agroecology

Permaculture is a design system which aims to create sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns. The word 'permaculture', coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is derived as a contraction of permanent agriculture, or permanent culture. The idea of permacuture is considered among the most significant innovations developed by Australian's in the century since Australian federation [1]. However like "nature", the permaculture concept evolves with time making its definition difficult ...

Including:

• Permaculture - Origins
• Permaculture - Influences
• Permaculture - Core values
• Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation
• Permaculture - Observation
• Permaculture - Patterns
• Permaculture - Permaculture Zone
• Permaculture - Links and connections
• Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking'
• Permaculture - Guilds
• Permaculture - Perennial plants
• Permaculture - Animals
• Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern
• Permaculture - Energy
• Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics
• Permaculture - Contemporary examples
• Permaculture - Africa
• Permaculture - Australia
• Permaculture - Indonesia
• Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia - Permaculture

The core of permaculture has always been in supplying a design toolkit for human habitation. This toolkit helps the designer to model a final design based on an observation of how ecosystems themselves interact. A designer observes how the many different parts of an ecosystem interact. A simple example of this is how the Sun interacts with a plant by providing it with energy to grow. This plant may then be pollinated by bees or eaten by deer. These may diperse seed to allow other plants to grow into a tall tree and provide shelter to these c ...

See also:

Permaculture, Permaculture - Origins, Permaculture - Influences, Permaculture - Core values, Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation, Permaculture - Observation, Permaculture - Patterns, Permaculture - Permaculture Zone, Permaculture - Links and connections, Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking', Permaculture - Guilds, Permaculture - Perennial plants, Permaculture - Animals, Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern, Permaculture - Energy, Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics, Permaculture - Contemporary examples, Permaculture - Africa, Permaculture - Australia, Permaculture - Indonesia, Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia II - Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation

According to the FAO, there are about 6 millions plants stored through seed storing in about 1300 genebanks. This amount represents a small fraction of the diversity, and many important regions have not been bioprospected yet. Some of the challenges facing conservation through this technique are : varieties stored tend to adapt to the storage conditions, and they have to be regularly replanted to stay viable. Besides, only a limited number of specimens are stored and it is impossible to store recalcitrant seeds. Fina ...

See also:

Seedbank, Seedbank - Role of seedbanking in conservation, Seedbank - Seeds storing, Seedbank - Seedbanks in the world

Read more here: » Seedbank: Encyclopedia II - Seedbank - Seedbanks in the world

Storing germplasm in seedbanks is both inexpensive and space efficient. It allows preservation of large populations with little genetic erosion. Seedbanks also offer good sources of plant material for biological research, and avoid disturbance or damage of natural populations. Two types of seeds may be considered. The orthodox seeds are those that can be dried at low humidity and stored at low temperatures. These orthodox seeds can remain viable for many years and are rather easily stored in seedbanks. The recalcitrant seeds do not tolerate low humidity and temperature, and thus are not good candi ...

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Seedbank, Seedbank - Role of seedbanking in conservation, Seedbank - Seeds storing, Seedbank - Seedbanks in the world

Read more here: » Seedbank: Encyclopedia II - Seedbank - Seeds storing

A basic principle is, therefore to "add value" to existing crops. A permaculture design therefore seeks to provide a wide range of solutions by including its main ethics (see above) as an integral part of the final value-added design. Crucially, it seeks to address problems that include the economic question of how to either make money from growing crops or exchanging crops for labour such as the LETS scheme. Each final design therefore should include economic considerations as well as giving equal weight to maintaining ecological balance, making sure that ...

See also:

Permaculture, Permaculture - Origins, Permaculture - Influences, Permaculture - Core values, Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation, Permaculture - Observation, Permaculture - Patterns, Permaculture - Permaculture Zone, Permaculture - Links and connections, Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking', Permaculture - Guilds, Permaculture - Perennial plants, Permaculture - Animals, Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern, Permaculture - Energy, Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics, Permaculture - Contemporary examples, Permaculture - Africa, Permaculture - Australia, Permaculture - Indonesia, Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia II - Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics

Genetic diversity among plant species has a significant impact on human life. For example, many of our medical products have come from plants. It is not known which other plants could later on prove beneficial. The preservation of diversity is therefore important to human life. Many think plants must survive in order for their benefits to be discovered. In-situ conservation of plant species is usually thought to be the ultimate conservation strategy. However, its implementation is not always possible. For example, it can not be used t ...

