Permaculture

Becoming self-sufficient
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Robert Burns
Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 5:48 am

Permaculture

Post by Robert Burns » Sun May 01, 2022 12:19 am

If you've never heard of the term, permaculture is a holistic approach to farming, and even more broadly to settlement-building, where the main idea is essentially to create and maintain a micro-ecosystem that both provides for the basic needs of the community (food, water, and shelter) and, like any other ecosystem, replenishes itself instead of requiring excessive maintenance and external resources, like most modern farms do. With permaculture farming you work with the land and the existing ecosystem rather than fighting with it to minimize the maintenance effort and maximize the natural resources you get out of it.

I am just now starting to learn about this and I encourage others to do the same. There are paid courses you can take on permaculture design, but there are also plenty of books and free resources like blogs and YouTube videos on the subject. The videos are especially nice because even though most of them don't go into great detail, they do give a basic outline as well as real-world examples that you can see of how different people operate their permaculture farms. Some of the main approaches involve using organic waste as fertilizer, using natural streams and rainwater as water sources, and using rotational grazing to prevent destruction of pasture and keep parasites in the livestock to a minimum, but these are just the basics, and that's why it is important to study the subject and even more important to put it into practice.

Once I have some land I'm going to get to work on converting it to a permaculture farm. I'll just start with something easy like chickens and growing low-maintenance plants, but as time goes on I hope to be producing more than I can even use. A productive permaculture farm, like any other farm, can provide a source of monetary income or goods for bartering in addition to providing for your own family's basic needs, and that's what I'm going for. I want to be in a position where I'll be just fine if I have no money, or if the grocery store shelves are empty, and I believe a permaculture farm is the only real way to accomplish that goal.

OttoVonFrankfurt
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Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2019 5:02 pm

Re: Permaculture

Post by OttoVonFrankfurt » Sun May 01, 2022 10:21 pm

I also like this idea.

If you can find some trustworthy like minded friends (perhaps fellow members in your area) it might be feasible to jointly go in on a parcel of cheap land together.

Robert Burns
Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2020 5:48 am

Re: Permaculture

Post by Robert Burns » Mon May 02, 2022 1:23 am

OttoVonFrankfurt wrote:
Sun May 01, 2022 10:21 pm
I also like this idea.

If you can find some trustworthy like minded friends (perhaps fellow members in your area) it might be feasible to jointly go in on a parcel of cheap land together.
Luckily for me I've already got something lined up. I won't say where since this is a public forum, but in the coming years this will be a major project for me. It's only 1 acre, but folks would be amazed at what you can do with 1 acre if you utilize it to the fullest extent:


Richard_G_603
Posts: 172
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Location: New Hampshire

Re: Permaculture

Post by Richard_G_603 » Fri May 06, 2022 3:26 pm

I've actually thought about the possibility of using high density permaculture on the large tract of acreage of the old national headquarters in west Virginia as a means of revenue for the alliance. Organic vegetables and meats fetch a pretty penny.

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Jim Mathias
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Re: Permaculture

Post by Jim Mathias » Fri May 06, 2022 11:15 pm

Richard_G_603 wrote:
Fri May 06, 2022 3:26 pm
I've actually thought about the possibility of using high density permaculture on the large tract of acreage of the old national headquarters in west Virginia as a means of revenue for the alliance. Organic vegetables and meats fetch a pretty penny.
The soil appears to be of good quality too. I've had some of the fresh produce Alliance-friendly locals have shared, it's very good.
Activism materials available! ===> Contact me via PM to obtain quantities of the "Send Them Back", "NA Health Warning #1 +#2+#3" stickers, and any fliers listed in the Alliance website's flier webpage.

Richard_G_603
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Location: New Hampshire

Re: Permaculture

Post by Richard_G_603 » Sat May 07, 2022 8:01 am

I would imagine, those high Appalachian soils should be rich in both organic matter and mineral content. The slopes would provide great exposure (as long as they aren't north facing) and drainage. Setting up a mixed fruit and nut orchard with chickens or pigs roaming around would be a brilliant high yield long term investment, while more traditional agriculture in plots or beds would begin yielding immediately. This would be able to provide both income and sustainability for those living on the site and with proper management should generate enough revenue to help fun alliance workers/projects.

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JohnUbele
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Re: Permaculture

Post by JohnUbele » Sun May 08, 2022 2:43 am

I was fortunate to be able to take and complete a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) back at the end of 2012. I actually was able to meet Toby Hemenway during it. He taught one segment of the course which mainly dealt with Permaculture theory. I read his book, "Gaia's Garden", it's a great resource on the subject.

For those who can't afford a PDC, you may find the following page useful:

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles ... esign-free

Also, master gardener programs and workshops are good ways to learn about organic gardening. These are offered in many places around the US, and some of these are free. Even though organic gardening and Permaculture are different, they do overlap in some ways. So learning about organic gardening can be very useful and helpful.

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