One way of improving the fertility of your land is through permaculture. Permaculture is an agricultural system centered on utilizing the land based on its natural characteristics.

Reasons for doing permaculture vary. Some landowners use permaculture for them to help revitalize or find use for barren land. Some adopt permaculture for ethical reasons. But regardless of the reasons, people are mainly attracted to permaculture because of its core values.

• Cares for the environment – Permaculture recognizes that the environment provides for everything we need. So in order to get the most from the environment, it has to be nurtured and protected by using earth-friendly farming practices.

• Caring for the people– Every property has its own unique resources to boost. And the goal of permaculture is to maximize and highlight natural resources. The concept behind this is what’s naturally available in the environment is more sustainable to raise and maintain than bringing in crops that are not naturally suited for the environment. This practice encourages sustainability and self-reliance.

• Utilizing surpluses – Permaculture is, in a way, a form of recycling. It uses and re-utilizes whatever is available in the property. This makes permaculture healthier for the environment and an efficient farming system.

On the outset, permaculture has its similarities with other forms of land development. But what makes permaculture different is it goes beyond land development. It’s about working with your property and giving back in order to get the most returns.

It’s in the adoption of permaculture and its core values that can help your land fight climate change.

Why Go for Permaculture?

In addition to being environment friendly, there are many benefits to adopting permaculture.

1.        It’s cost efficient. Permaculture encourages waste reduction. It also encourages the organic fertilizers and pest control, which is cheaper than commercially available products. This helps farmers cut costs.

2.       It adopts and works with the land. – In permaculture, the type of crops planted are chosen based on what’s naturally available, working with the property’s soil characteristics, topography, and climate. This increases the chances of crop survival and makes maintenance easier for farmers.

3.       It encourages renewable systems and produces no waste– Adopting renewable systems, like renewable energy and fuel for farms, makes them self-sufficient.

4.      It is self-supporting and efficient– Since nothing in permaculture is wasted, everything within it also serves a purpose. Crops are planted not just for profit, but to also help the soil and the local system. The insects that enter the farm help with pollination. Any other plants within the farm helps support the crops and provides additional revenue.

5.       It provides attainable solutions – Because of its values of utilizing what is readily available and working with the environment, permaculture helps provide farms with feasible plans to increase productivity.

Permaculture and Climate Change

Climate change will undoubtedly affect the global food supply. Permaculture is currently being viewed as a practical way of combating both these problems.

One permaculture practice that can help fight climate change while ensuring food supply is agroforestry, which integrates agricultural and forestry techniques. The use of native trees and plants helps fight carbon emissions. It also encourages the use and protection of a wide variety of native plants that have current and potential commercial value.

Another scheme in mitigating climate change through permaculture is through sheet mulching. Mulching is perfect for the reduction of carbon emission. Reducing evaporation, increasing the presence of organic matter, absorbing rainfall. This helps with farm irrigation without having to alter major water systems, makes use of waste, and helps preserve soil fertility.

Rainwater harvesting is another permaculture practice that can have a positive environmental impact. Flooding and drought is a big problem for farms. By harvesting rainwater, the water volume that can contribute to flooding is reduced. It also provides farms with an alternative water source for irrigation.

How to Effectively Use Permaculture

Adopting permaculture requires planning. And to figure out the best permaculture plan for your property, you’ll need the help of an expert.

This is where we Rural Design can help. Each farm is unique and not everybody can adopt permaculture in the same way. We create permaculture plans with real life scenarios, which gives you clear results.

Our experience and expertise in doing farm forestry and permaculture has exposed us to a wide variety of scenarios. Adopting permaculture would require government consents, especially if the property requires major development. Our tie-ups with local and regional units allows you to implement your permaculture plan with ease. We also do assessments to determine the best way to proceed in order to provide you with support and guidance. We will help you with maintenance and implementation with our experienced work force.

Permaculture, simply put, is a holistic approach to agriculture. It takes into consideration all the environmental elements at play in order to make farming more efficient. And because of this, if you want to adopt permaculture in your farm, it has to be done right.