See also:

Seedbank, Seedbank - Role of seedbanking in conservation, Seedbank - Seeds storing, Seedbank - Seedbanks in the world

Read more here: » Seedbank: Encyclopedia II - Seedbank - Role of seedbanking in conservation

In the mid 1970s, two Australians, Dr. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, started to develop ideas that they hoped could be used to create stable agricultural systems. This was a result of their perception of a rapidly growing use of destructive,industrial-agricultural methods. They felt these methods were poisoning the land and water, reducing biodiversity, and removing billions of tons of soil from previously fertile landscapes. A design approach called 'permaculture' was their response and was first made public with the publica ...

See also:

Permaculture, Permaculture - Origins, Permaculture - Influences, Permaculture - Core values, Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation, Permaculture - Observation, Permaculture - Patterns, Permaculture - Permaculture Zone, Permaculture - Links and connections, Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking', Permaculture - Guilds, Permaculture - Perennial plants, Permaculture - Animals, Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern, Permaculture - Energy, Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics, Permaculture - Contemporary examples, Permaculture - Africa, Permaculture - Australia, Permaculture - Indonesia, Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia II - Permaculture - Origins

Permaculture is a broad based and holistic approach that has many applications to all aspects of life. At the heart of permaculture design and practice is a fundamental set of ‘core values’ or ethics which remain constant whatever a persons situation, whether they are creating systems for town planning or trade; whether the land they care for is only a windowbox or an entire forest. These 3 'ethics' are often summarised as; Earthcare – recognising that the Earth is the source of all life (and is possibly itself a living en ...

See also:

Permaculture, Permaculture - Origins, Permaculture - Influences, Permaculture - Core values, Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation, Permaculture - Observation, Permaculture - Patterns, Permaculture - Permaculture Zone, Permaculture - Links and connections, Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking', Permaculture - Guilds, Permaculture - Perennial plants, Permaculture - Animals, Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern, Permaculture - Energy, Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics, Permaculture - Contemporary examples, Permaculture - Africa, Permaculture - Australia, Permaculture - Indonesia, Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia II - Permaculture - Core values

In the years since its conception, permaculture has become a successful approach to designing sustainable systems. Its adaptability and emphasis on meeting human needs means that it can be utilized in every climatic and cultural zone. However at the moment the large proportion of practioners are only likely to be inspired individuals and there is a distinct lack of broadscale permaculture projects. Nevertheless, permaculture has also used succesfully as a development tool to help meet the needs of indigenuous communities at risk from exploitation by free market economics. Permaculture is now well-established across the w ...

See also:

Permaculture, Permaculture - Origins, Permaculture - Influences, Permaculture - Core values, Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation, Permaculture - Observation, Permaculture - Patterns, Permaculture - Permaculture Zone, Permaculture - Links and connections, Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking', Permaculture - Guilds, Permaculture - Perennial plants, Permaculture - Animals, Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern, Permaculture - Energy, Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics, Permaculture - Contemporary examples, Permaculture - Africa, Permaculture - Australia, Permaculture - Indonesia, Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia II - Permaculture - Contemporary examples

Intense debate surrounds all aspects of organic farming and organic food. Environmentalists, food safety advocates, various consumer protection, social justice and labor groups, small independent farmers, and a growing number of food consumers - among others - are ranged against agribusiness and many existing and proposed government agricultural policies. The controversy centers around the overall value and safety of chemical agriculture, with organic farming popularly regarded as the "opposite" of modern, large-scale, chemical-based, ...

See also:

Organic farming, Organic farming - Overview, Organic farming - Methods, Organic farming - Soil fertility, Organic farming - Pest control, Organic farming - Crop planning, Organic farming - Livestock, Organic farming - Organic farming systems, Organic farming - Productivity, Organic farming - History, Organic farming - Pre-World War II, Organic farming - Post-World War II, Organic farming - 21st Century, Organic farming - Issues, Organic farming - Pesticides, Organic farming - Genetically modified organisms, Organic farming - The environment, Organic farming - Food contamination, Organic farming - Food quality, Organic farming - Soil conservation, Organic farming - Government subsidies, Organic farming - Rural infrastructure, Organic farming - Sustainability, Organic farming - The future

Read more here: » Organic farming: Encyclopedia II - Organic farming - Issues

Water - Aquaculture - Aqueduct - Aquifer - Hydrology - Brackish water - Lake - Reservoir - Dam - River - Estuary - watershed Land - soil - Soil life - Soil salination - Soil science Energy - Biogas - Biomass Air - Climate - Climate change - Global climate change - Climate model - Microclimate - Arctic climate - Subarctic clim ...

