GENTECH archive
[Index][Thread]

RE: No till farming

Subject: No till farming

please describe in details Permaculture

Saluti e Ciao, Best Regards and "Ciao"
Ruggero Cimatti
--------------
Ruggero,

Here's a bit I found to get you started ... do a search on the web for more.
It's an astoundingly complete approach - with the exception of making a
profit for any corporate inerests - but it can assist communities in fedding
their populations, using energy more efficiently, and avoiding impacts to
the environment. I know it works because I have experienced the results
first hand.

Deborah
---------------------------------------
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html#intro
Introduction to Permaculture:
Concepts and Resources Alternative Farming Systems
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702
Phone: 1-800-346-9140 --- FAX: (501) 442-9842

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Introduction
The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian
ecologist, and one of his students, David Holmgren. It is a contraction of
"permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture."

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food
production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which
strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate,
annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable,
productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but
rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in
the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found
in nature.

A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that
produce food. Emphasis is placed on multi-use plants, cultural practices
such as sheet mulching and trellising, and the integration of animals to
recycle nutrients and graze weeds.

However, permaculture entails much more than just food production.
Energy-efficient buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land
stewardship in general are other important components of permaculture. More
recently, permaculture has expanded its purview to include economic and
social structures that support the evolution and development of more
permanent communities, such as co-housing projects and eco-villages. As
such, permaculture design concepts are applicable to urban as well as rural
settings, and are appropriate for single households as well as whole farms
and villages.

"Integrated farming" and "ecological engineering" are terms sometimes used
to describe perma-culture, with "cultivated ecology" perhaps coming the
closest. Though helpful, these terms alone do not capture the holistic
nature of permaculture; thus, the following definitions are included here to
provide additional insight.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture Defined

>From Bill Mollison:
Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments.

>From the Permaculture Drylands Institute, published in The Permaculture
Activist (Autumn 1989):
Permaculture: the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated
systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community
development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and
interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways.

>From Lee Barnes (former editor of Katuah Journal and Permaculture
Connections), Waynesville, North Carolina:
Permaculture (PERMAnent agriCULTURE or PERMAnent CULTURE) is a sustainable
design system stressing the harmonious interrelationship of humans, plants,
animals and the Earth.

To paraphrase the founder of permaculture, designer Bill Mollison:

Permaculture principles focus on thoughtful designs for small-scale
intensive systems which are labor efficient and which use biological
resources instead of fossil fuels. Designs stress ecological connections and
closed energy and material loops. The core of permaculture is design and the
working relationships and connections between all things. Each component in
a system performs multiple functions, and each function is supported by many
elements. Key to efficient design is observation and replication of natural
ecosystems, where designers maximize diversity with polycultures, stress
efficient energy planning for houses and settlement, using and accelerating
natural plant succession, and increasing the highly productive "edge-zones"
within the system.

>From Michael Pilarski, founder of Friends of the Trees, published in
International Green Front Report (1988):
Permaculture is: the design of land use systems that are sustainable and
environmentally sound; the design of culturally appropriate systems which
lead to social stability; a design system characterized by an integrated
application of ecological principles in land use; an international movement
for land use planning and design; an ethical system stressing positivism and
cooperation.

In the broadest sense, permaculture refers to land use systems which promote
stability in society, utilize resources in a sustainable way and preserve
wildlife habitat and the genetic diversity of wild and domestic plants and
animals. It is a synthesis of ecology and geography, of observation and
design. Permaculture involves ethics of earth care because the sustainable
use of land cannot be separated from life-styles and philosophical issues.

>From a Bay Area Permaculture Group brochure, published in West Coast
Permaculture News & Gossip and Sustainable Living Newsletter (Fall 1995):
Permaculture is a practical concept which can be applied in the city, on the
farm, and in the wilderness. Its principles empower people to establish
highly productive environments providing for food, energy, shelter, and
other material and non-material needs, including economic. Carefully
observing natural patterns characteristic of a particular site, the
permaculture designer gradually discerns optimal methods for integrating
water catchment, human shelter, and energy systems with tree crops, edible
and useful perennial plants, domestic and wild animals and aquaculture.

Permaculture adopts techniques and principles from ecology, appropriate
technology, sustainable agriculture, and the wisdom of indigenous peoples.
The ethical basis of permaculture rests upon care of the earth-maintaining a
system in which all life can thrive. This includes human access to resources
and provisions, but not the accumulation of wealth, power, or land beyond
their needs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Characteristics of Permaculture†

Permaculture is one of the most holistic, integrated systems analysis and
design methodologies found in the world.

Permaculture can be applied to create productive ecosystems from the human-
use standpoint or to help degraded ecosystems recover health and wildness.
Permaculture can be applied in any ecosystem, no matter how degraded.

Permaculture values and validates traditional knowledge and experience.
Permaculture incorporates sustainable agriculture practices and land
management techniques and strategies from around the world. Permaculture is
a bridge between traditional cultures and emergent earth-tuned cultures.

Permaculture promotes organic agriculture which does not use pesticides to
pollute the environment.

