# Permaculture



## marc_dekens (Feb 15, 2010)

Do you know of any permaculture initiatives in Portugal? Please let me know!


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## nelinha (Jan 15, 2009)

Is that the same as hydroponics? I believe there was an attempt somewhere in Algarve a few years ago but didn't succeed. Don't know why, in South Africa it's very successful.


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## marc_dekens (Feb 15, 2010)

marc_dekens said:


> Do you know of any permaculture initiatives in Portugal? Please let me know!


To Nelinha.
No, permaculture is quite the opposite from hydroponics. You can see hydroponics as the sterile lab version of agriculture. Permaculture tries to restore and use the connection with nature the best possible way. You try to establish the best ecological environment, using instead of abusing the cycles in nature.


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## nelinha (Jan 15, 2009)

No wonder they (hydroponics) get so many harvests per season, it's all on the basis of fertilizers on a drip drip drip system!!! Permaculture sounds like a better way of doing it, I shall google it and learn some more.


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## marc_dekens (Feb 15, 2010)

nelinha said:


> No wonder they (hydroponics) get so many harvests per season, it's all on the basis of fertilizers on a drip drip drip system!!! Permaculture sounds like a better way of doing it, I shall google it and learn some more.


There is a great permaculture site in the Alentejo called Tamera (please replace [dot] with " . " in the webaddress: www[dot]tamera[dot]org, perhaps the events mentioned are interesting?). They started to do a hell of a job to save water and greening the region.

The Permaculture "movement" started in Australia (www[dot]permacultureinstitute[dot]co[dot]au). Watch the Greening the Desert minimovie when you're interested (permaculture[dot]org[dot]au/2009/12/11/greening-the-desert-ii-final]Greening the Desert II – Final | Permaculture Research Institute of Australia), to see what permaculture can do in difficult agricultural areas. 

Imagine what it can do for us, when we all wake up and want to eat eco-food which tastes so much better than the conventional, highly-processed, poison-laden foods from the supermarkets.

Ciao, Marc


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## nelinha (Jan 15, 2009)

Thanks, will have a look at those websites.
Do you intend developing some type of permaculture in PT?


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## marc_dekens (Feb 15, 2010)

nelinha said:


> Thanks, will have a look at those websites.
> Do you intend developing some type of permaculture in PT?


I'm going to look at a couple of projects, the most promising for me is a project in the surroundings of Aljezur, Alentejo on a 50ha property that needs to be restored to a permaculture garden. Will take a couple of years. Hope it will all come together.


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## varzeadagoncala (Jan 31, 2011)

*our home!*



marc_dekens said:


> Do you know of any permaculture initiatives in Portugal? Please let me know!


hi marc, don't like blowing our own trumpet - but we are about 7km from aljezur on the west algarve

we've been moving along permaculture lines for the last year and a half or so, and the journey is only still in the early stages, but the results and production and relationships with like-minded people around us are really exciting: even the unproductive hillsides are going to be places of green food-production in just a few years

if you are interested, feel free to get in touch

all the best

chris, varzea da goncala


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## -mia- (Dec 23, 2009)

I have to admit that I'm sure I really understand what "perma culture" is. But have you had a look at the WWOOFing site for farms in PT?


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## JJBarrett (Apr 5, 2013)

Hey guys, only two and a bit years later ;-D

There's a new free course from Geoff Lawton, the right hand man of Bill Mollison - the creator of Permaculture. 
Permaculture being the use of earth's natural systems for Permanent Culture - opposed to agriculture's unsustainable Monoculture, which is heavily dependant on fossil fuels for energy and fertiliser. Not only unsustainable, but costing the farmer A LOT of money.

Geoff Lawton

..............................................

When you leave an agricultural mono-crop field alone, like wheat or anything where only one type of plant is present, nature turns it back into, if not a forest, a bio diversely rich eco system. Rich in bio-Plant and animal life. Closed. Independent.
No work required. No machines, no fertisliser, and several times more productive.

How? Because a cross section reveals a mono crop's yield as only one level. Mono-culture. 

A forest on the other hand has a multi layered level yield. Everything working symbiotically, providing each for each others needs. Like the difference between people living together but being isolated from each other, compared with an actual thriving community.

Nature's natural design.

Then a clever guy called Bill Mollison came along and figured out the ecological design of a forest and how to redesign a forest to incorporate all the medicinal and dietary needs of humans into it. Thereby rendering redundant the need for machines and fertilisers, harnessing nature's natural cycles to supply our needs.

Clever little chap that.

No food transportation costs, no packaging pollution issues, all organic, free range etc etc. Doesn't matter if there's a food crisis, banking crisis, energy crisis - you and your family will always have food on your table.
These guys have so much experience with replicating this in every climate they can make it happen in any environment. Salty desert, urban, temperate, snow etc. etc.

I highly recommend taking a look. After all, it's free.


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## Irene in Simantorta (Jul 29, 2018)

Hi
There is Tamera in Alentejo but also Terra Alta close to Sintra. Terra Alta is also an education centre for permaculture. Other smaller permaculture places are popping up as well such as Keela Yoga Farm in Central Portugal, also giving permaculture courses.


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