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Audio and Video, Sunseed News

Sunseed Podcast ‘Seeds of Change’ Episode 2 – Out Now!

By on

July 31, 2023

- Category : Audio and Video, Sunseed News

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

The Sunseed podcast goes into the next round: Seeds of Change Episode 2 has recently been released! You can listen to it on Soundcloud here. sunseed podcast episode 2 seeds of change While the first episode focused on the community itself and community internal processes, this second episode focuses on our connections and interactions with the land. Expect intergenerational Sunseed contributions from former Drylands coordinators Lucy and Harry, musical interventions by Billie, Quetzal, Silvia and Mel, creation and edition by Catarina and Lara & the design by Stef! Thanks everybody who was involved and supportive of this process.
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Drylands Management

Repairing Piedras Secas – Traditional Spanish Dry Stone Walls

By on

July 17, 2023

- Category : Drylands Management

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Dry stone walls have been built by humans around the world for thousands of years. Unlike brick walls, dry stone walls (piedras secas) are made by stacking stones without a wet mortar to hold them together. They are strong and can last hundreds of years, and these types of constructions can be found all over rural areas in Andalusia as well as other parts of Spain. The walls are built to slow and contain erosion during heavy rains, and also to aid the growth of plants around them by serving as cooling and condensation objects.

piedra seca traditional dry stone walls andalusia

These walls also act as water reservoirs, holding onto cool water and slowly dripping it into the surroundings over time after a rainfall. Because Sunseed is located in an arid region with long, dry periods with little to no rain, they become even more important. Our Sunseed community recently collaborated with some neighbours in Los Molinos to repair and reconstruct a number of dry stone walls in our area. Hot, tiring work, but very important to maintain our precious ecosystem and keep it as healthy as possible!⚒️

traditional spanish dry stone wall building

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Los humanos han construido muros de piedra seca en todo el mundo durante miles de años. A diferencia de las paredes de ladrillo, las paredes de piedra seca se hacen apilando piedras sin un mortero húmedo para mantenerlas juntas. Son fuertes y pueden durar cientos de años, y este tipo de construcciones se pueden encontrar en todas las zonas rurales de Andalucía, así como en otras partes de España. Los muros están construidos para frenar y contener la erosión durante las fuertes lluvias, y también para ayudar al crecimiento de las plantas a su alrededor sirviendo como objetos de enfriamiento y condensación.

building traditional dry stone walls in andalusia spain

Estas paredes también actúan como depósitos de agua, reteniendo agua y goteándola lentamente en los alrededores con el tiempo después de una lluvia. Debido a que vivimos en una región árida con largos períodos secos con poca o ninguna lluvia, se vuelven aún más importantes. Nuestra comunidad de Sunseed colaboró recientemente con algunos vecinos de Los Molinos para reparar y reconstruir varios muros de piedra seca en nuestra área. Un trabajo candente y agotador, pero muy importante!
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Drylands Management

A Drylands Tale

By on

June 9, 2023

- Category : Drylands Management

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Tale of the Mediterranean Drylands in Sunseed

by Drylands Coordinator Agata

A tiny gypsum crystal is carried by the cool water of the river among the roots of the brambles, and among the canes.

Once, a long time ago, he was set at the top of the bushy hill where he enjoyed the best view in the whole valley of the river, like a free swallow in endless skies of light, above endless arid lands.

He found himself surrounded by so many other similar yet different crystals.

The crystal waited patiently for years for the blanket of the small orange lichen spreading nearby to cover it.

A thyme, however, was quicker and wrapped it in its roots. One day, a herd of wild goats swept over the thyme with their fast, hard hooves. So the little crystal also tumbled down, down, down, until it got stuck in a crack of the rock on the ravine.

There a carob tree was already growing, it was thirsty but tough and resilient. The crystal was amazed by the strength and courage of this creature.

The carob tree had put down its strong and deep roots in the crack of the rock, he thought it would be a good place to grow. However, it had not taken into account the burning sun out there. 

That sun was his heart, a heart in tachycardia in the apparent calm of the day, and this sun was pumping water into the wood of the small carob tree at great speed, sucking it out of the leaves. The carob tree arrived exhausted at sunset, but every night it recovered and breathed deeply, so strongly that the crystal was always afraid to fly away. 

