What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a way of designing farms, gardens, and whole communities so they work with nature instead of against it.
The word comes from “permanent agriculture” (and later “permanent culture”), and it’s built around a simple idea: create systems that are sustainable, resilient, and self-maintaining—like natural ecosystems. All of it is planned so the outputs of one part feed another—nothing is wasted if you can help it.
It’s a design philosophy that looks at:
- Food production
- Water use
- Energy
- Housing
- Waste
- Community systems
Ethics
Permaculture is guided by three ethics:
- Earth Care – protect soil, water, forests, wildlife.
- People Care – meet human needs in healthy ways.
- Fair Share – limit consumption and redistribute surplus.
Principles
The 12 permaculture principles are:
- Observe & Interact
- Catch & Store energy
- Obtain a yield
- Apply self regulation and accept feedback
- Use & Value renewable resources and services
- Produce no waste
- Design from patterns to details
- Integrate rather than segregate
- Use small and slow solutions
- Use & value diversity
- Use edges and value the marginal
- Creatively use & respond to change