What is permaculture?

earth care – people care – fair share

Let’s improve the soil under our feet! 

Founded in 2016, the Finnish Permaculture Association promotes a sustainable lifestyle and society based on the permaculture philosophy. Our aim is to apply and develop permaculture specifically for the Finnish context, to provide support and contacts for permaculture projects in cities and rural areas, and to act as an official body for international cooperation in permaculture. The association organises events related to permaculture, provides information and publications and creates links between other like-minded organisations and all people interested in permaculture. 

The Permaculture Association’s website has been moved to a new platform in early 2023 and is still under construction. If you would like to provide feedback, please use the ”Contact Us” form or click here.

What is permaculture

Permaculture is an ecology-based design method that seeks to develop sustainable systems that fulfil the needs of both the individual, human communities and the earth in the short and long term by imitating and benefitting from nature’s processes. These systems can be, for example, systems related to food and energy production, housing or the organization of economic activities.

At the heart of permaculture are three ethical principles, that are always followed in permaculture design:

  • caring for the earth – taking care of the earth, forest, water, air and living beings
  • caring for people – taking care of ourselves, close ones and communities locally and globally
  • fair share – a sensible balancing of consumption in relation to production and resources and the return of surplus to circulation.

In addition to these, permaculture design is based on a varying set of general design principles formed by observing the functioning of natural ecosystems and identifying the regularities in them. By following these principles it becomes possible to create systems that are productive and self-renewing, and that are better able to adapt to changes in the environment.

Mitä permakulttuuri on? Etsitään ja kuullaan tähän kysymykseen vastauksia, tutustutaan permakulttuurin eettiseen pohjaan, periaatteisiin ja suunnittelumenetelmiin sekä mietitään, miten permakulttuuria voi käyttää omassa arjessa kestävämmän elämäntavan rakentamiseen maalla ja kaupungissa. Lumia Huhdanpää on kotitila Beyond Buckthornsin ”pääpuutarhuri”, permakulttuuriyhdistyksen aktiivi ja aloitteleva permakulttuurikouluttaja. https://www.beyondbuckthorns.com Lue lisää PermaPuheista (linkki puuttuu)

Highlights

Gå med som medlem

Som medlem i permakulturföreningen stöder du främjandet av permakultur i Finland och deltar i Finlands omfattande nätverk av permakulturaktörer. Inom föreningen finns arbetsgrupper grupperade efter ämne, genom vilka det är lätt att engagera sig i praktiska aktiviteter. Som medlem har du också rösträtt vid föreningens årsmöten.

Du kan bli medlem genom att köpa ett medlemskap från föreningens webbutik. De flesta betalningsmetoder fungerar.

Välkommen med!

The Purpose of the Association

Founded in 2016, the Finnish Permaculture Association promotes a sustainable lifestyle and society based on the permaculture philosophy. The association is politically and religiously neutral. The purpose of the association is:

● To promote permaculture in Finland.
● To gather important information on permaculture solutions suitable for northern conditions, and thus support its development and application.
● To inform about permaculture-related projects and training events in Finland
● To act as part of an international permaculture network, both in the Nordic countries and more widely
As a member of the association, you will get involved in learning about sustainable lifestyles, meeting like-minded people and supporting the work for permaculture in our country.
Everyone is welcome to join!

Board and management

The Association has a Chairman and a elected Board and other responsible persons as required by law. The Permaculture Association strives to work in a sociocratic manner. Read more about the governance of the Association and the profiles of its officers here.

Nyheter från föreningen

Members projects

Medlemmarnas projekter

Check out our members’ permaculture projects here! If you would like to present your project, please contact us! A permaculture project does not have to be a land-based project; it can be almost anything designed using permaculture ethical principles and design tools.
Photo: permaculture garden at Beyond Buckthorns © Dominik Jais 

Permapuheet

PermaPuheet (from Permanent Puheet (fin) – Permanent Talks) is a lecture series based on Dominik Jais’ diploma design ”Permapuheet,” which explores the concept of steadiness in people’s lives as it relates to television and streaming. Traditional television provided a sense of steadiness and routine in people’s lives, while the non-linear nature of streaming has disrupted this sense of steadiness.

 

LAND-network

The best way to understand permaculture is to see how it works in practice. That’s why there is an international network of permaculture models called LAND (Learning, Activity, Network & Demonstration).
The LAND network can include farms, gardens or community projects that apply permaculture extensively. LAND centres offer a rich and inspiring practical demonstration of permaculture for visitors, trainees and volunteers. 

Events, courses and education in Permaculture

Events

The association and its members organise various permaculture events. On the events page you can see what events are coming up and what events have been held in the past. You are also welcome to post your own events and courses so that we all know as much as possible about what is happening in permaculture in Finland and so that we don’t miss anything.
Photo: participants at the summer meeting in Espoo © Dominik Jais

Iso-orvokkiniitty koulutus

Education

Are you interested in permaculture but don’t know where to start? Over the years, the international permaculture community has developed a range of educational programmes, from formal training leading to a title to more informal courses and workshops. 

 Courses

There are three established types of course: the permaculture introduction course, the permaculture design course (or ”PDC”, longer, at least 72 hours) and the diploma in applied permaculture design (Diploma). 
On the education page you can search for courses in permaculture or related subjects that suit you. Members can also announce courses they organise.