Nature, people and fair sharing: Permaculture – more than gardening

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“The more people you ask, the more answers you get,” says Ivo Hutzli (49), board member of “Permaculture Switzerland”, with a smile. How does he personally define permaculture? “A holistic approach to design for me – much more than ‘just’ gardening. It is the formation of relations between living beings, one of which is humans,” explains the board member of the association “Children in Permaculture – Switzerland”.

The biggest difference, according to Hutzli, is that permaculture gardeners create more nets and treat the soil differently. “But it’s not just about gardening, it’s also about questions: What am I going to do with so much zucchini? To give? Or to have a canning day with the neighbors?» Hutzli says that with the Einmach-Tag you can transfer information.

This definition can be found in the Children in Permaculture handbook translated by Children in Permaculture: Permaculture is a design system that creates strong, lasting relationships between humans and the rest of nature. Three ethical principles – caring for the earth, caring for people, and fair sharing – are fundamental when making decisions.

“Fair shares” means the fair share and limited consumption of resources such as mineral resources, is a definition. But for culture manager Hutzli, it’s more: “What do we really need? So where can we infect the family, the neighborhood, or the community?” Permaculture is not something encapsulated, it’s open: it’s explicit when gardening, but it’s also explicit as an ethical principle.

«Whether you study, just seek advice from a permaculture gardener or book a course – we welcome everyone. Just try,” says Hutzli. That’s the beauty of permaculture: anyone can take as much as they want with them. “There is no such thing as right or wrong, good or bad. It is a matter of observing and testing things, especially in the garden. Is this plant helping the other plant to grow, or is the soil not suitable for it?” says.

“I think it’s important for children to be able to connect with living things and see themselves as part of nature. In this sense: You care about what you value,” says Hutzli.

He knows what he’s saying: He’s been dating 27 kids for four mornings. It didn’t matter, as the word “permaculture” was used twice. But children’s enthusiasm for being outside is huge.

For example, when designing a garden with students, ask the teacher: We do not have a specific goal. First, he “dreams” with the children about what should be in the garden. It is then followed by the phrase “I want a pond”. And so it turned out that the lake wanted the child, because the sun reflects on it so beautifully. Then we continue the search together: is there an old bathtub that can be used? Or is one of the parents Steinmetz? Or does anyone have any other ideas on how water can get into the garden?

This is how gardens are created from there, with plants adapting to local conditions.

Source : Blick