Council on Energy, Environment and Water Integrated | International | Independent
Permaculture as a concept and a movement emerged from combining the words "permanent" and "agriculture." It has ultimately evolved to mean “permanent culture” to emphasize the broader challenges of sustainable living.1 'Developed by the Australian biologist Bill Mollison and his student David Holmgren in the 1970s, the system is described as “consciously designed landscapes, which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber, and energy for provision of local needs.”2,3
The concept emphasizes designing a sustainable socio-ecological land-use system. To achieve this, three basic ethical norms are considered when designing and managing permaculture systems: (i) care for the Earth (ii) care for people, and (iii) set limits to consumption and reproduction and redistribute surplus4.
The critical aspects of permaculture are (i) site characteristics; (ii) interaction between elements at different levels, at both field and agro-system level; and (iii) the spatial arrangements of these elements to create synergies for various socio-ecological functions. For the agro-system level interactions, permaculture emphasizes the close integration of terrestrial and aquatic systems, animal husbandry, and annual and perennial field crop plants.5,6,7 Other components of permaculture include water harvesting structures, agroforestry, organic farming, social sciences, and animal and plant breeding.8
In principle, Permaculture adheres to and promotes most of the agroecological elements as defined by the FAO
| ELEMENTS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Diversity | Permaculture is a polyculture system that supports the diversity of beneficial species for more significant interaction between various elements. Crop-livestock-agroforestry interactions, diversified cropping systems involving more than one species of plants, and crop rotation provide greater diversity to the agro-system. |
| Co-creation and sharing of knowledge | There are no fixed methods in permaculture. Instead, it is more of a conceptual framework, guided by a set of principles, including adaptability, knowledge exchange, and extensive knowledge information and imagination. Permaculture farms use practices developed via traditional and agroecological scientific knowledge to intentionally include functional biodiversity at multiple spatial and/or temporal scales. |
| Synergies | Each element in permaculture design is placed in the relationship and connection to others to achieve mutual benefits. The core philosophy of permaculture is to design a sustainable and socio-ecological land-use system, recognizing that land-use systems should not be looked at differently from the social structure. |
| Efficiency | Site characteristics and the use of biological resources are an essential part of permaculture designs, and particular emphasis is given to zones and sectors for maximum and efficient energy planning. Trees, plants, and structures are planned to harness the effective use of resources like sunlight, wind, water, etc. |
| Recycling | The principle of producing no waste in permaculture aims at mimicking the natural pattern of exchange and cycling of matter and energy wherein the output of one element is used as an input for another. |
| Resilience | Integration of different enterprises - crops, forestry, livestock, etc. - is designed to overcome the dichotomy between more production and negative environmental impacts. This, in turn, provides greater resilience of the system and farmer to social and economic risks and climate change-induced hazards. |
| Human and Social values | Care for people is one of the three basic ethics considered for designing and managing a permaculture agroecosystem. |
A set of 12 guiding principles for permaculture is developed and presented by co-founder David Holmgren due to an "in-depth analysis of the natural environment and pre-industrial and sustainable societies, the application of ecosystem theory, and design thinking." These principles are used to design and manage a permaculture system.10
I. Observe and interact - Design begins with the prolonged and thoughtful observation of the place
II. Catch and store energy - Collect energy and water while they are abundant and store them for times of need.
III. Obtain a yield - Ensure that the system can produce necessities in the most self-reliant manner possible.
IV. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback - Create appropriate negative feedback loops to maintain a healthy system balance.
V. Use and value renewable resources and services - like sunlight and rainwater; employ processes that regenerate soil; and avoid external inputs.
VI. Produce no waste - recycle all scraps as useful resources.
VII. Design from patterns - Use nature's patterns as templates for practical design.
VIII. Integrate rather than segregate - design with synergistic relationships in mind (such as mutually beneficial polycultures rather than monocultures).
IX. Use small and slow solutions - start a small, experiment, and use local resources. Smaller, simpler solutions are easier to maintain than larger, more complex ones.
X. Use and value diversity - diversity increases resilience, making the system less vulnerable to failures.
XI. Use edges and value the marginal - the interface between different zones is often the most interesting and creative place
XII. Creatively use and respond to change - all ecological systems have an evolutionary dimension. Observe changes taking place and intervene carefully at the right time and place.
