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Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability
David Holmgren brings into sharper focus the powerful Permaculture concept be pioneered with Bill Mollison in the 1970's drawing together 25 years worth of ideas into twelve simple design principles. David Holmgren brings into sharper focus the powerful and still evolving Permaculture concept he pioneered with Bill Mollison in the 1970s. It draws together and integrates 25 years of thinking and teaching to reveal a whole new way of understanding and action behind a simple set of design principles. The 12 design principles are each represented by a positive action statement, an icon and a traditional proverb or two that captures the essence of each principle.Holmgren draws a correlation between every aspect of how we organize our lives, communities and landscapes and our ability to creatively adapt to the ecological realities that shape human destiny. For students and teachers of Permaculture this book provides something more fundamental and distilled than Mollison's encyclopedic "Designers Manual." For the general reader it provides refreshing perspectives on a range of environmental issues and shows how permaculture is much more than just a system of gardening. For anyone seriously interested in understanding the foundations of sustainable design and culture, this book is essential reading. Although a book of ideas, the big picture is repeatedly grounded by reference to Holmgren's own place, Melliodora, and other practical examples.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 20, 2013
The only book I've read that makes sense of the world; continually recognizing and reinforcing "the problem as the solution." Dense, paradigm-shifting, comprehensive, though-provoking. Deserving of multiple re-reads.
----
"Bill Mollison has described permaculture as a 'positivistic' response to environmental crisis. That means it is about what we want to do and can do, rather than what we oppose and want others to change. This response is both ethical and pragmatic, philosophical and technical."
"Industrial culture and permaculture are stable only in their direction of energy use. The current cultural and economic dynamic of globalization is one of chaotic climax and transition from growth in population and energy use to decline. The philosophical and artistic concepts of modernism and post-modernism can be loosely linked to these energetic and ecological realities. We have trouble visualizing decline as positive, but this simply reflects the dominance of our prior culture of growth. Permaculture is a whole-hearted adaptation to the ecological realities of decline, which are as natural and creative as growth. The proverb "what goes up, must come down" reminds us that, in our hearts, we know this to be true. The real issue of our age is how we make a graceful and ethical decline.
…
For any human culture to be considered sustainable it must have the capacity (proven only with historical hindsight) to reproduce itself down the generations while providing human material needs without cataclysmic and long-term breakdown. If it is energetically impossible for high energy society tone anything more than a pulse in the long run of human history, then it cannot, by this definition, be sustainable, no matter how we shuffle the technological deckchairs. In articulating Permaculture as the Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, I am suggesting that we need to get over our naive and simplistic notions of sustainability as a likely reality for ourselves or even our grandchildren and instead accept that our task is use our familiarity with continuous change to adapt to energy decent.
When we picture the energy climax as a spectacular but dangerous mountain peak that we (humanity) have succeeded in climbing, the idea of decent to safety is a sensible and attractive proposition. The climb involved heroic effort, great sacrifice, but also exhilaration and new views and possibilities at every step. There are several false peaks, but when we see the whole world laid out around us we know we are at the top. Some argue that there are higher peaks in the mists, but the weather is threatening.
The view from the top reconnects us with the wonder and majesty of the world and how it all fits together, but we cannot dally for long. We must take advantage of the view to chart our way down while we have favorable weather and daylight. The decent will be more hazardous than the climb, and we may have to camp on a series of plateaus to rest and sit out storms. Having been on the mountain so long, we can barely remember the home in the far-off valley that we fled as it was progressively destroyed by forces we did not understand. But we know that each step brings us closer to a sheltered valley where we can make a new home."
"As we reduce our dependence on the global economy and replace it with household and local economies, we reduce the demand that drives the current inequalities. Thus 'look after yourself first' is not an invitation to greed but a challenge to grow up through self-reliance and personal responsibility."
