The contribution of permaculture in the development of urban agriculture

El aporte de la permacultura en el desarrollo de la agricultura urbana

Abstract

Permaculture contemplates the design and implementation of a series of general principles that are applicable in the field of urban agriculture for the production of organic food. It is a system that not only involves the agricultural sector but also extends to the social, political and economic sphere in various types of communities and with special emphasis on those who live in cities. This system is based on the patterns and characteristics that ecosystems present in their natural environment and a good part of its practices, consciously or fortuitously, have served as input for the production of small-scale agricultural sectors in urban environments. The movement originates from the work carried out in the 1970s by two Australian researchers: Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, to which was added a third exponent, the Japanese Masanobu Fukuoka, who made important contributions to the development of sowing techniques. . Permaculture is based on three general principles that provide ethical support: a) promote the conservation of soils, forests and water, b) focus on taking care of yourself first, and then of family members. and the other members of the community and c) the fair and equitable distribution of the goods produced and ensuring the reincorporation of a part of the surpluses that are generated as a contribution to the same system, establishing reasonable limits on consumption and reproduction. It is frequently mentioned in articles and texts that deal with this topic that the design principles that are the conceptual basis of permaculture are derived from the science of systems theory and the foundations proposed by the so-called deep ecology without leaving to also take into consideration various techniques that come from agricultural practices of the pre-industrial period. This work runs as an essay where the author explores some meeting points between the approaches that establish permaculture and its possible application in the field of urban agriculture.