Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that are modeled on the relationships found in natural ecologies. The term means permanent agriculture or sustainable agriculture.
For years, we have come to believe that monoculture, which is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area, is the rule of thumb for cultivating food. Nevertheless, it has been proven that this an inefficient and a non-sustainable practice. Permaculture teaches us that symbiotic relationships and strategic alliances between plants help maintain the soil rich in nutrients and minerals, thus preventing the need to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
This is achieved by using processes that occur in nature in order to maximize effectiveness using the minimum energy possible. Here, some plants act as agents to fix the soil with nitrogen and prevent erosion, others provide shade, and others provide land cover to keep the soil moist and humid, thus reducing the need to water so often. The goal is to create stable, productive ecosystems that provide for human needs while integrating the community harmoniously to their habitat and surroundings.
Examples of permaculture designs:
