by Jesse Cowan ’02

For decades, intensive commercial monoculture has been the prevalent method of food production in the United States and in many other areas of the world. As this system of agriculture ages, however, we see more and more clearly that it has taken a great toll on the land and perhaps even on the very fabric of our society. The effects of this widespread monoculture are apparent in the erosion and depletion of nutrients in the soil, in the destruction of river habitats for irrigation purposes, in the extensive harm done to both humans and other species by agricultural chemicals, and in myriad other ways. Foreseeing that this destruction could not go on indefinitely and still leave the earth a productive and vital system, scientists have made substantial efforts to lessen the detrimental impacts of commercial monoculture through the invention of new technologies. Many farmers, scientists, and other individuals believe, however, that the answers to our ecological problems lie not in more efficient monoculture but in a farming system in which each household or community is completely self-sustaining.

One group of these individuals has developed a method of self-sustained living known as permaculture. Unlike many other methods of alternative agriculture, permaculture is not simply a method of food production. It is a complete lifestyle with its own overarching set of beliefs that can be applied to every aspect of one’s life. The term "permaculture" was coined in the late 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, authors of the first permaculture manual, Permaculture I–A Perennial Agriculture System for Human Settlements. These philosophers of science believe that "when we left tribal life, we left with it all guides to sensible behavior in the natural world." They believe that we, as a human race, have forgotten how to "evolve self-regulating systems" and that the widespread destruction caused by our current system of agriculture is clear evidence of this.

Mollison and Holmgren sought to design a method through which humans might again live within self-regulating natural systems. These men were not modern "Luddites" who desired to reject all of modern science’s technological advances and return to primitive methods of production. On the contrary, they envisioned a lifestyle in which humans would utilize all of this new scientific understanding and their own commonsense to create small systems of food production which would simulate natural ecosystems and be individually tailored to suit the situation of each household.

In this type of system the primary concerns would not be mass production and economics but "people care" and "earth care." Because successful permaculture requires great inputs of knowledge of natural systems, creativity, and expertise in a number of different areas, the ideal of "people care" encourages individuals to share both their crop yield and their knowledge and talents. "People care" also encompasses the ideal that, just as an individual should care for the earth, the earth should care and provide for that individual. Each permaculture system is thus developed and personally tailored to suit the needs and desires of the individuals for which it provides.

Unlike other agricultural systems, permaculture is not a specific and definite series of techniques used to produce a standard outcome. Rather, it is a diverse compilation of ideas and agricultural strategies adopted from various eras and cultures and combined with one’s own ingenuity. From this compilation, each individual must select those techniques best suited to the conditions of his land and the goals he holds for his permaculture system.

The common bond between the countless permaculture techniques is the "earth-care" ideal. Ultimately, the goal of any permaculture system is for it to be completely self-sustaining with the smallest possible input of energy. In order for a system to reach this state, it is necessary that the methods of land-use chosen by humans take as little toll on the land as possible, thus the concept "earth-care."

In keeping with this philosophy, a permaculturist might intersperse soil-enriching plants such as legumes among his beds. Legumes serve the dual purpose of producing food and maintaining the soil’s health without commercial fertilizers, which often harm the surrounding ecosystem. Also, recognizing that a diet of foods raised in diverse and far away climates (which is prevalent in industrialized countries) cannot be sustained in an ecologically sound manner on a single small plot of land, a permaculturist might consciously re-center his diet to depend only on those foods best suited to his climate. In this manner he would eliminate the need for excessive irrigation, pesticides, fertilizers, and food from outside sources, thereby reducing his impact on the ecosystem.

Although all permaculture systems are eclectic combinations of techniques, there are several concepts that are consistently incorporated and form a solid base for a productive system. Permaculture is grounded on a system of zones, zone one being the closest to one’s dwelling and the most intensely cultivated. In planning the placement of zones and the placement of components in those zones, great attention is paid to the interactions of the different components–both biotic and abiotic–in order to maximize the system’s potential. Generally, those plants and animals which need the most care and are utilized the most often are placed in zone one. Each subsequent zone is larger, farther away, and more similar to the natural ecosystem of the area. Another concept central to permaculture is that each element should be carefully chosen and implemented in order to serve multiple purposes. For example, one might cultivate plants which themselves have multiple functions, be they nutritional, medicinal, cosmetic, decorative, or agricultural (i.e. plants which enrich the soil with certain nutrients).

While permaculture stresses that the land should be utilized in many ways and to the fullest extent, it is important to recognize the limits of the land’s ability to be productive while remaining healthy and fertile. It is impossible to reach permaculture’s ultimate goal of self-sustaining agriculture if the land is exploited and used in an unsustainable manner. In order to avoid this soil exploitation, one must be very attentive to the health of the land and make constant efforts to protect and nourish it just as it nourishes us. Because permaculture replaces the large machinery used in modern monoculture with human labor, one individual can produce only a relatively small amount of food by today’s industrial standards. Because of these limited returns on one’s efforts, it is unlikely that permaculture would ever be of great monetary advantage. Permaculture was, however, never intended to be a commercial venture. It was intended to be an alternative through which a household could disentangle itself from harmful, commercially centered, modern monoculture and become self-sustaining.

Although permaculture slowly continues to gain popularity and respect as a viable lifestyle option, it is extremely unlikely that it will become a major player in the agricultural scene any time in the near future. While adopting other new methods of agriculture may simply require the implementation of new technologies or practices, the adoption of permaculture requires a whole new set of values and beliefs. To adopt the permaculture lifestyle, one must discard the materialistic values of our modern culture that stress the accumulation of wealth, and replace them with values that stress caring for humans and the earth above all else.

Indeed, permaculture does seem a rather impractical lifestyle for the majority of humanity given the present circumstances of urban living, such as a lack of land to cultivate and a lack of agricultural knowledge; however, this is not to say that its adoption is forever impossible. As D. Watkins, author of Urban Permaculture: A Practical Handbook for Sustainable Living, believes, the key to the future widespread success for permaculture is a transition gradual enough to allow not only individuals to adjust but also the agricultural industry to adapt to society’s decreasing dependence on it. Despite the difficulty associated with adopting it, permaculture is believed to have the potential for success on a large scale. The knowledge that similar systems have succeeded in the past does inspire hope in permaculture’s potential. For example, as Bill Mollison cites in his book Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual, during World War II in Russia, eighty percent of the citizens’ food was grown in their own yards. In this case it was a state of crisis that spurred such a rapid and total adoption of a new agricultural base.

Such a pressing crisis is certainly an undesired motivation to adopt a low-impact agricultural system such as permaculture. Many scientists, however, believe that a similarly pressing ecological crisis brought on by the irresponsibility of modern agriculture and resource use is impending. Consequently, if our adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle is not hastened, we may be forced by the deteriorating conditions of the land to adopt such practices under duress, resulting in great social chaos. Permaculture, if implemented today, could have the power to prevent such an outcome.