Permaculture – A Sustainable Future

The term “permaculture” was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist, with one of his students, David Holmgren. It is a contraction of “permanent agriculture” and also “permanent culture.” Permaculture is a relatively broad term subject to interpretation, but generally it is a design system for creating sustainable human environments. The aim is to create systems that are ecologically sound and economically feasible, which do not damage or pollute and are therefore sustainable in the long term. It is based on the careful observation of natural ecosystems, the value of traditional farming practices, and modern scientific and technological knowledge (Mollison, 1991).

The basic philosophy of permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature, of thoughtful observation rather than thoughtless labor, and of understanding the multiple functions of plants and animals, instead of treating them as single-product systems. Permaculture presents an alternative to trying to make the environment yield to our brute strength and blows. Bill Mollison, in his book Introduction to Permaculture, asserts that “if we attack nature we attack (and ultimately destroy) ourselves”(Mollison, 1991).

Mollison, 1991, also states that harmony with nature is only possible if humans can discard the notion that we are superior to the natural world. He states, “We are not superior to other life-forms; all living things are an expression of Life. If we could see that truth, we would see that everything we do to other life-forms we also do to ourselves. A culture which understands this does not, without absolute necessity, destroy any living thing.”

Permaculture in its design recognizes th...

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