The Permaculture Principles
Aim to position elements in the design so that there is minimal
transport between them. Use natural
forces where possible to work for you. (Eg. Leaves carried by the wind can fall
directly onto mulched garden beds. Rainwater
can be collected and fed into nearby ponds and watering troughs. Sunlight can
warm the wall behind seedling trays. In
this diagram, composted manure from the hens falls to the worms below).
Each Element in the design should be used and positioned to perform a
range of functions. For Example: a tree
is planted to provide food, mulch, and shelter for the garden or house, soil
conditioning, water harvesting. Another
example: A driveway for vehicles can also be used to harvest water, and low
growing plants can be planted onto the centre strip of the driveway. The vehicle
will control their spread. (Avoid
eating from plants near roadways as they may harbour toxins from fumes and
spills, but the plants can serve as plant stock for propagation and have other uses.)
A hen house may also serve as a compost bay, water collection, wind break, tool storage and worm farm. In this photo from Bungendore, Kate Ferguson has the hen house insulated by and supporting a vine. It sits over a dry dust-bathing area and is a wind break and frost deflector for delicate plants. The hen house is a structure capable of performing many functions.
By giving each
element several functions we accept that not all the functions can be performed
all the time. The duck can choose to
forage for snails or to sit on the nest, to swim, to bathe, to mate or to shout
out at strangers. Eggs per duck are
lower than in forced conditions but the sum of all the functions is greater
(weed control, pest control, fertiliser).
Try to satisfy a
function with more than one element:
Some examples are:
Cooling created by shade, trickling water and thermal mass of path and
pond walls. This is an ancient form of
air-cooling. See the photo of a
pre-Roman garden in Cordoba, Spain.
Use a tent of branches as well as a low windbreak of oats; and a
planting of nurse trees to protect frost sensitive trees.)
Rely on more than one means for water collection during dry
periods. Rainwater tanks, condensation
traps, in-ground collection such as swales and rain pits).
Use a combination of security measures for poultry against dogs and
foxes such as a warren of sticks to hide in, geese to ward of animals during
the day and fencing and housing.
Use different means of support for a fence such as metal stakes
interspersed with wooden poles made from woody weeds and plant a living fence.
Use existing physical materials to maximum potential: share resources
such as cars, support local transport, build structures that can work to
shelter the garden as well as store heat for night time, require minimal energy
in maintenance, and are durable. Avoid
abandoning ideas, technology, machinery or computers that are not competitive
without first examining ways to update/expand and increase their
efficiency. Many users do not use their
equipment to full potential, they are still learning the potential of the
current one while considering a new model.
Maximise the use of biological and physical materials. Consider the full life of the product. Search for biodegradable alternatives that
can be used as mulch or compost at the end of their first use. A wide-spreading tree is a more efficient
use of resources for a shade house than one made of wood and nails. In the photo of the promenade at Notre
Dame Paris, the trees form a durable, seasonally adjusting, air filtering
shade. In
the narrow streets of El
Bosque in Spain, citrus trees are the posts to guide to cars, their
trunks are
painted white and flowers grow at the base. Many
substitutions in the home can invovle the choice of
biological resources. We use locally grown bamboo for the
curtain rails, a wood-fired heater and cooktop, woven baskets for
storage, wooden items instead of plastic, canvas and oils instead of
polyurethane, wool instead of nylon. Some strategies favouring
biological resources include the use of animal or human powered tools
and transport, solar or micro-hyrdro instead of chemical battery
power.
Energy FlowDesign to capture existing energy flow E.g. Wind, wave solar or running
water. This is discussed in Energy. Even animals can be guided into narrow
paths that serve to compact and stabilise slopes on contour.) Minimise the need for human energy
input. In El Bosque, Spain there is a
large fish farm (see Aquaculture) that uses the natural water flow to
channel water to the ponds and breed the fish. We can position chickens to
distribute mulch, or to weed an area.
We can plant deciduous trees up slope so the leaves fall as mulch where
required. Let nature do the work.
