Principles
1985 Syllabus
PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE HANDBOOK
(Revised and updated 1985)
This handbook is an outline for the standard 72-hour
permaculture design course; it is intended as a guide
only, and instructors should greatly amplify the contents.
It is not necessary to teach the course in the sequence
presented herein, as long as the major subjects are
covered.Issued by: The Permaculture Institute Editors:
Bill Mollison, Reny Slay, Andrew Jeeves Illustrations'.
Andrew Jeeves, Reny Slay
Permaculture Design Course Handbook
WEB OF LIFE
Net of functional Relationaships Design/Ecosystem
SINK
Diversity is related to stability. It is not, however,
the number of diverse elements you can pack into a
system, but rather the useful connections you can
make between these elements.
From source to sink:
- diversity increases.
- energy stores increase
- organisational complexity increases.
The Chaos or Disorder Principle : If resources are
added beyond the capacity of the system to productively
use them, then that system becomes disordered (goes
into chaos) Odum
Chaos or disorder is the opposite of harmony, as competition
is the opposite of co-operation. in disorder, much
useful energy is cancelled out by the use of opposing
energy, thus creating entropy or bound energy.
Society, gardens, whole systems and human lives are
wasted in disorder and opposition. The aim of the
designer is therefore two-fold:
• To use only that amount of energy that can
be productively :absorbed by the system.
-To build harmony, as cooperation, into the functional
organi-saticn of the syster.;.
Methodologies of design
Permaculture design emphasises patterning of landscape,
function, and species assemblies. It asks the question,
"Where does this (element) go? How is it placed
for maximum benefit in the system?"
Permaculture is made up of techniques and strategies:
• Techniques : concerned With How to do Things
(one-Dimensionally) e.g. organic gardening.
• strategies : concerned with how and when ;twc-Uimension;:.i}
e.g. Fukuoka system.
• Design : CGtiC°rnP:: with, pa:i°rr;ng
(multi-dimensional)) e.g. Permaculture.
PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE Handbook
Approaches to Design
• (1) Maps (“Where is everything?")
• (2) Analysis of elements ("How do these
things connect?")
• (3) Sector planning ("Where do we put
things?")
• (4) Observational
• (5) Experiential
1. Maps (be careful "the map is not the territory")
Sequence of maps valuable to see clearly where to
place many elements Clear overlays to plan: Access
- Water - Buildings – Topology
2. Analysis of Elements
An analytic approach: list the needs, products, and
the intrinsic characteristics of each element. This
is done on paper. Lists are made to try to supply
(by some other element in the system) the needs of
any particular element
Example would be that of the chicken:
Needs are:
* food ~ water
* shelter * protection
x dust " grit
* air * control ~troi * other chickens
Products are.
* manure * eggs
* heat * gas
* meat * feathers
intrinsic factors:
breed characteristics (colour, ranging habits) unique
factors
Experiment,
connecting and combining the elements (buildings,
plants, animals etc.) to achieve no pollution. (excess
of product), and minimum work. Try lo have one element
fulfill the needs of another element
3. Sector planning
Sector planning inc!udes (a) zones, (b) sector, (c)
slope, (d) orientation
ZONES
!t is useful to consider the site as a series of zones,
which can be concentric rings, a single pathway through
the system, starting with the home centre and working
out. The placement of elements in each zone depends
on importance, priorities, and numerical visits needed
for each element, e.g. a chicken house is visited
every day, so it needs to be close (but not necessarily
next to the house). A herb garden would be close to
the kitchen
Permaculture Design COURsE Handbook
Zone 1 home centre herbs, vegetable garden mostly
structures
very intensive start at back steps
Zone 2
intensively cultivated well-maintained
mainly grafted and selected species dense planting
use stacking, storeys
some animals, chickens, pigeons, ducks, quail
multi-purpose walks, collect eggs, milk, distribute
greens, scraps
Zone 3
connect to Zone 1 and 2 for easy access may add goats,
geese, sheep, bees plant hardy trees and bush species
ungrafted for later selection, later grafting animal
forage
self-forage systems, poultry forest etc. windbreaks,
firebreaks
spot mulching, rough mulching
trees protected with cages, strip fencing nut tree
forests
Zone 4
long term development timber for building timber for
firewood watering minimal feeding minimal
some introduced animals: cattle, deer, pigs
Zone 5
uncultivated wilderness natural regeneration timber
hunting
Species, elements and strategies change in each zone
SECTORS
The aim of sector planning is to channel external
energies (wind, sun, fire) into or away from the system
The zone and sector factors together regulate the
placement of particular plant species and structures
SLOPE
Placement of an element on slope so that gravity
is used to maximum capacity: water storage, mulch
and other materials (kick-down), cold air fail, warm
air rise
ORIENTATION
Placement of an element so that it faces sunside or
shadeside depending on its function and needs
4. Observational
Free thinking or thematic thinking (e.g. on blackberry
or bracken.) a. note phenomena
b. infer (make guesses) c. investigate (research)
d. devise a strategy
5. Experiential
Become conscious of yourself, feelings environment
Can be free-conscious or thematically conscious. Zazen
- walking without thinking, unreflective
PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Use all the methodologies of
design Select: elements - pattern assembly place elements
- pattern relationship
PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE HANDBOOK