Self-Reliance as Political Action
"Taking personal responsibility naturally moves us to be more self-reliant and less dependent on centralized sources of needs and responsibility. In the process, we discover that governments and corporations, while preaching self-reliance, actually need our dependence. This need at the centers of power has become so great that a slackening in the frenzy of consumption is called a 'consumer strike'. Environmental groups have found that focused selective boycotts of corporations such as McDonalds or Nike can have dramatic impact and force some beneficial and visible changes. Self-reliance tends to work as a more generalized and invisible consumer boycott, undermining the market share and psychological dominance of centralized and large-scale economies that support and maintain addictive and dysfunctional behavior. At the same time, it tends to foster and stimulate new forms of economic activity. For example, I have argued that home food production has tended to foster, rather than compete with, small commercial organic growers serving local markets."
"The urban sprawl, lamented by generations of urban planners, is one of the defining characteristics of modern car-based settlements. But while car and cheap energy make the sprawl possible, what pushes it is the constant search for that edge between town and country, between the human and natural worlds."
"We need to break out of the delusion of apparently linear acceleration of human material and numerical progress to a world view in which everything is contained by cycles, waves and pulses that flow between polarities of great stability and intense change, all nested within one another."
"Permaculture is a dynamic interplay between two phases: on the one hand, sustaining life within the cycle of the seasons, and on the other, conceptual abstraction and emotional intensity of creativity and design. I see the relationship between these two as like the pulsing relationship between stability and change. It is the steady, cyclical and humble engagement with nature that provides the sustenance for the spark of insight and integration (integrity), which, in turn, informs and transforms the practice. The first is harmonious and enduring; the second is episodic and powerful. The joyful asymmetric balance between the two expresses our humanity."
----
"Bill Mollison has described permaculture as a 'positivistic' response to environmental crisis. That means it is about what we want to do and can do, rather than what we oppose and want others to change. This response is both ethical and pragmatic, philosophical and technical."
"Industrial culture and permaculture are stable only in their direction of energy use. The current cultural and economic dynamic of globalization is one of chaotic climax and transition from growth in population and energy use to decline. The philosophical and artistic concepts of modernism and post-modernism can be loosely linked to these energetic and ecological realities. We have trouble visualizing decline as positive, but this simply reflects the dominance of our prior culture of growth. Permaculture is a whole-hearted adaptation to the ecological realities of decline, which are as natural and creative as growth. The proverb "what goes up, must come down" reminds us that, in our hearts, we know this to be true. The real issue of our age is how we make a graceful and ethical decline.
…
For any human culture to be considered sustainable it must have the capacity (proven only with historical hindsight) to reproduce itself down the generations while providing human material needs without cataclysmic and long-term breakdown. If it is energetically impossible for high energy society tone anything more than a pulse in the long run of human history, then it cannot, by this definition, be sustainable, no matter how we shuffle the technological deckchairs. In articulating Permaculture as the Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, I am suggesting that we need to get over our naive and simplistic notions of sustainability as a likely reality for ourselves or even our grandchildren and instead accept that our task is use our familiarity with continuous change to adapt to energy decent.
When we picture the energy climax as a spectacular but dangerous mountain peak that we (humanity) have succeeded in climbing, the idea of decent to safety is a sensible and attractive proposition. The climb involved heroic effort, great sacrifice, but also exhilaration and new views and possibilities at every step. There are several false peaks, but when we see the whole world laid out around us we know we are at the top. Some argue that there are higher peaks in the mists, but the weather is threatening.
The view from the top reconnects us with the wonder and majesty of the world and how it all fits together, but we cannot dally for long. We must take advantage of the view to chart our way down while we have favorable weather and daylight. The decent will be more hazardous than the climb, and we may have to camp on a series of plateaus to rest and sit out storms. Having been on the mountain so long, we can barely remember the home in the far-off valley that we fled as it was progressively destroyed by forces we did not understand. But we know that each step brings us closer to a sheltered valley where we can make a new home."
"As we reduce our dependence on the global economy and replace it with household and local economies, we reduce the demand that drives the current inequalities. Thus 'look after yourself first' is not an invitation to greed but a challenge to grow up through self-reliance and personal responsibility."