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List of sustainable agriculture topics, List of sustainable agriculture topics - General terminology, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Farming and Natural Resources, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Biosphere, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Agricultural practices, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Rural development, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Conservation and environmental issues, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Food and food transformation, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Economic Social & Political Context, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Individuals, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Conventions Protocols Panels and Summits, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Related lists

Read more here: » List of sustainable agriculture topics: Encyclopedia II - List of sustainable agriculture topics - Farming and Natural Resources

In agriculture, "monoculture" describes planting and cultivation of a single species over a substantial area, or the practice of relying on a very small number of species for agricultural purposes. The rise of monoculture in modern agriculture has been the result of improved technology, with machinery for tilling, planting, pest control and harvesting, generally being much cheaper and more efficient than human labor. The term is sometimes used pejoratively. Examples of monocultures include lawns and most field crops, such as wheat or corn. Some extend the term to things such as large-scale ...

See also:

Monoculture, Monoculture - Agriculture, Monoculture - External links, Monoculture - Sociology, Monoculture - Computer science

Read more here: » Monoculture: Encyclopedia II - Monoculture - Agriculture

The development of organic farming is one of methods and markets. It is also largely the history of the organic movement, which began as an insiders group of agricultural scientists and farmers, and later expanded to become a grassroots consumer cause. Initially, organics focused on the methods, as a definite reaction against the industrialization of agriculture, and remained below the awareness of the food buyer. Only when the contrasts between organics and the new conventional agriculture became overwhelming, did organics rise to the attention of the public, creating a distinct organic ...

See also:

Organic farming, Organic farming - Overview, Organic farming - Methods, Organic farming - Soil fertility, Organic farming - Pest control, Organic farming - Crop planning, Organic farming - Livestock, Organic farming - Organic farming systems, Organic farming - Productivity, Organic farming - History, Organic farming - Pre-World War II, Organic farming - Post-World War II, Organic farming - 21st Century, Organic farming - Issues, Organic farming - Pesticides, Organic farming - Genetically modified organisms, Organic farming - The environment, Organic farming - Food contamination, Organic farming - Food quality, Organic farming - Soil conservation, Organic farming - Government subsidies, Organic farming - Rural infrastructure, Organic farming - Sustainability, Organic farming - The future

Read more here: » Organic farming: Encyclopedia II - Organic farming - History

A 22-year farm trial study by Cornell University published on July 13, 2005 concluded that Organic farming produces the same corn and soybean yields as conventional farms, but consumes less energy and contains no pesticide residues. However, a prominent 21-year Swiss study found an average 20% lower organic yields over conventional methods, along with 50% lower expenditure on fertilizer and energy, and 97% less pesticides[2]. A major US surv ...

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Organic farming, Organic farming - Overview, Organic farming - Methods, Organic farming - Soil fertility, Organic farming - Pest control, Organic farming - Crop planning, Organic farming - Livestock, Organic farming - Organic farming systems, Organic farming - Productivity, Organic farming - History, Organic farming - Pre-World War II, Organic farming - Post-World War II, Organic farming - 21st Century, Organic farming - Issues, Organic farming - Pesticides, Organic farming - Genetically modified organisms, Organic farming - The environment, Organic farming - Food contamination, Organic farming - Food quality, Organic farming - Soil conservation, Organic farming - Government subsidies, Organic farming - Rural infrastructure, Organic farming - Sustainability, Organic farming - The future

Read more here: » Organic farming: Encyclopedia II - Organic farming - Productivity

Organic farming is at a crossroads. Despite the growth in the organic food market over the last decade, the future of the small, independent farmer, organic or otherwise, is as much in jeopardy now as it has been in recent decades. The local infrastructure to support small farmers is all but non-existent in most developed nations - the current food distribution system favors high-volume production, and large farming operations. What is commonly known as "organic farming" may chan ...

