Here on the farm we utilize permaculture principals in all that we do. Permaculture is an ecological design science that helps us design our farm as a living system, rather then a bunch of unconnected parts. Andrew is a certified Permaculture Designer via Midwest Permaculture, with teachers Wayne Weiseman and Bill Wilson. We teach Intro to Permaculture Workshops every year in order to spread the knowledge of this amazing landscape design system.
Taking one of our Intro to Permaculture workshops allows you to immerse yourself in this design science for a daylong adventure. We provide a comprehensive overview of the systems- thinking that permaculture cultivates, as well as exploring the details of a self-regenerative landscape. We also get our hands dirty as we work in the dirt to create permaculture installations with fruit trees and shrubs, berms and swales, and polyculture plantings.
An Overview:
Permaculture means “Permanent Agriculture” or “Permanent Culture.” It was created by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the late 70′s. They incorporated ancient methods of perennial agriculture with new scientific views of ecology into a design science that facilitated the use off this knowledge via teaching Permaculture Design Courses, PDC. Anyone, from an office worker to an urban planner, can use this knowledge to create ecologically sound and human-friendly systems of living.
One difference between permaculture design and other types of design is that permaculture has, at its heart, a core set of ethics and principles.
The Core ethics are:
1. Care of the Earth
2. Care of the People
3. Sharing Resources
There are 12 main principles of permaculture. Here on the farm we focus on the first three every day. They are:
1. Observe and interact
2. Catch and store energy
3. Obtain a yield
Working on a berm & swale with fruit tree polyculture installation