Self-Reliance as Political Action
"Taking personal responsibility naturally moves us to be more self-reliant and less dependent on centralized sources of needs and responsibility. In the process, we discover that governments and corporations, while preaching self-reliance, actually need our dependence. This need at the centers of power has become so great that a slackening in the frenzy of consumption is called a 'consumer strike'. Environmental groups have found that focused selective boycotts of corporations such as McDonalds or Nike can have dramatic impact and force some beneficial and visible changes. Self-reliance tends to work as a more generalized and invisible consumer boycott, undermining the market share and psychological dominance of centralized and large-scale economies that support and maintain addictive and dysfunctional behavior. At the same time, it tends to foster and stimulate new forms of economic activity. For example, I have argued that home food production has tended to foster, rather than compete with, small commercial organic growers serving local markets."
"The urban sprawl, lamented by generations of urban planners, is one of the defining characteristics of modern car-based settlements. But while car and cheap energy make the sprawl possible, what pushes it is the constant search for that edge between town and country, between the human and natural worlds."
"We need to break out of the delusion of apparently linear acceleration of human material and numerical progress to a world view in which everything is contained by cycles, waves and pulses that flow between polarities of great stability and intense change, all nested within one another."
"Permaculture is a dynamic interplay between two phases: on the one hand, sustaining life within the cycle of the seasons, and on the other, conceptual abstraction and emotional intensity of creativity and design. I see the relationship between these two as like the pulsing relationship between stability and change. It is the steady, cyclical and humble engagement with nature that provides the sustenance for the spark of insight and integration (integrity), which, in turn, informs and transforms the practice. The first is harmonious and enduring; the second is episodic and powerful. The joyful asymmetric balance between the two expresses our humanity."
May 2, 2010
This is one of the smartest books I've ever read.
It covers all the scales: from the ideal mineral composition of garden soils to the pulses of biological expansion that flourish between ice ages. How the high productivity at the edge of a garden bed is analogous to the high productivity at the fringes of culture. It's a book of theory and philosophy in one sense, but this is philosophy that feels like a supple tool in the hand. Holmgren never lets you forget how the details on the ground are examples of larger interlocking processes, and likewise no abstract concept is presented without clear examples of their relevance and application.
It doesn't teach you how to build a permaculture garden, but it tells you what to keep in mind in order to do it right, and imparts the framework you'll need to interpret your ongoing progress in light of all the bigger pictures.
I would even recommend this book to people who will never make a garden, because the principles and observations it contains are vital to the whole human story. It's also the best, most well-rounded book on peak oil and energy descent that I can think of.
It's not perfect, but this is important work, and not many people are doing it, especially with the insight, clarity, and commitment that Holmgren offers here.
It covers all the scales: from the ideal mineral composition of garden soils to the pulses of biological expansion that flourish between ice ages. How the high productivity at the edge of a garden bed is analogous to the high productivity at the fringes of culture. It's a book of theory and philosophy in one sense, but this is philosophy that feels like a supple tool in the hand. Holmgren never lets you forget how the details on the ground are examples of larger interlocking processes, and likewise no abstract concept is presented without clear examples of their relevance and application.
It doesn't teach you how to build a permaculture garden, but it tells you what to keep in mind in order to do it right, and imparts the framework you'll need to interpret your ongoing progress in light of all the bigger pictures.
I would even recommend this book to people who will never make a garden, because the principles and observations it contains are vital to the whole human story. It's also the best, most well-rounded book on peak oil and energy descent that I can think of.
It's not perfect, but this is important work, and not many people are doing it, especially with the insight, clarity, and commitment that Holmgren offers here.
February 20, 2022
This deceptively slim volume is neither a how-to, nor a beginner's guide, but does live up to its title by devoting one chapter to each of permaculture's "design principles," as well as describing how each of them has been exemplified in actual permaculture implementations. For those, like me, who are new to all of this, be forewarned that you will need to keep Google and Wikipedia handy for frequent reference. The author himself describes three typical reactions to this work: "Some readers have described it as hard going, not for the faint hearted, some experience it as like a rich chocolate cake, full of substance but only digestible in small doses, for others it is an empowering romp through whole-systems thinking that confirms intuitively obvious ideas that somehow remain unarticulated or misunderstood in modern society." My reaction was some combination of all of the above, and yet I think that it is a worthwhile read for anyone who is concerned about the future of the human race in a world of rapid energy descent.
