(Re-)Defining Permaculture: Perspectives of Permaculture Teachers and Practitioners across the United States

Abstract

The solutions-based design framework of permaculture exhibits transformative potential, working to holistically integrate natural and human systems toward a more just society. The term can be defined and applied in a breadth of ways, contributing to both strengths and weaknesses for its capacity toward change. To explore the tension of breadth as strength and weakness, we interviewed 25 prominent permaculture teachers and practitioners across the United States (US) regarding how they define permaculture as a concept and perceive the term’s utility. We find that permaculture casts a wide net that participants grapple with in their own work. They engaged in a negotiation process of how they associate or disassociate themselves with the term, recognizing that it can be both unifying and polarizing. Further, there was noted concern of permaculture’s failure to cite and acknowledge its rootedness in Indigenous knowledge, as well as distinguish itself from Indigenous alternatives. We contextualize these findings within the resounding call for a decolonization of modern ways of living and the science of sustainability, of which permaculture can be critically part of. We conclude with recommended best practices for how to continuously (re-)define permaculture in an embodied and dynamic way to work toward these goals.

Fighting the hunger games through permaculture: a scoping review to inform urban planning

“…Awareness and understanding are especially lacking, not only in communities but also NGOs, professional disciplines, and government organizations that are emphasized in the literature. A few studies focused on raising permaculture awareness and improving the understanding of permaculture to improve community resilience through permaculture (Henfrey, 2018;Hinton et al, 2021;Spangler et al, 2021). Spangler et al (2021) observe that the understanding and application of permaculture is extremely broad, and confusing, which often leads to its neglect within scientific communities.…”

“…A few studies focused on raising permaculture awareness and improving the understanding of permaculture to improve community resilience through permaculture (Henfrey, 2018;Hinton et al, 2021;Spangler et al, 2021). Spangler et al (2021) observe that the understanding and application of permaculture is extremely broad, and confusing, which often leads to its neglect within scientific communities. Interviews conducted in Spangler's study revealed the participants have varying understandings of permaculture and permaculture design and often confuse the two concepts/use them interchangeably.…”

“…Interviews conducted in Spangler's study revealed the participants have varying understandings of permaculture and permaculture design and often confuse the two concepts/use them interchangeably. Permaculture design is considered to be concerned with the physical application of the design principles and recognized as more of a lifestyle approach and a way of thinking (Spangler et al, 2021). They also recognize that permaculture is frequently misunderstood and emphasize the importance of practitioners anchoring permaculture principles to promote its deeper integration into the design of healthy and equitable food systems.…”

Exploring innovation for sustainable agriculture: A systematic case study of permaculture in Nepal

“…Intensive farming techniques have grievous ramifications for the environment and society overall [ 1 , 4 ]. Permaculture, as an alternative to large-scale agriculture techniques, furnishes an international network with a solutions-oriented approach to sustainability, with the goal of “designing and developing sustainable communities in harmony with natural ecosystems” [ 3 , 5 ]. Permaculture has been acknowledged as a new ecological paradigm of sustainable practices in an assortment of fields, including environment, organic farming, forestry, agriculture, landscape, engineering, and city planning [ 6 ].…”

Life Paths to Leading Systems-Level Change: Higher Education's Pitfalls and Potential

“…The term and concept of permaculture were developed in Australia in the 1970s as a solutions-based design framework guided by ethics and principles that aim to be in synergy rather than disharmony with nature (Fadaee, 2019). In particular, permaculture design aims to mimic the functions and resilience of natural ecosystems to promote biodiversity and reduce negative impacts of human existence on sustainable and just living (Morel et al, 2019;Spangler et al, 2021). The principles and practices used in permaculture are drawn from the traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples, combined with modern scientific understanding, technological advances, and placebased field experience across many disciplines (Luna et al, 2018).…”