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Permaculture was originally conceived in the 1970s at the time of the first oil crises, as being 'Permanent Agriculture', moving away from annual cropping and monoculture in agriculture to multi-layered systems making use of productive and useful trees and perennial plants. Its focus on agricultural systems soon broadened, as it became clear that sustainability in food cannot happen in isolation from the other elements that make up society - economics, buildings, energy, transport, etc. 

Permaculturalists strive to create a 'closed system', by reducing and eventually eliminating waste. This is done by ensuring that all resources which are utilised within the system are recycled.  

Permaculture has three key ethics:

• Care of the planet 
• Care of people
• Setting limits to growth

These ethics encompass all aspects of social development.

Wiltshire Council estimates that people in Kennet Valley are currently consuming three times the amount of the world's resources than is sustainable. At this rate we would need two more earth-like planets to support our needs!

The Marlborough Area has 17,000 residents and is surrounded by fertile agricultural land, yet most of us rely on just two supermarkets for food that is trucked in via Bracknell and Daventry: 40% of our vegetables and 90% of our fruit is flown in from overseas, from continents as far away as Africa, Asia and South America. With increasing world population and rising oil prices, the cost of this food is bound to take up bigger and bigger shares of our income, unless we can re-gain control of our food supply locally. We can do this simply by growing our own food:  By working with, rather than against nature, we can develop integrated systems that provide for our needs of food, shelter, energy and community in ways that are both healthy and efficient.

If you need inspiration - watch Paul Wheaton's video, below - you will need to set aside at least 2 hours!