What is permaculture?
Looking for a simple definition of what is permaculture? Essentially, it’s a practical design system for creating sustainable ways of living, inspired by nature.
Permaculture is more than just gardening — it’s a design system for every area of your life
Permaculture was founded in the 1970s in Tasmania by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. The term was originally a blend of the words ‘permanent agriculture‘ and has since been expanded to signify ‘permanent culture‘.
Permaculture is broadly governed by three ethics and 12 design principles. These foundations create a practical design system that can be applied to literally anything, from growing vegetables and building sustainable houses to education, health, financial systems, businesses and even travel, hobbies and communication styles.
Whatever the context, permaculture is always aiming to create systems that will remain sustainable and resilient not only for the present but for many future generations.
Permaculture is a global movement offering local solutions
Permaculture was often initially applied to larger farms and properties, but has been adapted over recent decades to include urban living. Permaculture is now practised right across the planet, from big cities to remote villages and even within refugee camps.
David Holmgren, writing in RetroSuburbia, offers this way to define permaculture: “Permaculture [is] a design system for resilient living and land use based on universal ethics and ecological design principles. Applying permaculture ethics and principles in our gardens and homes inevitably leads us towards redesigning our ways of living so as to be more in tune with local surpluses and limits.”
Here in South Australia, our local permaculture movement harks back to 1984, when our non-profit association began. With members right across South Australia — from the Eyre Peninsula to Mount Gambier and everywhere in between — our state has so many practical examples of how permaculture can be applied locally to create more resilient ways of living.
Permaculture ethics
Earth Care
Earth Care means recognising our planet as a living entity that needs nurturing to thrive. This ethic encourages us to actively protect soil health, forests and rivers, respect ecosystems and reduce our consumption of ‘stuff’. Overall, we are asked to tread more lightly on Earth to help restore the balance that sustains all life.
People Care
People Care begins with looking after ourselves and extends to our families, neighbours and the wider global community. We aim to take care of one another without consuming unnecessary material resources, allowing both people and nature to thrive. This ethic encourages personal responsibility and collaboration, recognising the strength and wisdom of working together.
Fair Share
Fair Share encourages us to live within our means and share in times of abundance. It’s about setting limits, taking only what we need and redistributing surplus to support others. By recognising that continuous growth is unsustainable, we make conscious decisions about what is enough, creating a more balanced, generous and sustainable way of living.
Become part of a community sparking positive change across SA.
Become part of a community sparking positive change across SA.
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What is permaculture in South Australia?
Exploring our local history and impact
Back in 1983, Bill Mollison visited Willunga for one of the first iterations of permaculture teaching — the refined structure of which would eventually become the now globally recognised Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC). It was suggested that a local action collective should be created here in SA.
The following year, in 1984, the Permaculture Association of South Australia (PASA) was officially founded by Colin Ball, Greg Jervis, Bill Mansell, Joyce Parkins and Helen (Singleton) Turner.
Their collaborative efforts resulted in a constitution adopted at the first AGM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Primary School in Bowden.
It’s believed that Permaculture South Australia was the first state-based permaculture association to be founded in Australia.
Key SA moments
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![A speaker presenting to a room of engaged listeners, illustrating community education and shared knowledge central to what is permaculture.]()
1983
An informal think-tank called the Permaculture Collective met regularly in Adelaide, an early precursor to the Permaculture Association of South Australia.
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![A man harvesting a pear from an urban espalier fruit tree, showing a practical example of permaculture in Australia and local food systems.]()
1984
The Permaculture Association of South Australia (PASA) was officially founded at 131 Coglin Street, Bowden.
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![Thriving garden bed filled with leafy greens and carrots, exemplifying how to define permaculture through sustainable food growing practices.]()
1984
PASA supported the Hindmarsh City Farm inauguration at 17 Green St, Brompton. The farm operated for three years, employing three managers, nine supervisors and 45 disadvantaged young people.
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![A family in a community garden pointing and smiling, showcasing the intergenerational sharing of skills and knowledge in permaculture in Australia.]()
1987
PASA hosted the first Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) in South Australia, taught by Bill Mollison and held at the Monastery in Glen Osmond.
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![Smiling group of people proudly displaying handmade cloth bags, reflecting permaculture values of reuse, local action, and people care]()
1995
South Australia won the right to host the biennial Australian Permaculture Convergence at Roseworthy, attracting permaculturists from all over the county.
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![Handmade sign in a community garden reading “Let food be thy medicine & medicine be thy food,” conveying a key ethic in what is permaculture.]()
1995
PASA began a partnership with Womad and every year since, volunteers have shared permaculture knowledge via a stall at this major Adelaide music and arts festival.
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![Older and younger participants chatting at an outdoor permaculture gathering in Australia, reflecting connection and knowledge exchange.]()
2001
The Urban PermaFest was held at Urrbrae, introducing hundreds of South Aussies to permaculture at the city level.
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![Community members seated in a circle on picnic rugs in a park, discussing shared goals and defining permaculture through collaboration.]()
2023
South Australia won the right to host the biennial Australian Permaculture Convergence for the second time, leading a sold-out event at Mount Barker.
