Five things to remember before starting a permaculture farm
As told to Ellaine Kryss Hubilla
Permaculture is a design system that works with nature by observing how the environment works and interacting with it through responses that are in accordance with the law of nature. It is considered an important method to achieve a sustainable way of farming.
Cabiokid Foundation Inc. is a permaculture site located in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. The permaculture site was designed in a way that it will work with the natural processes of the environment to provide food, shelter, water, and other necessary materials that are beneficial to people.
READ: Product developer from Belgium built a permaculture farm in Nueva Ecija
Its founder Bert Peeters, in his own words, offered a few pointers on starting a permaculture site:
LIKE
“Find your interest, as it will be easier for you to work with something you are passionate about. To start your permaculture farm, get yourself a piece of land. Disregard the size, just consider what you can handle, and settle for it for the long haul, which means continuing what you have started until it is finished.”
KNOW
“Help yourself to understand the land, or nature in general; an understanding that will last for a long time and see what happens over a period of time with the changing seasons; wet, dry, windy and scorching.”
DESIGN
“Draw a plan according to your personal interests but make sure that plans will be based on the law of nature. Focus on your interests and let that be the core of your development plan. While doing what you are fond of, you should also ensure a yield.”
PLOT
“With the observations of the land you have, plot the energy storage on-site. Dig water and pathways and increase the biomass on-site by planting activities.”
PLANT
“Over a period of three years, continue planting and replanting as much as needed. Focus on planting perennial crops (plants that live for more than two years) as they will become the backbone of your permaculture operations.”
Photos courtesy of Bert Peeters