Permaculture aims to maximize symbiotic and synergistic relationships
between site components.

Permaculture is urban planning as well as rural land design.

Permaculture design is site specific, client specific, and culture specific.

†Source:
Pilarski, Michael (ed.) 1994. Restoration Forestry. Kivaki Press, Durango,
CO. p. 450. Reprinted with permission from the author.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

The Practical Application of Permaculture
Permaculture is not limited to plant and animal agriculture, but also
includes community planning and development, use of appropriate technologies
(coupled with an adjustment of life-style), and adoption of concepts and
philosophies that are both earth-based and people-centered, such as
bioregionalism.

Many of the appropriate technologies advocated by permaculturists are well
known. Among these are solar and wind power, composting toilets, solar
greenhouses, energy efficient housing, and solar food cooking and drying.

Due to the inherent sustainability of perennial cropping systems,
permaculture places a heavy emphasis on tree crops. Systems that integrate
annual and perennial crops—such as alley cropping and agroforestry—take
advantage of "the edge effect," increase biological diversity, and offer
other characteristics missing in monoculture systems. Thus, multicropping
systems that blend woody perennials and annuals hold promise as viable
techniques for large-scale farming. Ecological methods of production for any
specific crop or farming system (e.g., soil building practices, biological
pest control, composting) are central to permaculture as well as to
sustainable agriculture in general.

Since permaculture is not a production system, per se, but rather a land use
and community planning philosophy, it is not limited to a specific method of
production. Furthermore, as permaculture principles may be adapted to farms
or villages worldwide, it is site specific and therefore amenable to locally
adapted techniques of production.

As an example, standard organic farming and gardening techniques utilizing
cover crops, green manures, crop rotation, and mulches are emphasized in
permacultural systems. However, there are many other options and
technologies available to sustainable farmers working within a permacultural
framework (e.g., chisel plows, no-till implements, spading implements,
compost turners, rotational grazing). The decision as to which "system" is
employed is site-specific and management dependent.

Farming systems and techniques commonly associated with permaculture include
agro- forestry, swales, contour plantings, Keyline agriculture (soil and
water management), hedgerows and windbreaks, and integrated farming systems
such as pond-dike aquaculture, aquaponics, intercropping, and polyculture.

Gardening and recycling methods common to permaculture include edible
landscaping, keyhole gardening, companion planting, trellising, sheet
mulching, chicken tractors, solar greenhouses, spiral herb gardens, swales,
and vermicomposting.

Water collection, management, and re-use systems like Keyline, greywater,
rain catchment, constructed wetlands, aquaponics (the integra-tion of
hydroponics with recirculating aquaculture), and solar aquatic ponds (also
known as Living Machines) play an important role in permaculture designs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
The Ethics of Permaculture
Permaculture is unique among alternative farming systems (e.g., organic,
sustainable, eco-agriculture, biodynamic) in that it works with a set of
ethics that suggest we think and act responsibly in relation to each other
and the earth.

The ethics of permaculture provide a sense of place in the larger scheme of
things, and serve as a guidepost to right livelihood in concert with the
global community and the environment, rather than individualism and
indifference.

Care of the Earth
...includes all living and non-living things–plants, animals, land, water
and air

Care of People
...promotes self-reliance and community responsibility–access to resources
necessary for existence

Setting Limits to Population & Consumption
...gives away surplus–contribution of surplus time, labor, money,
information, and energy to achieve the aims of earth and people care.

Permaculture also acknowledges a basic life ethic, which recognizes the
intrinsic worth of every living thing. A tree has value in itself, even if
it presents no commercial value to humans. That the tree is alive and
functioning is worthwhile. It is doing its part in nature: recycling litter,
producing oxygen, sequestering carbon dioxide, sheltering animals, building
soils, and so on.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
The Principles of Permaculture Design

Whereas permaculture ethics are more akin to broad moral values or codes of
behavior, the principles of permaculture provide a set of universally
applicable guidelines which can be used in designing sustainable habitats.
Distilled from multiple disciplines—ecology, energy conservation, landscape
design, and environmental science—these principles are inherent in any
permaculture design, in any climate, and at any scale.

Relative location
Each element performs multiple functions
Each function is supported by many elements
Energy efficient planning
Using biological resources
Energy cycling
Small-scale intensive systems
Natural plant succession and stacking
Polyculture and diversity of species
Increasing "edge" within a system
Observe and replicate natural patterns
Pay attention to scale
Attitude

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture Resources
Four ways to learn about permaculture include: the permaculture design
course, the permaculture literature, the Internet, and permaculture
workshops.

The Permaculture Design Course is the primary vehicle for transfer of
permaculture expertise. The standard course is 72 hours in length and lasts
two weeks. Graduates are issued a permaculture design certificate and are
entitled to use the term "Permaculture" in the pursuit of livelihood and for
educational purposes.

The permaculture literature is a rich source of information on a wide range
of topics dealing with land use, plant and animal agriculture, water
management, appropriate technology, energy-efficient and toxic-free housing,
and community design.