The carob tree loved life, it knew that its life gave birth to so many others: to the birds that built their nests on its branches, to the animals, small insects and microscopic organisms that lived in the soil feeding on its dried leaves, its old roots, and the food that the carob tree deliberately released into the soil to attract friendly fungi and bacteria. These friends gave him a big hand by bringing water and nutrients and he could count on them especially in times of trouble, because if he lived they would continue to live.

The gypsum crystal was immensely grateful to inhabit the roots of the brave carob tree and decided to support him in every way he could, clinging to all the soil he could and retaining all the organic matter that happened to be around him: the leaves, the waste from birds, rabbits, goats, earthworms and insects.

The carob tree grew bigger and bigger and after dozens and dozens of years he began to lose his leaves. 

The crystal was extremely worried, but the carob tree reassured him: “Life is beautiful because, although it has an end, it produces more life ad infinitum”. The carob tree had given his all, for all those years, and now it was the turn of others to take his place. The next trees would be lucky because they would have the huge network of friends that the carob tree had built and also a nice, soft, moist cushion on which to lean and put down their roots. 

One spring night, the now old and tired but serene carob tree was uprooted by a great storm. The crystal decided to go with him and soon found himself in the water. When the sun rose, the carob tree was no longer there, and the crystal discovered that he had arrived in the water of the river. It was an incredible feeling! A new adventure had just begun and he was full of faith and ready to live it fully.

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Are you interested in joining our Drylands team? We are currently looking for a Coordinator and an Assistant to join our community in the coming months. Contact Agata at drylands.management@sunseed.org.uk 

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Courses and Events

Festival del Agua 2023

By on

May 24, 2023

- Category : Courses and Events

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Festival del Agua 2023 Los Molinos del Rio Aguas Sunseed
Ha pasado una semana desde el Festival del Agua, un intenso fin de semana lleno de sol, charlas, talleres, juegos y música. El espacio se ha abierto con una charla sobre “Culturas del Agua” en la región de Almería, dando cabida a voces activistas y que nos han hablado del valor del agua para la vida, la historia y la cultura de un territorio.

Festival del Agua germinart performance sunseed los molinos del rio aguas
Por la tarde, rutas y talleres de diversa tipología fluyeron por las calles de Los Molinos, con visitas a nuestro proyecto Semilla del Sol y el de nuestros vecinos de la Pita Escuela; la ruta al Nacimiento impartida por el historiador de la zona Andrés Pérez Pérez; y el paseo por las Tierras Áridas con Ágata, Mattia y Rali, nuestro grupo Sunseed que trabaja entre Tierras Áridas y Tecnologías Apropiadas.

festival del agua 2023 sunseed los molinos del rio aguas
Además, talleres de malabares, actividades para niños, música y conciertos en directo por la noche animaron durante los dos días el espacio del mercado, donde los artesanos de la región se reunieron para vender sus productos y celebrar el Río de Aguas.

sunseed festival del agua 2023 mercado
El domingo, tuvimos otro espacio de reflexión y “Diálogos sobre Justicia Ambiental”, donde se recogieron y pusieron en común las reflexiones de activistas de la zona, especialmente de la zona de Lucainena de las Torres, afectada por los megaproyectos de las placas solares, y de El Ejido, una de las grandes zonas de explotación de los invernaderos.

comida festival del agua los molinos sunseed 2023
Para finalizar, durante los dos días Sunseed ofreció la performance resultante de la residencia artística Germinar-t creada en colaboración con Alt Shift en la que, a través de un itinerario por el río Aguas, se presentó una pieza sobre las luchas en torno a la legitimidad.

En conclusión, durante estos dos días, sin olvidar nuestras posicionalidades, pero intentando actuar desde sentimientos regenerativos y colaborativos, hemos hecho nuestro pequeño esfuerzo por sembrar y alimentar saberes territoriales y fomentar diálogos intergeneracionales en torno a la tierra, la memoria y las prácticas locales de resistencia para la salvaguarda del agua.
El festival ha sido un espacio de reflexión y acción, que nos ha ayudado a comprender mejor las historias pasadas del río que habitamos, así como a imaginar su futuro.


Gracias a EUTeens4Green por cofinanciar este festival.
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Courses and Events

Germinar-t 2.0: Degrowth Arts Residency Returns to Sunseed

By on

May 16, 2023

- Category : Courses and Events

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

 

In early April, Germinar-t 2 was hosted at Sunseed, exploring “Las Memorias del Río Aguas”.