Perhaps one of the difficulties with this book is that Holmgren's insights are often counter-intuitive. For example, he advocates a relinquishing of value judgments when it comes to the impact of human activity on the planet and its ecosystem, instead embracing the idea that "the problem is the solution;" that the human race and its actions are inextricably intertwined with the functioning of the planet as a whole (i.e., that we are of the nature which we are affecting, not outside of it); and that the "release" phase in systems can lead to a "reorganization" phase in which new functional systems can be seeded. According to this viewpoint, we have been in a long release phase in which huge amount of energy has been literally released in the form of fossil fuels, and which will result in the reorganization of civilization (assuming that something of the human race actually survives). At other points in the book, Holmgren asserts that pollution represents surplus or unused resources, and he also applies similar thinking to weeds and pests in his analysis of weedscaping.
In short, Holmgren here advocates for a sort of dynamically-adjustable middle ground which grows out of top-down thinking and bottom-up action. He largely rejects the idea of continued global economic growth, yet does not categorically dismiss the possibility that some unknown might change this in ways we cannot predict, albeit under a vastly different system than the dominant capitalism which has particularly flourished over the past 40 or 50 years. Similarly, he largely rejects the idea of a static, perfectly cyclical and sedate low-energy future as unlikely given the vagaries of the universe at large. He advocates the application of observation and a sort of nimbleness, or flexibility, always with one eye on what is immediately evident, and one eye on the far-distant future. The only things which seems permanent about permaculture are, indeed, its principles, and the author aptly implies at one point that if the human race is able to survive the double threat of energy descent and climate change, it will inevitably have to confront the next glacial period in a few thousand years, knowing all the while that all the human "progress" we know and enjoy in the present moment has taken place in a geologically brief interglacial period of a mere 10,000 years.
Heady stuff here, and definitely not for the faint of heart, David Holmgren offers no absolutes -- especially not answers or solutions to the world's most pressing problems -- but he does offer a promising toolkit of skills with which to navigate the uncertainty which may be either our undoing or our salvation.
Perhaps one of the difficulties with this book is that Holmgren's insights are often counter-intuitive. For example, he advocates a relinquishing of value judgments when it comes to the impact of human activity on the planet and its ecosystem, instead embracing the idea that "the problem is the solution;" that the human race and its actions are inextricably intertwined with the functioning of the planet as a whole (i.e., that we are of the nature which we are affecting, not outside of it); and that the "release" phase in systems can lead to a "reorganization" phase in which new functional systems can be seeded. According to this viewpoint, we have been in a long release phase in which huge amount of energy has been literally released in the form of fossil fuels, and which will result in the reorganization of civilization (assuming that something of the human race actually survives). At other points in the book, Holmgren asserts that pollution represents surplus or unused resources, and he also applies similar thinking to weeds and pests in his analysis of weedscaping.
In short, Holmgren here advocates for a sort of dynamically-adjustable middle ground which grows out of top-down thinking and bottom-up action. He largely rejects the idea of continued global economic growth, yet does not categorically dismiss the possibility that some unknown might change this in ways we cannot predict, albeit under a vastly different system than the dominant capitalism which has particularly flourished over the past 40 or 50 years. Similarly, he largely rejects the idea of a static, perfectly cyclical and sedate low-energy future as unlikely given the vagaries of the universe at large. He advocates the application of observation and a sort of nimbleness, or flexibility, always with one eye on what is immediately evident, and one eye on the far-distant future. The only things which seems permanent about permaculture are, indeed, its principles, and the author aptly implies at one point that if the human race is able to survive the double threat of energy descent and climate change, it will inevitably have to confront the next glacial period in a few thousand years, knowing all the while that all the human "progress" we know and enjoy in the present moment has taken place in a geologically brief interglacial period of a mere 10,000 years.
