Understanding and Accelerating Succession Like natural systems, small farm systems created through Permaculture Landscape Design evolve towards more productive states by succession. However, in Permaculture we accelerate the normally slow process through clever design, and can gain yields at every stage to support simple living on farms rapidly, rather than waiting several … [Read more...] about Permaculture Landscape Design
DIY Permaculture Landscape Design for Sustainable Living
Want to learn about Permaculture? Well, you’ve come to the right place! But first, a few “basics”…
What is it?
The word is a combination of “permanent” and “culture”. It is a practical design philosophy guided by its own set of ethics and aimed at creating sustainable living environments to meet human needs while treading lightly on the earth.
This eco-efficient design system can be applied to any human environment including landscapes, buildings and even institutions.
Interested in Permaculture Property Design Services?
A great Permaculture property plan can save you years of effort and thousands of dollars you otherwise may have wasted on poorly conceived “improvements”. No matter where you live, our professional design services will help you make the most of your farm! Design Packages start at only AU$550. Details available here.
Permaculture draws on three main sources of information and inspiration: e
• Natural ecosystems:
Natural systems such as mature forests or mangrove swamps are highly efficient and productive while producing no waste. Permaculture replaces natural ecosystem elements (e.g. plants and animals) with those that produce a yield for humans, while emulating their beneficial, symbiotic and interdependent relationships.
And so it creates a cultivated ecology of “useful” plants and animals.
• Traditional sustainable farming systems:
Like natural ecosystems, traditional farming systems are bio-diverse with elements working harmoniously together. The waste output of one element (e.g. duck manure) is captured by the system as an input to another (e.g. to feed fish). environment and lifestyle sustainability
• Appropriate technology:
The best of appropriate technology is utilized to enhance system eco-efficiency and yield. Such technology includes water harvesting earthworks, solar and wind power, composting toilets, solar greenhouses, energy efficient housing, and solar food cooking and drying.
Permaculture Landscape Design
In your small farm or backyard, this is the harmonious integration of landscape and people to provide their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.
Every element included in the system is designed in with consideration of optimising the yields it can provide and efficiency with which its needs are met. As a case study, we explore the many different ways chickens can power a Permaculture system here. You can view the Permaculture plan we prepared for our own 5 acre small farm here.
Ready to learn how to do it yourself?
Then you’ll need to get a grip on some key concepts:
- Key Principles
- Sector Analysis
- Zone Analysis
- Slope and Aspect
- Species Guilds and Companions
- Understanding and Boosting Succession
Permaculture co-founder Bill Mollison has recommended that water bodies such as carefully integrated ponds are essential to productive systems and ideally should occupy at least 10% of your landscape.
Follow our recommended steps to take before planning, and guidance on the best way to proceed with implementing your Permaculture design.
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In Permaculture landscape design, zones describe an energy efficient master pattern for your site based on conserving the energy of its components people, machines, wastes and fuels. Along with sector analysis, which is consideration of energies flowing through your site from outside, resource efficient design is achieved. Such purposeful efficiency is essential to self … [Read more...] about How to Use Zone Analysis in Permaculture Landscape Design
DIY Permaculture Landscape Design: How to Use Slope, Elevation and Aspect
Now that you are familiar with the ethics and principles of Permaculture Landscape Design, and have sketched out the Zones and Sectors for your property plan, its time to take it 3-D! This is where we consider the actual characteristics of your site, its slope, aspect, elevation and orientation, and work out how you can use them to your advantage in creating the perfect … [Read more...] about DIY Permaculture Landscape Design: How to Use Slope, Elevation and Aspect
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Permaculture landscape design takes account of the energies and forces affecting a design site through sector analysis. Prevailing on any site are powerful energies, both potentially beneficial and destructive: wild energies such as wind, sun, fire, water and even wild animal flows and views potentially impact your property. Once they are accounted for, with proper placement … [Read more...] about How to use Sector Analysis in Permaculture Landscape Design
Permaculture Principles Guiding Design for Sustainable Living
The role of successful design is to create self managed systems. Permaculture Principles provide guidance for creating such sustainable systems. They reflect basic tenets integral to optimizing eco-efficiency and minimizing ecological footprint, so are applicable to any situation. Use them to guide design of systems for sustainable living from scratch, improve existing … [Read more...] about Permaculture Principles Guiding Design for Sustainable Living
The Permaculture
Ethics Behind Design for Sustainable Living and Self Sufficiency "The sad reality is that we are in danger of perishing from our own stupidity and lack of personal responsibility to life….Although Permaculture is about design, it is also applying values and ethics that exercise our personal responsibility for the impact of our existence on Earth. It is our lives which are … [Read more...] about The Permaculture
How to Implement Your Permaculture Landscape Design
Before You Begin Your Permaculture Landscape Design… Your Permaculture landscape design will be absolutely unique. While you will be applying universal principles of sustainable design to your property, each property presents a different canvas to drape these over. Clarify Property Goals The design is further shaped by the goals you have for your property. It needs to … [Read more...] about How to Implement Your Permaculture Landscape Design
How to Grow Vegetables and Fruit
Easy Organic Permaculture System More and more, people are scrambling to learn how to grow vegetables. As food prices soar in response to climate change and rising oil prices, it is certainly making increasing financial sense to grow your own food. And growing your own organically helps shield you from the rising costs of petrochemical (oil based) pesticides and … [Read more...] about How to Grow Vegetables and Fruit
Using Fruit Tree Companion Planting and Animals in Permaculture Guilds
A Permaculture guild is more than fruit tree companion planting or planting companion vegetables and herbs. That's because Permaculture emulates the productivity of natural ecosystems by incorporating animals too. So, what is a guild? A guild in Permaculture landscape design is a harmonious assembly of species (plant or animal) physically associated with a central plant … [Read more...] about Using Fruit Tree Companion Planting and Animals in Permaculture Guilds
