Listening: It Could Happen Here – Permaculture with Andrew

It Could Happen Here Podcast – Permaculture with Andrew

September 5, 2022 • 38 min

Andrew explains the principles of permaculture to Chris and James

Permaculture with Andrew (on Youtube as Andrewism)

• Ways that we can enhance our food autonomy

• Permaculture was first coined in the 70s as a portmanteau (permanent + agriculture)
• Has already existed for thousands of years with indigenous groups all over the world 
• Bill Morrison has given it a spin for a modern audience

• All biological material is a potential energy source
• Circular economies and cycles

Ethics focused  CARE FOR

• Earth – all living and nonliving things 
• All people – promoting self reliance and community responsibility. We all have access to the resources necessary for existence 
• Community. Allows us to think of an approach our society in a way that benefits all people and all life. Not just neighbors or people who live in our city/town. All the things that incorporate our surroundings and beyond

Anybody can take part in permaculture design. Basic principles can be established in all circumstances 

1. Recognition of connection to a location.

• Web is stronger than a single string. All these parts create something stronger than individuals moving by themselves 
• Connection between waste & resources – when it comes to ecosystems take this literally
  • Waste of one part of system directly feeds into the resource of another part
  • Eg decomposition feeding into fungal network and flourishing of next generation of plants & animal 
• Get external sources especially at beginning while you’re establishing the system. Aim is to have system continuously establishing, expanding and maintaining itself 

2. Each element performs multiple functions. 

• Example – Wasamaki Ecosystems
  • https://www.wasamakipermaculture.org
  • Regenerating the land from a sand mine using banana trees
• When there is a system out of balance, nature gives a warning. Such as pests. (“Optimizers”)   Certain amount of a pest in a system indicates something is wrong with that system. System imbalance doesn’t have the mechanisms in place to keep the optimizers in check 
  • Eg reintroducting wolves stabilizing entire park ecosystems. 
  • How Wolves Change Rivers – George Monbiot
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W88Sact1kws&t=0s

3. Each function supported by multiple elements. 

• Don’t have just one source. Grow a mix of trees, cultivars, species, etc. that make up an actual forest
• Food forest
  • 7 levels of beneficial system
  • Top – canopy (fruit and nut trees) keep climate stable
  • 2nd – dwarf fruit trees
  • 3rd – shrub- berries and smaller plant
  • 4th – herbaceous – herbs & spices
  • 5th – root vegetables 
  • 6th – ground cover – soil surface crops- protects soil
  • 7th – vertical – climbers & vines

• Water – not all from same source (eg pipes)
  • Use rain, water table, stream, – ways to trap that water 
  • Aim is to water itself 

REDUNDANCY IS VERY IMPORTANT

REDUNDANCY IS VERY IMPORTANT

REDUNDANCY IS VERY IMPORTANT

4. Approach permaculture with energy efficiency in mind

• Practically speaking, do a zoning sector analysis to determine patterns (rain, flood, fire, pollution, noise, sunshine, wind). Harness energies and plant accordingly to optimize. 
• Use zones, e.g.: living space, kitchen/garden, consumption/processing, community support & surplus

5. Use of biological resources

• Natural insecticides, nitrogen fixers
• Natural evolution already fulfill those roles, so use them to fulfill these roles 
• Eg bats for insect
• Three sisters companion planting

6. Practice of energy cycling

• Make most of organic matter so it produces no real waste 
• Most Trap sunlight 

7. Incorporate elements in smaller scale

• Aquaculture system, planter beds

8. Natural plant successions and stack 

• Continual production
• Short term and long term. 
• Layers in place

9. Diversity. Poly culture 
10. Pay attention to edge within a system. Unique niches that allow for more rare and vulnerable corners of life. 
11. Observe natural patterns. Spirals, waves, branches. Repeating patterns. Seasons. Weather. 

• “I think that’s something that more people need to recognize about humanity. We didn’t just spring onto like some sort of alien parasite leeching off of the earth. We- just like every other animals, like every other creature on this planet- have a role to play in the ecosystems we inhabit. Unfortunately a lot of that activity has been destructive because of how our socioeconomic system has been structured. But that’s something we have a role in changing. Part of that is recognizing that we are stewards- we can have good stewards. We can help to facilitate the flourishing of life. We don’t have to be grim reapers upon the systems we are a part of.”

12. Pay attention to the scale of the systems. Recognize it’s long term. Establish over generations. 
13. Be positive

• Experiment 
• Learn from mistakes
• Get more community involved in imagining complex, beautiful revolutionary project