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![Group of people engaged in visible mending practices, showing how permaculture includes resourcefulness, care, and community resilience.]()
2024
A two-day South Australian Permaculture Convergence was heldin Bowden/Brompton. It aimed to foster local knowledge and local connections while celebrating 40 years of permaculture in SA.
Work
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Skills and knowledge sharing
We run workshops, events and gatherings that make permaculture accessible to everyone. Through hands-on learning and guidance, we equip South Australians with the skills and knowledge to create sustainable and regenerative homes, gardens and communities.
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Community connection
We foster a vibrant network of permaculture enthusiasts across South Australia. By supporting local groups, hosting events and creating opportunities for collaboration, we help people connect, share ideas and work together to create more sustainable ways of living using permaculture design.
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Climate-positive action
Permaculture is about doing, not just learning. We help South Australians understand how to use permaculture design as a powerful and practical tool for transitioning to more sustainable and regenerative ways of living, both locally and globally.
Meet the PSA Committee
Our committee meets once a month online to organise activities supporting the PSA mission. Committee positions are voluntary, year-long, open to paid members and elected during our Annual General Meeting. If you’re interested in joining the committee, please contact us.
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Emily Gray
Co-Chair & Membership and Strategy Working Group
Emily is an environmental educator, teaching Reception to Year 6 children a joyful blend of hands-on gardening, exploration and outdoor play. She completed her PDC in Darwin at age 23 and enjoys being part of a global community working together to create positive change. She also loves bushwalking, camping, lino-printing and cooking produce from her Forestville garden.
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Nat Giffney
Co-Chair & Communications Working Group
Nat is passionate about native plants and local ecology. She loves supporting biodiversity and its benefits for us, our health, our food gardens, animals and the planet. With volunteer experience on permaculture farms across Australia, Nat has been an active member of the Permaculture SA Committee since 2020, helping to organise the APC in 2023 and SAPC in 2024. She’s known for her fun, positive and can-do attitude.
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Scott Grimes
Co-Treasurer & Membership and Strategy Working Group
Scott discovered permaculture during Melbourne’s 2020 lockdowns. After moving back to the Adelaide Hills, he's enjoyed the opportunity to practically apply permaculture principles and design to both his veggie patch and his overall lifestyle. As a finance and management professional, Scott also brings this skillset to ethically aligned organisations.
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Mark Brown
Co-Treasurer + Membership and Strategy Working Group
Mark’s interest in permaculture began while working as an agricultural research officer at CSIRO. Passionate about urban food ecosystems, he grows fruit and nut trees with a berry understory at his home in Adelaide’s western suburbs. Mark is a long-time PSA committee member and has served in multiple roles over the past decade.
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Kym Ormond
Co-Secretary & Communications Working Group
Kym is a self-proclaimed plantaholic who discovered permaculture while volunteering in WA in 2016. He has since studied Certificate III and IV in Permaculture and launched community gardens and plant nurseries. Kym helps run our social media accounts and is known for his bad puns and willingness to lift heavy things at events.
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Sophie Hayat
Co-Secretary & Education Working Group
Sophie is a passionate environmental advocate, nature lover and mum to two teens. A snorkel guide, surfer, basket weaver, and facilitator of yoga, deep ecology and nature sessions, she combines diverse skills with her commitment to sustainability. Sophie grew up with permaculture principles and completed her PDC in 2024 at The Food Forest. -
Violaine (Vee) Buyer
Public Officer & Communications Working Group
Vee is a nature lover, gardener, cook and sewer, and a designer by trade. After completing her PDC at The Food Forest in 2021, Vee has continued learning through permablitzes and workshops, integrating permaculture principles into daily life. She's also a dedicated committee member of her local permaculture group, Grow West. -
Lachlan McKenzie
Education Working Group
Lachlan is a lifelong garden and nature enthusiast with nearly 30 years of experience in permaculture. As a practitioner, designer, teacher, author and advisor, he has worked across Australia and internationally, from Timor-Leste to Europe, collaborating with grassroots groups, national associations and non-profit groups including Permatil Global. Lachlanis also a much-valued former Chair of Permaculture SA.
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Angus Wallace
Education Working Group
Angus is a parent, cyclist, musician, engineer and scientist who sees permaculture as a powerful tool for a thriving future. He completed his PDC in 2011. With a background in energy efficiency and cycling advocacy, Anugs brings strong organising skills, teamwork and a deep understanding of technology’s potential and limitations within sustainable systems.
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Michelle Jahn
Communications Working Group
Michelle grew up with farming roots and parents passionate about horticulture, sparking her love for plants from a young age — her earliest gardening memories are from age three. Now a garden specialist at Hampstead Primary School, Michelle manages a ¼-acre permaculture garden, blending her organic gardening knowledge with sustainable practices.
Join the movement
Join the movement
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Whether you're perma-curious or a seasoned permaculture practitioner, we invite you to join our movement — helping connect communities, share knowledge and ideas, and create meaningful change through practical, hands-on local solutions.