![]() This begins a short series on the twelve permaculture principles. These are concepts and ethics that permaculture strives to adhere to and encourage. I will give short summaries on each principle. I hope that you will come to understand more about what permaculture is and its general ideology. It is an ecological science, but like any science, permaculture is hollow without ethical rules. These principles give meaning to an otherwise callous system. The first principle is on careful observation combined with interaction. Observing nature is the beginning and the end of permaculture. It seems rather trite. Go look at stuff. However, permaculture, and science as a whole, would not exist without observation. And like Sherlock Holmes would say, many people see, but do not observe. There is a difference. I have driven past a farm almost every day for three years, and I saw the trees on the fence lines, but I did not observe until just a couple days ago that the trees all leaned to one side. A sign of the prevailing winds. How could I not see that? Nature is the teacher, and it is a teacher we know very little about. Take soil for example. There are tens of billions of microorganisms in just tablespoons of soil. But how many of those microorganisms can we culture in a lab? About 1%. That is a serious hindrance to the field of microbiology. Practically all we know about soil is that it works. How, we don’t know. It’s just that complicated. However, when it comes to making soil, we can observe how to do that. Composting is essentially making soil really fast. Bottom line, if we want to learn how to do something, we need to observe how nature already does it. God created a glorious place for us and in it He designed everything it needs. We make problems when we think we can do it better than the Designer. If we want to give credit to ourselves, and credit to the earth we are called to steward, we must endeavor to observe objectively. That is the essence of permaculture theory and one reason why I consider it an ecological science. Observe and interact with nature. Learn how it works. Copy what it does. People noticed that apple trees grew much better with nasturtiums. I do not have to be a professor to know that is a good thing. You do not have to be a scientist to observe what goes on around you. Native Americans and ancient cultures the world over discovered the medicinal benefits of some plants a lot of us in America consider weeds and actively seek to kill. The poster child for this: dandelions. If you want to engage in permaculture, you must put aside cultural prejudices or the thought that you know how it is and look at what is really there. You have to look at things like a child, with a child’s openness. That is the only way to learn and see what you might otherwise miss. Observe and interact, like a child. That is permaculture. Comments are closed.
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Rebecca Burrow
I am a Christian permie designer trying to spread the word about Christian land stewardship through permaculture. I like goats a lot. Maaaaaaaah. Archives
September 2016
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Burrow Permaculture Consulting | Permie Blog |