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Permaculture design
From WikiEducator
Permaculture design principles extend from the position that "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children" (Mollison, 1990). The intent was that, by rapidly training individuals in a core set of design principles, those individuals could become designers of their own environments and able to build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements — ones that reduce society's reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution that Mollison identified as fundamentally and systematically destroying the earth's ecosystems. Wikipedia Jan 2008
This course will run at Otago Polytechnic from Feb 22 - June 8. You can formally enroll at any time by emailing Kim Thomas on: kimtATtekotagoDOTacDOTnz. Distance learners or late enrollments are welcome to follow along online as we publish recordings and study materials to this web page. If this is you, consider keeping a blog for your journey with us and introduce yourself to the discussion page (see tab at the top of this page).
Aim
The aim of this course is to establish a good grounding in the foundations of permaculture design and to apply it to the development of production systems and living spaces.
We will cover:
- Natural living ecosystems, micro climates, resource appreciation
- Base & sector analysis, design checklists, and zoning
- Resource selection and placement
- Field visits, building production systems and living spaces
All sessions will start at the Otago Polytechnic L Block Horticulture shed then moving out to field visits and site activities. All learning will be video, audio, text and photo documented and published online to support distance learners. This is a pilot course with a view to developing it into a recognised permaculture design certificate accessible via distance. At this stage, enrollments are being taken at reduced fees while we develop the course.
Learning objectives
- Understand the principles of permaculture design.
- Demonstrate skills in designing production systems and living spaces using permaculture design principles.
- Apply permaculture designs to the development of production systems and living spaces.
Schedule
Schedule by Peta Hudson Dec 2007 for the Otago Polytechnic and Sustainable Otago Project. Through the first running of this course schedule we will record and document all activities and make the media available here. We also aim to adjust this schedule so as to widen the scope of the course and include people wanting to learn about the design principles of permaculture and their application to a broader range of production systems and living spaces.
Fri. 22nd Feb 6.30~9.30 - Introductions, Permaculture Ethics and Principles
After a round of introductions where we learned quite a lot about the people in our group, Peta explained quite nicely why we should spend some time in appreciating the ethics and principles of Permaculture. Using a tree as a metaphor, Peta explained that the ethics are the roots of the Permaculture concept. The ethics inform the principles (the trunk), and the principles inform methods and outcomes (branches, leaves and fruit). If any methods or outcomes are in question, refer to the principles. Whenever principles are in question, refer to the ethics. [I wonder if it follows that if the ethics are in question, refer to the ground in which you are trying to grow permaculture concepts - the society]
Things to do
- If you haven't already, please introduce yourself on the discussion page and consider joining the email forum where we might talk about the topics we cover in the course a little more.
- Here's a new page for permaculture ethics, principles, methods and outcomes. This page is located in Wikibooks where we building a free online text book to support this course. In your research add notes and simple explinations to our wikibook.
- Check out this Permaculture youtube playlist. Keep an eye on it as it will no doubt save new videos over time.
- Post to your blog your own notes and ideas about the ethics, principles, methods and outcomes of Permaculture.
Extra resources
- Excellent slide shows by London Permaculture that depict design principles. Be sure to check out the other photo stories as well!
Sun. 24 Feb. 10~4.30 Natural ecosystems, cultivated ecosystems and base and sector analysis
Today we visited a local permaculture garden surrounded by a natural forest ecosystem. We walked around observing the system with all our senses and what ever knowledge we had at hand. We paid particular attention to the boundaries between the natural ecosystem and the cultivated ecosystem (permaculture gardens). We discussed what services we thought the natural ecosystem performed such as shelter, filtering, information, biodiversity, decomposition and many others. We then heard from the land owner about the time he and others have spent observing and interacting with this ecosystem, and how they went about slowly developing their own cultivated ecosystem within it.
In the afternoon we returned to the classroom to talk about the importance of sensory observations and keeping diary notes on these.
We then moved onto base maps and sector analysis maps, and the yields and needs analysis of permaculture elements.
Base map and sector analysis map
A base map is a drawing that captures everything that is in place already on a property or space. It includes buildings, fences, trees, hedges, pathways and driveways, power lines and pipes... things that are in place.
A sector analysis map is a drawing that depicts what is happening in that base. What is the sun's path, what are the wind and rain directions, where are the main areas of people activity, where are the shade areas.
Permaculture elements
Permaculture elements are things like a chicken coup, a tool shed, a herb garden, a raised bed vege patch etc. The things we might like to include in our cultivated ecosystem. All elements should be considered in terms of what they can give, and what they need. For example, a chicken coup gives eggs, feathers, warmth, decomposition, turning of soil, nutrients, noise, companionship. It needs shelter and security, water, warmth, dust, food, nests, companionship, etc. Through a comparison between our base and sector analysis with our yields and needs analysis we can begin to think about the best position or situation for our plan.
Things to do
- Observe with all your senses a natural ecosystem and makes notes on what you notice. Pay attention to boundary areas, temperatures, winds, types of living organism, anything you can notice about the space. Do the same again in your project area. Do this regularly and keep detailed notes in a diary form. Here is a observation guide sheet to help you along.
