement of Permaculture in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding Shasta Bio- region. The newsletter is published four times a year in the cross quarter months: February, May, August, and November. Contents include events, sites, teachers, books, and permaculture strategies.

Temperate Bamboo Quarterly
Earth Advocates Research Facility
30 Myers Road
Summertown, TN 38483
(615) 964-4151
Cost: $24, quarterly
http://www.gaia.org/farm/businesses/bamboo /tbq.html

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
http://www.jump.net/users/perma/

Educational publisher and distributor of permaculture resources and publications.

The Future is Abundant
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/tilth/
 

First published in 1982 by Tilth, The Future is Abundant is a classic resource book on permaculture at the bioregional level. Though long out-of-print, it is now available on the Internet.

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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)
http://nornet.nor.com.au/environment/perma/

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.

International Permaculture Institute
P.O. Box 1
Tyalgum, NSW 2484
Australia
Phone: (066) 793 442
perminst@peg.apc.org

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

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Permaculture Resources Around the World

Permaculture Magazine UK: Ecological Solutions for Everyday Life
Permanent Publications
Hyden House Limited
Little Hyden Lane
Clandfield, Hampshire PO8 ORU
England
Cost: U.S. $24, quarterly (available in the U.S. through The Permaculture Activist)
Email: permaculture@gn.apc.org
http://www.gaia.org/permaculture

A quarterly journal published in cooperation with the Permaculture Association of Great Britain. It contains articles, book reviews, and solutions from Britain and Europe. A good source for temperate agroforestry species and permaculture design projects.

Earth Repair Catalog - Permanent Publications (UK)
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/

A project of Permanent Publications in Great Britain, publisher of Permaculture Magazine UK. The Earth Repair Catalog is a wide selection of books, videos, and resources on permaculture topics: organic gardening; biodynamics; agroforestry; farming; aquaculture; animals; ecological architecture & sustainable building technology; human-scale economy & development; community & groups; and energy saving products.

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

The Organic Farming Sourcebook. 1996.
The Other India Press
Above Mapusa Clinic
Mapusa 403 507 Goa
India
Fax: 91-832-263305

The Organic Farming Sourcebook, a resource-rich 338-page guidebook that provides a dynamic treatment of organic agriculture in India, with up-to-date articles, resources, contacts, and suppliers. In modern India, 70% of its 900 million inhabitants still depend on agriculture as a livelihood. These farmers draw upon four thousand years of sustainable farming experience.

However, European colonialism and Green Revolution technology has wreaked havoc on natural farming methods in India, and the Sourcebook documents and supports the efforts of the emerging organic farming and permaculture movements in India. Highly recommended.

A Resource Guide of Organizations Promoting Organic Farming in East Africa Region. 1995.
Kenya Institute of Organic Farming
P.O. Box 34972
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (254-2) 732-487
Fax (254-2) 581-178
Email: kiof@elci.gn.apc.org.

A Resource Guide of Organizations Promoting Organic Farming in East Africa Region is a 116-page resource guide edited by John Kanyuiro, Kihia and John Wanjau Njoroge. It provides names, contact information and brief descriptions of organizations working to promote, research or support organic agriculture in East Africa. Contact Kenya Institute of Organic Farming for price and ordering information.

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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.

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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.

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Books & Proceedings on Agroforestry

Temperature Agroforestry Systems, edited by Andrew M. Gordon and Steven M. Newman. 1997. CAB International, New York, NY. 269 p.

This is a landmark book on agroforestry for temperate regions. Chapters include agforestry practices in North America, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Europe. Read this book for working examples of permaculture on a broad-scale.

Building a Sustainable Future: Proceedings of the 4th North American Agroforestry Conference edited by John H. Ehrenreich, Dixie L. Ehrenreich, and Harry W. Lee. 1996. Held July 1995 in Boise, Idaho. College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Stations, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. 200 p.

Topics covered in the proceedings include: agro- forestry potential, biology of temperate agro-forestry systems, economics of agroforestry, temperate agroforestry cropping systems, riparian buffer strips, silvopastoral systems, alley cropping and inter-cropping, and windbreaks and shelterbelts. Cost is $40, checks payable to University of Idaho:

Dr. John Ehrenreich
College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Stations, University of Idaho
Moscow, ID 83844-1135
Tel: 208-885-7600
Fax: 208-885-5878
Email: dixie@uidaho.edu

Opportunities for Agroforestry in the Temperate Zone Worldwide edited by Richard C. Schultz, and Joe P.Calletti. 1994. Proceedings of the Third North American Temperate Agroforestry Conference. Held August 1993 in Ames, Iowa.
Order from:

Department of Forestry
251 Bessey Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-1021
515-294-1166

Agroforestry and Sustainable Systems: Symposium Proceedings edited by W.J. Rietveld. 1995. Held August 7-10, 1994 in Fort Collins, Colorado. General Technical Report RM-GTR-261. USDA-Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 276 p.

