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Coined in 1978 by Australian ecologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, permaculture is a contraction of "permanent agriculture." It's also "an approach to developing ecological human habitats and food production systems that use land sustainable and build communities that harmonious integrate dwellings and agriculture in regard to climate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water use. Permaculture focuses not on the separate elements, but on their relationships and how they are placed in the landscape."
Permaculture, says Robert Lamb of HowStuffWorks.com, "centers on the theory that human habitats and food production systems don't have to artificially exist outside of natural ecological systems. This is a holistic approach, meaning that it views humans as a part of the larger ecological system and not as something standing separately."
The permaculture movement follows three basic ethics:
- Care for the Earth
- Care for people
- Setting limits on population and consumption
You'll find lots more info on permaculture here.
