Beginner’s Manual:
Permaculture
for international for International development Development
Leia Marasovich Summer 2012
I. Introduction: What is Permaculture?
table of contents
I. Introduction: 1-3 What is Permaculture? -Principles II. Culture and Approach: 4-6 Are You Helping? III. The Design Process: 7-9 What to Consider and What to Do? IV. Utilizing elements sustainably:
“Permaculture is a holistic design science that is reflective of natural patterns and promotes mutually beneficial relationships. Rooted in ethics, the concepts and themes in Permaculture help us rediscover how to be a positive contribution to the earth, ourselves and humanity.” Permaculture, derived from “permanent culture/agriculture,” is a new term for an old way of living. Permaculture is art and science coming together to help us think and design ecologically. Permaculture is regenerative and holistic design. Permaculture is stability through diversity. Permaculture is designing your life so that nature works in your and its benefit. Permaculture is maximizing hammock time. Permaculture is common sense. In essence, permaculture is life, for it incorporates everything from culture, education, health, spiritual well-being, economics, land tenure, nature stewardship, crafts, and technology. Permaculture is boundless; you can’t place its principles in a box and say, “this is permaculture” because permaculture is constantly changing, evolving, and regenerating. Permaculture principles are intended to be universally applicable while practices vary from place to place. The three ethics of permaculture are: 1. Care of the earth Allowing provisions and resources for all life systems to continue and multiply.
9-15
-Water (Greywater + Disinfectants)
-Soil/Compost
2. Care of the people Allowing provisions for people to access those resources necessary to their existence.
-Gardening -Sun/Solar -Livestock
3. Fairshare Return the surplus and the setting of limits to population and consumption. By governing our own needs, we can set resources aside for the earth and others.
-Aquaponics V. Decentralization: Power to the People!
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principles
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The Guiding principles of permaculture are: 1. Everything is connected to everything else 2. Every function is supported by many elements 3. Every element should serve many functions If you understand these concepts, you will be challenged to utilize your creativity and recognize the synergistic relationships that rest in everything. In other words, one element can have multiple purposes. For example, a simple water storage tank can serve more functions than just holding water. It can be a trellis for plants to grow on, a windbreak, a rainwater catching system, a microclimate so that different types of plants that need shade can grow, etc. Once you start to see beyond what an object is known to be, you will be able to recognize how many different ways it can bring benefits to various things. As Toby Hemenway once said, “stack elements in both space and tiime.� Some more permaculture principles include: -Work with nature; aiding the natural cycles results in higher yield and less work. A little support goes along way. -The problem is an opportunity; good design turns disadvantages into advantages. See solutions, not problems. We are the problem, we are the solution. Turn constraints into resources. -Make the least change for the greatest possible affect. -The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited (The only limit on the number of uses of a resource possible within a system is in the limit of the information and the imagination of the designer.) -Everything is connected. - Entropy; in complex systems disorder is an increasing result. Entropy and lifeforce are a stable pair that maintain the universe to infinity.
- Small scale-intensive systems; start small and create a system that is manageable and produces a high yield. - Co-operate instead of compete; this applies to natural and human systems and relationships between different elements. -Edge effect creates fertility, diversity, and production The edge is the intersection of two environments. This place of intersection is the most diverse place in a system and is where energies and material accumulate. Thus, extending and exaggerating the boundaries between adjoining systems provides additional contributions from the resources of both systems, increasing productivity. For example, there will be more yield to a garden that is more like a star-shape compared to a circle- because of the more edges. Other examples are found in ponds, forests, meadows, currents etc.