Topics in the proceedings include: riparian buffer systems, soil bioengineering-the use of dormant woody planting for slope protection, windbreak systems, living snowfences, trees and pasture, agroforestry and wildlife, status of agroforestry in 5 agroclimatic regions of the U.S., agroforestry-enhanced biodiversity, & conservation trees.

Agroforestry Today
ICRAF Subscriptions
P.O. Box 46
Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 4TS
England
$40/4 issues per year

Agroforestry Today is a quarterly magazine that carries reports from around the world on farming systems that focus on the integration of trees, crops, and livestock, and the people who raise them. It is one of the leading voices for agro-forestry worldwide. While the content deals mostly with sub-tropical and tropical agro-forestry, much of the information has universal applications (e.g., mycorrhizae, on-farm research methods, soil-plant interactions, tree establishment methods, etc.)

Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA)
School of Natural Resources
1-30 Agricultural Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
http://www.missouri.edu/~afta/
http://gis.umn.edu/~hperry/agroforestry.html

$25/year membership fee includes subscription to The Temperate Agroforester, quarterly newsletter.

The National Agroforestry Center
Rocky Mountain and Range Experiment Station
University of Nebraska - East Campus
Lincoln, NE 68583-0822
402-437-5178
http://www.unl.edu/nac/

Publishes InsideAgroforestry newsletter, provides technical assistance to landowners on windbreaks and agroforestry, sponsors research, distributes literature.

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Permaculture E-Mail Discussion Groups & Web Links

E-Mail Discussion Groups, Web Forums, and Archives

Permaculture Mailing List on University of North Carolina listserv

permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu (post articles to this address)

To subscribe, send email to "listserv@oit.unc.edu"
type: SUBSCRIBE PERMACULTURE YOUR NAME in the body of the message

Permaculture Mailing List on EnviroLink listserv

permaculture@envirolink.org (post articles to this address)

To subscribe, send email to "listproc@envirolink.org"
type: SUBSCRIBE PERMACULTURE YOUR NAME in the body of the message

Central (California) Coast Permaculture Guild Mailing List

ccpg@rain.seattleantioch.edu (post articles to this address)

To subscribe, send email to "majordomo@rain.seattleantioch.edu"
type: SUBSCRIBE CCPG

Permaculture Mailing List in Western Australia

perma@eepo.com.au (post articles to this address)

To subscribe, send email to "listserv@eepo.com.au"
type: SUBSCRIBE PERMA YOUR NAME in the body of message

Permaculture Forum at Permaculture the Earth

http://www.permaearth.org/discus/board.html

Permaculture Archives at Sunsite

http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/permaculture.html

Permaculture Archives at Communications for a Sustainable Future

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/lists/

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Manuals, Primers, and Syllabi on Permaculture

The Future is Abundant

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/tilth/

A Permaculture Primer

http://hueylong.cadgis.lsu.edu/lhin/visitor/html/primer/

Permaculture: Using Eco-Logical Design to Feed Ourselves

http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Geo/SenSem/Shapley2/Permaculture-outline.html

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On-Line Articles, Fact Sheets, & Proceedings on Permaculture

Permaculture
by Sego Jackson. Originally published in IN CONTEXT #8, Winter 1984.

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC08/Jackson.htm

Permaculture: Design For Living
by Bill Mollison. Originally published in IN CONTEXT #28, Spring 1991

http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC28/Mollison.htm

WWF Permaculture Fact Sheet (South Africa)

http://www.panda.org/resources/factsheets/enviroecon/frame.htm?07perm.htm

Building A Bamboo Farm: Using Permaculture Principles in Bamboo Agroforestry
by Simon Henderson. One of several on-line articles at Permaculture the Earth

http://www.permaearth.org/bamboo.html

On-line articles on Permaculture the Earth

http://www.permaearth.org/writings.html

Sixth International Permaculture Conference & Convergence Perth & Bridgetown, Western Australia September 27 to October 7, 1996

http://www.cowan.edu.au/~paustin/ipc6/

Introduction to Permaculture and The Terrible Time of Day
by Andrew Jeeves and Bill Mollison. Pamphlet I in the Permaculture Design Course Series. Published by Yankee Permaculture

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/yankee_intro.html

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Permaculture in North America

InterGarden: Organic Gardening & Permaculture Information at U.N.C.

