Permaculture is a combination of the words "permanent" and "agriculture" (or some say just "culture"). It is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that are modeled on the relationships found in natural ecologies. It is about creating stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, integrating the land with its inhabitants, animal and plant. Within a Permaculture system, work is minimised, "wastes" become resources, productivity and yields increase, and environments are restored. It is, in essence, "lazy agriculture."
Permaculture Principles at Work
This 8-minute video, produced and narrated by Starhawk, is an
introduction to Permaculture and Permaculture principles.
It features Erik Ohlsen's "food forest," which is a Permaculture
concept of a landscape in which every component contributes to
producing food.
A Food Forest Garden - Part 1
This is the first of two videos that describe the concept of
the food forest in more detail. Part 1 is 7 and a half minutes;
part 2 (there's a link on the Part 1 page) is 8 and a half minutes.
The video describes the benefits of compost and mulch in
maintianing a garden, and the benefits of an organic approach
to food production.
A Farm for the Future
How can we produce food without using synthetic fertilizers?
The answer? Just look at how a forest flourishes: by using
the natural fertility created by billions of living microbes,
fungi, plants and animals.
This movie, produced by BBC, explores ways of farming without
using fossil fuel. With the help of pioneering farmers and
growers, Rebecca learns that it is actually nature that holds
the key to farming in a low-energy future.
Food Production Systems for a Backyard or Small Farm
This video, produced by a couple in the Austin area, is an
introduction to all aspects of growing your own food on your
own land.
The DVD has all kinds of hints and techniques, and it comes
with a CD-ROM full of documents of all kinds about how to grow
your own food crops and raise your own food animals.