What's Permaculture?

I suppose an introduction and some background is in order here. This blog’s titled “Permaculture Oasis,” so we’ll start with permaculture. What the heck is that? To the best of my knowledge permaculture is not an idea that is strictly defined. The term was coined around 1979 by Bill Mollison to describe an alternative mentality and approach to growing food and interacting with a cultivated landscape. Mollison wanted to create a form of agriculture that could be practiced indefinitely without destroying or depleting the landscape and surrounding resources. The resulting term “permaculture” is a combination of permanent agriculture, as well as permanent culture, because in order for an agricultural system to function indefinitely it must be accompanied by an enduring mentality or culture by the people who practice it.

Although there are varying definitions of the term, they all seem to share the same goal and mentality. I think of permaculture as working with the environment and ecosystem rather than against it, taking advantage of natural systems to provide work and services that we need, planning with a long term perspective, and recruiting biodiversity for the goal of sustaining ourselves physically, emotionally, and even spiritually both in the present time and for the foreseeable future.