The degrowth based art-residency returned to the Sunseed Desert Technology community in Los Molinos del Rio Aguas, Almería, after the inaugural Germinar-t took place here in December of 2022. This time the performance group in residency was the Lab of Rooted Imagination from Barcelona, which formed in October 2022 and made their debut with #estudio1 on activist struggles in January 2023.

sunseed 2023 germinart degrowth arts residency

Germinar-t 2.0 took the form of a 10-day process of creating a performance around water cultures, ending in the Festival del Agua, which Sunseed co-hosts each spring with the local community. The process was informed by art-based-research practices: the community collaboratively researched their own relation to water cultures before the performers arrived. These findings were fermented into stories, poems, little plays which were presented to the performers in residency as a process of ‘soaking’ into the place and the territory. During the week, the performers played and created based on the collection of stories they received. At the festival, the performers in residency had the opportunity to present what they worked on during the residency and open up the investigation to the territory.

germinart degrowth art residency 2023 sunseed

The final created performance invited a hike through Los Molinos, engaged the audience on a journey to look for a drop of water flowing up. Defying gravity. Doing the impossible. Rebelling. Defending itself. Getting sucked up. Pumping itself up through its own force like the water in Los Molinos from Río Aguas to the houses of its residents pushes itself through the ram pump.

On their journey they find a group of self-proclaimed activists who are there to defend the river, in search for a direct action, in search for purpose and there to do something against the ecocide. This group quickly loses themselves in the experience of drought, a journey inwards begins in which the activists get existential about experiencing the effects of privatised, accumulated and power-directed water flows of which most people are exempted. It is hard to stay at the margins, in which these effects are sensible first. Next to Spain and France exhausting themselves in games of green growth and police violence supervised by the EU, there are strange bird creatures eating the guts of a coloniser dude from the UK who came to Sunseed to plant prosopis and thereby save the region from desertification. The birds chant cryptic ancestral territorial knowledges and predict the future to be red through capital driven human interventions. When the birds turn slowly on the audience to read some more guts, the poet leads them to the maze in which they re-encounter the activist group which has still not lost their zest for action. The group enters the maze and transforms into a stream of consciousness, moving back and forth, battling for reason, legitimacy and purpose. Wondering what kinds of actions, if any, make sense. No common conclusion is reached. The activists shed tears, laying them carefully into the middle of the maze. The poet ends on: The only thing we can do is share our water even though our only water might be the tears that we shed for the bodies of water we lost in the fight.

Thanks to EUTeens4Green for co-funding this festival.

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Courses and Events

CDP en Sunseed

By on

February 13, 2020

- Category : Courses and Events

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Fechas

19 Abril a 3 de mayo 2020

Qué es la Permacultura

La Permacultura es un sistema holístico de diseño que integra la sabiduría tradicional, ciencia y tecnología moderna para crear sistemas de producción y espacios habitables en armonía con los ecosistemas de los que forman parte.

Campaña de difusión

En este curso de diseño en permacultura trabajaremos de formas teóricas y prácticas todos los conceptos y saberes esenciales a tener en cuenta para regenerar paisajes degradados, comunidades y producir alimentos además de otros recursos naturales de formas saludables para las personas y el planeta.
Ven a este curso si quieres aprender de agricultura regenerativa, bioconstrucción, tecnologías apropiadas, vida en comunidad y autogestión.

Descripción del taller

Teoría y práctica esencial para la regeneración y gestión de los espacios vivos. Con atención especial a climas áridos.

Pensamiento y acción holística para crear modelos de vida autosuficientes, sostenibles y rentables  a largo plazo. Con teoría, dinámicas y ejemplos prácticos para vivir la experiencia.

Durante este taller tocaremos una diversidad de temáticas para abarcar las ideas y prácticas más relevantes.

  • Conectaremos con las Éticas y principios, las bases de la permacultura.
  • Profundizaremos en las estrategias y herramientas de diseño holístico que nos facilita la permacultura.
  • Aprenderemos a cultivar el huerto con técnicas de agricultura regenerativa y natural.
  • Comprenderemos los conceptos esenciales para la creación y el manejo de bosques de alimentos y otros sistemas agroforestales.
  • Construiremos muros con materiales naturales como barro y paja 
  • Cocinaremos y saborearemos alimentos de nutrición Simbiótica que nos llenan de salud
  • Hurgaremos en la diversidad de tecnologías apropiadas de nuestro interés
  • Exploraremos la vida en comunidad, la autogestión y sus entresijos.