culture and approach: are you helping? The field of international development is very complex and sensitive because it deals with long lasting traditions and the personal values and morals of individuals of a certain culture. First and foremost ensure that the people you are “aiding” actually want your help. Even though a place may seem like they need help, it does not necessarily mean they want to be helped. If one goes into a country that seems to need help without truly asking for it, than the person could be causing more harm and misery than help, despite their good intentions. We must change our perspective of aid that implies “I” am going to help “them.” This mentality automatically creates a separation between two people. Don’t expect that you are going to save a country or a person because you know what is right for them. People know what is best for themselves, so your job is to merely help them realize that they can solve their problems on their own. We all have the capability to do the incredible, yet the fact that most people don’t realize their own power is the very factor that causes a per-
petual cycle of problems. Aid workers are like the match that starts the fire, but once the flame gets going, you don’t need the match anymore; eventually the flame will light itself out of darkness. Once you’ve determined the people want your help, try to understand them and their culture as much as you can. There is a fine line between trying to be them, and trying to understand them. Spend weeks, months, or even years living with them; wear their clothes, eat their food, participate in their daily routines and labor. While you do this, realize that you can never fully understand another culture you haven’t been raised in, but to a certain extent you can understand their patterns, comforts, and why they do the things they do. Go deep into cultural observation; figure out what drives their emotions- what gets them excited, happy, sad, angry, etc.? Don’t make a plan of aid before this crucial process. Once you fully understand the culture by living in it, than you can start to decipher the approach you will take towards aid. However, before you try to
change something, first understand what and why it is happening. You must understand and know how the people of the culture work and do things because even if you introduce something potentially beneficial to them, it will be worthless if the concept or object is drastically different from the way they havey’ve been doing things for generations. People don’t adapt to change easily. Things take time. Part of the importance of spending time immersed in the culture is not only to help you better help them, but also to create a deeper relationship with the people you are working with. Once you feel comfortable in the culture, the people will start feeling comfortable with you. And when they feel comfortable with you, that is when they will share their secrets and stories with you. When people see that someone truly cares from their heart about them, they will open up. It’s all about human to human, heart to heart connections. First impressions tend to have a lasting impact. When you first arrive on site, go around the land and compliment all the things they did right. If you go around stating the problems right off the bat, they will remember you as the one who shut them down, creating a hierarchical
relationship with them at the bottom. Prevent this; otherwise they will associate you with their failures. Thus, focus and expand on the positive aspects the community already has in place. In the community, figure out each person’s passions and what they are good at doing. For example, it would be illogical to force someone who is good at math to milk cows. Create a situation where everyone is valued so that an efficient, happy, and healthy community will evolve. It is important that people feel a feeling of ownership with what they are doing. When something is ours we are more likely to take responsibility for it and invest more time, energy, and money in it. Have people lead the change. It has to be their project; you can provide the information, but let them create, design, and innovate. It is not about what you do, but how you make people feel.
“Positivism is what drives Permaculture and the relationships that we develop as people working together toward our collective future.”
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Culture comes from a group of people who know where all that sustains them comes from, and they honor those things deeply. Martin Prechtel.
The land holds our culture and we are the vessels in which culture lends expression. This means that we must re-localize the systems and processes that provide for all that sustains us so that culture will be distinct to our bioregion.
A Valuable Helper: 1. Does not aim to give all the answers, but rather stimulates the people’s ability to ask the right questions and to research and find their own answers 2. Don’t try to solve all the worlds problems, but rather promote understanding of the processes at work so that solutions may be found 3. Foster our ability to cooperate with each other to enrich our learning process by collectively drawing on our individual skills, knowledge and experience rather than operating on principles of competition. 4. Understand that the challenge of poverty is not so much its existence, but our response to its existence.
Juicy Facts: --The vast majority of aid (90%) comes from donor governments and international institutions (such as the World Bank and United Nations agencies). --In 2010, 15 billion dollars went to military assistance, while 14.1 billion dollars went to USAID.
III. The Design Process: What to do and what to consider “We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.” -Albert Einstein The design process of a village, house, garden, etc. must be given time in order to be well thought out. At this point, you have as much understanding as possible about the people and culture that you’re working with, so their needs and values are always in the back of your mind when helping them design. The process below will lead you through a step-by-step procedure on where to start regardless of what situation or area you are in.
