Permaculture 03 - Permaculture is Wild
The old phrase “History is written by the winners” applies to the way we humans live on the planet. We have dominated the planet and altered it to fit our designs. As you may have seen in the documentary “Seeds of Change” (find the link in our second blog) many of our modern practices are contrary to the way nature produces food. Not only that, but the animals that we share the planet with are treated as vermin if they interfere with our monoculture plots. We've even gotten to the point where we instill different genetics into crops in order to assure they are not vulnerable to the pesticides or herbicides we have developed to further our monoculture practices!
Seems contrary to the common ideal of “work smarter, not harder” when all we have to do is follow along with natural patterns and reconnect that natural pattern that was so simple that it worked billions of years before humans decided to “improve upon” it. Our human rigidity has caused us to work harder when we just need to emulate the flexible practices of nature designed to accommodate when something “goes wrong” in the dynamic environments that we live in. It would seem very counterproductive to forgo nature's billion years of explosive operation to force our own designs.
We must reconnect ourselves to the natural process and stop fighting it, that is the first principle. Nature is full of wonders, we know this because we've been in it – even if we have to drive hours to get to a “natural spot. If we allow nature to return to where we live we find balance begins to restore to our works and to our lives.
This crosses right into the second principle is that the “problem” of Nature is actually the solution. Our rigid designs, our monoculture, our genetic manipulation, our loss of vision that natural systems can do most of the work for us has turned humans into the problem, not Nature. By seeing nature as a resource, we see that our workload diminishes.
With our diminished workload we run right into the third principle of Permaculture, in that we should make the least amount of change for the greatest possible effect. Why waste more personal energy than you would want to?
Naturally following these above principles we find the fourth principle showing us that the yield of a system is theoretically unlimited. Our imagination, our observation, our analysis is truly the only limitation we face. If you find yourself “stumped” at a solution it usually means you just haven't spent enough time in observation and analysis, when you allow Nature to show you the solution you find bountiful rewards.
And what about those "vermin"? Does a pig not till the soil? Does a rabbit not loosen the earth at deeper levels? Don't worms fertilize our soil in microscopic levels? “Everything Gardens” is the fifth design principle. Even trees bring to the garden amazing benefits that would be irrevocably lost if we just cut them all out of our way. What can we observe about the natural influences that eases our workload?
Instead of creating a “field crop” can we not foster an ecosystem? Ecosystems fed the inhabitants for millennia before we came along “with a better idea”. Permaculturists get sheer pleasure from the bounty of food, water, and energy that could seemingly come out of nowhere if you were not observant enough to allow nature to do its magic.
Jimmy Barrett is an Business Services Professional, working from home with a Family of four. He's enjoying the journey of learning about Permaculture and adding its practices to his own home garden. Please note that opinions expressed by Jimmy Barrett may not be shared by Heart 2 Heart Farms, should you have any questions please feel free to email us directly.
