Category Regulars

Permaculture is being applied in many communities and contexts around the world. It plays a leading role and catalyses positive change, from sustainable redevelopment to disaster preparedness, renewal of small farms and creation of urban agriculture zones.

Urban Agriculture Zones In California

Vacant land in Californian cities can now be designated as agricultural zones since the passing of new legislation in 2013. It encourages increased use of privately owned, vacant land for urban agriculture and improves land security for these projects. The key to making this work is that landowners who commit their land to urban agriculture for at least five years will receive a reduction in property tax.

I’m really excited about the diverse range of articles included in issue two. We’ve got stories from all over Australia. People are hearing about Pip, and the word is spreading.

Our six sections have changed slightly for this edition. ‘Create’ has become ‘Thrive’, which is a section about earning a living and the ‘B’ word: business. Robin Clayfield’s article on the ethics and heart of social enterprise reminds us of all the ways in which businesses can choose to be ethical, and it offers a checklist of what to think about – whether we are running our own business or choosing businesses to support.

Beck Lowe’s article on growing your own meat is something close to my heart at the moment. We have just gone through the process of raising, killing, butchering and curing our own pigs. I did wonder, just before we did the deed, whether it would be too traumatic and I would have to become vegetarian. But the pigs were happy and unstressed right up until their last moment. This raised all sorts of questions for me about humans’ role in the food chain, and our right to take lives to feed ourselves. It is something as a meat eater I have always wanted to do, to be truly in touch with where my meat comes from.

There are also some really great stories about different people around the country, and what they are doing in their own neck of the woods.

Robin Clayfield has just released the third edition of this book. The information is drawn from years of experience in gardening, cooking, design, research, teaching and creating. This is a tome of information, covering everything from permaculture principles and ethics, through hands-on practical gardening advice, to everything you need to know about cooking and catering. Whether you’re after a legume crop species list, a chook poo tea recipe for the garden, a menu for a crowd of twenty for a week, or how to make an oatmeal face scrub, you’ll find it all in here.

Permaculture design is about solving whatever real problems people have. My clients are mostly mainstreamers, so their problems aren’t of a vegetable nature. They are; ‘My children don’t listen to me’, ‘I’m always rushed’, ‘Life is such a chore’. If good design creates cared-for, surplus-sharing people, Bill Mollision would be pleased.

Our houses could be our cheer squad and support crew, but so often, they just defeat us. We intend to do something lovely: wrap a present, shine our shoes, make a cake. But we end up stuck. ‘Where is the sticky tape?’ ‘Who took the scissors?’ ‘Do we have any white laces?’ Create household guilds. Make families of objects so that they are able to fulfill their purpose when they are in each other’s presence. Find a beautiful box or container for them. Label it with a spot-on title. Don’t dilute or pollute the box with things that don’t really belong.

In 2011 the long established Permaculture International Ltd registered the business name Permaculture Australia (PA) to allow it to transition into the role of representing permaculture on a national level. PA is already operating as a national body in three ways:

Permafund — a nationally registered deductible gift recipient fund that can receive donations and offer grants. Last year Permafund dispersed small grants to 13 groups in Australia and overseas and a 2014 grant round is underway. Permafund also provides practical advice and mentoring support for aid and community projects.

Accredited Permaculture Training (APT) — these courses (from Cert 1 to Diploma of Permaculture) were developed by a team of dedicated volunteers over many years. APT is a competencybased training package that builds on the contents of the PDC. APT courses can be used in schools and colleges across Australia and have the potential to create jobs in the training sector. PA retains the rights to the curriculum registration and is negotiating with a national curriculum provider — Agrifoods Australia — to expand the use of the courses.

In 1994 Robyn Francis acquired a compacted cow pasture to create permaculture’s first purpose-designed education centre and demonstration farm as a living learnscape of permaculture in practice. Djanbung Gardens has trained, inspired and empowered many thousands of students and visitors from around the world. The team at Djanbung invite you to come and celebrate, 7—9 June. Program includes the annual open day, a permaculture symposium, tours, workshops, lots of music, fun, local food and special guests. Former students are invited to give workshops and short presentations on their work.

I am so happy that you are holding this magazine in your hands and reading it. It has been a long time in the making, growing from pip to peach, and here it is present in the world, sitting in your hands.

The idea of doing this magazine first came up while I was doing my Permaculture Design Course a few years ago, when I was seven months pregnant with my third child. After much discussion and encouragement, I knew by the end of the PDC that this was going to be my contribution.

Since then, I gave birth to my daughter at home in the converted shed we were living in; my partner and I have renovated our house, making it more sustainable; we’ve slowly started implementing the design I created in the PDC; and we’ve enjoyed growing our little family. In the spare moments that exist around all that, this magazine has slowly grown.

Throughout its creation, I have met many awesome people and learnt so much from them. In the process of researching for our ‘story of permaculture’ article I spent a day with David Holmgren.