The We Are All Farmers Permaculture Institute

Why We Are All Farmers?

Everyone can take more responsibility for their food and energy production/use–thus, We Are All Farmers.

Why are you We Are All Farmers ?

Start where we are, start with our community, start with hands-on approaches, bridge unusual suspects, create community

Response to the stats–act local coupled with policy (both are needed)

Academic is important; research is important—not the focus of this presentation; not the current focus of what our institute does

What is permaculture?Permanent culture

Permanent agriculture

Regenerative, managed practices (economic, interpersonal, ethical, often with a focus on food and energy production/management)

“care of people, care of earth, share of surplus to both”

Many permaculture rock stars: Bill Mollison, David Holgrem, Geoff Lawton, Masanobu Fukuoka, Sepp Holzer—More important than these people themselves are the communities created, the ethics adhered to, and the approaches stewarded

Permaculture is systems design

Copyright Karl Schmidt 2008

Why permaculture? Why did we choose this?

Been there and done that with other modes of farming (Edward) and other modes of social change (Crystal).

Worldwide network, lots of info sharing, lots of methods tried and true; jive with our ethics

Why the Appalachian-Piedmont region?

Opportunity to be back in the region we are from

Important to commit to a community and a region

Important to recommit to being land-based people

Important work to do in our own “back yards”

Stewarding land and community take investment over the long haul

A permaculture institute needed to serve this region

Focus on community & practices with lower $ entry-points into energy and food production/responsibility

All well and good–

but what does that look like? 5 Lee Avenue, Lexington, Virginia 24450 USA

Turning a grass plot into permaculture: “care of people, care of earth, share of surplus to both.”

How can we envision those ethics with this site? How do we make a system that produces a yield and has high labor at the beginning, but less labor over time?

USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to 0FLast Frost Date (2013): 5/12First Frost Date (2013): 10/2

Average Growing Season: >149 daysAverage annual precipitation 40.0 inches

“Conventional” gardens

More

www.irrigationdirect.com

Www.plant-care.com

Ufseeds.com

Design Unifies

Permacultureusa.org

Community Unifies

Terrainforma.ca

Examples of Integration

From the Left clockwise: treehugger.com; ordinary-2-extraordinary.com; upbeetlandscapes.com

The food forest gardening approach is the creation of systems which are productive and abundant yet which require very

little maintenance.

http://foodgrowsontrees.blogspot.com/

A Forest Garden

http://www.theinnovationdiaries.com/1422/food-forestry/

Turning a grass plot into permaculture: “care of people, care of earth, share of surplus to both.”

How can we envision those ethics with this site? How do we make a system that produces a yield and has high labor at the

beginning, but less labor over time?

All well and good–but what does that look like?

5 Lee Avenue, Lexington, Virginia 24450 USA

www.123rf.com

Filter the ideas through hands-on training in permaculture design and these principles

permaculturepower.wordpress.com

www.earthactionmentor.org

Take flyers for our courses/workshops

Free two day workshop in the WV coal fields March 29/30

Free Crop Mob & Pig Roast April 27

Seeking WWOOFers/farm interns

Full weekends only PDC this fall-- one full work exchange still available +four ½ exchanges

Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter: weareallfarmers

Keep in touch!

Get involved!

Happy permaculturing!

Let's go see 5 Lee Avenue,

Lexington, Virginia 24450!!!

“The field lies open to the intellect.”--Bill Mollison