Since 1995, the Internet (e.g., World Wide Web and E-mail) has become an
important resource and networking tool in the dissemination of permaculture
information. A selection of web sites is listed below.

Permaculture workshops are commonly held as one- to three-day events to
provide training on technologies such as vermicomposting, solar greenhouses,
straw bale construction, sheet mulching, and organic gardening.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture in Europe

Permaculture Magazine/Permanent Publications
http://www.permaculture.co.uk

The Permaculture Association (Britain)
http://www.permaculture.org.uk

European Permaculture Directory
http://www.perma-web.de/eurlist.htm

------------------------------

Permaculture Resources in the United States
The Permaculture Activist
P.O. Box 1209
Black Mountain, NC 28711
828-669-6336
828-669-6441 Fax
pcactivist@mindspring.com
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
$19/3 issues per year

The Permaculture Activist is the leading periodical for North American
permaculture, an execllent resource in print since 1985. Articles address
permaculture, edible landscaping, bioregionalism, aquaculture, among other
topics. It also provides a current listing of upcoming permaculture design
courses and serves as an important networking tool in the U.S., Canada, and
Central America. Back issues are available.

Earth Haven, the eco-village where The Permaculture Activist is published,
hosts permaculture workshops and design courses on a regular basis.
Altogether, a great place to obtain permaculture resources and participate
in hands-on teaching.

Yankee Permaculture, Elfin Permaculture, Forest Ecosystem Rescue Network
(FERN), Barking Frogs Permaculture Center
P.O. Box 52
Sparr, FL 32192-0052
Editor: Dan Hemenway
Email: YankeePerm@aol.com, and Elfpermact@aol.com, and
BarkingFrogsPC@aol.com

Barking Frogs Permaculture Center
http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames.html

A Guide to Yankee Permaculture Publications: 1983-1997
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalog.html

Yankee permaculture carries a number of publications on permaculture
specific to North America. Past issues of Dan Hemenway's publications are
still used in permaculture courses and as reference guides. A complete
listing of articles, information sheets, and publications is available at
the website listed above.
The Resources of International Permaculture - TRIP. Volume 7 of TRIP,
published in 1993, is a 68-page issue that contains 1,540 listings of groups
working in permaculture, sustainable food systems, and tree-based
agriculture. Current up-to-date listings are available on diskette.

The International Permaculture Solutions Journal (TIPS) and Permaculture
Review, Overview and Digest (PROD) are published on a sporadical basis. TIPS
and PROD feature permaculture articles, book reviews, and resources.

The International Permaculture Species Yearbook (TIPSY). Prior to TIPS,
Yankee Permaculture put out a fantastic yearbook called TIPSY. The TIPSY
series is a goldmine featuring plant species lists, articles, and resource
listings.

Restoration Forestry
Friends of the Trees
P. O. Box 4469
Bellingham, WA 98227
360-738-4972
360-671-9668 Fax
tern@geocities.com
Editor: Michael Pilarski
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4663/

Restoration Forestry: An International Guide to Sustainable Forestry
Practices (1994) is a 525-page guide to resources in restoration forestry.
It contains over 50 review articles, 780 organizations, 230 journals and
periodicals, 800 books, 100 restoration forestry projects underway, and 100
directories on topics relating to Restoration forestry, forest ecology, tree
seedlings, bioregionalism, and permaculture. It is a massive addition to
tree-based agricultural literature. Cost is $27, plus $4 postage & handling.
Agroforestry Guide to Hawaii: A Resource Guide Directory to Reforestation,
Restoration, Forestry, Agroforestry, Permaculture & Sustainable Agriculture
in the Hawaiian Islands (1997) is a 187-page directory with over 800
references. Cost is $22, plus $3.30 postage & handling.

Other publications from Friends of the Trees include the International Green
Front Report (1988, $7.00); Kiwifruit Enthusiasts Journal (Vol. 6, $17.20);
and Third World Resource Guide (1993, $5.00) and the West Coast Permaculture
News & Gossip newsletter.

Permaculture Drylands Journal
c/o The Permaculture Institute
P.O. Box 156
Santa Fe, NM 87504-0156
505-455-0270
pci@permaculture-inst.org
Contact: Scott Pittman
http://www.permaculture.net/PDI%20Web/PDI.html

Permaculture Drylands Journal was published in a 32-volume series, from 1987
to 1999, by Permaculture Drylands Institute, a non-profit organization that
is currently in a state of dormancy. The PDI website is still active, and
contains some helpful introductory information on permaculture as well as an
index to back issues. PDJ focused on permaculture for arid lands, with a
heavy focus on New Mexico and Arizona. Scott Pittman at The Permaculture
Institute is a good person to contact for permaculture updates and
activities in this region.

Earth Quarterly / Papercrete News
Box 23
Radium Springs, NM 88054
earth@zianet.com
Contact: Gordon Solberg
Earth Quarterly
http://www.zianet.com/earth/
Papercrete News
http://www.zianet.com/papercrete/

Earth Quarterly replaced Dry Country News as a publication on Earth-based,
low-impact living in the American Southwest. Earth Quarterly has also ceased
as print publication, though back issues are availabe as an info pack
through Gordon Solberg, publisher of Papercrete News.