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Organic farming, Organic farming - Overview, Organic farming - Methods, Organic farming - Soil fertility, Organic farming - Pest control, Organic farming - Crop planning, Organic farming - Livestock, Organic farming - Organic farming systems, Organic farming - Productivity, Organic farming - History, Organic farming - Pre-World War II, Organic farming - Post-World War II, Organic farming - 21st Century, Organic farming - Issues, Organic farming - Pesticides, Organic farming - Genetically modified organisms, Organic farming - The environment, Organic farming - Food contamination, Organic farming - Food quality, Organic farming - Soil conservation, Organic farming - Government subsidies, Organic farming - Rural infrastructure, Organic farming - Sustainability, Organic farming - The future

Read more here: » Organic farming: Encyclopedia II - Organic farming - The future

List of sustainable agriculture topics - Individuals. René Dumont Donella Meadows José Bové Masanobu Fukuoka Marc Bonfils Wes Jackson Bill Mollison Vandana Shiva Wendell Berry ...

See also:

List of sustainable agriculture topics, List of sustainable agriculture topics - General terminology, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Farming and Natural Resources, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Biosphere, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Agricultural practices, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Rural development, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Conservation and environmental issues, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Food and food transformation, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Economic Social & Political Context, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Individuals, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Conventions Protocols Panels and Summits, List of sustainable agriculture topics - Related lists

Read more here: » List of sustainable agriculture topics: Encyclopedia II - List of sustainable agriculture topics - Economic Social & Political Context

In sociology, a monoculture is any sort of system wherein everyone is wearing, doing, seeing, reading, watching, and thinking the same thing. See also. Society: Propositional knowledge, Social Democrat, Local food, Fast-food restaurant, Slow Food, New totalitarianism, Anti-globalization movement, Economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Safe trade ...

See also:

Monoculture, Monoculture - Agriculture, Monoculture - External links, Monoculture - Sociology, Monoculture - Computer science

Read more here: » Monoculture: Encyclopedia II - Monoculture - Sociology

Organic farming excludes the use of synthetic inputs, such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In many countries the use of veterinary drugs is excluded. In a number of countries, including the US, Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey, Australia, India, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, Costa Rica, Tunisia, and in the EU, organic farming is also defined by law, so that the commercial use of the term organic to describe farming and f ...

See also:

Organic farming, Organic farming - Overview, Organic farming - Methods, Organic farming - Soil fertility, Organic farming - Pest control, Organic farming - Crop planning, Organic farming - Livestock, Organic farming - Organic farming systems, Organic farming - Productivity, Organic farming - History, Organic farming - Pre-World War II, Organic farming - Post-World War II, Organic farming - 21st Century, Organic farming - Issues, Organic farming - Pesticides, Organic farming - Genetically modified organisms, Organic farming - The environment, Organic farming - Food contamination, Organic farming - Food quality, Organic farming - Soil conservation, Organic farming - Government subsidies, Organic farming - Rural infrastructure, Organic farming - Sustainability, Organic farming - The future

Read more here: » Organic farming: Encyclopedia II - Organic farming - Overview

Organic farming incorporates scientific knowledge and comprehensive traceability with traditional farming practices, based on knowledge and techniques gathered over thousands of years of agriculture to improve the social, economic and ecological sustainability of agricultural systems. It is easiest to describe by contrasting it with modern commercial techniques. In general terms, organic farming involves natural processes, often taking place over extended periods of time, and a holistic approach, while chemical-based farming focuses o ...

See also:

Organic farming, Organic farming - Overview, Organic farming - Methods, Organic farming - Soil fertility, Organic farming - Pest control, Organic farming - Crop planning, Organic farming - Livestock, Organic farming - Organic farming systems, Organic farming - Productivity, Organic farming - History, Organic farming - Pre-World War II, Organic farming - Post-World War II, Organic farming - 21st Century, Organic farming - Issues, Organic farming - Pesticides, Organic farming - Genetically modified organisms, Organic farming - The environment, Organic farming - Food contamination, Organic farming - Food quality, Organic farming - Soil conservation, Organic farming - Government subsidies, Organic farming - Rural infrastructure, Organic farming - Sustainability, Organic farming - The future

Read more here: » Organic farming: Encyclopedia II - Organic farming - Methods