Customer Reviews

Permaculture in a Nutshell

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This is an informative, short and cheap general introduction to permaculture, the design of sustainable living. It has been re-issued due to popular demand. Experienced British permaculture designer and teacher Patrick Whitefield explains how permaculture can enrich our lives in the city, on the farm and in the community.

In brief, permaculture focuses on the conscious design of efficient ecological systems.

'Work = any need not met by the system. Pollution = any output not met by the system' (p. 14)

So it is immediately apparent that by careful design both work and pollution can be minimised. Nature, of course, does this without having to think about it, which is why permaculture systems attempt to emulate natural processes.

Though this book is less than a hundred pages long, it has enough detail to get you started on some serious practical projects. The information on 'making a mulch bed' transformed my stony, undiggable back yard into a highly productive vegetable garden in just one growing season, with very little effort (and thankfully no digging!). The book also includes plenty of contact details for taking permaculture further, which, after reading Permaculture in a Nutshell, you will be unable to resist!

I'm perplexed as to why the Dutch reviewer is so dissatisfied with this little primer on permaculture. From where I sit, Patrick Whitefield has done a marvelous job of introducing the worldview and techniques of permaculture to beginners.

Permaculture is above all a new way of envisioning the world and our (human) relationship to it such that we become sensitive to the vast interconnectedness of species. To live and grow food permaculturally is to work with rather than against nature. The two cardinal principles of permaculture is that work is any need not met by the eco-system in which one dwells, and pollution is any output not absorbable by the eco-system. The permaculturalist seeks to design living and food-producing systems such that both work and pollution are minimalized.

Permaculture, which flows from the deep ecology sensibility that the world's natural resources are limited and in many cases nonrenewable, encourages us to rethink what we mean by community. Community isn't exclusively human, and it isn't a gridwork suburb carved out of the natural terrain. It's instead an environment in which "useful connections between different elements in a system" are recognized and nurtured "so that as many inputs as possible are provided from within the system, and as many of the outputs as possible are used within it." (p. 53) When you think about it, this understanding of community applies to human families, urban neighborhoods, bioregional groupings, and so on. Reenvisioning community in this way leaves a lighter footprint upon the earth and improves the quality of life for all species in the process.

Whitefield's book is a good starting place for anyone who wishes to simplify their life, nurture the good earth, and improve the lot of all species. Give it a read and rediscover what our ancestors knew but we've forgotten: that humans must live in harmony with nature or cease to live.

A wonderful introduction to permaculture, by an experienced writer (How to Make a Forest Garden) and practitioner. PN lays out the basic principles of permaculture theory in an easy-to-understand, no-nonsense manner, providing pertinent examples and diagrams for clarity when necessary. For more a more in-depth look at this fascinating, important subject, see Permaculture: A Design Manuel by Bill Mollison or Permaculture: Principles and Pathways by David Holmgren. Finally, a note one Whitefield's statisics. Despite what some have said, they are accurate. Read Natural Capitalism for verification.

As a recently certified Permaculture Consultant, I have found it harder to explain the overall concept to the curious (such as in-laws) than to potential clients (who have specific problems to solve). After a couple of tongue-tied attempts, I put together a quick definition suitable for small-talk and bought Whitefield's book for those who wanted to know more. This came in handy at a recent gathering where Betty, my 84-year-old grandmother-in-law, saw the book and read several chapters. In a few short pages, the book defines permaculture, sketches some of its history and principles, and gives examples of how it works in cities, gardens and farms. Grandma Betty got a kick out of the Britishisms and, despite her early skepticism ("how can back-lot gardens hope to feed the world's hungry?"), seemed satisfied with the explanations. Permaculture in a Nutshell has opened up a whole new area of conversation for us. Well worth it.

After learning about Permaculture from a friend, I wanted to learn more about designing sustainable human settlements to solve many of the world's problems. This is a summary of that educational journey. Skip to the last two paragraphs for the details on this particular book.

I started by purchasing Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren (286 pages). This was NOT a good choice to learn about Permaculture. Another reviewer reflects my view perfectly on that book:

I couldn't wrap my head around Holmgren's style of prose, and the layout and ideas in this book. It is wordy, meandering, and confusing - and I found myself lost in chapter after chapter as Holmgren's explanations went way over my head, leaving me confused and befuddled. This would not be a good introduction to Permaculture, and no good at all as a teaching book or textbook.

While I did find some good ideas in his book - it was difficult to get through. As an aside, I can put in a good word for David Holmgren for his other book: Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt to Peak Oil and Climate Change (136 pages) He must have a new editor or a ghost writer now - This is an amazing book, easy to read, and I can easily recommend it for all audiences, both experienced and those new to these concepts (a great introduction filled with new perspectives) - definitely worth the $12.

Continuing on in my journey to learn about Permaculture, I went on to borrow a copy of PERMACULTURE: A Designers' Manual (576 pages) and found it incredibly detailed, but too in-depth to begin learning from.

Next I went on to purchase Introduction to Permaculture(224 pages) by Bill Mollison. WOW! What a book! Exactly what I was looking for in the first place! Easy to read, wonderfully presented ideas and illustrations, and ideal to share with anyone wanting to learn about whole system design from ecology, to buildings, and our food systems - all the concepts of Permaculture. With that said, I spent WAY too much for this book and I don't understand why it costs so much ($43 last glance). Perhaps it's an import from Australia? Had this book been $25 or less, I would have stopped there and simply bought copies for my friends and family.

So now I went looking for another introductory book of similar quality and a reasonable price and ordered Permaculture in a Nutshell (84 pages). The minute I opened the box from Amazon I was immediately disappointed. The book was TINY - nearly pamphlet sized - for a book priced at $12.95 I couldn't believe it! A typical $5 paperback is four times thicker! I did try to give it a chance and started reading. The book is easy to read and contains all the basics. In fact, it leads the reader to believe they have a reasonable understanding of what Permaculture is.

I'm SO happy I didn't start with this book. I think it'd be easy to read this book, think of it as a somewhat interesting overpriced read, and file the book away never to study Permaculture again. The amazing depth and substance found in Introduction to Permaculture was completely missing - like 2D versus 3D. I couldn't recommend this book to anyone actually interested in Permaculture. Even if this book was appropriately priced around $5, the only audience I would recommend it to is those seeking a high-level understanding of Permaculture without any real intent on learning the details. In short, this is the Cliff Notes version.

Probably too basic for those already interested in permaculture. This book is really more of a booklet, the type you can read in an hour. Be aware that it focuses on British issues.

This little book furnishes a practical agriculural roadmap for moving away from a deceptive global ethos of entitlement, greed, impractical resource depletion and unsuportable infrastructure. Those who read this tiny volume take the first step toward a real stewardship ethic which must surely replace today's attitudes, lest Western Civilization--or even humanity--perish.

Bought this book to give to my relatives who are dairy farmers. This book is a brief explanation of permaculture. It also has some good ideas such as an explanation of zones, and some of the other basic principles of permaculture.