The Bay Area Permculture Guild
Bay Area Permaculture Group
San Rafael, CA
http://bapg.best.vwh.net

The Bay Area Permculture Guild website is still alive, though inactive. It
contains information and resources on permaculture in the San Francisco Bay
Area and surrounding Shasta bioregion.

Temperate Bamboo Quarterly
Earth Advocates Research Facility
30 Myers Road
Summertown, TN 38483
931-964-4151
http://www.thefarm.org/businesses/bamboo/tbq.html

Temperate Bamboo Quarterly is the quarterly journal published by Sue and
Adam Turtle with Earth Advocates. It focuses on the bamboo plant which has
unique, multi-purpose uses in agroforestry and permaculture. The Turtles
operate a bamboo nursery, and TBQ has apparently taken a back seat and is
currently dormant. Back issues of TBQ are highly recommended for anybody
looking into bamboo in a temperate climate.

The Future is Abundant
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/tilth/

First published in 1982 by Tilth, The Future is Abundant is a classic
resource book on permaculture at the bioregional level. Though long
out-of-print, selected portions are now available on the Internet.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture Resources in Australia
Permaculture International Journal
Permaculture International Ltd.
P.O. Box 6039
South Lismore, NSW 2480
Australia
pcjournl@nor.com.au
http://www.nor.com.au/environment/perma/index.html

Permaculture International Journal was the leading permaculture magazine for
two decades, yet ceased publication in mid-2000. Permaculture International
Ltd. continues its activities online, with a web page that features a
newsletter, a global directory, an email discussion list, educational
resources, and permaculture events in Australia. Back issues of PIJ, if they
can be found in a library, contain a goldmine of useful information.

Tagari Publications - International Permaculture Institute
31 Rulla Road
Sisters Creek Tasmania 7325
Australia
Ph: 61 (0)3 6445 0945
Fax: 61 (0)3 6445 0944
Email: tagariadmin@southcom.com.au
http://www.tagari.com

The International Permaculture Institute in Tyalgum, Australia, serves as
the international coordinating organization for permaculture activities such
as permaculture design accreditation. Tagari Publications is the publishing
group for Bill Mollison's publications.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

Permaculture Resources Around the World
Permaculture Magazine: Solutions for Everyday Life
Permanent Publications
Hyden House Ltd, The Sustainability Centre
East Meon, Hampshire GU32 1HR
England
Email: info@permaculture.co.uk
http://www.permaculture.co.uk
Cost: U.S. $22, quarterly (available in the U.S. through The Permaculture
Activist)

Permaculture Magazine is the premier glossy magazine on permaculture
worldwide. Each issue is a joy to read, accompanied by color photos that
illustrate permaculture in action, as well as products and resources to
support sustainable living and learning. An assortment of topics addressed
include permaculture, organic farming and gardening, agroforestry, tree
crops, multi-use plant species, ecological design, and eco-architecture for
temperate regions such as Europe and North America. A must-have subscription
along with its North American companion, The Permaculture Activist.
Earth Repair Catalog - Permanent Publications UK
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/erc/welcome.htm

Permanent Publications also publishes a number of key books and videos on
permaculture: Permaculture in a Nutshell, How to Make a Forest Garden,
Plants for a Future, Permaculture Teacher's Guide, and The Synergistic
Garden. The Earth Repair Catalog carries an extensive selection of books,
videos, resources, and products for sustainable living: permaculture;
organic farming and gardening; biodynamics; agroforestry; aquaculture;
animals; ecological architecture; sustainable building technology;
sustainable communities and eco-villages; as well as energy saving products
and body products.
The Permaculture Association (Britain)
London, WC1N 3XX
Email: office@permaculture.org.uk
http://www.permaculture.org.uk

Members receive a quarterly newsletter, Permaculture Works. The Association
offers a range of learning activities, design courses, and diplomas, and
publishes The Permaculture Teacher's Handbook.
eco-logic books
Mulberry House
19 Maple Grove
Bath BA2 3AF
Email: peter@eco-logic.demon.co.uk
http://www.ragmans.co.uk/eco-logic/eco-logic.html

eco-logic is a book distributor for specialized topics in self reliance,
permaculture, and organic farming and gardening. One item, in particular,
worth noting is the Manual for Teaching Permaculture Creatively published in
1991 by Robin Clayfield and Skye, two well known permaculture teachers. This
is a loose file with over 300 A4 pages of notes and excercises for teaching,
including: games, teaching tips, and other creative ideas.

