What is Permaculture?

Coined by Bill Mollison in 1978,

“Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.”

 

In simple words,

“The design of a permanent culture that meets our human needs and regenerates our local and global ecosystems”

Ethics of Permaculture

Earth Care

Earth Care

People Care

Fair-Share

Fair Share

Principles of Permaculture

1. Observe & interact

2. Catch & store energy

3. Obtain a yield

4. Apply self-regulation and feedback

5. Use & value renewable resources

6. Produce no waste

7. Design from patterns to details

8. Integrate rather than segregate

9. Use small & slow solutions

10. Use & value diversity

11. Use edges & value the marginal

12. Creatively use & respond to change

100% of our products are grown and processed on our Polam Permaculture farm.

Permaculture is a practice of providing for human needs in a way that also benefits nature and the ecosystem we live in. Here at Polam, we’ve integrated Permaculture practices into the entire cycle from seeds to food processing following the three principles of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.

Seeds

We use seeds native to our local area, making them well suited for the soil and climate in which they are grown. We collect our own seeds ensuring the quality of our products improves each season. Our seeds are never genetically modified or imported from abroad. We share these seeds with local farmers so they too can benefit from our practices.

Soil

A priority of our mission is to improve soil health through our farming practices. Maintaining an ideal habitat for an abundance of soil organisms to work together with a high diversity of plants ensures our soil is rich in nutrients. We supplement this with additional inputs of compost and cow dung all produced here on our farm.

Pest Management

We never use chemical pesticides anywhere on our farm. Instead, we create habitats for natural predators to help us manage damage from pests. Yes, some of our produce does get eaten by pests, but they too are part of our natural ecosystem so we are happy to share.

Harvesting & Processing

All our harvesting and food processing is done by humans rather than machines. We work with villagers from our area to support our local economy and preserve traditional food processing methods – such as hand pounding our dals.

Pricing

Although our farming practices do have a high cost, we embrace the Permaculture ethics of “fair share” and have priced our products with the desire to supply ethically farmed and healthy products to our community.

By supporting Polam, you are joining a movement to provide for our human needs while rehabilitating damaged lands, restoring biodiversity, and benefiting our local economies. We are thankful to have you as a part of our community and are excited to make this world a better place together!

Difference between organic farming and permaculture?

Organic Farming

  • Higher yields of the same product per unit
  • Lesser variety of products
  • Produce ripens at the same time
  • Pest control must be closely monitored
  • Labour intensive method
  • Usually defined by man made geometric patterns

Permaculture

  • More diversity leads to a lesser yield of the same product per unit
  • A wider range of products including food, fuel, recreation, and habitat
  • Plants are also used to nurture the home
  • Resources are locally sourced, can be reused
  • Integrated pest management
  • Creates diverse stable and resilient natural ecosystems.
  • Needs minimal human intervention
  • Defined by external influential elements: Wind, water flows, sun angles etc.

Volunteer

Polam is a 100 acre permaculture farm on the banks of manjeera lake that is constantly developing with a growing team and new projects every season. At Polam we are looking for energetic, flexible and passionate volunteers with highly positive attitude to help us build a self sustainable permaculture farm.

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