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

Permaculture Resources

http://www.jump.net/users/perma/

Permaculture Guide at Communications for a Sustainable Future

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

Permaculture and Sustainable Living & Livelihood at CSF

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/

International Institute for Ecological Agriculture

http://www.permaculture-institute.org/

Bay Area Permaculture Guild

http://www.nbn.com/~bapg/

Permaculture Institute of Northern California

http://www.nbn.com/people/bapg/pinc.html

Central Valley Permaculture Group (California State University Stanislaus)

http://arnica.csustan.edu/permaculture/

Cross Timbers Permaculture Institute in Texas

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ctpi/cross_t.htm

Friends of the Trees

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4663/

Permaculture Drylands Institute

http://members.aol.com/pdrylands/PDIhome1.htm

The Permaculture Activist - Zine Site

http://www.desert-moon.com/xines/frames/titles/249.html

Dry Country News

http://kumo.swcp.com/xines/

Permaculture at Heathcote Intentional Community

http://www.welch.jhu.edu/~lfelch/heathcote.html

Permaculture Community Action Worknet (Toronto, Canada)

http://www.web.net/~mulchman/

Ecology and Permaculture Network of Mexico

http://www.tortuga.com/earth/

La'akea Permaculture Gardens

http://www.permaculture-hawaii.com/

Animal Farm Permaculture Center

http://www.neosoft.com/~animalfm/afpchome.htm

Dreamtime Village Permaculture Hyper-Media

http://net22.com/dreamtime/index.shtml

Pecos River Farms Permaculture Research Center

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/8033/

The Archimedes Project: Living Systems Design Group

http://www.livingsystems.com/arch.html

Permaculture the Earth

http://www.permaearth.org/

Pedro's Permaculture Pointers

http://www.thefarm.org/permaculture/pclinks.html

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Permaculture in Australia

Permaculture International Journal (Australia)

http://nornet.nor.com.au/environment/perma/
Email: pcjournal@peg.apc.org

International Permaculture Institute (Australia)

Email: perminst@peg.apc.org

Permaculture Global Assistance Network (Australia)

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

Permaculture in Western Australia

http://www.eepo.com.au/perma/

Permaculture Visions - International'Correspondence Course (Australia)

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~askpv/

Permaculture Visions - International Correspondence Course (Australia)

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~askpv/

Correspondence Course on Permaculture (Australia)

http://www.qldnet.com.au/acs/hort/permaculture.html

Far South Coast Permaculture (Australia)

http://www.acr.net.au/perma/mainperm.html

Permaculture on Carmela's Home Page

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

The Jarlanbah Permaculture Hamlet

http://www.nor.com.au/tourism/nimbin/jarl.htm

Eco-Logical Solutions, Ltd.

http://www.gaia.org/crystalwaters/els.html#els

Sixth International Permaculture Conference & Convergence Perth & Bridgetown, Western Australia September 27 to October 7, 1996

http://www.cowan.edu.au/~paustin/ipc6/

Earthlink- Australia's Environmentally Friendly Directory (formerly Green Pages)

http://www.green-pages.com.au/

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Permaculture in Europe

British Permaculture Magazine/Permanent Publications Web Site

http://www.gaia.org/permaculture

PermaWeb in Great Britain

http://www.sysmag.com/permaweb

Permaculture Association (Britain)

http://www.sysmag.com/permaweb/groups/pcbritain

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Permaculture Around the World

Permaculture on "Mind•Body•Spirit" Web Page (South Africa)

http://www.pix.za/mbs/body/perma.htm

Permaculture Fact Sheet (South Africa)

http://www.panda.org/resources/factsheets/enviroecon/frame.htm?07perm.htm

Permaculture Japan Suite

http://www.saitama-j.or.jp/~nexus/permaculture/perma.html

Permakultur Austria

http://ifl.boku.ac.at:80/research/permakultur/home.html
http://2012.org/permakultur/pka/index.html

Permakultur@2012.org (Germany)

http://2012.org/permakultur/ (German version)
http://2012.org/permakultur/indexe.html (English version)