Permaculture Villager / Forestry for a Small Planet
Trees for Africa
P.O. Box 2035
Gallo Manor 2052
Zimbabwe
Email: trees@cis.co.za
http://www.junex.co.za/tfa/

Two on-line newsletters dealing with permaculture, tree crops, agroforestry,
tree planting, and community forestry in South Africa. A notable source of
grass-roots information, contacts, and resource listings for Africa. Back
issues are available from 1995 through 1999.
The Organic Farming Sourcebook
The Other India Press
Above Mapusa Clinic
Mapusa 403 507 Goa
India
Email: oib@goatelecom.com
http://www.goacom.com/oib/index.html

The Organic Farming Sourcebook, published in 1996, is a resource-rich
338-page guidebook that provides a dynamic treatment of organic agriculture
in India, with articles, resources, contacts, and suppliers. In modern
India, 65-70% of its 1 billion inhabitants still depend on agriculture as a
livelihood. These farmers draw upon four thousand years of sustainable
farming experience. Yet, European colonialism and Green Revolution
technology has wreaked havoc on the traditional agriculture knowledge base,
supplanting chemical inputs and factory-style farming in its place. The
Sourcebook documents and supports the emerging organic farming movements in
India.
Kenya Institute of Organic Farming
John Wanjau Njoroge, Director
P.O. Box 34972
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: kiof@iconnect.co.ke
Email: kiof@elci.gn.apc.or
http://www.kenyaweb.com/agriculture/organic-agri/index.html

A Resource Guide of Organizations Promoting Organic Farming in East Africa
Region is a 116-page resource guide edited by John Kanyuiro, Kihia and John
Wanjau Njoroge of the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming - KIOF. It provides
names, contact information and brief descriptions of organizations working
to promote, research or support organic agriculture in East Africa.
Organic World
http://www.agrar.de/bioherb/ow/index.htm

A web site with a large number of organizastions involved in organic
agriculture in the developing world.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

Books on Permaculture
Introduction to Permaculture. 1991. By Bill Mollison and Reny Mia Slay.
Tagari Publishers, Tyalgum, Australia. 198 p.

Permaculture One: A Perennial Agriculture for Human Settlements, 3rd
Edition. 1987. By Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Tagari Publishers,
Tyalgum, New South Wales, Australia. 127 p.

Permaculture Two: A Practical Design for Town and Country in Permanent
Agriculture. 1979. By Bill Mollison. Tagari Press, Stanley, Australia. 150
p.

Permaculture: A Designer's Manual. 1988. By Bill Mollison. Tagari
Publications, Tyalgum, Australia. 576 p.

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. 2001. By Toby Hemenway.
Chelsea Green Pub. Co., White River Junction, VT. 222 p.

The Best of Permaculture. 1986. By Max O. Lindegger and Robert Tap.
Nascimanere Publishers, Nambour, Australia. 136 p.

The Permaculture Way: Practical Ways to Create a Self-Sustaining World.
1992. By Graham Bell. Thorsons, London. 239 p.

The Permaculture Garden. 1994. By Graham Bell. Thorsons, London. 170 p.

Permaculture: A Beginner's Guide. 2001. B Graham Burnett. Land and Liberty,
Westcliff On Sea, Essex, England. 60 p.

Urban Permaculture. 1993. By David Watkins. Permanent Publications, U.K. 152
p.

Permaculture in a Nutshell. 1993. By Patrick Whitefield. Permanent
Publications, U.K. 75 p.

Earth User's Guide to Permaculture. 1994. By Rosemary Morrow and Rob Allsop.
Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, NSW Australia. 152 p.

Getting Started in Permaculture. 1998. By Ross and Jennifer Mars.
Candlelight Trust, Hovea, Western Australia. 96 p.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

A Few Good Books for the Permaculturist's Bookshelf
Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants. 1998. By Stephen Facciola.
Kampong Publications, Vista, CA. 713 p.

Designing & Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally. 1986. By Robert
Kourick. Metamorphic Press, Santa Rosa, CA. 370 p.

Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture. 1987. By J. Russell Smith. Island
Press, Washington, D.C. 408 p.

The Permaculture Book of Ferment & Human Nutrition. 1993. By Bill Mollison.
Tagari Publications, Tyalgum, Australia. 288 p.

Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape. 1996. By Robert A de J
Hart. Chelsea Green Pub. Co., White River Junction, VT. 234 p.

How to Make a Forest Garden, 3rd Edition. 2000. By Patrick Whitefield.
Permanent Publications, East Meon, Hampshire, England. 168 p.

Water for Every Farm: Yeoman's Keyline Plan. [Date]. By Ken B Yeomans and
P.A. Yeomans. Keyline Design, Southport, Queensland, Australia. 261 p.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Agroforestry Resources

Temperature Agroforestry Systems. 1997. Edited by Andrew M. Gordon and
Steven M. Newman. CAB International, New York, NY. 269 p.

This is a landmark book on agroforestry for temperate regions. Chapters
include agforestry practices in North America, New Zealand, Australia,
China, and Europe. Read this book for working examples of permaculture on a
broad-scale.
North American Agroforestry: An Integrated Science and Practice. 2000.
Edited by H.E. (Gene) Garrett, W.J. (Bill) Rietveld, and R.F. (Dick) Fisher.
American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. 402 p.

