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<\/a><\/div>\nThe ethics of Permaculture are to care for the land, care for the people, and care for the future using these fourteen principles:<\/p>\n
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Permaculture is a system<\/a>.\u00a0 The more complex the natural system is the more fluid and productive it becomes.\u00a0 The principle of diversity is interwoven throughout Permaculture.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The most productive pieces of land lie at the edge<\/a> of two different ecological zones. This is where there is the most diversity.\u00a0 Energy imput and output are highest in these places.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n \n 3. Energy Planning<\/span><\/strong> Permaculture is geared to the idea of working smarter, not necessarily harder.\u00a0 This reduces the wear and tear on the land and the people to ensure future sustenance. A kitchen garden<\/a> is a good example of Permaculture design.\u00a0 The idea is to create an organic perpetual motion machine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Nothing in Permaculture is wasted.\u00a0 One system’s waste products are used to fuel another system.<\/a> The feeding\/fertilizer cycle is a closed circuit that wastes nothing and requires no outside assistance.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Top-heavy, overambitious planning can stunt growth rather than promoting development.\u00a0 Start small and build off of what already works, not just what you want to work well.\u00a0 Work off of strengths<\/a> instead of trying to turn weaknesses into strengths.<\/p>\n \n<\/blockquote>\n Synthetic pesticides are expensive especially in the rural communities of the developing world.\u00a0 They tend to attack the problem narrowly without solving it holistically.\u00a0 If Permaculture is a biological system then ideally it should be maintained biologically<\/a>.<\/p>\n Be resourc<\/a>eful.<\/a> If one part of the system breaks or disappears find ways to continue keeping the system productive.\u00a0 When the cap to this girl’s jerrycan went missing, she created a new one out of a banana.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A chicken is more than just a chicken. <\/a> Permaculture uses resources to the fullest so that its ecological participants become jacks-of-all-trades.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n 9. Natural Succession.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Be in tune with the seasons.\u00a0 There’s a time to plant and a time to harvest.\u00a0 These are dependent on wet and dry months.\u00a0 Predicting when the rains will come has been difficult due to recent climate change<\/a>.\u00a0 This parsley was one of the few plants to survive a recent drought.<\/p>\n \n<\/blockquote>\n There’s a man in Japan<\/a> that is 74 years old and independently maintains 12 acres of some of the most productive farmland in the world.\u00a0 Areas that need the most attention should be kept close at hand.\u00a0 Elements that require less monitoring can be kept further away.<\/p>\n \n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Permanent agriculture sustains for generations upon generations.\u00a0 By planning long term for the future, you ensure through responsible management<\/a> that there are always enough resources at any present moment in time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n When you interplant<\/a> vegetable plants among fruit trees you are providing protective shade for young plants.\u00a0 The shorter plants create ground cover and discourage weed growth.\u00a0 It’s a symbiotic relationship.<\/p>\n \n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Don’t say, “How do I make this land do what I want it to do?”\u00a0 Instead say, “What can this land provide me with its unique characteristics?”\u00a0 Water takes the shape of whatever vessel it is poured in.<\/a> How do you adapt to the environment you’ve been given?<\/p>\n \n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n A Permaculturist is just as much a<\/a> go<\/a>od naturalist<\/a>.\u00a0 Nature is built up out of different interactions of flora and fauna.\u00a0 These sequences and relationships are rich with diversity.\u00a0 Diversity makes a system fluid and productive.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>1. Diversity<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n<\/code><\/h2>\n<\/a>2. The Edge Effect<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n\n
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<\/a>4. Energy Cycling<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n\n
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> 5. Scale<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
<\/a>6. Biological Resources<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n\n
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\n7. Multiple Elem<\/span><\/strong><\/a>ents<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n
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<\/a>10. Relative Location<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n\n
<\/a>11. Personal Responsibility<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>12. Cooperation Not Competition<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n\n
<\/a>13. See Solutions Not Problems<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>14. Observation<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n\n
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\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/a>My interest in permaculture started with appropriate technologies.\u00a0 My Ugandan counterparts taught me how to build tippy-taps<\/a>, solar driers<\/a>, firewood saving stoves<\/a>, and kitchen gardens<\/a>.\u00a0 These devices are built out of necessity from locally available resources, but show signs of resourceful ingenuity in their simplicity.\u00a0 I became interested in food security<\/a>, got involved with a demonstration farm and co-op, and drew upon my experiences to develop an agro-education curriculum<\/a> for the local school.\u00a0 The characters featured in this documentary were my friends and neighbors.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/a>The 14 principles come from Yayasan Indonesian Development of Education and Permaculture Foundation<\/a>.\u00a0 IDEP has an excellent permaculture manual<\/a> that can be downloaded for free. In addition, Bill Mollison, the founder of permaculture, was interviewed in an insightful piece for Mother Earth News<\/a>.\u00a0 These two sources were great inspiration to my work.\u00a0 The Peace Corps’ philosophy of sustainable development <\/a>was also a major influence.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n