This is part one in a series of blogs in which Alex Heffron of Mountain Hall Farm looks at the fundamentals of permaculture, using David Holmgren’s Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability as a guide for discussion

There’s a bit of a trend amongst the old-guard of the organic movement to write off permaculture as some sort of modern, utopian fad — one author I greatly respect called it a ‘distraction’. Largely these criticisms are based on condemnation before examination, so in this series of posts I am going to explore the core of what permaculture is, from the standpoint of its ethics and principles, in a more philosophical manner.

After three weeks in Glasgow under the rain, I headed towards Tombreck, my very last stop before the Scottish Permaculture Gathering (the end of my journey)!

As you may remember, my last article on the Concrete Garden, an urban permaculture project, argued for a stronger standpoint on the subject of land and public space.

We asked new members Gea Viva about their project, their use of permaculture, and what they hope to gain from joining the network.

Gea Viva is an eco camp on the Croatian island Brac, that invites people to delve deeply into nature.

Located in a tranquil olive grove with ten minutes’ walk to the sea, it is a place to unwind, find inspiration, meet like-minded people, take part in one of the courses or events. We connect Permaculture, eco living, art and communication with the creative forces of the Earth.

As the Assembly holds a consultation on 'Rethinking food in Wales' Jane Powell asks what Paramaethu has to offer. Permaculture design goes beyond the novel land uses for which ii is best known, and draws on traditional wisdom and historical experiences of social change to propose new approaches to modern challenges. 

In our second article on rooting permaculture in Welsh culture, Sue Laverack reflects on diversity, language and tradition. Sue worked as a counsellor for many years before moving to a smallholding in southwest Wales, where she is learning Welsh.

Food security and

I think contemporary human intervention

I was very excited when I arrived to Tap O’Noth Farm, in Aberdeenshire, after a short trip from the Black Isle. James Reid’s project was the first permaculture farm I was visiting. That is to say, it was the first project where food was grown using permaculture principles, not merely to meet some level of self-sufficiency but also to be sold in his community.

After some years travelling in Australia, Portugal and Scotland, James found land at the bottom of Tap O’Noth hill five years ago. He first used the land as a permaculture demonstration site, affiliating himself with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, and later with the Permaculture Association when he became a ScotLAND centre. He hosted a Permaculture Design Course, and started a bigger garden in order to feed the students.

This year's Gathering was a beautiful co-created event and a demonstration of some brilliant Permaculture skills and solutions. The event was attended by well over 200 people, including many locals and people who had never beed to a Gathering before. Thank you to everyone who was there and part of making it such a fantastic weekend!