A collection of eleven chapters originating from an agroforestry symposium.
This is a typical academic book from American Society of Agronomy, but that
should not deter the practitioner, teacher, or student from seeking this
book as an important contribution to this topic, especially for North
American agroforestry. Chapters address: ecological foundation for temperate
agroforestry; agroforestry nomenclature, concepts and practices; windbreak,
silvopastoral, alley cropping, riparian forest buffer, and forest farming
practices; among others.
Agroforestry in Sustainable Agricultural Systems. 1999. Edited by Louise E.
Buck, James P. Lassoie, and Erick C.M. Fernandes. Lewis Publishers, CRC
Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL. 416 p.

A collaboration between Cornell University and ICRAF, this is another recent
addition to the academic literature on agroforestry. Like much of the
international literature on agroforestry, a large portion of this book is
geared to tropical systems. The seventeen chapters address: nutrient cycling
in tropical agroforestry systems; animals and agroforestry in the tropics;
water management with hedgerow agroforestry; black walnut agroforestry in
Missouri, U.S.A.; silvopastoralism; pest management; propagation; trees in
managed landscapes; ethnobotany; sustainable mulch-based cropping systems
with trees; among others.
The Overstory Book. 2001. Edited by Craig R. Elevitch and Kim M. Wilkinson.
Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, HI.

The Overstory Book distills essential information about working trees into
72 short, easy-to-read, single-subject chapters. Cost is $40, plus shipping.
CD's are available for $16.95 plus shipping.
Permanent Agriculture Resources
P.O. Box 428
Holualoa, HI 96725
808-324-4427
808-324-4129 Fax
email@agroforestry.net
http://www.agroforestry.net

Agroforestry Today
ICRAF -- International Centre for Research in Agroforestry
Circulation
P.O. Box 30677
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: e.mwamunga@cgiar.org
http://www.icraf.cgiar.org
$Inquire regarding subscription fee/1-4 issues per year

Agroforestry Today is a quarterly magazine that carries reports from around
the world on farming systems that focus on the integration of trees, crops,
and livestock, and the people who raise them. It is one of the leading
voices for agro-forestry worldwide. While the content deals mostly with
sub-tropical and tropical agro-forestry, much of the information has
universal applications (e.g., mycorrhizae, on-farm research methods,
soil-plant interactions, tree establishment methods, etc.)
unasylva
http://www.fao.org/forestry/FODA/UNASYLVA/unasyl-e.stm

unasylva is the quarterly magazine of Food and Agriculture Organization,
FAO. It also has an international focus and therefore tropical systems and
developing country technologies are its primary concern, but nonetheless it
is a valuable resource on tree crops, special forest products, and related
topics of interest. Back issues are availabe online as PDF's.
Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA)
School of Natural Resources
1-30 Agricultural Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
http://www.missouri.edu/~afta/

$25/year membership fee includes subscription to The Temperate Agroforester,
quarterly newsletter. Previous editions of Introduction to Permaculture
included citations to proceedings of the biennial North American
Agroforestry Conference series. These proceedings can now be found on the
AFTA website. The AFTA website also provides a series of introductory
information leaflets on agroforestry practices: Alley cropping;
Silvopasture; Forest Farming; Riparian Buffers; and Windbreaks.
USDA National Agroforestry Center
North 38th St. & East Campus Loop
University of Nebraska - East Campus
Lincoln, NE 68583-0822
402-437-5178
http://www.unl.edu/nac/

Publishes InsideAgroforestry newsletter, provides technical assistance to
landowners on windbreaks and agroforestry, sponsors research, and publishes
a number of very informative and practical bulletins and publications.
agroforestry.net
P.O. Box 428
Holualoa, Hawaii 96725
808-324-4427
808-324-4129 Fax
email@agroforestry.net
http://www.agroforestry.net

The website for Craig Elevitch and Kim Wilkinson, publishers of The
Overstory e-newsletter (highly recommended), as well as publications from
Permanent Agriculture Resources: Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands,
Nitrogen Fixing Tree Start-up Guide, A Guide to Orchard Alley Cropping, and
other bulletins and resources.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
E-Mail Discussion Lists, Web Forums, & E-Mail Web Archives
The Permaculture Mailing List | Hosted at Ibiblio.org

Information about the list, subscribe & unsubscribe.
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture

Current Web Archives at Ibiblio.org (January 2002 to present)
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture/

Old Web Archives at UNC.edu (1-10-99 to 1-22-02)
http://franklin.oit.unc.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?visit=permaculture

Alternative Web Archives at CSF.edu (1997 to present)
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/lists/

Permaculture Archives. For the web researcher, Larry London (host of
PermaSphere at Ibiblio.org) has a collection of old, yet still-useful email
archives at:
http://www.ibiblio.org/london/permaculture/mailarchives/
and
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/pc-forum-archives.html

Permaculture Forum at Permaculture the Earth
http://www.permaearth.org/discus/board.html

Permaculture Archives at Communications for a Sustainable Future
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/lists/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture Web Links and Resources

Manuals, Primers, and Syllabi on Permaculture

The Future is Abundant
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/tilth/

A Permaculture Primer
By Dan Earle and Sue Hutchins
http://home.klis.com/~chebogue/PermacultureIndex.html

Permaculture - Sustainable Farming, Ranching, Living... by Designing
Ecosystems That Imitate Nature
By Sandy Cruz and Jerome Osentowski, a 6-page Western SARE leaflet
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/pubs/permaculture/permacul.pdf