Bill Mollison pioneered the introduction of permaculture in India in 1986, holding workshops for farmers and organizations interested in understanding this agricultural system. With the Deccan Development Society's support - a development NGO - the first permaculture demonstration farm was established in 1987 in Zahaeerabad district in Andhra Pradesh. Since then, permaculture has emerged as a movement in different parts of the country with several demonstration sites, events, and organizations involved, driven by individual farmers who identify with the movement's philosophy and objectives.15
In 2016, Aranya Agricultural Alternatives, a Hyderabad-based organization, and now the main center and promoter of the movement in India, organized the first National Permaculture Convergence (NPC), which brought together more than 1,000 farmers, academics, and permaculture practitioners for the first time The India Permaculture Network originated from this event and is currently promoting permaculture in India in a structured way. In 2017 the 13th International Permaculture Convergence (IC) was held in India under the theme "Towards Healthy Societies."16
At present, permaculture is not a well-recognized agricultural class within the mainstream agrarian classification, and the majority of interventions are non-government.
How much area in India is under permaculture? In terms of the area, it is less than 0.05 million hectares.
How many farmers in India are practicing permaculture? The practice is increasingly gaining acceptance among farmers. However, there is no information on the number of farmers adopting permaculture. The stakeholders consulted estimated the number to be around 0.01 million farmers.
Where in India is permaculture prevalent? A few civil society organizations work directly with farmers to adopt and promote the practice in different parts of the country. The responses from the civil society organizations' survey reported permaculture being practiced in almost all states (Figure 1), mainly by small and marginal farmers.
Which are the major crops cultivated under permaculture in India? This indicator does not apply to permaculture. It includes a diversified and integrated approach for meeting a family's requirements - and includes horticulture (fruit and vegetables), floriculture (for additional income), perennial and arable crops, poultry, dairy, and related activities.
Equality Empowerment Foundation works on permaculture interventions in Rajasthan and Bihar with over 4,000 small and marginal farmers. The organization views the traditional farming of tribal communities to be close to the concept of permaculture. It proposes a community dialogue following a study on the "Tribal food farming system with the lens of permaculture," which could boost scaling up permaculture knowledge in India.
There are no peer-reviewed journals available on the economic, social, and environmental impacts of permaculture in India specifically.' The lack of research and literature (both scientific and grey) makes it difficult to evaluate its effect on these indicators and the potential for scaling up the approach in India.
The following institutions are involved in the research and promotion of conservation farming; a few were consulted for this research:
Source: Authors' compilation
Note — The stakeholders list is indicative and not exhaustive
1 Fadaee S. 2019. "The permaculture movement in India: a social movement with Southern characteristics". Soc Mov Stud 18:720-734. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2019.1628732
2 Holmgren, D. (2002) Permaculture-Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability; Holmgren Design Services: Victoria, Australia.
3 Krebs, J, and Bachs, S. 2018. "Permaculture scientific evidence of principles for the agroecological design of farming systems". Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3218; hups://doi.org/10.3390/su10093218
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 Holmgren, D. (2002) Permaculture_-Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability; Holmgren Design Services: Victoria, Australia
7 Morel, K.; Léger, F. and Ferguson, R.S. (2018) "Permaculture". Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10598-6.
8 Bhati A, Makanur B, and Akshaya Bhati C. 2019. "Permaculture: A way of sustainable living". Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(3): 3028-3030
9 Holmgren, D. (2002) Permaculture-Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability; Holmgren Design Services: Victoria, Australia.
10 Krebs, J, and Bachs, S. 2018. "Permaculture scientific evidence of principles for the agroecological design of farming systems". Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3218; hups://doi.org/10.3390/su10093218
11 George, P.T and Jafri A. 2014. Handbook on Agroecology: Farmer's manual of sustainable practices. Focus on the Global South, India
12 Krebs, J, and Bachs, S. 2018. "Permaculture scientific evidence of principles for the agroecological design of farming systems". Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3218; hups://doi.org/10.3390/su10093218
13 George, P.T and Jafri A. 2014. Handbook on Agroecology: Farmer's manual of sustainable practices. Focus on the Global South. India
14 Krebs, J, and Bachs, S. 2018. "Permaculture scientific evidence of principles for the agroecological design of farming systems". Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3218; hups://doi.org/10.3390/su10093218
15 Fadaee S. 2019. "The permaculture movement in India: a social movement with Southern characteristics". Soc Mov Stud 18:720-734. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2019.1628732
16 Ibid
Suggested citation: Gupta, Niti, Shanal Pradhan, Abhishek Jain, and Naha Patel. 2021. Sustainable Agriculture in India 2021: What We Know and How to Scale Up. New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water
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FOLU Coalition: Established in 2017, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) is a community of organizations and individuals committed to the urgent need to transform the way food is produced and consumed and use the land for people, nature, and climate. It supports science-based solutions and helps build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities to unlock collective, ambitious action. The Coalition builds on the work of the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium teams which operate in more than 20 countries. In India, the work of FOLU is being spearheaded by a core group of five organizations: the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CFEW), the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IMA), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRAN) and WRI India.
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