designing thriving ecosystems with permaculture
Permaculture is a broad, holistic design culture based on whole-systems thinking. The concept was developed in the 1970s by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, with the aim to foster self-sufficient, resilient and sustainable human systems that draw inspiration from natural ecosystems. Permaculture shares a lot of practices with agroforestry and regenerative agriculture, but goes beyond the agricultural field by encompassing social, cultural and economic aspects. Permaculture tackles how to grow food, get energy, design houses, create communities and build resilience, while working with nature, rather than against it. Key permacultural practices include producing no waste, creating closed loop systems, capturing and storing energy, integrating rather than segregating, and valuing diversity. Permaculture is very space-efficient and can empower anyone to grow food pretty much anywhere, including in spaces as small as a balcony! As the urban and suburban permaculture movement grows, we can all take part in even in a small way.