Hello! Welcome to amidst the green, a compendium of permaculture field notes, studies, and projects created by me, Jo Anne VC. You clicked through to this page because it’s probably your first time around here. I wrote this primer to give you a warm welcome and also a brief introduction to Permaculture.
So what is Permaculture, exactly?
Well, just like all good things and beings in this world, there is no exact definition of permaculture. But for me, right now, permaculture is a way of life. A way of life wherein we humans are living in harmony with the rest of nature. Sounds simple, right? It is simple and beautifully complex at the same time. Permaculture is a design framework and philosophy that was co-created by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren to help people attain some level of self-sufficiency, while at the same time, contribute positively in solving the wicked problems of our world (ie, food insecurity and hunger, biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, etc.). It is also important to note that permaculture is rooted in the wisdom and knowledge of our indigenous peoples. It is not something new, but it is a journey back to what is essential, an honoring of our roots and the ground we stand on. Permaculture has evolved and continue to evolve over time, but for me, it is essentially idealism in action.
Did I lose you somewhere there? Then, here’s another try at it. You can consider permaculture through its three ethics and 12 principles. The three ethics are:
Earth Care - Care of the natural world, not harming it, not just sustaining it but regenerating it!
People Care - You have to have empathy for the people around you and the people you will never meet. You have to care about how your actions will affect others.
Fair Share - Now, this is where it gets really interesting. And urgent. And perhaps challenging. This reminds us that there is and there MUST be a limit to our wants and desires. At a certain point, we have all we need and then the rest of earth’s resources must be shared. I don’t think it’s even just sharing the excess, but sharing while we’re enjoying whatever we do have. And this does not have to be a literal sharing (but please do feel free to do that, too), but more like a guiding beacon for all our actions and pursuits — that in all that we do, we think of our fellow human beings, as well as other creatures on this earth, and act like we all have the right to be here and share in the abundance of the earth. Because we do.
The 12 Principles of Permaculture are:
Observe & Interact: This is my favorite principle. It basically says that we must take the time to stop and see what’s going on around us, see how things react to little changes we make, stop and look again, and then glean new observations that we can strive to understand.
Catch & Store Energy: Plants are a great way to catch and store all the energy that our sun radiates to earth. I never thought of plants this way until I discovered permaculture. I never thought of a lot of things differently and more meaningfully until I discovered permaculture.
Obtain a Yield: We work on our gardens, our food forests, and our permaculture sites because they bring us gifts. Our yield can range from the joy that we feel, the community that we build, to, of course, the fruits and vegetables we get to enjoy.
Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback: We do not and cannot know everything, in life and in our permaculture sites. In implementing any design or undertaking any activity, it is important to know where our self ends and reality begins. Self in this sense pertains to our own visions, desires, assumptions, and personal limitations.
Use & Value Renewable Resources & Services: Not everything we need should be bought. Actually, living a simple, meaningful, and mindful life naturally makes it so that most of the things we need regenerate (meaning, we buy or are gifted with them once and then they keep on providing without us having to keep on buying). Perennial plants, heirloom seeds from annuals, rabbits providing perfect pellets of fertilizer, catching rainwater… these are elements and actions that allow us to use and value renewable resources and services.
Produce No Waste: We have a growing stack of milk cartons in the hut in our permaculture site, because they are perfect containers for sprouting seeds. I have stopped using disposable menstrual pads, and I did not imagine the joy I would be feeling everytime I had to wash the reusable ones I got, knowing that I did not contribute yet another piece of plastic garbage to the world. A piece of plastic that would exist for hundreds of years, way longer than my own existence on this earth.
Design from Patterns to Details: Look at the big picture first. And this big picture just does not pertain to the big vision in our minds, but more importantly to the big, magnanimous, magnificent, marvelous world of nature. Learn from nature’s patterns and apply that to the minutiae of our insignificant, beautiful lives.
Integrate rather than Segregate: Having my kids spend time with me at our forest garden is the best example I have for this principle. There is no delineation between the mother and the permaculture designer and the artist; I exist as a whole person, not a compartmentalized piece of machinery.
Use Small & Slow Solutions: Take your time with things. Small and slow solutions mean small and slow errors, if ever our solutions don’t work perfectly well the first time around. Small and slow solutions usually mean small and slow expenses and waste, too.
Use & Value Diversity: Diversity of people and plants and animals and experiences and points of view.
Use Edges & Value the Marginal: The edges are where the magic happens. The edges are where the elements we have added into our permaculture site start exploring on their own and interacting with the other elements. There is much to learn from the edges.
Creatively Use and Respond to Change: My 6th Grader Self said this on graduation day (probably quoting someone else), “Change is the only permanent thing in this world.” And what do we do with change? We acknowledge it and we work with it to ensure that it positively affects everyone in the end. Moreover, we can create change that will positively impact our earth, our people, and our future.
There are many other resources online and books that can help you understand Permaculture, and I encourage you to explore what others have to say, so you may learn from them, too, and so that you may eventually define what permaculture is for yourself. The definitions and explanations I just shared with you come from my own experiences of thinking through and applying the Permaculture Ethics and Principles. The ethics are not new; if you think about them, they really are the basic tenets for human decency. The principles, on the other hand, are practical guidelines that can help us live out the ethics. My take on the ethics and principles will most probably evolve as I grow and mature as a permaculture practitioner and as a human being, and I urge you to go on your own permaculture journey, too. I hope you let my field notes and studies inform and enrich your journey.
Permaculture is not just about forest gardens or growing your own food. Others have applied the principles of permaculture in their own professional domains. But we all have to start somewhere. And that somewhere, I believe, is with our feet deeply rooted in the ground. Learn from nature, yes. But first, love her and protect her, the best way you can.
And now, here are some of the people and resources I learn from, in no particular order:
David Holmgren: one of the co-originators of Permaculture
Morag Gamble: my Permaculture teacher, whose gentle and encouraging approach to teaching permaculture really gave me space to find my own way of learning and teaching. She is the Founder of the Permaculture Education Institute and Ethos Foundation
Geoff Lawton: another Permaculture educator who has several design strategies and techniques that apply to tropical climates
Happen Films: Stories for a Changing World
Permaculture Research Institute: a great source for permaculture news and features
Good Food Community: an inspiring group committed to practicing and spreading Community Shared Agriculture in the Philippines.
Philippine Permaculture Practitioners: a supportive and active community of permaculture practitioners in the Philippines, started by the Philippine Permaculture Association
Druid Things: a beautiful and very responsive resource for zero-waste living and urban gardening. they also have a shop that has items to help produce no waste.
Tanum Tuesdays: a podcast where we (yes, I am one of the co-hosts!) talk to people from all over the Philippines about plants
Filipeanut: a visual artist highlighting Philippine biodiversity and Filipino food
Brenna Quinlan: a permaculture illustrator!
The Permaculture Podcast: a long-running podcast on permaculture; lots to learn from all the guests!
There are many, many more resources out there, and I will add to this list every now and then.
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