The complete permaculture skills guide to thriving during the great transition to a fossil fuel-free world. Packed with information on permaculture design principles, nutrient-dense food growing and ...forest gardening, soil building, ecological land management, animal husbandry, home-scale energy generation and water efficiency.
Abstract
Achieving sustainable development is not only the need for our country’s current development, but also a common challenge for all countries in the world. Therefore, Permaculture based on the ...concept of sustainability is of great significance to my country’s land planning, and “Sansheng Space” is also the guidepost of the spatial development of China’s national land. In this paper, we study the concept of Permaculture and the “Sansheng Space”, and use the Pu Ran Farm as a real case to combine the concept of Permaculture with the “Sansheng Space”, and apply the design principles of Permaculture to the “Sansheng Space” planning. The strategy of Permaculture suitable for the planning of “Sansheng Space” of leisure farms is analyzed and summarized, which can provide some reference for rural land planning.
Urban farming and community gardening are gaining popularity as strategies to address food insecurity and inequities in city life. Urban agriculture has been proposed as a way to enhance a city’s ...resilience. This concept is not new, as Ludwig Hilberseimer and Alfred Caldwell demonstrated in the 1940s when they envisioned a more resilient city for the industrialized world utilizing a decentralized, linear development model within a productive living landscape. In asserting that “small farms could solve mass poverty, mass unemployment and inflation– our great national disasters,” Caldwell presented a vision of small-scale farming as an act of resistance and empowerment for individuals, with the goal of initiating large-scale social and environmental transformation. This study takes Caldwell’s assertion as a starting point to investigate what we can learn from existing examples of urban agriculture in order to enhance urban resilience. The research examines three distinct approaches to urban farming currently implemented in Chicago, aiming to extrapolate their scalability and impact on broader societal and environmental change. The selected cases represent a range of farming practices and organizational types, encompassing conventional raised bed farming, aquaponics, hydroponics, and permaculture. Organizational diversity is reflected in the inclusion of a large non-profit organization, a local community group, and a private entrepreneur. Each case is analyzed based on a) The specific approach to farming technologies and practices, b) The corresponding development and implementation process leading to fruition, c) Evaluation of its transformative effects on individuals and its broader societal and environmental impact, d) Identification of perceived opportunities or barriers to growth and long-term success. The study identifies numerous opportunities for scaling up and emphasizes the varied objectives in urban agriculture. To support the growth of urban agriculture within resilient cities, a comprehensive multi-faceted, multi-scalar framework is necessary.
Soil management in the Atlantic Forest’s rural properties Veronica Moraes de Oliveira Pinto; Maria Inês Paes Ferreira; Marcos Antônio Cruz Moreira ...
Revista Agrogeoambiental,
09/2023, Letnik:
15, Številka:
unico
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
The environmental benefits arising from the interaction between matter and energy flows of permacultural systems accelerate the recovery processes of degraded areas, which can be potentiated by the ...increase of plant biomass associated with the green manure technique, proposed in this work for the study territory: the surroundings of two Conservation Units (UC), of the Private Reserve of Natural Heritage (RPPN) type, the RPPN Águas Claras I and II. The RPPN Águas Claras I and II are located in the Macabu River basin, a microbasin of the Carukango River. The objective of this study was to analyze areas submitted to reforestation and agroforestry system (SAF) projects, through estimates of local biomass obtained with the aid of secondary data from the UCs’ forest inventory. As a result, it was possible to list Ficus sp and Sparattosperma leucanthum as priority native species for forest restoration. It was concluded that it is necessary to consort the two species with the planting of species considered green manures, in order to increase forest biomass and stimulate the improvement of soil conditions in the degraded portion of the reserve. This strategy can accelerate the regeneration process, as indicated by secondary soil analysis data using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), performed in the area of implementation of the SAF.