1. Observation
Understanding the details of the land you are working with is crucial. In order to fully understand what life is like on site, you should spend as long as you can- perhaps one yearcamping on the site before the design process even begins. During your campout, you must observe everything in sight- from the sun & wind patterns, to the temperature at different times of the day, to the native and local animals & plants, to the type of soil, to the air humidity, to the sounds, distance to the neighbors, to where the closest water source is, etc. Gather maps and write down all the data you observe. It is important to recognize all the details on the land before human interaction because in the end, you will either welcome these elements for they can be helpful to you, or you will learn to work with them. Remember, every element has a function. Good design depends on a free and harmonious relationship between nature and people, in which careful observation and thoughtful interaction provide the design inspiration, repertoire and patterns. It is not something that is generated in isolation, but through continuous and reciprocal interaction with the subject. Collect and observe the following: - Aerial photo - Cadastral/Topography Maps. Sequence of maps valuable to see clearly where to place many elements - (be careful; the “map is not the territory”) -Surrounding buildings - Water - Exclusion zones- Soils/Geology/Land Capability - Climatic Data - Fire Information - Existing Plans - Government Requirements/Info - Local Knowledge/Contacts - Soil Tests
2. Element Analysis Once you have observed all the different elements on the land, think to yourself how all these elements connect with each other. An analytic approach is the needs, products, and the intrinsic characteristics of each element. This is done on paper. Lists are made to try to supply (by some other element in the system) the needs of any particular element. Experiment on paper, connecting and combining elements (buildings, plants, animals, etc) to achieve no pollution (excess of product), and minimum work. Try to have one element fulfill the needs of another element. Below is an example for a chicken: Needs: food, grit, water, air, shelter, nest, protection, dust bath, other chickens Products/yields: manure, eggs, meat, feathers, heat, methane gas Characteristics: breed, color, heat tolerance, ranging habits, temperament, disease resistance Functions: pest control, fertilizer, grazing, weed control, shredding
b. Sector Analysis The aim of sector planning is to acknowledge external energies such as sun, wind, fire, noise, neighbors, etc. in order to either know if you will have to find a way to block them or welcome them and work with them. The sector plan is essential for risk assessment, identifying and designing microclimates, fire protection and determining orientation. The zone and sector factors together regulate the placement of particular plant species and structures. c. Slope The designer must harmonize with the slopes of the land. Place elements on the slope so that gravity is used to maximize capacity. For example, slopes can be conducive for water storages, capturing nutrients, preventing erosion, etc. d. Orientation Placement of an element so that is faces sun-side or shade-side, depending on its function and needs. Use all the above methodologies of design to create a regenerative system.
Once you do this, pair up the needs of one object with the yields of another and design accordingly.
3. Sector Planning: Where do we put things? This involves: zones, sector, slope, and orientation. a. Zones It is useful to consider the site as a series of zones, starting with the home centre and working outward. Pay attention to paths and movement corridors. The placement of elements in each zone depends on importance, priorities, and number of visits needed for each element. For example, a chicken house is visited every day, so it needs to be close- but not necessarily next to- the house. Proximity invites good management, while distance encourages neglect. The emphasis for effective design is on accessibility. Pattern the placement of systems in relationship to each other. Examples of what can be in each zone: Zone 1: home centre, herbs, vegetable garden, heavily mulched Zone 2: heavily cultivated, needs some tending, some animals (chickens, ducks, pigeon, quail) Zone 3: less mulching, windbreaks, may add goats, geese, sheep, pigs, and bees, nut tree forest Zone 4: long-term development, timber for building and firewood, minimal watering and feeding, some animals like cattle, deer, and sheep, agroforestry systems Zone 5: wild habitat, uncultivated bush, hunting
iv. Utilizing the Elements Sustainably “The problems are complex but the solutions are embarrassingly simple.”-Bill Mollison
Water
Water is the most precious resource vital to human, animal, and plant survival. Yet, since childhood we have become accustomed to a plentiful bounty of water that appears out of thin air from an “infinite” source. Have you ever questioned where the water from your sink is coming from and how it got there? Knowing where our water is coming from is crucial, for if our water supply were to shut down due to a natural disaster, we must first and foremost know where to go to access water.