Heady stuff here, and definitely not for the faint of heart, David Holmgren offers no absolutes -- especially not answers or solutions to the world's most pressing problems -- but he does offer a promising toolkit of skills with which to navigate the uncertainty which may be either our undoing or our salvation.
December 24, 2025
Book #50 of 2025. "Permaculture" by David Holmgren. 3/5 rating. 277 p.
David is one of the creators of Permaculture and defines it as an "integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man." Or as "Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre, and energy for provision of local needs."
David sums up his goal for humanity: "In a time of rapid change and short-term thinking we need to rebuild the aspect of our culture that emphasises caring for the future, as well as deciding what is worth investing in for the benefit of our grandchildren and descendants."
This book goes into David's 12 principles of Permaculture which can help us live in closer harmony with nature and other people, while maintaining health from resources from the land. I won't list all 12, but they include some of the below concepts:
- The problem is the solution
- Close waste loops - "produce no waste"
- Perennials (and trees) over annuals
- Up front design saves future work
- Maintenance over repair
- Permaculture zones
- Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be
- Succession planning and expecting the land to change
Overall, the book was fine, just not exactly exhilarating!
Below were some of my favorite quotes:
- "Care for the earth. Care for people. Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus."
- "An open, inquiring attitude to problems is almost always more fruitful than an urgent demand for solutions."
- "The rebuilding of humus in the world's cropping soils should be seen as the other great task for humanity, alongside reforestation of our catchments and degraded rangelands."
- "the obsession with maintaining control in gardens, farms and forests limits our ability to develop systems less dependent on endless inputs of non-renewable energy and resources."
- "We must transform ourselves so that we are happy, healthy and comfortable without the need to consume the planet and the future."
- "The ingenuity of a formally well-educated population, predominantly in rich countries, is a well-recognised form of social capital, but it pales in comparison to the knowledge and skill of traditional, mostly rural people, predominantly in poorer countries."
- "In developing an awareness of the importance of relationships in the design of self-reliant systems, two statements in permaculture literature and teaching have been central: - each element performs many functions - each important function is supported by many elements."
David is one of the creators of Permaculture and defines it as an "integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man." Or as "Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre, and energy for provision of local needs."
David sums up his goal for humanity: "In a time of rapid change and short-term thinking we need to rebuild the aspect of our culture that emphasises caring for the future, as well as deciding what is worth investing in for the benefit of our grandchildren and descendants."
This book goes into David's 12 principles of Permaculture which can help us live in closer harmony with nature and other people, while maintaining health from resources from the land. I won't list all 12, but they include some of the below concepts:
- The problem is the solution
- Close waste loops - "produce no waste"
- Perennials (and trees) over annuals
- Up front design saves future work
- Maintenance over repair
- Permaculture zones
- Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be
- Succession planning and expecting the land to change
Overall, the book was fine, just not exactly exhilarating!
Below were some of my favorite quotes:
- "Care for the earth. Care for people. Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus."
- "An open, inquiring attitude to problems is almost always more fruitful than an urgent demand for solutions."
- "The rebuilding of humus in the world's cropping soils should be seen as the other great task for humanity, alongside reforestation of our catchments and degraded rangelands."
- "the obsession with maintaining control in gardens, farms and forests limits our ability to develop systems less dependent on endless inputs of non-renewable energy and resources."
- "We must transform ourselves so that we are happy, healthy and comfortable without the need to consume the planet and the future."
- "The ingenuity of a formally well-educated population, predominantly in rich countries, is a well-recognised form of social capital, but it pales in comparison to the knowledge and skill of traditional, mostly rural people, predominantly in poorer countries."
- "In developing an awareness of the importance of relationships in the design of self-reliant systems, two statements in permaculture literature and teaching have been central: - each element performs many functions - each important function is supported by many elements."
