Permaculture: Backyard, farming buzzword changing how we look at our homes

It centres around housing, farming, energy and economics – if you don’t know about it now you soon will.

Permaculture is a buzzword at the moment.

But, what does permaculture actually mean? Why is it important? And how do you apply the principles of it at home?

All those questions are pertinent, so we reached out to Penny Pyett, founder and Director of Permaculture Sydney Institute.

With a background in horticulture and over 20 years of experience in her field, Penny is also a graduate of Bill Mollison, who was responsible for coining the term permaculture back in the 1970s.

Living sustainably is at the heart of permaculture.

WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?

At its core, permaculture is about living sustainably, says Penny.

“It involves a caring for nature, people and all living things. It’s about growing food, making things we need and about how we live, from the activities we engage in, how we spend our time and the resources we use,” she says.

“It’s about housing, farming, managing wastes, animals, energy and economics. It’s about being as reliant as possible on yourself, but within a community context and being a responsible producer and less a dependent consumer.

“Permaculture is based on three main ethics: care for the earth, care for people and fair share.

“Apart from designing our own homes and farms, permaculture design is also relevant for towns and villages and is applicable in any climate.

“The pandemic has shown many people the value of both self-reliance and friendships, of local food production and of preparing for the future.”

Bill Mollison summed it up beautifully when he stated that permaculture is “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature”.

Work with, not against nature.

THE PRINCIPLES OF PERMACULTURE

There are many permaculture design principles used by trainers in different ways, says Penny.

“If applied in design, they will save you work, money and time and will assist nature and the environment.

But to think that only ‘12 principles’ can capture everything about permaculture would be wrong. Permaculture encourages people to think for themselves, to adopt and adapt what is right for their own situation.”

She adds while there’s likely to be upwards of 30 permaculture principles covering everything from water management to soil regeneration, and there are some key principles that can be used as a guide to get started.

There are upwards of 30 permaculture principles.

“Space, placement, multiple functions and connections means when choosing things for your garden put items that need more work closest to the home, like the kitchen garden.

“Place things in the right position in your garden and group things together that need to be connected, like chickens and food forests or compost bins, vegetable gardens and water.

“We also select things for our gardens based on functions they provide, and the more functions the better. For example a lavender or rosemary bush can be a hedge to protect your garden and dry your washing on, provide food for us and the bees, provide habitat for birds and attract beneficial insects.

At Turramurra community garden: (l-r) Julie Antill, Penny Pyett and Susie Eve.

“The principle of diversity is greatly used in permaculture by having many different species in our gardens and creating a polyculture as opposed to a monoculture system.

“We use perennials as much as possible and mix up plantings like mixing vegetables with herbs. Some other principles are obtaining a yield or growing your own food, medicinal plants and meat, producing no waste, using and valuing renewable and biological resources and recycling energy and resources onsite.”

PERMACULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Permaculture enables you to do your bit for the community and environment, says Penny.

“There has never been a more important time to apply permaculture, as pressure on the decreasing resources of the planet and the associated environmental risks affect us all.”

The good news is that low-cost direct action is within the capacity of all individuals and households.

Permaculture can aid your treechange.

It doesn’t depend on governments or political parties, and it reinforces feelings of confidence and empowers people.”

As well as the environmental benefits, permaculture can also assist you in your future direction and choices. This can range from what job you choose to do and how you want to live your life.

“If you’re thinking of doing a tree change it can also help with selling and purchasing properties, which can save you money and heartache,” says Penny.

TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED

Firstly, Penny strongly recommends getting to know your property and develop a relationship with it.

“This means careful thought and observation over time. Engage the mind before the body. Don’t rush in but think, observe, research, learn and plan,” she says.

“See what it can offer you, not what you want to impose on it.”

Penny also suggests doing a design of your property.

Everyone can get involved.

“Outline the big picture first and then the details. This will ensure you put things in the right place and get everyone involved on the same page.”

Though if you’re really interested in learning about permaculture, want to live more sustainably and affordably or are moving houses, Penny says it’s best to do a course to get the basics right.

“We offer a variety of courses, from introductory ones to two-week courses that cover the big picture of permaculture and how to design a property, as well as advanced courses for deeper knowledge and professional practice.

“We’ve also got one-off workshops on bee keeping, preserving and fermenting and farm fencing,” says Penny.

It’s a minimal investment to help with important life decisions.”

‘Real change.’

HOW TO STAY INSPIRED

We asked Penny why she loves what she does and what inspires her after all this time.

“Every two years we host a graduate get together where past students come back and share their stories and journey.

So many people have gone on to do wonderful things that have helped themselves, the community and the world.

Some have built sustainable homes, others have created green businesses or completed aid projects overseas.

Seeing real change and real progress in the community. That’s what keeps me going.”

More: Permaculture Sydney Institute

Originally published as Permaculture: Backyard, farming buzzword changing how we look at our homes