The consumption of animal-sourced food products by humans is one of the most powerful negative forces affecting the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems and biological diversity. Livestock ...production is the single largest driver of habitat loss, and both livestock and feedstock production are increasing in developing tropical countries where the majority of biological diversity resides. Bushmeat consumption in Africa and southeastern Asia, as well as the high growth-rate of per capita livestock consumption in China are of special concern. The projected land base required by 2050 to support livestock production in several megadiverse countries exceeds 30–50% of their current agricultural areas. Livestock production is also a leading cause of climate change, soil loss, water and nutrient pollution, and decreases of apex predators and wild herbivores, compounding pressures on ecosystems and biodiversity. It is possible to greatly reduce the impacts of animal product consumption by humans on natural ecosystems and biodiversity while meeting nutritional needs of people, including the projected 2–3 billion people to be added to human population. We suggest that impacts can be remediated through several solutions: (1) reducing demand for animal-based food products and increasing proportions of plant-based foods in diets, the latter ideally to a global average of 90% of food consumed; (2) replacing ecologically-inefficient ruminants (e.g. cattle, goats, sheep) and bushmeat with monogastrics (e.g. poultry, pigs), integrated aquaculture, and other more-efficient protein sources; and (3) reintegrating livestock production away from single-product, intensive, fossil-fuel based systems into diverse, coupled systems designed more closely around the structure and functions of ecosystems that conserve energy and nutrients. Such efforts would also impart positive impacts on human health through reduction of diseases of nutritional extravagance.
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•Patterns of meat consumption in tropical Americas, Africa, and Asia are examined.•Rates of meat production of tropical megadiverse countries are increasing.•Some countries may require 30–50% increases in land for meat production in 2050.•Livestock consumption in China and bushmeat in Africa are of special concern.•Solutions include reduction, replacement, and reintegration of livestock production.
Permaculture is an environmental movement that makes us reevaluate what it means to be sustainable. Through innovative agriculture and settlement design, the movement creates new communities that are ...harmonious with nature. It has grown from humble origins on a farm in 1970s Australia and flourished into a worldwide movement that confronts industrial capitalism. The Politics of Permaculture is one of the first books to unpack the theory and practice of this social movement that looks to challenge the status quo. Drawing upon the rich seam of publications and online communities from the movement as well as extensive interviews with permaculture practitioners and organisations from around the world, Leahy explains the ways permaculture is understood and practiced in different contexts. In the face of extreme environmental degradation and catastrophic climate change, we urgently need a new way of living.
Exploring the intertwining of technology, energy, and time from the Industrial Revolution to the current climate crisis, the paper investigates how the relentless pursuit of efficiency and ...productivity has shaped Western societies, increasing energy overconsumption and exacerbating environmental emergencies. Analysing experimental paths related to the concept of appropriate technology, such as Permaculture, Low-tech and Solarpunk, a critical view of the contemporary unsustainable development model is presented, proposing alternative paradigms that foster sustainability, equity and reconnection with natural cycles. The multidisciplinary design approach emerges as instrumental in the transition to sustainable energy practices, laying the foundation for the transition to future scenarios in which technology and nature coexist harmoniously. Article info Received: 18/03/2024; Revised: 19/04/2024; Accepted: 25/04/2024
•Research on sustainable land use in agriculture during last 30 years is analysed.•Four main research lines detected: agronomy, water, land use and sustainable development.•The development of ...production systems based on circular economy models is needed.•Further knowledge about stakeholders' preferences and attitudes is required.•Management practices and crops must be adapted to the new climatic conditions.
Currently, 42% of the world's population depends on agriculture for its livelihood, and agriculture drives the economy of most developing countries. Therefore, human life on our planet depends on its sustainability. Research on sustainable land use in agriculture has been gaining increasing relevance since the term ‘sustainable development’ was coined with the Brundtland Report in 1987. The objective of this study is to analyse the evolution of this line of research worldwide to date. A bibliometric analysis of the existing articles from the period 1988–2017 was conducted. The results show that this topic has been gaining relevance in land use studies. Extensive cooperative networks and a high level of international collaboration exist between the different agents involved in land use studies. The analysis of key words has shown four main research lines of inquiry: agronomy, which focuses on soil processes and the study of different crops; sustainable water management for irrigation; the analysis of changes in land use, especially as related to the increase in population, the need for supplies, and the expansion of urban land; and sustainable development in new forms of agrarian management, such as organic farming, permaculture, and multifunctional systems. The regions serving as the object of these studies are mainly the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Western Europe. This highlights a research gap in regions such as Russia, the Middle East, and Africa. Future research should examine the development of circular economic systems in agricultural activity, perceptions and preferences of stakeholders, inclusion of the sustainability objective in planning urban spaces, improvement in irrigation water use efficiency, use of nonconventional water sources in agriculture, and development of management practises and crops that can adapt to the impact of climate change.
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