| What is Permaculture? Six years ago I was introduced to a system of design for
sustainable living called permaculture (permanent + agriculture). It's Tasmanian founder, Bill Mollison, coined the phrase in 1972 because there was no word in our language to describe a
system of agriculture which did not deplete the land or endure without constant human inputs. During his most recent course in Texas, in the spring of 1996, Bill Mollison described
permaculture as much more than a system of food production, it has become a system of categorizing the whole of human knowledge so that essential, relevant facts are readily available to us
whenever we need them, much like stepping into a spacious, very efficiently organized walk-in closet with all of the garments one needs within an arm's reach. The information included in this
vessel of human knowledge is taken from both indigenous cultures, as well as from western academia. The principle requirement fo r including information in this "wardrobe" is that it assist us
in creating sustainable human settlements.
Sustainability can be looked at as a simple energy equation or it can be measured by the social consequences of our actions. If a site generates more energy
over time (in the form of trees, produce, animals, fuel, etc. ) than was required to create that site, then it is sustainable. Just ask, "Is this site a net importer of energy? Does this site
generate more waste than useful products?" If the answer is yes to either of these questions, then the site is not yet operating sustainably - we are taking more than we are putting back,
throwing away more than we are putting to use. On a social scale, if we can meet our needs without jeopardizing th e ability of future generations to meet their needs then we are behaving
sustainably. If we leave our children a degraded landscape and a hostile society then we are merely contributing to a self-destructive culture.
A great way to understand permaculture in practical terms and discover ho w it fits into our lifestyles is to visit a permaculture settlement, which is just
what we are about to do! Allow me to whisk you away to the Cross Timbers bioregion of north central Texas. Among these limestone bluffs and post oak savannas, nestled next to a small
intermittent stream is the Cross Timbers Permaculture Institute where I and my family have the good fortune to live and work. The institute is dedicated to implementing and teaching
permaculture designs from small animal systems to straw bale house construction. A tour around the institute is like being handed the Cliff notes to Mollison's book, An Introduction to
Permaculture.
Upon arrival, the first glimpse we catch of Cross Timbers is the front yard of the main building which is filled with corn and sunflowers towering over
sprawling squashes and cow peas. We have placed as many high yielding food, medicinal and culinary plants as possible in the fron t yard where we can easily take care of them and receive the
greatest benefit from their presence. To either side of the pink granite-gravel path leading to the front door are two raised herb beds shaped with rocks into conical spirals (6' in diameter
and 3' tall). The herb spirals are planted with echinacia, lavender, oregano, rosemary, thyme and penny royal. The raised spiral shape of the herb garden is an analog of natural spirals and
therefore offers plants much of the diversity found in Nature - different zones of moisture, different aspects of the sun, and an increased planting area by utilizing vertical space as well as
lateral space. Hanging in front of the porch of the main building are trellises made from local juniper branches which provide shade from the late afternoon sun. The six trellises are covered
with grapes, hardy kiwi fruit, passion fruit vine, and scarlet runner beans. Thus the trellises provide food as well as shade. Welcome to Cross Timbers!
Close to the main building, a one story, cedar ship-lap structure, you will find several other multi-functional designs, all harvesting the natural flows of
energy through the landscape (sunlight, rain, plant and animal behaviors, etc.). For instance, cloaked with brown burlap bags, not twenty feet from the kitchen door are two rabbit hutches -
one is portable and cruises our garden beds, the other is raised on stilts. Our food scraps and garden tillings are enough to easily feed the five rabbit s as well as enrich the diets of our
chickens. Rabbit pellets from the raised hutch in turn fall into worm boxes to provide food for our brown nosed wigglers. The worm castings are then used to fertilize our vegetables and
inoculate the garden's soil with worm eggs. When winter arrives and there is no longer any fresh produce from the garden we harvest the rabbits for their meat and fur. Our food scraps are
converted into meat, fur, worms and excellent compost. Nothing is wasted, and everything is arranged so that we exert the least amount of effort and gain the highest yield from our systems.
Along with the portable rabbit hutch we also have a portable chicken coup affectionately referred to as a "chicken tractor." This 4' wide, 10' long chicken
tractor can house nine laying hens and one rooster. Chicken behaviors are extremely useful to us, they scratch the ground, eat grasses and insects, and deposit a layer of high phosphorous
manure. Since the size of the chicken tractor and the appetite of the chickens is too big for the annual garden in front of the main building we run it in the fiel d on the other side of our
driveway where we cultivate corn, peas and turnips in its wake. Chickens are truly amazing animals because they convert feed grains and insect pests into highly nutritious meat and eggs and
useful feathers.
Punctuating the scenery behind the chicken tractor is a series of level water-harvesting ditches dug on contour called swales. Swales collect the rain water,
soil run-off and detritus washing off of the land. A swale can concentrate three times the annual rainfall and slightly lower the pH of the soil in its bottom, allowing us to grow fruit trees
and berry bushes (dewberries, black berries, red currents and blue berries) which would not typically do well in our climate. To conserve the water collected by the swales we heavily mulch all
of our fruit trees with hay and wood chips, and cover all garden beds with a light layer of grass clippings. Still higher up slope is a small pond for collecting the run- off channeled onto
the institute by steel culverts passing under nearby roads. The pond provides a mini-ecosystem suitable for edible water plants, small fish and crustaceans, and serves as a water reservoir for
irrigation and fire fighting. Back on the north side of the main building shaded by a large elm tree is a 6,500 gallon ferro-cement water cistern used to hold the rain water off our roof, and
should we run out of rain water to drink there is still pressurized water from a well. Water harvesting is an essential function in a permaculture landscape and is supported by as many
components as possible.
After many hours of digging swales and hard work under the hot sun we have learned that the best way to get "the biggest bang for your buck" is to become a
teacher and enable others to build permaculture settlements on their own. Our most effective way of passing on the vessel of knowledge which is permaculture is our intern and apprentice
program. Those who com e to live and work here are generally people seeking a natural lifestyle or interested in organic farming, and leave with a much better understanding of what
sustainability is in practical terms. Cross Timbers also offers introduction to permaculture courses as well as full blown two week design courses. We set up booths and speak at conferences
and fairs, and have had several radio interviews. Guided tours and overnight workshops on planting, building and teaching are also available. We distribute books, information pamphlets and
publish a newsletter. Without the focus on teaching, permaculture would be limited to a few isolated, back-woods efforts at self-sufficiency, but permaculture has consequently become one of
the fastest growing, grassroots endeavors in the world to live sustainable. So ends our tour, with an invitation to learn more.
Permaculture is really an attempt to recreate the Garden of Eden. In the first book of Genesis, humanity is put at odds with the soil and commanded to
cultivate plants as punishment for eating of the Tree of Conscience - the tree bearing the knowledge of good and evil. For ten thousand years we have struggled with the soil to make it produce
and now we are witnessing an end to nature's bounty. Permaculture eases that struggle b y creating agriculturally productive ecosystems with the stability, resilience and diversity of natural
ecosystems. It provides us with the means to meet our needs for water, food, shelter, energy and social interaction through the assembly of beneficial relationships without destroying the life
community around us of which we are an inseparable part. In the first book of Genesis an angel brandishing a great sword of fire is set to guard the entrance east of Eden and bar man's return.
If there's no going back to paradise, then we can only go forward to recreate it right around our own homes. |