Green Agriculture Under Blue Skies (Spain)

http://www.renview.com/lamohea/

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Plants for Permaculture

Plants for a Future On-Line

http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/index.html

Atcros On Internet - The World Wide Web version of the Australasian Tree Crops Sourcebook

http://www.aoi.com.au/atcros/

The Vetiver Grass Network

http://www.vetiver.org/

The American Bamboo Society

http://www.bamboo.org/abs/

The Duckweed Clearinghouse

http://www.prism-usa.org/

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Permaculture Technologies

Keyline Design - Water for Every Farm

http://www.keyline.com.au/

Alternative Technology Association (ATA)

http://www.ata.org.au/

The Solar Cooking Archive

http://www.accessone.com/~sbcn/index.htm

Sustainable Building Sourcebook

http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/

Aquaponics - Integration of Hydroponics with Aquaculture

http://www.aquaponics.com/

Ocean Arks International Home Page

http://www.earthbase.org/guests/oai/

Integrated Biosystems

http://www.ias.unu.edu/vfellow/foo/ibs/index.htm

Fish Polyculture Used in Wastewater Treatment
by Oleg Daugovish. Stensund Wastewater Treatment at Stensund,Trosa, Sweden

http://www.algonet.se/~stensund/aqua/students/oleg.htm

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Bioregional & Eco-Village Links

Institute for Bioregional Studies

http://www.cycor.ca/IBS/

EcoVillage Information Service

http://www.gaia.org/

Intentional Communities on the Web

http://www.well.com/user/cmty/index.html

The Farm EcoVillage Training Center

http://www.gaia.org/farm/

Crystal Waters Permaculture Village

http://www.gaia.org/crystalwaters/cw_toc.html#cw_toc

Arcosanti (Arizona)

http://www.arcosanti.org

Auroville (India)

http://www.auroville-india.org/

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Virtual Libraries on Permaculture & Sustainability

Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development

http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/

Sustainable Architecture Building & Culture

http://www.west.net/~prince/index.htm

Sustainable Earth Electronic Library

http://www.envirolink.org/pubs/index.html#library_subject_areas

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Agroforestry Web Sites

The Temperate Agroforestry Homepage

http://gis.umn.edu/~hperry/agroforestry.html

The Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA)

http://www.missouri.edu/~afta/afta_home.html

National Agroforestry Center

http://www.unl.edu/nac/

The Agroforestry Concept

http://crappie.gis.umn.edu/~hperry/AFTA/concept.html

Agroforestry for Farms & Ranches - Agroforestry Technical Note No. 1

http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/BCS/forest/tnote1.html

Agroforestry Articles & Resources in Rodale's International Ag-Sieve

http://fadr.msu.ru/rodale/agsieve/txt/agrofor.html

Urban and Community Forestry Resource Materials Guide

http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~forestry/guide/index.html

Agroforestry Research Trust

http://members.aol.com/AgroResTr/homepage.html

Forests, Trees and People Programme & Network

http://www-trees.slu.se/index.html

International Union of Forestry Research Organizations

http://iufro.boku.ac.at/

Afforestation in South Africa

http://www.panda.org/resources/factsheets/forests/frame.htm?22affor.htm

ICRAF - International Center for Research in Agroforestry

http://www.cgiar.org/icraf/

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Holistic Planning & Land Management

Holistic Management

http://www.igc.apc.org/holisticmanagement/

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About this Publication

Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources is a revised and updated version of The Permaculture FAQ, which was originally published by the author on the World Wide Web in 1995 with locations at:

http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/faq.html
and
http://sunsite.unc.edu/london/permaculture/faq.v1.3

A permaculture design course graduate, the author is a technical specialist in horticulture and agronomy at the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) program, the national sustainable farming information center located at the University of Arkansas.

The focus of the ATTRA program is on farming systems that enhance the economic livelihoods of farm families while sustaining the environment. ATTRA provides resources and technical assistance to commercial farmers, including small farmers and market gardeners, in the United States. Accordingly, the focus of this publication in on permaculture in the temperate U.S. with some emphasis on broad-scale application such as agroforestry and bio-integrated production systems.

Please send updates or additions by e-mail to: steved@ncatark.uark.edu

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Prepared by Steve Diver
ATTRA Technical Specialist
Revised May 1998

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The ATTRA Project is operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural Business - Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals. ATTRA is located in the Ozark Mountains on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, at PO Box 3657, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72702. ATTRA staff prefer to receive requests for information about sustainable agriculture via the toll-free number 800-346-9140.

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