Sunseed

Sunseed Tecnología del desierto es un centro comunitario de educación no formal y práctica para la transición hacia la sostenibilidad en Andalucía.

El proyecto está ubicado en Los Molinos del Río Aguas, una aldea desconectada de la red situada en un hermoso valle en Almería. En nuestra comunidad internacional viven, trabajan y aprenden juntxs voluntarixs con el fin de desarrollar, demostrar, investigar y comunicar formas accesibles de reducir nuestro impacto medioambiental.

Facilitadores

Alessandro Ardovini

Nómada de actitud, he sido un permacultor toda mi vida. Ecléctico, feminista, filólogo, escritor, bloguero, cinéfilo.

Soy creador y gestor de redes, me dedico a la formación, hago consultorías y diseños para el ayuntamiento de Barcelona y para privados. También me dedico al desarrollo de herramientas de diseño y he enseñado formación de formadoras, Cursos de Diseño en Permacultura (CDP), introducciones a la permacultura, cursos prácticos. Me dedico también a la regeneración de ecosistemas y bosques comestibles.

En Mayo 2017 conseguí mi Diploma en Diseño aplicado de Permacultura en las áreas de Educación, Diseño y Desarrollo de un lugar, Establecimiento e implementación de sistemas, Investigación, Desarrollo de la comunidad, Administración, Medios de comunicación.

Soy miembro fundador de Permacultura Barcelona, Permacultura Íbera, Academia de Permacultura Íbera, BiorNE (Red Biorregional del Nordeste de Permacultura Íbera), Rebrots, Jóvenes en Permacultura (Youth in Permaculture – YiP), participo en la Red europea de Permacultura (EuPN), y creé la Red mediterránea de Permacultura (MedipermaneT) con el objetivo de escribir un libro de estrategias y técnicas eficientes de Permacultura en el Mediterráneo. Estoy desarrollando, lentamente, mi proyecto personal ReDes – Regenerative Design.

Escribí cuatro artículos para la revista EcoHabitar, tengo un blog personal y estoy escribiendo una novela.

Al mismo tiempo soy profesor de idiomas, intérprete y traductor: italiano, inglés, catalán, gallego, castellano. Hablo también portugués y un poco de francés y tengo bases de esperanto y eslovaco.

Candela Vargas

Candela ha querido comprender los mecanismos de la vida desde una edad temprana. Por lo tanto, estudió Biología en la Universidad de Granada. Se convirtió en una activista apasionada y luchó por la justicia climática en Cop 15 cuando se mudó a Dinamarca, donde ha vivido 8 años. En este país estudió un máster en Gestión de la Naturaleza y realizó un proyecto sobre Diseño e Implementación de Bosques Comestibles. Es cofundadora de FFIRN (Food Forest International Research Network), ha sido miembro de la junta directiva de Permacultura Dinamarca durante 5 años, asesora de LAND, coordinadora de voluntarios en un huerto urbano pionero en Copenhague, Byhaven 2200 e involucrada en muchos otros proyectos. como Seed Pop Up, círculo de regalos y muchos colectivos ambientales / culturales. Candela ha enseñado permacultura en Dinamarca, Suecia, Islandia, Italia y España.  Ahora está de vuelta en el Sureste, reconectando con sus raíces y con las redes que se están tejiendo en la zona, en especial con la REPESEI y Permacultura Íbera.

Le encanta recolectar alimentos silvestres, hacer acroyoga y cantar sus canciones de Permacultura.

Precio

€530 por las 2 semanas de curso.

Reserva aquí

Política de cancelaciones

  • Para reservar una plaza en un curso es necesario realizar una transferencia de un depósito del 200€ de la cuota del curso.
  • Será posible cancelar la participación hasta 1 mes antes del curso y recibir la devolución completa del depósito, con la exclusión de 10€ para cubrir los gastos administrativos.
  • Por cancelaciones entre 1 mes y 2 semanas antes del curso se devolverá el50% del depósito, es decir 100€.
  • Por cancelaciones con menos de dos semanas de antelación, se retendrá el 100% del depósito.
  • En caso de cancelación del curso por parte de la organización las cuotas depositadas serán devueltas integralmente.

REPESEI : Red de Permacultura del Sureste Ibérico

En la Red de Permacultura del Sureste Ibérico nos constituimos actualmente como un tejido humano y vivo de personas, proyectos, encuentros y acciones en búsqueda de una forma de vida más natural, holística y perdurable en las biorregiones del sureste ibérico. 

