#Permaculture... And why #Maine is perfect for it

By Topher Belknap, November 2018

"THE TERM PERMACULTURE was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s, but the concepts it embodies have been around for much longer. According to Holmgren, permaculture is, 'Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber and energy for provision of local needs.'

Permaculture design: a primer

"Permaculture is a form of landscape design intended to generate food for humans while simultaneously regenerating our soil and land. It aims to create environments that meet our needs in sustainable ways; repair damage to ecosystems; and maintain and return wild spaces. Or, as I like to say, 'Permaculture is farming with your head, your heart and ... trees.'

"With respect to ecosystem repair, there are several things we can easily do that nature struggles to accomplish—such as moving nutrients uphill; moving nutrients from the ocean back to land; slowing water on steep slopes; and planting trees appropriate to the changing climate. All these things can be done by people with just a small amount of planning and effort.

"Systems that mimic nature are more sustainable, whereas human-created systems tend to be linear in their design, consuming resources and creating unusable waste. Natural systems maintain a closed loop, where waste from one element becomes input for another element. Nothing is depleted, and nothing accumulates into pollution.

"In permaculture, before introducing a new element to the design it is important to consider what that element adds and what it takes away or consumes in relation to the other elements in the system.

"Chickens, for example, need food, but if you already have a surplus of grain and ticks, their food is provided in the system. They need a place to scratch, but if you have patches of land that need cleaning up, they will do the work for you. They produce manure, but if you have a garden, it needs the fertilizer. They produce eggs, but if you already have bacon... well then, you’ve got breakfast!"

https://greenmainehomes.com/blog/2018/11/20/permaculture-and-why-maine-is-perfect-for-it

#SolarPunkSunday #Homesteading #MoreTree #FoodForests #Agroforestry #AgroEcology #GrowYourOwnFood #PermacultureDesign #GardenDesign #ZeroWaste

New year resolutions are easy to forget.
A permaculture design isn’t.
Barbara Scheltus suggests we sketch our intentions instead of listing resolutions. Let’s design our change!
https://permaculture-network.eu/blog/permaculture-designing-new-year

#happyNewYear #permaculturedesign #permaculture

Mayi Lekuona, Cathrine Dolleris and Dominik Jais meet for a dialogue on permaculture design.

Sign up to attend on 05.02.2026 at 18:30 CET: lnkd.in/d2KHRSkt

#permaculturedesign #designthinking #permaculture #ecology #regeneration #design #permatalks

A food forest, like the name implies, is a forest of food. Like any forest, once established they maintain themselves and have to be physically removed to stop producing. They are created in layers and this open source guide talks about plants ideal for creating the root crops layer. https://www.onecommunityglobal.org/food-forest-root-crop-plantings/

#FoodForest #PermacultureDesign #SustainableAgriculture #GrowYourOwnFood #RegenerativeAgriculture #EdibleLandscapes #FoodSecurity

If you could add ONE feature to your dream homestead, what would it be?

🌳 Food forest
💧 Pond
🔥 Biochar kiln
🐔 Chicken coop

Drop your answer below 👇 … and then take the next step: put it in your design and submit it. Submission period ends on October 15.

#PermacultureDesign #FutureFarms #PINAContest