Permaculture is basically about reducing waste: energy and materials, human and environmental. It is about thinking and observation. It aims to design and create systems that imitate nature, contain and digest any by products and turn the problems into solutions. No two systems will look the same as each is harmony with its natural surrounds, different climates and aspects and people needs.
The word PermacultureŽ was first coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978 with their book Permaculture One. It was formed from the words permanent agriculture. It originally meant permanent agriculture, and evolved to encompass strategies for a more Permanent, that is, evolving but sustainable Culture. Global needs affect the way we live and, therefore, affect our lifestyle and culture. The main aim of Permaculture is to create living systems without waste. Then people can actively conserve world life and resources.
In the same way that agriculture became a crucial step in the development of human behaviour. Permaculture can too. Agriculture allowed people to stay in one place for generations. With agriculture people no longer had to hunt and move with the seasons. When creating or expanding an agricultural area, humans created more pasture. But pasture is the least productive use of land [Mollison]. It gives little back to the soil and as human populations grow and deplete soils, their agriculture tradition radiates out into forests to turn them into pasture.
We are quickly running out of forests and good soil. Agriculture is failing. Most Modern agriculture works in sub-soil with artificial nutrients, bulky machinery and fuel, and artificial pest control to keep feeding the world's people a food that is low in nutrients and vitality.
Permaculture is about reducing pressure on remaining forests by bringing productive gardens and nature to where the people live. We can minimise soil loss and build multifuntional food forests. We can all be productive in our home systems and we can satisfy much of our needs and waste management locally.
Permaculture aims for self-renewing natural systems of food production: Self-seeding annuals, perennials, trees and herbs and self seeding annuals; choosing species high in nutrition and producing it where people live.
Sustainable human habitats have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. [Fanton 1995] Permaculture builds the relationship between productive ecosystems, buildings, town planning; water supply; sewerage; social and economic structures.
Permaculture is about taking responsibility and control over much of our needs and wants, being part of a global solution rather than part of the problem.