November 11, 2024
C'est LE livre avec lequel j'ai appris les fondements de la permaculture. Plus qu'une façon de jardiner, c'est une philosophie qui ancre l'humain de façon positive dans son milieu de vie en lui donnant des outils concrets qui lui permettent d'agrader son environnement plutôt que de le dégrader.
Le livre peut être un peu technique par moment mais il est didactique et on est pas obligé de tout lire. Le chapitrage aide plutôt bien à s'orienter et l'ouvrage est blindé de schémas qui facilitent la lecture.
Le livre peut être un peu technique par moment mais il est didactique et on est pas obligé de tout lire. Le chapitrage aide plutôt bien à s'orienter et l'ouvrage est blindé de schémas qui facilitent la lecture.
June 21, 2021
It's a good book that covers many interesting relevant topics and brings energy descent adaptation into focus.
July 14, 2011
David Holmgren is, along with Bill Mollison, the founder of the Permaculture movement. This is David's magnum opus (at least to date), focusing on the ethics and principles of permaculture with a emphasis on energy decent.
As we reach 'peak oil/soil/minerals' we need to start considering a world without cheap fossil fuels and how that will effect us, our children, and our communities. Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability offers hope for the future if we all live to care for the earth, care for people, and share our surplus back to these. This is an essential read for anyone interested in sustainable living (which should be every human being on this planet) and great compliment to Bill Mollisons 'Permaculture: A Designers Manual'.
As we reach 'peak oil/soil/minerals' we need to start considering a world without cheap fossil fuels and how that will effect us, our children, and our communities. Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability offers hope for the future if we all live to care for the earth, care for people, and share our surplus back to these. This is an essential read for anyone interested in sustainable living (which should be every human being on this planet) and great compliment to Bill Mollisons 'Permaculture: A Designers Manual'.
January 27, 2019
I will be honest, I found the book a bit of a slog, but a rewarding one! I think it was the multi-column layout which actually doubles the length. Regardless this is a book of genius, it is more a theoretical treatise, but with practicalities thrown in. The notion of preparation for ‘energy descent’ and how to adapt is crucial to the world we live in. Our addiction to oil and carbon intensive energy sources is a cancer, we are understanding this, but there is an alternative path, and Holmgrens massive, intelligent tome is a perfect tonic.
April 12, 2007
I was lucky to meet the author of this book and have a number of conversations with him about it. It is completely underecognised. It is a revolutionary dedication to the philosphies of Permaculture. A very important message about sustainability, systems ecology and an empowering vision towards our inevitable 'energy descent' future. The nature of the subject makes it a heavy going read.
May 24, 2008
Very thorough and readable. Permaculture seems like a cohesive, functional philosophy on how to live in the world, especially post-fossil-fuel. Lots of these ideas are common sense, but how many people really use common sense? This kind of common sense requires being still and watching nature (for a long time)...even if you are doing that, you should read this book. It is very helpful.
November 21, 2016
A truly inspirational book. I've reread this book a number of times - initially I found it hard going, but now the concepts have been absorbed I've found it much more enjoyable, and continue to get a lot out of it. Highly recommended, essential reading if you're a permie.
January 5, 2010
This book bogged me down and I didn't make it through. Which is saying a lot since I adore permaculture!
June 3, 2013
You'd expect an awesome book from one of the founders of the Permaculture movement. Not so. This is a really annoying read.
September 11, 2024
This book provides methods for approaching ecosystems and learning best practices from nature. These recommendations would be helpful to any gardener, landscaper, farmer, forager, hunter, or permaculturalist. They would also be useful to people wishing to have a fuller appreciation of the roles humans play as a part of nature and our local ecosystems. Further, the book draws connections to sociopolitical economics.
"In modern affluent societies, the flow of energy in forms useful to people (food, materials and services) has become so reliably available that energy capture – and even more so, energy storage – has ceased to be a major concern. So long as people have a flow of money to buy things, the provision of basic needs has been left to farmers, mining engineers, and so on. In the extreme development of modern urban living, no food or fuel is stored in the house and purchasing power is dependent on credit, which itself is dependent on permanent employment.
