A permaculture farm is one in which rare species of trees and other plant life are planted, maintained and eventually harvested for planting in rain forests and other areas where foliage and forage will enhance and promote a well balanced ecological area. Permaculture Institute students who graduate often times become park rangers, ecologists, scientists, and practice in other areas of ecological concern. In some instances, Permaculture Institute graduates simply continue to teach others how to plant and maintain areas of ecological concern. Being a professor at the Permaculture Institute is one way to promote the integrity of the system.
Have you ever tried to do a new landscape design in your yard at home? Permaculture design courses are taught to teachers, constructionists and others. However, many of us actually practice this at home without even being aware of it. Making a stone wall and planting a flower bed is one example of permaculture. Soils and soil testing is another example of what someone might do or use that is considered permaculture.
Basically, finding a way to beautify the earth and solve earth issues, (like your muddy backyard becoming a fertile garden or flower bed) is the premise of permaculture. It might be easier to understand by adding the term Horticulture. This is the study of plants itself; in contrast, permaculture deals in a more broad sense with the earth, the plants, the soil and how they all benefit nature, people, animals, including insects like mosquitoes and the life cycles of each as they relate to these ecological systems.
The beauty of planting of more trees in your yard or at your business also helps to provide more oxygen. These are called mutual benefits. It is more enjoyable to work in a place where landscaping is done with care and consideration than to report to work everyday to a brick or steel building without any efforts at trying to make the landscape ascetically pleasing to the eye. Likewise, it is more enjoyable to sit on your back porch and listen to the birds, the kids playing and the neighbors goes by while not only your ears are being stimulated, but your eyes too. The bushes, hostas, trees and flowers not only provide a lovely background for your home or office, they invite and encourage butterflies, hummingbirds and other birds as well.
The world is a beautiful place and taking steps to learn how to preserve and maintain that beauty amidst the littering and other forms of destruction is a worthwhile way to spend your time. Make it a family affair and help teach your children about preservation and appreciation for the world around them. It will be something they can treasure for generations to come as they live and teach their own children about the wonderful world of permaculture.