The Ethics and Principles of Permaculture
By David Holmgren; transcription from design course held at Tir Penrhos Isaf
in Wales.
http://www.konsk.co.uk/resource/holm2.htm

The Essense of Permaculture
By David Holmgren
http://www.spacountry.net.au/holmgren/PCprins.html
http://www.spacountry.net.au/holmgren/Web%20PDF/EssencePC.pdf

An extract from an upcoming book, Permaculture: Principles and Pathways To
Sustainability. Holmgren, the co-creator of permaculture, provides a nice
summary of the ethics and principles behind permaculture design. The
Permaculture Design System Flower goes with this piece, accessible through
the PDF version, as well as here in HTML:

The Permaculture Design System Flower
By David Holmgren
http://www.spacountry.net.au/holmgren/WhatIsPC.html

Collected Writings of David Holmgren 1978-2000
http://www.spacountry.net.au/holmgren/CollWrit.html

A collection of twenty-seven magazine articles, conference papers, public
lectures, book reviews, and other works by David Holmgren, co-creator of
permaculture. Holmgren has made these PDF's available on the web as
screen-readable only. A CD version is for-sale, which allows full access
including print as well as permission to copy and use for workshops.
Altogether, a valuable contribution to the web from someone who's spent a
lifetime developing and working out the details of permaculture design.

Permaculture: A Beginner's Guide
By Graham Burnett
http://pages.unisonfree.net/gburnett/Perma/

The online version of Burnett's 60-page booklet by the same name, available
through Permanent Publications. It is a permaculture-for-dummies style
primer with lively illustration, covering permaculture ethics and
principles. A nice learning tool to capture the essence of permaculture in a
nutshell.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

On-Line Articles, Fact Sheets & Proceedings

Permaculture: Sophisticated Ecological Understanding Blended with Common
Sense Design Creates Productive Landscapes
by Sego Jackson. IN CONTEXT #8, Winter 1984.
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC08/Jackson.htm

Permaculture: Design For Living
by Bill Mollison. IN CONTEXT #28, Spring 1991
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC28/Mollison.htm

On-Line articles on Permaculture the Earth
http://www.permaearth.org/writings.html


Building A Bamboo Farm: Using Permaculture Principles in Bamboo Agroforestry
by Simon Henderson.
http://www.permaearth.org/bamboo.html

Constructing the Food Forest Orchard by Larry Santoyo
http://www.permaearth.org/foodforestarticle.html

Permaculture: Perennial Urban Food Systems
By Kirk Hanson, Green Screens, April 1999
http://www.olywa.net/speech/april99/hanson.html

Sixth International Permaculture Conference & Convergence
Perth & Bridgetown, Western Australia September 27 to October 7, 1996
http://www.rosneath.com.au/ipc6/

An online proceedings with about 100 papers and abstracts; an important web
resource.

Organic Farming: The Permaculture Approach
By David Madge
Department of Natural Resources & Environment, Victoria Australia
http://www.nre.vic.gov.au

A 2-page fact sheet available in HTML and PDF. The web file name is a mile
long and impossible to duplicate here. Go to the Victoria website and search
on the title. Noteworthy as a rare government-issued leaflet on
permaculture.

Introduction to Permaculture and The Terrible Time of Day
by Andrew Jeeves and Bill Mollison. Pamphlet I in the Permaculture Design
Course Series. Published by Yankee Permaculture
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/yankee_intro.html

Saving Mallee Soils -- Organic Broadacre Farming: Improvements to the
Environment and Productivity
Organic Agriculture at FAO, Case Study Report from Australia
http://www.fao.org/organicag/doc/australia.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture in North America

EcoLandTech + PermaSphere
Larry London's collection at Ibiblio.org
http://www.ibiblio.org/permaculture/

Permaculture and Sustainable Living & Livelihood at CSF
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/

Bay Area Permaculture Guild
http://www.nbn.com/~bapg/

Cross Timbers Permaculture Guild in Texas
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ctpi/cross_t.htm

Friends of the Trees
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4663/

Permaculture Drylands Institute
http://members.aol.com/pdrylands/PDIhome1.htm

Permaculture at Heathcote Intentional Community
http://www.heathcote.org

Three Sisters Permaculture Design
http://www.bioshelter.com

La'akea Permaculture Gardens
http://www.permaculture-hawaii.com/

Animal Farm Permaculture Center
ttp://www.neosoft.com/~animalfm/afpchome.htm

Permaculture the Earth
http://www.permaearth.org/

Paulo's Permaculture Pointers
http://www.thefarm.org/permaculture/pclinks.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture in Australia

Permaculture International Ltd
http://www.nor.com.au/environment/perma/index.html
Email: pcjournl@nor.com.au

International Permaculture Institute (Australia)
Email: perminst@peg.apc.org

Permaculture Global Assistance Network
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pgan/

Permaculture in Western Australia
http://www.eepo.com.au/perma/

Permaculture Visions International
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~askpv/

International Permaculture Portal
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~askpv/linx.htm