Developed countries relationship with water is rather wasteful. The average person flushes 4 times a day at 5 gallons per flush. Thus, each individual could save 7,300 gallons of water per year if they used a water-less toilette, or compostable toilette. A family of four could potentially save 30,000 gallons of water a year.
Soil/ Compost
Soil is one of the most important aspects vital to human life. However, cropland worldwide is shrinking 37,000 square miles a year due to soil erosion. The economic impact of soil erosion in the United States costs the nation about $37.6 billion each year in productivity losses. Soil Secrets: -Soil is composed of: organic material (sand, clay, silt, loam), water, and air -It is important to look at the ph of soil….most plants thrive at pH of 6 (slightly acidic) Compost is a process of creating fertile and nutrient-rich soil from surrounding materials such as food and garden scraps. In other words, composting is enhancing what nature does, just faster. There are various types of ways to make compost, one of which is called thermophilic compost, or “hot compost” (described below). There are four requirements to creating good compost: carbon (browns 60%), nitrogen (greens 40%), air (40%), and water (45% moisture). Every few days or weeks the pile should be turned to either cool it down or heat it up. Typically, good compost rests at about 131-144 degrees Fahrenheit. At around 160 degrees Fahrenheit the compost begins to lose beneficial microbes, so it is important to maintain a steady temperature that does not get too hot. Red wiggler worms (eisenia foetida) are great to have in your compost for they help to break down material and produce nitrogen-rich castings. Composting with worms is called vermiculture.
Gardening
Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a simple, economical, tasty, and an exciting way to get nutrient-rich food on your table. In today’s society, it is difficult to know where our food is coming from. Furthermore, Americans tend to be oblivious to the other ingredients like preservatives and chemicals that are added to crops, in addition to the difference between genetically modified versus organic food. The main crops for humanity are: Soy, Rice, Wheat, Maize and Potatoes. You can see below the amount of variety of crops that have been lost. Monsanto, a large multinational genetically modified food corporation, controls 23% of the seeds, which threatens local farmers around the world.
Sun/Solar
SOLAR ENERGY drives the great geophysical and geochemical cycles that sustain life. Over 99% of the energy that flows in and out of Earth results from solar radiation. The rest is supplied from the earths’ core (heat), and moon and sun (gravitation). Super Sweet Solar Facts: • Solar radiation from the sun = 173 million large power stations per day of which: 30% is reflected back to space; 47% warms the air, sea and land; 23% powers evaporation and water cycle; less than 1% drives winds and currents; 0.02% is captured by photosynthesis. • 2 billion people rely on wood for daily cooking fuel and more than 2 million people die a year from the smoke (more than tubercolosis and malaria combined) • 2 billion people a day walk long distances for water (up to 7 hours a day for wood and water) Benefits of solar cooking: -consumes no fuels -Requires no wood -no daily search for firewood -no risks to women and children -frees time for other activities -no need to stir food -helps liberate women -easy -frees up valuable space inside the home for other uses -the cardboard solar cookers will not burn because paper burns at 451 degrees F and the cooker doesn’t get that hot -works at high altitudes -uses less water than usual; veggies don’t need water Major types of Solar Cookers: solar panel cooker, solar box booker, parabolic cooker
-typical family in Guatemala uses about 30 pieces of wood a day for cooking -solar stoves cook food in double the time of conventional stoves -use dark pots or dark ceramic that does not have lead in it. You can also use jars painted BBQ black -Solar cookers and panel cokers must have double glazing or the pot must be put in a plastic or baking bag -learn how to build a solar cooker yourself at solarcooking.org/plans
Livestock
