Permaculture: tracing the origins of our food.
First published in Carmel Beat, in September, 2020
As humans, the way
to our hearts is truly through our stomachs. Our lives revolve around our food:
what we eat, how much we eat, and when we eat. Empires are built upon our love
for our food, and food, like the rest of our fast paced lives, has become
incredibly industrialized.
However, in our
ongoing pursuit for economic gain, how many times do we ask ourselves: where exactly
does our food come from? What has gone into the production of our food? Where
is our food grown? What is the carbon footprint of the food we eat?
Asking ourselves
these difficult questions, according to Mr. Krishna McKenzie, is the essence of
permaculture.
Permaculture is a permanent blueprint for perennial and
sustainable agriculture.
It is a shift from
the more traditional methods of agriculture, that are infamous for not
supporting other life forms to a more sensitive and long lasting form, that allows
vegetables plants and fruit trees to grow together, and provide food for not
only us, but for birds, insects and other animals too.
“The conscious design and maintenance of
agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and
resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of the
landscape with people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material
and non-material needs in a sustainable way.” – Bill Mollison
The term
‘permaculture,’ coined by Bill Mollison in the 197Os, is a portmanteau of the words
‘permanent’ and ‘agriculture’ and has since expanded to include the word
‘culture’ as well, as permaculture is a way of life rather than merely a set of
horticultural techniques to follow.
“It is not just a
different kind of agriculture,” says Kalki, a 20-year-old student from Vizag,
who has attended a workshop on permaculture in Aranya
Permaculture Farm,
Telangana. “You make do with what is there; you don’t strategize for the sake
of short term profit. The yield will be gain for both you and for biodiversity
around.”
But what IS permaculture?
“Permaculture is rediscovering our connection with the
foundation of our existence: nature, our planet.” – Krishna McKenzie
“Permaculture is
man’s relationship with where his food comes from, with all his ecology, and
how he can value all the resources he has,” says Mr. Krishna McKenzie, owner of
Solitude Farm, in Auroville.
Traditional
agriculture or mono-cropping, where you grow a single crop on the same land
year after year, leaves the land barren and stripped of its nutrients.
But permaculture
focuses on intercropping- growing two or more crops in proximity with each
other- and growing perennial crops that don’t need to be replanted every season
after harvest.
This is according
to physiological differences and the time they take to grow, rather than how
much profit they generate. For example, fruit trees take a very long time to
grow whereas cucumber and tomato are fast-growing plants.
“What interested
me most about permaculture is its purpose,” says Rishika, a 20-year-old student
from Kannur, who also attended a workshop in Aranya. “To grow crops that
support the growth of each other and support habitats for the growth of other
organisms. Permaculture is not just a replacement technique, it is actually
sustainable.”
A permaculture
plot does not have a fixed size- it can be anywhere from a one acre plot to a
large, sprawling field. There are trees planted to shade the vegetables and the
various perennials grow side by side and contribute mulch (a layer of compost
that insulates and enriches the soil).
“It is very
interesting to watch the interaction between these different plants,” says
Kalki, “they protect each other, and support each other. They both benefit and
co-exist with each other.”
Permaculture is
not a religion or a set of doctrines. It is simply a sustainable framework that
encourages us to be self sufficient and innovative, and search for solutions to
the several issues we face today.
Ethics of
permaculture
1. Earth Care
2. People Care
3. Fair Share
The main challenge
of permaculture according to Mr. Krishna McKenzie, is how to make people move
away from their habits, and to be aware of their conditioning. At a time when
convenience has become the driving force behind living our lives, “how do you
get them and yourself to change direction?” he asks.
Though
permaculture may not mass-produce one crop or yield enough to be sold wholesale
after every harvest, it can feed you, and the other organisms that surround
you, including the creatures we consider pests. What are pests after all, but
organisms like us, who simply seek food?
Permaculture
enriches the soil and is low maintenance, and after the initial planting of a
few plants, they will grow by themselves and engage with each other.
“It works because
the plants are the ones that are growing themselves,” says Rishika. “Permaculture
mimics the relationships found in natural ecological systems.”
Principles of
permaculture
1. Observe and interact with nature
2. Catch and store energy-
3. Obtain a Yield
4. Apply self regulation and feedback
5. Use and value renewables
6. Produce no waste
7. Design from patterns to details
8. Integrate don’t segregate
9. Use small, slow solutions
10. Use and value diversity
11. Use edges and value the marginal
12. Creatively use and respond to change
“When you work
with local food, you slow down, body and mind are better, you’re out of the rat
race, and in this environment the chance for something else to emerge will
sprout.” says Mr. Krishna McKenzie.
How to get started
“Anyone can walk this walk.” – Krishna McKenzie
· Put your hands in the soil, interact with
the earth.
· Eat local food, reduce fast food and make a
few eco-conscious actions when it comes to what you intake.
· Start finding out where what you eat comes
from, where it was grown and how it was grown.
· Try growing your own food at home, even if
it is one pudhina plant in a flowerpot. Then move on to some onions and take it
further from there.
“It all boils down
to what you eat, where it comes from and what your relationship is with it,”
says Mr. Krishna.
Book Recommendations:
One-Straw
Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka
Earth Care Manual
- Patrick Whitefield
Permaculture: A
Beginners Guide - Graham Burnett
Permaculture
Design: a Step by Step Guide - Aranya
People &
Permaculture - Looby Macnamara
Permaculture
Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability - David Holmgren
A Designers'
Manual - Bill Mollison
The Permaculture
Garden - Graham Bell
Creating a Forest
Garden - Martin Crawford
Gaia's Garden: A
Guide to Home-scale Permaculture - Toby Hemenway
Earth User's Guide
to Permaculture - Rosemary Morrow
Places you can (and should
visit):
Solitude Farm,
Auroville
Navadarshanam,
Bangalore
Aranya
Permaculture Farm, Telangana
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