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Permaculture Designer
Designs self-sustaining agricultural systems that mimic natural ecosystems — combining farming with ecology.
Did you know?
The word 'permaculture' was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who developed the idea in Tasmania, Australia.
How subjects help
- Biology: Group plants that help each other, like beans that feed the soil for hungry neighbours.
- Environmental Science: Dig ponds and ditches along slopes that catch rainwater and keep the land moist in dry spells.
- Art & Design: Draw a site plan that places gardens, trees and paths for easy daily work.
- Geography: Read the slope, sun and wind across a site to decide where each crop and building goes.
A famous name
Bill Mollison: Co-created permaculture in the 1970s and won the Right Livelihood Award for developing it.
Try it yourself: Watch a bean wake up
- Line the jar with damp kitchen paper and push the bean between the paper and the glass.
- Keep the paper damp (not flooded) and the jar somewhere light.
- Check every day and draw what you see. Does the root or the shoot come first?
- Turn the jar on its side once the root appears. What does the root do next?
Farmers and plant scientists watch germination closely: a strong root first means a healthy crop later.
Also try: Do a garden bird count.
Known for it in
Australia, UK, USA, Costa Rica, India