Why permaculture rather than other kinds of gardening? What is the mission of the We Are All Farmers Permaculture Institute? A brief brainstorm on a specific permaculture design site at Washington & Lee University in Lexingtonm VA, USA.
2. Why We Are All Farmers?
Everyone can take more responsibility for their food
and energy production/use–thus, We Are All Farmers.
Why are you
We Are All Farmers ?
Start where we are, start with our community, start with hands-on
approaches, bridge unusual suspects, create community
Response to the stats–act local coupled with policy (both are needed)
Academic is important; research is important—not the focus of this
presentation; not the current focus of what our institute does
3. What is permaculture?
Permanent culture
Permanent agriculture
Regenerative, managed practices (economic,
interpersonal, ethical, often with a focus on food and
energy production/management)
“care of people, care of earth, share of surplus to both”
Many permaculture rock stars: Bill Mollison, David
Holgrem, Geoff Lawton, Masanobu Fukuoka, Sepp
Holzer—More important than these people
themselves are the communities created, the ethics
adhered to, and the approaches stewarded
5. Why permaculture?
Why did we choose this?
Been there and done that with
other modes of farming
(Edward) and other modes of
social change (Crystal).
Worldwide network, lots of info
sharing, lots of methods tried
and true; jive with our ethics
6. Why the Appalachian-
Piedmont region?
Opportunity to be back in the region we are from
Important to commit to a community and a region
Important to recommit to being land-based people
Important work to do in our own “back yards”
Stewarding land and community take investment over
the long haul
A permaculture institute needed to serve this region
Focus on community & practices with lower $ entry-
points into energy and food production/responsibility
7. All well and good–
but what does that look like?
5 Lee Avenue, Lexington, Virginia 24450 USA
Turning a grass plot into permaculture: “care of people, care of earth, share of surplus to both.”
How can we envision those ethics with this site? How do we make a system that produces a
yield and has high labor at the beginning, but less labor over time?
8. USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to 0F
Last Frost Date (2013): 5/12
First Frost Date (2013): 10/2
Average Growing Season: >149 days
Average annual precipitation 40.0 inches
13. Examples of Integration
From the Left clockwise: treehugger.com; ordinary-2-extraordinary.com; upbeetlandscapes.com
14. The food forest gardening approach is the creation of systems
which are productive and abundant yet which require very
little maintenance.
http://foodgrowsontrees.blogspot.com/
16. All well and good–but what does that
look like?
5 Lee Avenue, Lexington, Virginia 24450 USA
Turning a grass plot into permaculture: “care of people, care of earth, share of
surplus to both.”
How can we envision those ethics with this site?
How do we make a system that produces a yield and has high labor at the
beginning, but less labor over time?
21. Take flyers for our courses/workshops
Free two day workshop in the WV coal fields March 29/30
Free Crop Mob & Pig Roast April 27
Seeking WWOOFers/farm interns
Full weekends only PDC this fall-- one full work exchange still available +
four ½ exchanges
Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter: weareallfarmers
Keep in touch!
Get involved!
Happy permaculturing!
22. “The field lies open to the intellect.”
--Bill Mollison
Let's go see
5 Lee Avenue,
Lexington, Virginia 24450!!!