En la actualidad somos más de 60 socios y colaboradores y estamos poniendo en práctica y  desarrollando muchos de los pétalos de red como la autogestión, ecosinuestra, salud integral, bioconstrucción, crianza y cuidado de la vida, tecnologías apropiadas, agricultura natural o agricultura regenerativa.

Cuidar la tierra, cuidar a las personas y redistribuir los excedentes viene siendo nuestro lema desde hace ya más de 20 años.

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Courses and Events

Permaculture Design Course

By on

January 16, 2020

- Category : Courses and Events

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Dates

May 17-31, 2020

Course Program

The 72 hour Permaculture Design Certificate course at Sunseed follows the curriculum as laid out in Bill Mollison’s Permaculture – A Designer’s Manual. It covers subjects ranging from ethics and principles of permaculture, natural systems, aquaculture, sustainable design methods, patterns in nature, land restoration, water harvesting, grey water recycling, natural building, food forests and guilds, energy conservation, appropriate technology, renewable energy, urban permaculture and invisible structures.
The course teaches how to develop sustainable human settlements, and how to extend and preserve natural systems. The content will be covered between theoretical lectures and practical applications.

You can view a sample schedule of the course here. The schedule gives a general idea of what to expect but will vary slightly, course to course

The Site

​Sunseed, a great site first conceived in 1982 during a talk at a green festival by Harry Hart, cofounder of the charity Green Deserts. Featuring numerous examples of eco-construction, renewable energy sources, and organic gardens. A fabulous opportunity for students of permaculture to see a living, breathing center for change and experimentation. The site is situated in the countryside in an ecovillage called Los Molinos del Río Aguas, a beautiful and sunny valley in southern Spain.

​Located in a local steppe climate. with little rainfall throughout the year. This location is classified as BSk by Köppen and Geiger. The average temperature is 16.6 °C. In a year, the average rainfall is 291 mm, unevenly distributed.

Teachers

George Christofis – Lead Facilitator

Born and raised in SE Asia, George’s appreciation for nature was honed over years of long and thoughtful observation of the subtropical country parks of Hong Kong, where he was involved with the environmental movement from a young age. He has been studying permaculture for the last 10 years, having found in it a brilliant framework for environmental action. In 2014 he started the teaching group Circle Permaculture which partners with farms and ecological education sites to run well-organised Permaculture Design Certificate courses. He is on the Certifying Teachers Register of the Permaculture Association UK. Aside from teaching, he is a long term practitioner of yoga and meditation, a poet and songwriter, slackliner and avid hiker.

Liselotte Wuite – Teacher

Since a young age Liselotte has been exposed to many different cultures and landscapes. This opened up fascination and deep respect for the living and breathing world around her. While finishing her studies of Anthropology and Ecology at the University College Utrecht in 2013, she set off to Costa Rica to conduct research for her thesis. This is where she fell in love with a simple way of living, in balance with nature, combining more recent expertise with ancestral knowledge. In 2016 she sat the PDC course in Sunseed where she subsequently ended up coordinating for a year. Seeing the transformation in people, their habits, and their way of living, inspired her to keep sharing knowledge and the importance of raising consciousness, using Permaculture as a tool to move forward.

Travels through South America in 2014 to 2016 and experiences in the Netherlands and Spain, all led to a desire to share this vision of a more sustainable way of life. The various homesteads and educational projects gave her experience in diverse elements of community living, eco construction, gardening, baking, seminars, preservation, natural cosmetics and medicinal plants. Currently she is enrolled in the International Permaculture Diploma with Gaia University, with the intention to expand global networks and create diverse holistic eco-social alternatives to living.

Apart from the wonders and expansive world of Permaculture, she is an animal lover, passionate baker, practices yoga and meditation and loves the art of dance!

Candela Vargas Poveda – Teacher

Candela studied biology at the University of Granada, and holds a Masters in Nature Management from Copenhagen University, which she received for her thesis on Forest Gardens Design and Implementation.. She is a cofounder of FFIRN (Food Forest International Research Network), and has been a member of the board of Permaculture Denmark for 5 years, and is the president of REPESEI, As well as having been a volunteer coordinator at a pioneer urban garden in Copenhagen, Byhaven 2200, Candela has been involved with many other projects such as Seed Pop Up, Gift circle, and other Environmental / Cultural collectives. She is a L.A.N.D advisor and has taught permaculture in Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Italy and Spain. She has recently returned to the Iberian peninsula where she is working on the permaculture networks PI and REPESEI. She loves gathering wild foods, doing acroyoga, and singing her Permaculture songs.

