PERMACULTURE LABORATORY FOR TEACHING AND RECRUITING AGRICULTURE MAJORS

Permaculture is a diverse approach to sustainability. It is not a production system, per se, but rather a holistic land use and community planning philosophy. Permaculture looks at the interaction of all the parts of the system. Integrating permaculture into current university landscaping practice presents numerous environmental benefits and opens up a wealth of instructional principles in sustainable living that can be critically analyzed by students. First, permaculture encourages rain water harvesting, applying water through drip irrigation and planting hardy, drought resistant indigenous plant species and retaining residue as mulch to reduce soil evaporation lead to a significant savings in municipal water use. Second, runoff is reduced in permaculture because of improved infiltration due to the rain garden. Third, in permaculture, runoff pollutants are cleaned by the biological, chemical, and physical filtering capacity of the improved soil. Fourth, fertilizer use in permaculture is reduced because the plant species used require fewer nutrient additions to the soil than fertilizer-intensive lawns, and because plant residue, which contains nitrogen and phosphorous is recycled. Fifth, pesticide use is lower in permaculture because the so called weeds are encouraged in a permaculture system or, if necessary, will be hand-pulled, and insecticides are not as needed when a diversity of endemic plant species are used. Sixth, organic trash is minimized, because most plant materials will be recycled in a compost pit. Seventh, wild life habitat is established and wildlife food is provided, hence there is increased presence of wildlife in a permaculture garden. Eight, in permaculture, biological diversity is enhanced with the variety of plants and wild-life that will be nurtured. Ninth, energy use from lawn mowers and aerators will decrease, as mowing and mechanical aeration will no longer be required in permaculture. Tenth, air quality improves in permaculture because pollutants from lawn machinery are no longer released and plant leaves can filter particulate matter. Eleventh, carbon sequestration by plant and carbon dioxide consumption by plants is enhanced, which contribute to reduction of carbon footprint. Twelfth temperatures in the permaculture area are cooler. The value of the project at all levels is as a teaching laboratory for developing agricultural students interested in applications that can be modeled or examined using the permaculture laboratory. The project has potential spin-offs. If permaculture practice grows as a landscaping practice in urban sectors of North Carolina, then significant reductions of nitrogen, phosphorous and pesticide use can be experienced. Furthermore, this can expand to other areas in the NCA&T, other UNC campuses, and other States and can have national implications. Landscaping will no longer be lawn-based but also permaculture based. Permaculture can be a lure for agriculture; it may bring in students who had biases against agriculture, potentially solving an agriculture education problem of getting young people interested in the agriculture profession.