Animals can be great for humans and the environment, or can be rather harmful. Below are the differences in raising livestock in conventional factory farms versus a farm that follows permaculture principles. Factory farms: • High energy input 10:1 (100:1) • Ineffcient use of human foods/grain • Generates waste & pollution • Vulnerable to disease outbreak • Inhumane conditions for animals • Narrow gene pool • Unhealthy product for human consumption (excess fats, antibiotic & chemical residues etc) Permaculture farms: • Humane • energy efficient • integrated with plant production systems • multifunctional • waste converters • nutrient cycling • breed conservation • environmentally responsible • provide ecosystem services • treated with respect
Animals do need lots of love and attention from people, so they are an investment. If you have the hands, animals are totally worth it and beneficial to not only your tastebuds, but to the environment as well. When deciding what animals to have on your land, consider the following: a. Consider: -What the animals do 1)for the system (functions) and 2) for you (yields) AND what do they consume and produce? -What animals do well in the climate you are in. This way, you will do less work in terms of purchasing external necessities for the animals -Take into account the native animals in the area that could be a potential predator to your animals. May need a guard dog or additional fencing, etc. b. Make sure to have: Water supply, forage and fodder, housing/shelter, fences, microclimate c. Know the following about your animals: • origins, biology, ecology• characteristics, breeds• forage ability• resilience• housing, fencing• environmental impact• feral potential• care & handling• water & food• social needs• population, stocking rates In my opinion, the most beneficial animals for humans: chickens, goats/ sheep, and bees d. Which animals in which zone: ZONE I: small livestock e.g. rabbits, guinea pigs, quail, a few chickens, bee hive ZONE II: free range poultry, housing/milking shed for a few dairy animals, tethered lawn-mowing goat or sheep – occasional grazing in orchard. ZONE III: intensive free range & forage systems, holding/overnight paddocks for milking animals, housing etc for Pigs, Sheep, Goats, Cows, Horses. ZONE IV: extensive range - grazing under tree crops (e.g. Agroforestry) for Sheep, Goats, Cows, Horses
Aquaponics
Aquaculture + hydroponics = aquaponics! Aquaponics is a system that sustains fish and plants without needing any additional water. The water flows from a surge tank into a bin with plants, watering the plants, and the remainder of water flows into the fish tank. The water from the fish tank flows back to the surge tank and the cycle starts over. When the water leaves the fish tank, it has fish poop, but that gets cleansed by the plants and thus drains clean water back to the fish tank. AQUACULTURE • Main Issues with Aquaculture: Costs of Feed, Fertilizer, and Fuel/ Electricity for Pumping/ Aerating, Access to Markets. Permaculture Design Principles and Strategies: Capture, Store, Conserve & Utilise Energy in ektropic vs. entropic systems. (systems that provide increasing return) Permaculture Design Strategies in Aquaculture: 1) Integrated Biosystems: Intensive Ecological Livestock & Aquaculture Systems are the next step in evolution for Permaculture. 2) Key Understandings: Integration of waste and waste waters into Permaculture Systems. Transforming wastes into energy and cleaning water, providing free fuel, energy, cooking gas, food for fish, crustaceans, and aquaponic crops. 3) Design Elements: Livestock, Effluent, Biodigesters for Cooking Gas, Electricity Production and Vehicle Fuel (CNG), Soluble Nutrients for Aquaculture Ponds, Algea for feed and BioDiesel, Aquaponics, Cropping, Passive heating and cooling.
v. Decentralization: Power to the people! The “Western Syndrome” is a syndrome that has circled the earth in a westerly direction that destroys indigenous people’s ability to remain intact to their place and their culture. Dominant cultures have systematically tried to destroy other cultures, just as Western European Celtic cultures were once destroyed by the Romans and the early church. Contemporary western society has lost most of its traditional pattern learning but there are still remnants - we simply don’t recognize them. The word “syndrome” is derived from the word “sun,” meaning together, and “dramein,” meaning to run. The Western Syndrom is, in other words, colonialism; a force that solely focuses on one group dominating another. The more patterns we begin to see in our world, the less we will spread the symdrome and the more we will realize that we all come from the same home, planet Earth.
