Permaculture - Sustainable Farming
 (Read 500+ times)
By Rose Hillbrand
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Permaculture, or permanent agriculture combined with permanent culture, came about as a reaction to problems concerning traditional farming methods, the erosion of loam, overuse of water sources, and a rupture of the natural cycle of our environment, amid other things. Sustainable agriculture is really a way for man to mimic the natural world in developing natural, workable, edible ecosystems. The objective is to take what is learned from nature and put it to work in your particular landscape, regardless of whether you maintain a small yard or a lot of acreage.
Permaculture calls for looking at the entire system and how every component interrelates to the other parts. It's about finding then healing the weak links or issues in a very sustainable manner without the use of fossil fuels. Variety along with minimal waste are key in permaculture.
Permanent agriculture, or sustainable agriculture, uses a zone concept. The greater amount of work that an area involves, the closer to your house that zone should be. For instance, Zone 1 is nearest to the house and should contain herbs or vegetables that are typically picked most often. The zone that is furthest away, based on the dimensions of the land that you are working, can be fruit trees or other items that need less maintanence.
If you should look at a forest, you may note the "stacking" done in the natural world. This may be intentionally imitated by humans. The stacking starts with tall fruit trees which forms the cover, to smaller trees, to shrubs, just before herbs, then root vegetables, and then finally down to ground cover plants like strawberries. From observing the natural world, one may create guilds, which are combinations of the stacking technique that work well in concert. As an example, Native Americans planted a guild of corn, squash, and beans.
Permaculture additionally asks plants and trees to supply more than one function. For instance, an apple tree gives:
* shade for more tender, shade-loving plants,
* shade for its roots, which means less irrigation will be needed,
* a resting or nesting site used by birds, which in turn replenish the earth,
* apples for humans as well as wildlife to consume,
* dried leaves which drop to the ground and decay, helping to replenish the soil,
* kindling for fire
You might want to give a little serious thought to tearing up your wasteful water-consuming lawn to grow food for human and/or wildlife consumption. Traditional ways of gardening are typically fairly work-intensive and may require chemicals in order to sustain them. However, when a sustainable garden landscape gets going and starts to support itself it will become a much less time-consuming way to garden. And also it sets the plants up with a way more ecological way of nourishing themselves. Using sustainable gardening methods can also be an easy method to close the ecosystem loop and become more sustainable.
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Author Bio Box: Rose Hillbrand
For more tips, resources, and info on sustainable gardening, you may visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html. You can also find more articles and information on our blog at http://newholisticliving.wordpress.com/ - Just click the "Sustainable Gardening" topic.
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