Does Permaculture Work? Evaluating Permaculture Design as a Pattern

on

"Permaculture" has been alternately described as a design system, a religion, a political movement, a philosophy, a way of life, a belief system, a "way of seeing the world," a "toolbox" and a cult. 

In our analysis, which we've tested with many professional practitioners, Permaculture may indeed now refer to a few very different things: a design system, a marketing term, a social movement or set of communities, a political advocay network, and a belief system with some similarities to a religion. Any individual "Permaculturist" may adhere to any number of these, while being critical of the others. It is not uncommon to hear high-profile members of the community say, for example, as Starkhawk recently did, that Permaculture is nothing if not a political movement. Others strongly disagreed with that assessment. 

In this article, we will discuss some of these manifestations of Permaculture, but we will mostly assess its original intended meaning, as a design system for creating human habitats, landscapes, communities, structures and invisible structures. 

Does Permaculture work? What does science have to say about it?

Discussion:

The Research-Based Permaculture project attempts to compile, present and popularize the work of scientists and researchers that evalautes various tools available to design sustainable, functional and productive human habitats using the Peramculture Design System.

But what about that design system itself? Does Permaculture design help people achieve their goals? Does it live up to its claims? Is it a good investment of time, money, and resources? Will it make a venture more sustainable? 

To date, there have been no largescale studies of outcomes from Permaculture design. More accurately, there have been a few attempts to provide case studies (such as The Permaculture Handbook, by Peter Bane) but I could find few attempts (beyond Rob Scott's Critical Review of Permaculture in America,) to academically evaluate, and no attempts to experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of Permaculture design on profitability or sustainability outcomes, or any other criteria. In fact, according to research by Rafter Sass Fergusson, Permaculture has received relatively little attention within the academic communit , while receiving a great deal of attention from the general public. 

However, formal academic study is not entirely necessary to evaluate the efficacy of Permaculture. In fact, because Permaculture to date has been so broadly defined, so diverse in its goals and methods, and executed by a broad range of practitioners from recreational amateurs to full-time experienced professionals, in diverse fields from farming, home gardening, landscape design, architecture, community organizing, etc. scientifically evaluating the impact of "Permaculture" would be very difficult, if not entirely meaningless. (A serious question arises for those who claim Permaculture is a "Science:" are the claims of Permaculture falsifiable or even testable?)

However, we can evaluate the underlying premise of Permaculture, that we can use design to achieve desirable outcomes, by using patterns that will help us in those outcomes. This is essentially like asking: "Does engineering work?" Or: "Does design work?" This should be fairly obvious that one, design and engineering are indeed proven approaches, and two, any design is only as good as the tools and patterns it relies on. 

In so far as people actually use design, follow the ethics and principles, and select proven patterns that match their desired outcomes, Permaculture should be effective. For example, there is great deal of excellent research on the effectiveness of various forms of on-contour water catchment, such as studies demonstrating that contour plowing or contour raised beds (such as those I use at Lillie House) significantly reduce water runoff  and erosion, improve yields by 50%,  reduce irrigation, and that generally physical design factors around water significantly impact profitability. I could include dozens of citations demonstrating the effectiveness of countour water harvesting across climates (and will indeed do so in another article.) This, or similarly keyline plowing, may be an incredibly cost effective means of establishing a tree planting on a broad-acre site, and a design using it would be research-based and effective. However, a recommendation using deep, expensive swales with a cost of thousands of dollars/acre, with a business plan designed to cash-flow only hundreds of dollars per acre, may be difficult to assess, and may never pay for itself. Such a design would be neither research-based nor effective. 

There is indeed a strong body of research, as well as long-used histories of success, associated with the majority of the "patterns" promoted and used in classic Permaculture design, as outlined in the Permaculture Designer's Manual, or Gaia's Garden (important as the best-selling popular book on Permaculture.) There are many Permaculture patterns with a large and conclusive body of research backing them including: living mulches, mulches, various forms of poylculture, the value of forest gardens, and hedgerows, the daily herbs and greens prioritized through zone design, etc. 

There are also common Permaculture patterns which work simply as a matter of mathematical fact, such as a hierarchical system of paths and nodes for reducing path surface, and keyhole beds maximizing planting space. To suggest that somehow mathematics stops working at the garden gate, or that it would require experimental proof, is indeed an extraordinary claim which would itself require extraordinary evidence. 


(Images from Gaia's Garden, by Toby Hemenway.)

So a garden or farm which puts such patterns to use in a well-executed design with clear, connected, measurable goals, will indeed be relying on research-based approaches. 

But a second, and perhaps more important question is: do lay people, professionals, farmers or landscapers actually utilize Permaculture design? 

Do people actually utilize the design process in selecting and organizing patterns? Frequently, it appears they do not. Most people doing "Permaculture," will simply experiment with a few favorite patterns on a site, with the most popular appearing to be hugelkultures, an interesting but experimental  pattern with little or no research basis as of yet. Most "Permaculture" projects will never begin, let alone complete a formal design process. In fact, several high-profile leaders in the modern Permaculture movement have raised critiques of principle components of the design process (such as zone and sector analysis) or of even using a design process at all, such as Paul Wheaton, who has advocated for removing the concept of "design" from Permaculture altogether, going so far as to ban discussion of the ethics on his site, Permies.com. Others have strongly critiqued virtually every research-based pattern included above. 

What is self-evident is that if people are not using the Permaculture Design process in creating a Permaculture "design," then the Permaculture Design System will not be effective in that case. 

It's important to note that this echoes Christopher Alexander's own criticism of the Pattern Language concept on the grounds that the design process was dissimilar to the natural process that created the great human buildings of the past, that people weren't using the process effectively, and were still designing bad buildings. (Christopher Alexander, The Nature of Order, 2003.) 