Sixth International Permaculture Conference & Convergence
Perth & Bridgetown, Western Australia September 27 to October 7, 1996
http://www.rosneath.com.au/ipc6/

Earthlink- Australia's Environmentally Friendly Directory
http://www.green-pages.com.au/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Permaculture Around the World

The Permaculture Activist's Planetary Permculture Directory
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/pcresources/PcResources2.htm

Instituto de Permacultura Cerrado-Pantanal -- Brazil
http://tortuga.com/permacultura/english_pages.htm

Indigenous Knowledge Pages
http://www.nuffic.nl/ik-pages/index.html


Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor
http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/index.html

Register of Best Practices of Indigenous Knowledge
http://www.unesco.org/most/bpikreg.htm

IK Resources
http://www.nuffic.nl/ik-pages/default.asp

Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor
http://www.nuffic.nl/ciran/ikdm/index.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Plants for Permaculture

Plants for a Future: Edible and Useful Plants
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/index.html

Atcros On Internet - Australasian Tree Crops Sourcebook
http://www.aoi.com.au/atcros/

The Vetiver Grass Network
http://www.vetiver.org/

The American Bamboo Society
http://www.americanbamboo.org

The Duckweed Clearinghouse
http://www.prismusa.homestead.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
Permaculture Technologies

Keyline Design - Water for Every Farm
http://www.keyline.com.au

Alternative Technology Association (ATA)
http://www.ata.org.au

The Solar Cooking Archive
http://solarcooking.org

Sustainable Building Sourcebook
http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/

Aquaponics - Integration of Hydroponics with Aquaculture
ATTRA
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/aquaponic.html

Ocean Arks International
http://www.oceanarks.org

Integrated Bio-Systems in Zero Emissions Applications
http://www.ias.unu.edu/proceedings/icibs/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Bioregional & Eco-Village Links

Global EcoVillage Network
http://www.gaia.org

The Farm EcoVillage Training Center
http://www.gaia.org/farm/

Intentional Communities
http://www.ic.org

Crystal Waters Permaculture Village
http://www.ecovillages.org/australia/crystalwaters/

Earthaven Eco-Village
http://www.earthaven.org

Arcosanti (Arizona)
http://www.arcosanti.org

Auroville (India)
http://www.auroville.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----


Virtual Library's on Permaculture & Sustainability

Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/

Sustainable Architecture Building & Culture
http://www.SustainableABC.Com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agroforestry Web Sites


Agroforestry in Minnesota
http://www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/cinram/

Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA)
http://web.missouri.edu/~afta/

USDA National Agroforestry Center
http://www.unl.edu/nac/

Agroforestry for Farms & Ranches
NRCS, Agroforestry Technical Note No. 1
http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/BCS/forest/tnote1.html

International Ag-Sieve: Agroforesty Special Issue
Volume II, Number 4 (1989)
http://fadr.msu.ru/rodale/agsieve/txt/agrofor.html

The Illinois Virtual Forest: Agroforestry Web Links
University of Illinois Extension
http://ilvirtualforest.nres.uiuc.edu/page17.html

Agroforestry Research Trust
http://www.agroforestry.co.uk

Forests, Trees and People Programme & Network
http://www-trees.slu.se/index.html

International Union of Forestry Research Organizations
http://iufro.boku.ac.at/

ICRAF - International Center for Research in Agroforestry
http://www.cgiar.org/icraf/

Cultivating the Forest: Development of Agroforestry Systems
Plants and Plants Handbook Issue 5
WWF, UNESCO and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/peopleplants/handbook/handbook5/index.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Holistic Management

The Alan Savory Center for Holistic Management
http://www.holisticmanagement.org

Holistic Management: A Whole-Farm Decision Making Framework
ATTRA
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/holistic.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

About this Publication

Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources is a revised and
updated version of The Permaculture FAQ, which was originally published by
the author on the World Wide Web in 1995 and 1996:

The Permaculture FAQ 1.3, May 1996
http://www.ibiblio.org/london/permaculture/faqs/permaculture.faq.v1.3

A permaculture design course graduate, the author is a technical specialist
in horticulture and agronomy at the Appropriate Technology Transfer for
Rural Areas (ATTRA) program, the national sustainable farming information
center located at the University of Arkansas.

The focus of the ATTRA program is on farming systems that enhance the
economic livelihoods of farm families while sustaining the environment.
ATTRA provides resources and technical assistance to commercial farmers,
including small farmers and market gardeners, in the United States.
Accordingly, the focus of this publication in on permaculture in the
temperate U.S. with some emphasis on broad-scale application such as
agroforestry and bio-integrated production systems.

Please send updates to: steved@ncatark.uark.edu

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Prepared by Steve Diver
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
Revised May 1998
Last Updated, March 2002

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
The ATTRA Project is operated by the National Center for Appropriate
Technology under a grant from the Rural Business - Cooperative Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse
products, companies, or individuals. ATTRA is located in the Ozark Mountains
on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, at PO Box 3657,
Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72702. ATTRA staff prefer to receive requests for
information about sustainable agriculture via the toll-free number
800-346-9140 .