Principles

Commentary on the 12 Permaculture Design Principles as articulated by David Holmgren.

Use and Value Diversity

by Jenny Hanna
What would permaculturists do if faced with an enormous pest problem? We would look at permaculture principles to see which ones we can apply, as well as adding more elements…

Principles of Permaculture

by Ross Mars
While Bill Mollison and David Holmgren are both recognised as co-originators of permaculture, their seminal text Permaculture 1 did not discuss any overarching principles on which permaculture was based…

Use and value diversity

The teeming zillions.Two species of shrimp-like copepods, 1 to 2 mm long, are perfectly adapted to life in a rainwater pool along with other microfauna. Although closely related they all thrive together because each...

Obtain a Yield

by Tanvier Fowler

You can’t work on an empty stomach!
This is a principle that I feel is easy for most people to understand, especially in designing gardens. How do we translate it into social permaculture? What is a more appropriate slogan?

Observe and Interact

by Bronwyn Chompff-Gliddon
In a garden setting, this means: stop. Just watch for a moment. What is the sun doing? The wind? How are the flora and fauna responding to each other? That kind of thing. Stop and observe before you come in with your shovel and your landscape design, first just be aware of what’s going on…