Permaculture

– noun – the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.

The term — a fusion of “permanent” and “agriculture” — was first coined in the 1970s by two Australians, David Holmgren, and Bill Mollison.

Core Principles

~Observe and interact. ~Catch and store energy. ~Obtain a yield. ~Apply self-regulation and accept feedback. ~Use and value renewable resources and services. ~Produce no waste. ~Design from patterns to details. ~Integrate rather than segregate. ~Use slow and small solutions. ~Use and value diversity. ~Use edges and value the marginal. ~Creatively use and respond to change.

In the beginning

Techniques used and influenced by permaculture

I began my permaculture journey long before I was able to locate and complete a Permaculture Design Course. My first real experiences were not until I could visualize the link between design, demonstration, and yields. Permaculture is that link between observation and biomimicry, philosophy, and that “green thumb” touch.

Sometime around 2015, I attended Central Rocky Mountains Permaculture Institue for a three-day intensive greenhouse-focused workshop. From that very first turn off the main highway down a back road and around a four-wheel drive-only goat path leading to Jerome’s CRMPI location, I knew this experience was just the beginning for me.

It was at this time, I had taken the class, and many conversations had references to authors who had written extensively about the subjects. I knew I had been reading all the wrong books.

Later on, I would go on to attend my PDC in Puerto Rico with Stephanie Syson at Hasindenda la a Prima Rosa. What is now the Caribbean Agroforestry Institute