Guerrilla gardening may conjure up a vision of camouflage-attired gangs descending on formal gardens to liberate plants from their confined surroundings, but it isn't. It is true that it is an illicit activity but one that gets so much positive feedback that it has caught on in 30 countries. Guerrilla gardeners are activists who take over land that is perceived as neglected, abandoned, or misused on urban roadsides to plant food crops, flowers and trees giving the land use a new face. It is often done in the night aided by flashlights elevating the meaning of "night farming".

Although permaculture is associated with this "aggressive" form of gardening, in contrast, it is a passive, gentle, legal, approach to land use. Permaculture, derived from "permanent agriculture", is a word that was originally coined in the mid seventies by two Australian ecologists, Dr. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, to describe a land use design system they pioneered in response to pressing global survival issues. It has gone beyond it's original intention of developing strategies to create sustainable food growing methods to become a worldwide movement encompassing all aspects of how humans can live harmoniously in relation to the Earth and it's finite resources.

Essentially, permaculture is about creating sustainable human living environments that mimic the patterns and relationships found in natural ecosystems. It is primarily concerned with making landscapes productive, self-reliant and sustainable. Its signature features are edible ecosystems and useful connections. Plants, animals and structures are carefully selected for their multiple functions and mutually beneficial relationships.

A tree, for example, could be selected for fruit, its known resilience to climatic conditions and diseases as well as shade for cooling the hottest side of the house thus reducing the need for air conditioning. Existing walls can be used to support a green house, fruiting trees trained to grow horizontally (espalier) grape vines and a chicken run. The idea is that you can get more productivity from making use of many layers as opposed to using only one, such as a flat open garden space. A woodland habitat has many stories or layers where trees, shrubs, herbaceous and ground-hugging plants create a harmonious, diverse, productive and self-sustaining community. With permaculture edible and native plants can replace those layers.

There is not one set of design practices to fit all situations but there are three permaculture ethics or core values that have guided the movement over three decades:

Earth care — recognising that the earth is the source of all life and is our valuable home, and we are a part of it, not apart from it.

People care — supporting and helping each other to change to ways of living that do not harm ourselves or the planet, and to develop healthy societies.

Fair share (or placing limits on consumption) — ensuring that Earth's limited resources are used in ways that are equitable and wise.

These may seem like idealistic fantasies that a wealth-conscious society might not desire to entertain but if we are to find equitable solutions to land use, housing, and food in the future permaculture has an impressive record to emulate.

The popularity of permaculture is now at an all-time high. It is arguably the largest global grassroots movement and has quietly arrived in Bermuda. A local engineer (who is not ready for public exposure) is experimenting with a permaculture technique for field agriculture. Instead of tilling the soil in the traditional manner the soil is mulched to kill weeds and turned only superficially with hand tools for planting. The field is divided into wide even swaths with "keyhole" pathways placed at intervals to allow a person to reach all plants without stepping on and compacting the planted areas that will become the platform for establishing relationships between complementary edible crops.

No-till is fast becoming the norm for some conventional farmers elsewhere who have made the switch in response to soil loss from chemicals and over-tilling, a trend scientists say can mitigate the effects of global warming.

Coming soon in Bermuda is yet another innovative development from permaculture — the Transition Movement that aims to raise awareness about sustainable living and build local resilience for the future.

The next GROW BIOINTENSIVE Gardening course will be on Sundays, November 15th to December 6th 2009, 9am to noon. Contact franceseddy@logic.bm or 238-0059