By Alena Mentink
Permaculture is working with nature instead of against it. It is also making thoughtful observations before putting useless labor into a project. Instead of thinking that things need to be done a certain way, permaculture is remaining open to new ideas. The term permaculture is made up of the words permanent, agriculture, and culture. This means that you are creating a permanent, self-sufficient food supply that will sustain a culture. Permaculture was first created for the use of food production. However, because permaculture is an idea that stimulates new thoughts, permaculture is continually growing and changing.
Many people have worked animals into permaculture with brilliant results. This article, however is specifically on plants. Permaculture was first created in the 1970’s by Bill Mollison. Bill Mollison was an Australian ecologist and professor. He also enjoyed spending time as a biologist. As he studied wildlife and forests, he became overwhelmed by the massive destruction and waste that went on. Bill Mollison became determined to find a solution to the problem. He first turned his attention to forests and wetlands. As he studied these two places, he was amazed at how they are sustainable without human labor. They turn waste materials into beneficial products; they supply their own energy and much more. Bill Mollison also noticed how all the parts of the ecosystem work together. For instance, birds help with pest and weed control; fruit trees provide food for other animals; bees pollinate, and some trees put nitrogen into the soil for other plants to use. In Creation, everything has a use.
Bill Mollison took these observations and decided to attempt to apply them to agriculture. He broke away from a monoculture society and formed a new way of growing produce. One of the problems with monoculture is that the grower is relying on the growth of a single type of crop in his field. If something were to happen to that crop, he would have nothing else to depend on, plus the fact that he would have lost money. It is also easier for pests to destroy a monoculture field opposed to a permaculture farm. Take apples, for instance. In a monoculture orchard, the trees will be planted side by side. Once the pests have destroyed the fruits on one tree, they just move onto the next tree until they have destroyed the entire crop. On the other hand, in a permaculture orchard the grower will have a large variety of plants. This means that if one crop fails (whether it’s due to pests, storms, disease, or other such problems) the grower is still able to make money or have food to eat. Permaculture designs also play an important role in keeping pests at bay.
As we implement permaculture here on our farm, one goal is to use as many native plants as possible. These plants will be better suited to the environment surrounding them compared to other plants. Most importantly, we are using plants that will need the least input. Permaculture was designed for self- sufficient plants, not plants that will demand lots of time and attention. Our family is presently working together to design an efficient garden and orchard. We hope that by combining our individual information, we will be able to think of where each plant and tree will be able to grow and produce to its best ability. As you will remember, permaculture is making thoughtful observations before putting useless labor into a project. Although it may seem like a nuisance at the time, in the long- run, careful planning always pays off. We also plan to add our animals into this system. We hope that as we strive to work permaculture into our daily lives, we will be able to encourage others to do the same.