Permaculture – a good idea?Donna L. Long

Permaculture – a good idea?

I realized something about permaculture. It is the same insanity in a new deceptive clothing. Every permaculture manual I have read promotes bringing together useful plants from all over the world to create a food garden for humans and their domestic animals.

The main problem with this is it introduces new alien (possibly invasive) plants into the ecosystem. It robs the native insects, birds and butterflies of food. It creates a sterile landscape.

Shadbush berries from my Shadbush Tree. Birds are attracted to the sweet fruit.

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Permaculture: The World as Buffet

I am sure when the developer of Western permaculture looked on the native home garden of various indigenous people, particularly Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, they thought they could do better.

They probably thought they could do better by not limiting the permaculture garden to indigenous plants like the original home gardens. Westerners like to utilize the vast global-ness of trade and capitalism to bring together plants from all over the world. And therein lies the problem.

multicolored and different types of ears of corn (zeas mays)

But Do We Get a Healthy, Working Ecosystem?

Gathering together from all over the world doesn’t create a working ecosystem. It creates a mish-mash.

Plants from Korea, South Africa, and Mexico probably can not be eaten by indigenous insects. The insects can not be eaten by the birds, and animals population are starved. See the post, Why Native Plants?

Don’t believe me? Douglas Tallamy explains the connection between indigenous insects and plants in Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded. (Amazon.com affiliate link, I earn a small commission for each sale.)

Why not focus on the edible food native to our land? The indigenous people found plenty to eat and were healthy and well-fed. Blueberries, cranberries and grapes are major American crops. Beans and corn are also.