At the same time, economic rationalism in business and government has led to the decline of large-scale stores of food, fuels, materials, essential spare parts and permanent employment in the interests of economic efficiency, which in turn increases the likelihood of disruption and even disaster."
That is very well said. Solutions: community, local economy, and the commons. (This last element might be explained, drawing on Elinor Ostrom, as the freedom to create community-based, community-enforceable rules to govern access to and use of common-pool resources in our shared local environments.)
Or, again, to Holgrom, "research is providing quantitative evidence to support the longstanding claim of the organic agricultural movement that rebuilding agricultural soil humus levels is the greatest contribution to the survival of humanity." But I would expand this from agriculture to humans relationships with the land as a provider of their lives and livelihoods.
"In modern affluent societies, the flow of energy in forms useful to people (food, materials and services) has become so reliably available that energy capture – and even more so, energy storage – has ceased to be a major concern. So long as people have a flow of money to buy things, the provision of basic needs has been left to farmers, mining engineers, and so on. In the extreme development of modern urban living, no food or fuel is stored in the house and purchasing power is dependent on credit, which itself is dependent on permanent employment.
At the same time, economic rationalism in business and government has led to the decline of large-scale stores of food, fuels, materials, essential spare parts and permanent employment in the interests of economic efficiency, which in turn increases the likelihood of disruption and even disaster."
That is very well said. Solutions: community, local economy, and the commons. (This last element might be explained, drawing on Elinor Ostrom, as the freedom to create community-based, community-enforceable rules to govern access to and use of common-pool resources in our shared local environments.)
Or, again, to Holgrom, "research is providing quantitative evidence to support the longstanding claim of the organic agricultural movement that rebuilding agricultural soil humus levels is the greatest contribution to the survival of humanity." But I would expand this from agriculture to humans relationships with the land as a provider of their lives and livelihoods.
December 21, 2025
I really wonder where all the permaculture academics who aren't sort of insane people are - I'd they to think there are at least a few. This is an interesting book because it is primarily a very competent and thorough breakdown of high level design features for sustainable agriculture systems but then also uses this as a vessel for the author to expound on his wacky fringe worldview, complete with metaphysics. He makes a lot of bad faith arguments about society and morality which he hides behind an ecological guise, which leads me to have less faith in the ideological underpinnings of permaculture as a whole than I did when I started reading. I've encountered plenty of otherwise nice small scale farmers who have developed some mildly scizophrenic leanings/opinions and if this is one of the foundational texts of the movement I'm beginning to wonder if I'm looking at something of a closed loop. It's not that this book is without useful parts but it's a little startling to see it's averaging above 4 stars - pretty culty. The 9/11 conspiracy afterword was a wild mic drop to go out on.
December 30, 2021
Zeker wel een goed boek. Ben helemaal in love met permacultuur erdoor. MAAR de discourse over niet-menselijke dieren, de natuur en inheemse gemeenschappen kan echt wel anders af en toe. (Maar ja, wat wil je als je een volledige kritische discourse analyse doet over een boek ;))
De data van beginnen en eindigen zijn een schatting, want ben echt maanden bezig geweest met alles lezen en analyseren. Zelfs nadat ik het boek uit had, ben ik nog regelmatig terug gegaan om quotes te herlezen of dingen op te zoeken. En ik heb geen idee wanneer ik ongeveer ben begonnen...
De data van beginnen en eindigen zijn een schatting, want ben echt maanden bezig geweest met alles lezen en analyseren. Zelfs nadat ik het boek uit had, ben ik nog regelmatig terug gegaan om quotes te herlezen of dingen op te zoeken. En ik heb geen idee wanneer ik ongeveer ben begonnen...
January 10, 2025
No es un libro accesible y contiene muy poco conocimiento práctico.
Dicho esto, como su subtítulo indica, contiene una serie de principios que permiten diseñar un estilo de vida integrando al ser humano dentro de la naturaleza, no aislándolo de ella (como si la naturaleza fuera algo distinto de nosotros).