Accommodations

The site offers WC/shower and access to electricity.

What to Bring

– comfortable clothes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty
– note taking (blank pages recommended) and drawing materials
– ecological body care products
– flashlight/torch
– sturdy shoes
– a swimming suit for the natural pool
– bedding and sleeping bag

Join Us May 17-31, 2020

Minimum Donation:
€600,  three meals (vegetarian),
shared dorm accommodation and classes included. 
Optional extra:
Room in Pita Escuela
(extra 294€/ person payable to Pita Escuela),
next door to Sunseed

To sign-up for this course

Register here
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Communication and Education

5 Permaculture Principles that can be applied to our lives.

By on

January 10, 2020

- Category : Communication and Education

- Tags : 30th Anniversary, african fridge, Agrosyntropic, Aguilas

Last October we hosted Circle Permaculture’s, permaculture design course(PDC). I was lucky enough to be a participant in the course. The course was two weeks long and gave a thorough introduction to permaculture. Throughout the two weeks we learnt the twelve Holmgren principles of permaculture. These are twelve guiding principles to creating a strong permaculture design.

As we were learning these principles, I couldn’t help think about how I could apply them to situations outside of permaculture. So, I have picked my top 5 of the Holmgren principles and will explain how they can be applied to life in general.

1. Observe & Interact

In permaculture it is important to first observe the area you will be working on. This step can last from a few days to a few years. We observe an area to understand the natural patterns and flow. It is imperative we take this time before making any big changes to ensure we are working in the most effective way. We must also interact to learn how an area/environment reacts.

The majority of us live such fast paced lives that we barely have time for this observation and interaction phase. A lot of us will jump straight into action without taking the time to step back and observe how a system works. We are bombarded with information and stimulus so we are compelled to act quickly without taking time to understand our actions.

Let’s slow down and observe and appreciate our surroundings. Let’s slow down and interact with others, in real life, not through technology.

2. Obtain a yield

To obtain a yield in permaculture this means designing a system that produces something that can be used. This is most commonly thought of as food but can also be many other things such as shade, protection, balance etc. Effective permaculture will produce the most yeild from an area using resources in the most efficient way. It is up to us the designers to understand the needs of an environment. We can then use this knowledge to optimise the rewards.

In life, we can work to obtain these rewards. The rewards can be either intrinsic or extrinsic, these rewards need not be strictly financial. Perhaps the reward is making a customers day a bit better or making your coworker’s day a little bit easier.

Whatever the reward, we should strive to obtain a yield from as many situations as possible. Rewards are not solely positive, sometimes we get the greatest yield from a negative outcome.

3. Self regulate & accept feedback

In any situation it is important to accept feedback and especially in permaculture. We must adapt to this feedback by self regulation. This may be as simple as not planting a bush because we have seen the affect it has on other areas, or it might be complex like removing a tree that further down the line will become invasive and take over the area.

Self-regulation or self-control allows us to be accountable and it empowers us. It is a life long skill to practice and is aplicable to almost all areas of life. Feedback should be seen as a gift, it helps us see things we may not have seen before. This new vision helps us improve our ability to perform.

We need to practice the skill of self regulation and accepting feedback. This will help us become life long learners and improve exponentially over time.

4. Integrate rather than segregate

Modern agriculture is built on segregation. Just take a drive in the countryside and you will see monocrop fields as far as the eye can see. We have isolated certain crops and need to artificially add what nature provides in an integrated environment.

By integrating and creating diverse environments we can become more sustainable and resilient , as well as more productive and efficient.

This principle translates perfectly in how we should all live in harmony with each other by integrating everyone into our communities and valuing diversity.

5. Use small and slow solutions

It is very easy to speed through decisions, sometimes we need to slow down and think about what we have to do. It is also very tempting to jump right into a big challenge, sometimes it is best to start off small and build to that big challenge.

Permaculture uses small and slow solutions because they are easier to manage than bigger solutions and they allow for the use of local resources leading to more sustainable outcomes. While this may not always be feasible, sometimes we need big and fast solutions to solve some of society’s greatest problems.

I hope you enjoyed my top 5 principles. I also hope you have learnt something about permaculture and how you can apply Holmgrens principles to your own life.

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