Creating a perma-culture
Permaculture — a design system for individial, household and community resilience
Story by Russ Grayson 2020 and updated September 2025
The 2020 coronavirus shutdown reminded us how vital self-reliance and community support really are. People rediscovered the value of growing food and helping neighbours. Communities rallied and the internet became an essential tool for learning, work and staying connected. The pandemic brought home a message about the value of cooperation and resiliency at the household and community level.
So what is resilience? At the heart of it, resilience comes down to meeting our basic needs—food, water, shelter, health, communication and community. Resilience means being able to recover quickly from a crisis, and building it is a core aim of permaculture. Permaculture design system co-founder Bill Mollison brought it down to the household level when he said: “We are only truly secure when we can look out our kitchen window and see our food growing and our friends working nearby.”
What permaculture means
The word permaculture blends ‘permanent’ and ‘culture’. It is about creating a permanent culture, one that can last for a long time and that meets peoples’ basic needs without destroying the natural, social and resource basis that provides them. It’s about designing ways to meet our needs while strengthening the systems that support us. Permaculture can be applied at home, in neighbourhoods, on farms, in villages, towns and cities — anywhere people live. Permaculture can be viewed as a framework for resilient living.
Because its principles are flexible, permaculture is used in:
- food growing in both urban and rural areas
- water and energy-efficient home design
- land management and farming
- community networks and trading systems
- community development
- education, small business, and social enterprise
- international development and village planning.
Permaculture’s aim is to create a modest prosperity for all, meeting needs without excess while regenerating natural and social systems. Permaculture is not about going without life needs and comforts. Nor is it about hoarding an excess of them. In this, permaculture reiterates what philosophers of the past taught about having enough, what the Buddha called the ‘middle way’ between need and excess. Two-thousand years ago, the Roman emperor and philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, hinted at this in advocating for a balanced approach to life that values reason, rationality and moderation rather than having too little or too much.
Meeting needs
There are different ways to imagine what the permaculture design system is. One way is through Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The point is to meet human needs while at the same time enhancing natural ecosystems and the social institutions of greatest value to our wellbeing. Here’s how permaculture aligns with each level of Maslow’s hierarchy:
Physiological needs
Permaculture focuses on the role of food in personal and community health. Its focus on food production through home and community gardening and regenerative agriculture complements other initiatives in providing reliable access to healthy food.
Safety needs
By promoting local initiatives permaculture practice enhances community resilience, reducing dependence on external resources and mitigating risks associated with climate change and economic instability. Safe and stable environments can be established through thoughtful design of public places, such as creating safe community spaces.
Association and belonging needs
Permaculture emphasises community involvement and collaboration, fostering connections among people through shared projects, community gardens and social networks. This cultivates a sense of belonging and community support, allowing individuals to build relationships and work together towards common goals.
Esteem needs
Engaging in permaculture practices can enhance self-esteem and personal growth. Individuals develop skills in organisational management, food production and ecological stewardship, gaining recognition within their communities for their contributions.
The empowerment that comes from being part of a movement to build community resilience in the face of global, national and regional pressures can foster a sense of achievement and respect.
Self-actualisation need
Permaculture encourages innovation by encouraging and educating individuals to design their own home and community systems and to explore their relationship with nature.
In creating a connection to the natural and social environment and a sense of purpose, permaculture can enable people to realise their potential through self-help and contribution.
Resiliency and permaculture
We can think of resiliency at both the individual and community level as the ability to adapt to changing conditions, to recover quickly from environmental, social and other impacts, and to thrive in the face of adversity. More than likely, this would involve cooperation.
Key characteristice of permaculture’s multifaceted approach to building resilient homes and communities includes:
- adaptability in adjusting to new circumstances by finding solutions, often in collaboration with others
- problem-solving skills; the capability to analyse problems and challenges, to think critically and develop strategies to overcome or sidestep them
- social support consisting of strong relationships with family, friends and community to provide assistance during difficult times
- persistence; the adaptability and focus to find solutions despite setbacks.
Permaculture is not an ideologically-driven practice. It is pragmnatic within the boundaries of its three ethics of care of people and planet and the distribution of resources to enable others to meet their basic needs.
Resiliency is a skill that is developed over time through experiences, reflection and support. It is at the core of permaculture practice.
