permaculture

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a design philosophy and system for creating sustainable human settlements and agricultural systems modelled on the patterns and relationships found in natural ecosystems, developed by Australian ecologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s; the term combines permanent with agriculture and culture, expressing the aspiration to create food-producing systems that are as self-sustaining, diverse, and resilient as natural ecosystems while supporting human communities; permaculture design uses principles including stacking functions — each element serving multiple purposes — catching and storing energy, using edges and valuing the marginal, and observing and interacting with the system before intervening; permaculture has influenced the broader sustainable agriculture movement, the transition town movement, and urban food growing initiatives worldwide