Mawotsheni
Community Projects

A philosophy of gardening. Gardening and philosophy. Either way it seems strange to the uninitiated. However, one thing permaculture isn't, to many people's surprise, is a cult. So what exactly is it?

Permaculture is a design system which sprang up during the 1970s oil crisis, a reaction to food insecurity and the desire for self-reliance. Combining attitude and practical application, it encompasses anything from recycling, reusing and regenerating, to simply observing.

When applied to gardening it suggests that not only can we grow food almost anywhere - from fruit shrubs in patio pots to vines on fences - but we can get higher yields with less effort simply by mimicking nature.

When I started to view every niche as a potential food-growing zone, for me the world turned into one big gingerbread house.

In contrast to many modern agricultural methods, a natural growing system sustains a continuous cycle, with dead plants becoming mulch for new growth. Permaculture gardening seeks to recreate this cycle, turning food waste into valuable compost and replacing slug pellets and weedkillers with natural predators and natural competition. According to co-founder Bill Mollison, it is about working with nature, not against it.