When people have an abundance of food and water, that does not automatically create peace. Human relationships and strong community bonds are the central points to creating a peaceful community. In today’s society, the media has a gargantous influence on the way we percieve and categorize things; it simply absorbs us to believe, not to actually think for ourselves. Studies show that the average child in westernized countries spend around 6-9 hours a day using a cell phone, t.v., computer or other forms of media. This generation has been blinded to the importance of human’s connection to nature because of the distraction of technology. Not all technology is bad; when it is used the proper way, technology can be a very positive, informative, and helpful tool. Despite being categorized under the “first world” or “developed world” category, these countries, such as the
United States and Europe, have many issues, specifically with the centralized system they function under. For example, our water, food, waste, energy, transportation, health care, education, and public services are controlled by one centralized system. The government has provided these services in a way that feeds us into a consumerist and exploitive system that benefits only a few. Thinking there is no other option, we are blinded and discouraged by the realization that this is OUR world, and that power comes from the masses, not in the President or a CEO. Realistically, whatever the critical mass demands, the leaders will want to provide, in order to heighten their popularity. However, the way everything has been constructed in the past has led us up to this pivotal momemt in history where the people have lost the essence of what it means to be governed. Instead of the government serving us fairly
and for the sake of all, we have turned into a society of vulnerable individuals.
ways to take charge of the elements in your life that you rely on daily.
is a cultural norm now, does not mean it cannot change. If we begin nurturing our children more So what are the strateIn the end, we are all hulovingly, they will grow gies to decentralization? man beings. There is no up with a new cultural The key is to start govern- good guy or bad guy; just norm; a culture of peace ing ourselves in smaller different opinions, perand love. We shouldn’t systems. The people spectives, cultures, and expect that I, as an inmust not rely on the govhistories. The goal is to dividual, will change the ernment for their basic not eradicate those who world tomorow because needs. The first thing that don’t think holistically and it is said to take about 7 can easily be done is to for the bettermant of all, generations to build an inharvest your own wabut to create a welcomtact village. But you most ter. Creating a rainwater ing environment that is certainly can be a piocatching system on your conducive to all our difneer. How brave are you roof is the perfect place to ferences. We must create to deconstruct the current catch and store your own unity among diversity. And paradigm in order to harwater. Next on the list is this can be done in a very ness peace and love for food. There are countless easy way. All it takes is for the future we are living ways to grow, preserve, or each individual to expand into? It is 2012 and we gather food on your own. their awareness, think are ripe and ready. The For example: gardens/ and feel with their hearts, time is now, the people rooftop gardens, Commu- and expand their love and are us. nity Supported Agriculture compassion to someone (CSA)/food distribution/ else. Everybody wants to Community Supported feel loved and be cared Kitchens (CSK)/supportfor, and everyone enjoys ing local farmers in your giving and receiving. The area, seed balls, seed problem is that this has banks, solar cooking, de- not become a norm; as hydrating food, canning, humans we have become hunting, dumpster diving, more separated from earthworks, guerilla gareach other and our endening/grafting, greenvironment, leaving us to houses, and verticulture view our sensuality and are all ways to be in interactions with strangcontrol of your own food. ers and one another as This manual will hopefully awkward and distant. provide you with other However, the fact that this
100% non-toxic house made from cob.
Left: Homemade solar stove. Upper Right: Harvesting Learning garlic! how to compost!
All the information in this manual is from the permaculture design course called Permaculture for International Development at Quail Springs, California (http://www.quailsprings.org/). The course was taught by Warren Brush and Loren Luyendyk, among other guest speakers. I was able to attend this course thanks to the Soka University Pacific Basin Research Center Grant. I extend a big Thank You to the PBRC, Jay Heffron, all those who participated in the PD course, shared their thoughts and knowledge, and to the plants and animals at Quail Springs.
Left: Warren explaining a solar cooker. Below: Chicken-care tutorial! chickens!
The wonderful Julious Pitti and I
For more information contact: Leia Marasovich lmarasovich@soka.edu