Currently, there are many Permaculture Design Certificate graduates who were trained in schools with no in-depth discussion of the principles, ethics or design procedures as laid out by Mollison, Holmgren, Morrow, etc. If one does not include an ethical objective in one's design, it is unlikely that ethical objective will be achieved as an outcome. This would explain the large and growing number of farm projects which use the word "Permaculture" in their branding, but that have not used a design process, do not use any of the patterns of classic Permaculture, and would appear to be likely less sustainable than the conventional agriculture they replace. Often, these "Permaculture farms" make heavy use of tilling and plastics, utilize cruel unnatural industrial animal husbandry practices, do not use water catchment, mulches, or perennial crops, the 3 most emphasized aspects of Permaculture design. They quite precisely resemble the "Contemporary Agriculture" image in this visual definition from the Designer's Manual, (Mollison, 1988) and have little in common with the Permaculture diagram. Many are increasingly large, utilize large low-wage work forces, large equipment, and very expensive "solutions," rather than the "small, slow" solutions promoted in the Holmgren Principles (www.permacultureprinciples.org.)

This certainly calls into question the value of "Permaculture" as a marketing term, since there is no accepted criteria for using the word, and very little common best practice found among "Permaculture" farms as of yet.






I personally have similar concerns about the effectiveness of the "Permaculture movement," as a poltical tool, and the quasi-religious ideas built around the term. Too often, in my personal opinion, these end up promoting tools which are proven ineffective, and may actually be counter-productive. Of course, this is a matter of opinion, and there is neither evidence to support or refute the value of these aspects of Permaculture.

Of course, all of this itself a critique of classical Permaculture Design, and raises a number of worthwhile questions: Is design too inaccessible? Do the ethics and principles keep mainstream farmers from adopting Permaculture as some have claimed? Do mainstream farmers NEED to adopt Permaculture? Is Permaculture a viable response to climate change, ecological collapse, soil loss, and the depletion of aquifers? If so, what is the mechanism by which it is effective? What is Permaculture? A design system? A "toolbox of cool tricks?" A movement of people who care about sustainability? A movement of people that doesn't care about sustainability but wants to farm? Could it be that a sustainable design system that emphasizes development process over deliberate design will evolve as the solution to some of these problems, as proposed by Christopher Alexander? (The Nature of Order, 2003.) 

It was for these reasons that the Research-Based Peramculture project was started: to help move Permaculture Design in a more effective direction and help designers select tools that are proven to meet their needs. 

Conclusion:

What remains is that it is self-evident that if one follows a design process which states clear goals and selects efficacious patterns proven to meet those goals, Permaculture will be effective.

A "Permaculture" which does not use the design process, set clear ethical and financial goals, follow any principles, or conscientiously select proven patterns will be difficult to assess at best, impossible to endorse with evidence, and likely be an ineffective way achieving any goals. 

Rating: 

With that said, we will use a different rating for different approaches.

 With formal design, use of financial analysis to assess goals and outcomes, and selection of research-based patterns: 


With some design, and a mix of research-based and experimental approaches:

Forms of permaculture without formal design, formal selection of patterns, those that emphasize "the movement," or permaculture as a "worldview," or collection of practices:                                  

And finally, I must admit there are forms of permaculture that may be dangerous to get involved in. That includes elements that might be cult-like (religious and "world view" forms) , exploitive work arrangements such as working without pay, and just plain dangerous wild advice with no basis in research or efficacy. It is not uncommon to see dangerous advice given by people calling themselves "permaculturists." In today's world skepticism is always warranted and extraordinary claims should always be backed up by evidence.

Recommendations:


For Clients:

There are certainly many designers, famous and not-so-famous, who are doing incredible, valuable work. Some of these are true geniuses who are encyclopedic in their knowledge of plants, ecosystems, farming practices and sustainability issues, and their time is worth well more than the prices they charge. Others may have found quick fame on the internet, have little experience and little knowledge or understanding of any value. For now, the Permaculture world has some work to do to demonstrate its efficacy as a research-based, cost effective approach. Permaculture designs should be evaluated on a per-case basis, depending on whether they're using proven effective patterns, include a precise goals, and realistic plans for using specific designs to achieve or support those goals. The best designers will include or advocate for a process of sector and zone analysis, listing desirable elements, and element analysis that attempts to find relationships between various components. 

For Designers:

Permaculture professionals wishing to take an accountable, research-based approach will use or advocate for a formal design process for projects, which includes clear goals and objectives, including ethical goals and financial goals. Research-based designs will demonstrate viable plans for sustainability and (if appropriate) economic value, including a calcuated pay-back time, which is an important measure for accountability. Designs should rely heavily on proven patterns, but may include experimental patterns with the clear goal of research. When using experimental patterns, it is best to design a clear research objective with actual measurement and data, rather than including experimental items simply to raise the profile of a project, as this wastes client resoures and threatens to discredit Permaculture. 

For DIYers:

Permaculture can be very accessible and helpful to the DIYer, whether on the farm scale or simply the home landscape. The DIY Permaculturist will get the most benefit out of following a design process or DIY program, and utilizing good proven patterns, such as the program presented in the book Gaia's Garden, by Toby Hemenway.

Primary Citations:

Critical Review of Permculture in the United States:  http://robscott.net/2010/comments/
Permaculture for Agroecology, Ferguson: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-013-0181-6
Resources for discussion: 


Critical Review of Permculture in the United States:  http://robscott.net/2010/comments/


Permaculture Design Course Syndrome: http://smallfarmfuture.org.uk/?p=491








Comments

Post a Comment