Aún sin conocimientos de biología o ingeniería, es un libro muy recomendable para cualquiera que se preocupe por el medio natural y este dispuesto a remangarse y mancharse las manos de tierra para cuidar y mejorar la naturaleza.
Dicho esto, como su subtítulo indica, contiene una serie de principios que permiten diseñar un estilo de vida integrando al ser humano dentro de la naturaleza, no aislándolo de ella (como si la naturaleza fuera algo distinto de nosotros).
Aún sin conocimientos de biología o ingeniería, es un libro muy recomendable para cualquiera que se preocupe por el medio natural y este dispuesto a remangarse y mancharse las manos de tierra para cuidar y mejorar la naturaleza.
September 10, 2017
Less a guide for establishing a permaculture system and more of a set of musings from one of its creators. Holmgren is more than a little frustrating due to his rapid swings between "incisive criticism of modern society" and "reductionist whining about supposedly reductionist scientists." The better parts can be found in better books, so all in all this is an entertaining/frustrating read depending on your tolerance for nonsense.
June 25, 2018
I really wanted to like this book, but, the way it was written made it feel like it was dragging on. I do believe the concepts are great, and I am interested in learning more, I just don't think it will be from this author.
May 16, 2019
This book presents a lot of interesting topics about society and sustainability, but it went from one topic to the other and then talking about the different principles that it had presented or still had to present and it was a bit too heavy for me.
July 27, 2022
As heavy as this book is (FULL of information), ultimately it is about finding a way to live lightly.
I honor Holmgren‘s humble and honest realism and his constant acknowledgement of the maxim „everything works both ways“. It is about balance, harmony, the middle way.
I honor Holmgren‘s humble and honest realism and his constant acknowledgement of the maxim „everything works both ways“. It is about balance, harmony, the middle way.
February 9, 2023
An excellent guide for people wanting to delve a little deeper into what Holmgren’s Permaculture Principles mean, and how they can be applied to real life scenarios.
It’s a book that I continue to come back to year after year, just to refresh and deepen my knowledge.
It’s a book that I continue to come back to year after year, just to refresh and deepen my knowledge.
September 9, 2017
Academic and admirable, bit of a brain strain for me in what is a pre-occupied state. Kept for reading later.
June 30, 2018
Hard to read, didn't agree with everything, but overall good informative book.
July 17, 2021
This book tipped me over the edge from thinking about sustainability to regenerative and regenerating. We can sustain what we have or we can go beyond that and help restore what has been lost.
Read
July 22, 2021Finished dipping in, found this pretty dense and written old school..,
November 16, 2021
Excellent
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2024
Great book with practical ideas. Part philosophy, part practical, it has a nice blend of the two with call to action and practical ideas. Worth reading if you are starter getting inspired
May 18, 2012
A thought provoking book. Basically a tour of the design solutions most likely to create a sustainable society in the long-term. While I disagree with the approximate timeline of energy decline presented in the book, it is something we'll have to face eventually. (The author obviously doesn't think we'll go nuclear in a major way.) Designing for an energy efficient, sustainable future has to be a good idea regardless. The book is generally well thought through, with a few out of place rants near the end. I particularly liked the way limits of energy capture and storage are discussed, and the idea that efficiency displaces flexibility in many areas of society, and is therefore not necessarily a good thing. I also like the use of systems thinking in understanding the real challenges facing civilization. There is a great deal of understanding of traditional societies and recognition that many of the traditional systems of resource use were very good design for the climatic conditions and soil fertility of the region. We are wise to learn from them before they are overtaken by the energy intensive civilization that is currently consuming the resources of the world. If this work helps the world retain the benefits from modern civilization as we slide into resource decline, I will be very pleased.
March 18, 2008
This is not light reading, and not for those looking for practical advice about what to plant where in the home garden. It is an extremely high-level analysis of everything from agriculture to politics to religious fundamentalism. Holmgren, one of the co-founders of the permaculture movement, also makes extensive use of charts and graphs, for which I'm a sucker. This is written in a textbook style and will require multiple readings to really grasp the depth and breadth of the subject matter. Loving it so far.
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