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The Agrarian’s Alcove
HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH SMALL AG:
PERMACULTURE

WHAT IS SMALL AG

Small ag is agriculture on a smaller, non-commercial scale. Today, many people are trying to incorporate backyard farming. A lot of people have chickens and sell farm-fresh eggs. There are a lot of small goat farms where they sell meat goats and goat-milk, and utilize the goat-milk to make cool products. Many farmer’s markets sell small locally farmed produce and canned products. All of this can be considered small ag. Some people consider doing small ag for a hobby, and others think that small ag is better for our environment than big ag or commercial farms. While there can be pros and cons to small ag as opposed to conventional ag, there are some ways you can implement small ag in your own backyard-even if you live in the suburbs! Permaculture is a great way to start.

WHAT IS PERMACULTURE

Permaculture is a coined term which comes from the words “permanent agriculture.” Permaculture is a very holistic and chemical-free approach to farming ecological systems. It involves several design principles to allow different organisms, plant or animal, to grow and thrive harmoniously with minimal effort. Designing a permaculture environment in your backyard or on your farm may take significant time and planning, but it should be able to function almost completely on it’s own once everything is in place. You shouldn’t have to work too hard until harvest. One thing to note about permaculture is that it yields significantly less than commercial farming. However, commercial farming can cost more in the long run since you have to buy more fertilizer, pay to irrigate, and pay for labor throughout the seasons.

How can I use permaculture in my own backyard?

Living in the suburbs and not on acres of land can be discouraging when you want a garden.  It can be discouraging when you want to be environmentally friendly but you have to artificially water your yard, run the lawnmower and weedeater, or pay someone to maintain the yard for you. It is also fairly expensive to manage your yard this way. You may even just be bored with your yard. Everyone else’s yard looks just the same as yours. Permaculture is a great way to change this. It can create diversity, lower maintenance costs, and it is better for the environment. Here are some quick tips for using permaculture in your backyard:
  • Start composting: even if you just use a small barrel on the back porch, composting helps you reduce waste that goes into landfills, it increases nutrient recycling and you can use it to fertilize your yard or garden. Find out how to compost here.
  • Use single elements with multiple functions: If you have a pond in your backyard that attracts mosquitoes, use plants like Cattail to attract dragonflies, which then eat the mosquitos. If placed right, you can also use this pond as irrigation.
  • Biological Resources: you always hear about using solar and wind power as much as possible, but we always think about using it in big ways. If you have lights in the backyard, try using a small solar panel to run them. You can learn more about solar panels here.
  • Another important thing you want to make sure to take into account, especially if you are going for a food bearing garden, is plant succession and forest gardening. Remember that with permaculture, you want to allow the environment to grow naturally. You can plant a variety of crops, flowers, or decorative plants provide symbiosis to one another in some way.
To learn more about permaculture and for more details on how to enhance your backyard environment follow the links below. Let me know in the comments if you have implemented permaculture in your backyard, your farm, or what ideas you hope to implement in the future!

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