Other design disciplines claim to be sustainable, but permaculture farming has become widely acknowledged as the most important discipline in reaching this goal. Permaculture is concerned with implementing sustainable methods, whether in a community, a group of houses, or an individual home.
The permaculture design method leads to sustainable farming because it focuses on low resource consumption and reduced environmental impact. The design consists of elements that can be applied to the whole environment, such as water, soil, plants, and animals.
Let’s look into the seven reasons why permaculture farming is a sustainable farming solution we should adopt today.
1. Permaculture Farming Is A Design Method, Not Just A Practice
Permaculture is a whole design system, which means it is a broader way of thinking and practicing. These tenets apply to the entire farm, from how the animals are kept to how the workers treat each other.
The six tenets of permaculture include the following:
- Earth Care
- People Care
- Fair Shares
- Do Less Harm
- Use and Value Renewable Resources
- Appropriate Technology
In the permaculture design system, farms are treated as a network where all resources flow in a closed loop. This closed-loop system provides the infrastructure for a farm to be sustainable.
2. Focuses On Reducing Waste
Permaculture, also known as the “Zero Waste,” enables waste from one element becomes the food of another. For this reason, waste is never seen as waste but as a useful resource used as fertilizer for the farm or other elements. This is why permaculture is the most sustainable farming technique.
3. Teaches Use of Resources in The Cheapest Way Possible
When crops become a continuous food source, there is no need to use inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. For example, multi-cropping allows farmers to produce more food without using more resources.
In permaculture farming, other cost-efficient methods are prioritized, such as drip irrigation, which delivers water on a very small scale and precisely to the elements that need it.
4. Permaculture Design is Applicable Anywhere
When a farmer adopts the permaculture design system, they are first taught to use the elements in their area.
Instead of dictating the process, the permaculture design system allows the farmer to improvise and create a unique method for his farm. There is no one-size-fits-all principle in permaculture.
5. Permaculture Helps Keep Farms Within The Family
Permaculture uses a holistic approach to farming and the farm as a whole. It analyses the ecosystem, adding design elements that help maintain health and balance while eliminating factors that harm the environment and the farm.
Permaculture solution to farming includes everything from where to plant trees to plant crops to where to install a pond. It is different from traditional farming because it views farming as a design and solution rather than a way of growing food.
The landscape and its elements are designed according to a plan and purpose, whether commercial, personal, or community use.
6. Its Design is to Work With Nature
Some sustainable farming techniques use organic farming as their source of food. Organic farming is great for the environment, but the inputs currently used are not sustainable and renewable, even with several organic fertilizers.
The permaculture design method works with nature and the elements. It can help build a sustainable food system because it uses fewer inputs and is more environmentally friendly.
7. It Is A Community-Driven Design System
In permaculture, the ecosystem is not restricted to farms. Communities are also part of the whole design system. When a community is based on permaculture, time and resources going to waste will be reduced, and farms can be more productive and more competitive.
Permaculture Is The Most Sustainable Farming Technique Today
Adopting the permaculture design system is the best way to build sustainable farming because it is a whole design system. It is not a solitary technique but an entire design framework implemented across the farm.
Is your farm sustainable? Learn more about how to make your food and farming sustainable today with permaculture tips from Blossom and Broom. We can help you with your permaculture gardening and other home and garden aesthetics. Learn more through our gardening blogs to help you kickstart your garden today!