- Make a base map of your project site. Leave at least a 2 - 5cm space around your drawing to allow for information cues like a key for symbols, text and things like that. Consider doing the base drawing on at least a 30x40cm sheet of paper,
- Now start a sector analysis map on semi transparent 'butter paper' sheet of the same size so it can super impose over the base map. We will be doing more drawings on transparent paper that will also super impose over the base such as micro climate and nutrient analysis.
- Photograph your drawings at various stages and load the images to your blog and/or online photo sharing site.
- Support resources and media recordings are currently being processed and will be added here shortly...
Resources
- Permaculture Design wikibook
- Horty Kim's video of the field trip
- Leigh Blackall's video of the field trip
- Audio recordings comming soon
Sun. 2 March. 10~4.30 - Review base & sector analysis & introduction to designers checklist
Review base & sector analysis
Hi hortykim here with an update for session three.For todays' class we started with a discussion on our trip to Harmony Farm and everyone commented on what they had personally learned from the trip.
We then brainstormed about what global issues were threatening our world and how permaculture could address these issues.
The class then returned to our look at thepermaculture tree.In our first class we had looked at permaculture ethics(the roots of the tree) and for this session we continued with permaculture principles(the trunk of the tree)and finally the outcomes(fruit)produced when you are aware of the ethics and principlesThere is a lot of info in this link but if you click on About Permaculture you will see a big flower that includes similar information to our tree.
Show and tell followed the permaculture tree exercise with the class whipping out their base and sector maps.
We concluded session three with a look at this wiki page and "introduced" our on line participants to the face to face participants!Hello out there.
Ok so I tried to embed a video that nut shells our day but I can't seem to get kaltura to upload the vid?So I will do it the old fashioned way.Leigh can we fix this next time I see you?I will leave the widget for now...
Sun. 9 March 10~4.30 - Using the Designers Checklist ~ gathering information about soils, microclimates & resources & further exploration of more design methods.
Hi hortykim here with an update for session four (Leigh is climbing a mountain somewhere in New Zealand and has asked me to care for the wiki) Today we started with Peta telling us about a weekend forum in Oamaru that she will be attending,Peta is particularly intertested in the guest speaker Dr. Susan Krumdieck
We then explored aspects of designer checklist
The weather calmed for awhile (although we were all pleased with the big dump of rain) so we embarked on an introduction to zone planning with the focus on zone one design.We are using an area of land at the Otago Polytechnic to demonstrate the steps you may take to design zone one and here is one prepared earlier. Peta had drawn up a base map of the area and from there we broke into groups and made observations about the site and then we started to go wid da flow and make the paths using rope. We will implement the design on April 13 and create zone one.
For the last bit of the day we watched some of The Global Gardener and then Peta and I tidied up the classroom and did another nut shell of the session.
Other resources
Session 4 Sun 16 March 10~4.30 - Zone 2 design & plant selection
Video: Jason Ross - Permaculture designer and heritage fruit tree specialist Jason Walker talks about the Otago Polytechnic Permaculture Design course
Slide presentation: Common edibles around Dunedin - Jason Ross was our guest teacher in the Permaculture Design course this week. He brought in a selection of common, easy to grow edible plants for us to see.
We also looked at zone 2 design elements and various fruit, nut and berry trees and bushes for consideration of their placement in our own designs. Jason had some excellent plant charts that included their characteristics and uses... I will see if we can get a version of those charts.
Sun. 30th March 10~4.30 - Field visits
Field visits to various Permaculture properties around Dunedin & the Renaissance Underground Worm Farm at Ravensborne
Our first stop was at Jason and Kate's garden in Waitati. Check Check out this vid where Jason shares some pearls of wisdom about successful vege gardening. Jason then took as to a market garden project he is managing.
And the day would not be complete without Leigh eating something hot! Leigh is keeping photos of all the edible or useful plants he likes and that grow easily around Dunedin.
In the afternoon we visited Rachel at Renaissance Underground and Gallery at Ravensbourne. In this video, Rachel talks us through good composting and worm farming. There is an audio only version of this video if your bandwidth is low.
Sun. 13th April 10~4.30 - Practical/Build zone 1 plus Zones 3 4 & 5 in more detail & water conservation strategies
The permaculture design class spent most of the day fashioning a no dig garden and a herb spiral. Watch this step by step slideshow for more details. If you prefer, watch this vid of Leigh explaining our objectives for the day and then watch this one where Leigh is watering in the new herb spiral. If you are interested in a nutshell of our whole day check out Peta Hudson doing a re-cap. Leigh and I continue our interest with eating unusual plants in this case a dahlia tuber. And then he nibbled on the fruit of the Cornus capitata.
resources
11th May 10~4.30 - Present designs, discussion, evaluation & celebration
We will be covering actual design, but to do that you all need to have all of your background information at hand. That is:
- A good base map
- a site and sector analysis - including soil analysis!!! (digging soil profile, assessing structure, organic matter, texture and soil life)
- a zone plan (which areas suit zone two, three and four use)
- a social base map (your needs, dreams, resources, limitations, energy, finance, time, skills etc)
- a list of elements you would like to include in zone 2. How many, what kind....
Present designs, discussion & potluck celebration.
18th May 10~4.30 - Prepare food forest area for planting
Preparation for planting of food forest area including information on soils.
8th June 10~4.30 - Plant Food Forest
Planting of trees, berry crops & perennial companion plants on Polytech site.
