This is the first Permaculture Design Course to be offered in the Texoma area that we know of and we are excited to be hosting it. In case you haven't heard or read about this rare opportunity in your own backyard to take an entire permaculture course, which includes all the fundamentals required by Bill Mollison, and to do an actual permaculture design team practicum on a piece of property here in Fannin County to become certified, read on. Several property owners in the area have agreed to have the Permaculture Design Teams draw up a design according to their purposes, goals, and the attributes of the property they own/lease. What an asset for them —a plan to follow, if they so choose!!!
We first met Patricia Allison, when we took a brief introductory class in permaculture several years ago. She whetted our appetite to know more about permaculture and to start thinking in more sustainable ways. Then, we saw her again last fall, and I asked if she'd be willing to travel to Texas to teach a Permaculture Design Course. That got the ball rolling, and it's been rolling ever since! Visit the following link to learn more about Patricia, about permaculture concepts, and about the course, which has a deadline for enrollment by September 1st: http://wildscapeacres.homestead.com/Wildscape-Acres-Home.html.
The book, Gaia's Garden, by Toby Hemenway, gives anyone ideas about how they can implement permaculture concepts/fundamentals into their own backyard or plot of land, creating an oasis of foods and perennials. “There is so much wisdom in Gaia's Garden that I would need a dozen columns to do it justice. ...a bold, wonderful, nature-embracing and completely sensible vision of the future." _ Justin Siskin, Los Angeles Daily News.
Amazon gives you the option to peek inside the book. http://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Garden-Second-Home-Scale-Permaculture/dp/1603580298/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282059500&sr=1-1
Here's a long description of the book from kalahari.net:
“Permaculture is a verbal marriage of "permanent" and "agriculture". Australian Bill Mollison pioneered its development. Key features include:
-- use of compatible perennials;
-- non-invasive planting techniques;
-- emphasis on biodiversity;
-- specifically adaptable to local climate, landscape, and soil conditions;
-- highly productive output of edibles.
Now, picture your backyard as one incredibly lush garden, filled with edible flowers, bursting with fruit and berries, and carpeted w scented herbs and tangy salad greens. The visual impact is of Monet's palette, a wash of color, texture, and hue. But this is no still life. The flowers nurture endangered pollinators. Bright-featured songbirds feed on abundant berries and gather twigs for their nests.
The plants themselves are grouped in natural communities, where each species plays a role in building soil, deterring pests, storing nutrients, and luring beneficial insects. And finally, you -- good ol' homo sapiens -- are an integral part of the scene. Your garden tools are resting against a nearby tree, and have a slight patina of rust, because this garden requires so little maintenance. You recline into a hammock to admire your work. You have created a garden paradise.
This is no dream, but rather an ecological garden, which takes the principles of permaculture and applies them on a home-scale. There is nothing technical, intrusive, secretive, or expensive about this form of gardening. All that is required is some botanical knowledge (which is in this book) and a mindset that defines a backyard paradise as something other than a carpet of grass fed by MiracleGro.”
Below are excerpts from Jeffrey Green’s article, "Mimicking Nature to Feed the Masses," giving his perspective about permaculture:
"To me, there is no job more important than producing healthy food in a sustainable way. Admittedly I’m a newbie to this particular topic, but I feel my passion growing with every bit of new information I find. Can there be anything more beautiful than mimicking nature to produce an abundance of healthy food? Sustainable farming methods are gaining huge traction based on their fantastic results.
... Two farming methods have really taken root and are beginning to flourish without the need for pesticides, fertilizers, or large amounts of fossil fuel. It is telling that both methods mimic nature to control pests and produce abundance. In other words, these methods work with nature rather than fight it with chemical additives and antibiotics....
...One of these is permaculture gardening, which is an interdependent system where a large variety of complimentary plants are strategically located for the benefit of the entire garden. This design system is brilliant for urban micro-farms, kitchen gardens, self-sufficient homesteads, and even large scale family farming. The philosophy of permaculture gardening is to recreate nature in a profound way to produce chemical-free food.
Permaculture works something like this; you design an entire edible habitat based on the natural capital of your setting. Then, place plants to methodically balance the soil, water, and pests. For instance, a nitrogen fixing plant may be planted next to a nitrogen hungry plant, which may sit next to an ornamental that deters predators, and so on. Permaculture is also a closed circle philosophy where all resources are optimized though conservation and recycling. The immense food yields per acre are astonishing when using permaculture methods and the results are also drawing many newcomers."
To read Jeffrey's article in its entirety: http://www.activistpost.com/2010/08/mimicking-nature-to-feed-masses.html?utm_source=Activist+Post+Subscribers&utm_campaign=d55c7084d1-Newsletter_7&utm_medium=email