Imitate nature in
your plans to help a system evolve to meet your needs. Eg: You could allow the grasses to become
seeded with herbs and flat ‘weeds’, grow tall grasses and pioneer species that
act as green manure (Oats, Wheat, Sorghum) to protect young climax species (eg.
fruit trees) from frost and insect attack.
This is discussed further in Cultivated
Ecology. A social example would be
to glean the wisdom of our elders (canopy and support species), be active in
social or professional guilds (companions and guild people) and seek a niche
for our talents (a place in a complex society) explore opportunities as they
appear (as in the forest when the canopy opens and new light appears).
Aim to include a
variety of species of food plants or animals.
Diversity in nature builds resilience and resistance to pest
attack. It also lets us find which
variety works well in our own particular climate and microclimates.
This concept aims to
maximise the productivity of a system.
A food forest can have numerous layers:
Bulbs such as onions, ginger, carrots, turnips, beetroot;
Low grasses such as sedges,
wheat, oats, and
Tall grasses like corn banana, arrowroot, cassava, cardamom;
Ground covers such as pumpkin, Warrigal greens;
Fungi such as Mushrooms, growing in the mulch beneath
Herbs such as lettuce, spinach, parsley, celeriac;
Shrubs such as wormwood, currants and
bramble berries;
Small trees such as Macadamia, feijoa, carob, avocado, oranges, small fig;
Epiphytes and Aerial plants hanging on trees and in branches.
They can include ferns, bromeliaeds,
orchids, mosses and epiphiliums with edible fruit.
Vines such as Kiwi fruit, grape, passionfruit.
Climax Species such as Lilly Pilly, Mulberry, Plums, Oaks,
Ice cream bean, and Nut trees.
Parasitic plants such as figs,
mistletoe.
Maximise the use of a technology by sharing or having it work to full
potential without overload. Choose the simplest and most effective
technologies. Consider the Bicycle, one
of the simplest technologies, the bicycle, can be made even more efficient with
the addition of baskets. Bicycles are
the most efficient form of transport throughout the cities of the world. They romantically amble in Paris and sleekly
charge in Germany!
In the photo is a
simple shade devise made from local materials employing local
manufacturers. The Shade cuts light and
reduces heat and permits airflow.
Look for the best fit between means and an end. Eg. Our Intensive
systems are more productive, diverse and can be positioned with little waste
involved in transporting produce to consumer.
Early in the implementation of our permaculture design we constructed a
mandala garden on a gentle slope. The
neighbour’s feral chickens attacked the plants’, lifted the deep mulch, and
destroyed the paths. We re-built the
garden and again it was attacked.
Finally, we solved the problem of the feral chickens (by feeding them)
and left the plants where they were. Of
course the plants had become more densely situated at the lower edge, these
plants acted as a mulch trap, water also collected in the mulch there. The path ended up on contour
rather than perfectly central. Many plants are still self-seeding
prolifically. In essence, we had
decided to work with natural
energies, we reduced human energy into that site and have a more productive
site.
Robyn Tredwell became Australian Rural Woman of the Year 95-96, after 10
years work she became a phenomena, her station finally became profitable and
her work has inspired many others. Most
of her success is linked to her keen sense of observation, she read much about
other peoples practices, but few were in her same situation. Her station is in the Northern Territory of
Australia, a tropical climate with wet and dry seasons. Her soil was compacted, denuded and full of
invasive and dominating native and introduced species. She observed that she could use the weeds to
regenerate the soil so that more desirable species could be introduced; she
then went on to use the resources she had at hand, namely the cattle to weed
and spread the seed.
Aim
for optimum production with minimum intervention.
Work with the natural and social energies within the landscape. Fit the design into its surroundings. Look at the wider social environment as a key to what will work. At the steps of parliament house, Berlin (The Reistag), there is a grassed area that is designed to withstand wet conditions and high pedestrian traffic (see photo). It works with nature and provides for the needs of the people.
Another example can be seen when planting expensive crops in poor regions. These require more human intervention (in the form of security). Whereas a design that considers the social environment involves the community; provides work; and shares the profits.
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