Photo Gallery

Our photo-reporting of permaculture...

At the Southern Cross Permaculture Institute

The SCPI is an experimental and educational permaculture property held by Rick and Naomi Coleman, near Leongatha, in Victoria, Australia. It comprises about 4 hectares and is composed of fruit trees, a vegetable garden, 19 dams, a wood lot, various micro-cilmates and a chook house. A classroom as well as strawbale house for wwoofers have been built on top of the main house and the various caravans on site. Located the bottom of a yellow clay valley where water abunds profusely, this property is a local refuge for bio-diversity, vegetal and animal life.

Meet Rick Coleman Rick started building the SCPI about 20 years ago and lives there with his wife and four kids. He uses his 4 hectare property as an experimentation site for permaculture and teaching location. The site itself includes a potager, more then 340 fruit trees, a food forest, 19 dams built to create micro-climates and enhance biodiversity, as well as a wood lot meant for timber trade later on. Rick also works in the humanitarian domain as a consultant for NGOs whose aim is to enhance food security.	Green Mulch This peach tree is surrounded with mustard plants (yellow plants that you see in the background) that act as a natural mulch once they are cut down, so as to maintain humidity on the ground and keep on feeding the tree with bacteria and fungus!	What the property looked like Have a look beyond the trees at this flat piece of land. This is what Rick's property originally looked like. The SCPI is located the bottom of a valley composed of yellow clay. Today's analysis on the other hand reveal that Rick's property is characterised by organic matter with silt tendencies.
The diary Rick and Naomi recorded the developments throughout the first 5 years of their stay the SCPI. The pictures show dramatic change in the landscape. Importantly, the diary reveals the central importance of wwoofers in the construction of this place as well. This is a commonality in small scale organise properties or farming ventures which rely heavily on the exchange of skills and knowledge with wwoofers, and the availability of free labor.	Sun-catchments Clio and Claudia find themselves in front of one of the 19 dams on the property, whose role is to channel the sun's energy and heat to create a micro-climate. The sun's reflexion on the water allows for the provision of heat for various plants along the edge of the dam, as well as for more light during the day. This technique enables Rick to juxtapose various types of plants, even though they have different climate characteristics, and this creates a surprising mix of biodiversity.
Combinations within the food forest Apple tree and fennel!	Relative location This macadamia tree has been planted down the little slope of a dam, where various citrus and other fruit trees have been planted themselves. Soil quality is maintained thanks to various factors, including constant access to water, as well as the natural mulching that occurs because of the other bigger trees surrounding the macadamia tree (fallen leaves, dead wood). The macadamia tree finds itself sitting next to a major acacia whose role is to fix nitrogen.	Soil quality Rick demonstrates the quality of the soil surrounding the macadamia tree mentioned in the picture before. The soil quality is a result of natural mulching, access to water thanks to the dam sitting over the slope, and nitrogen fixing from the acacia tree. Each element in the system is thought through in terms of its contribution to the overall system.
Mediterranean micro-climate Olive trees are growing next to a dam in the back of the SCPI. Moreover, since the SCPI is surrounded with non organic pastures, bigger trees sitting on the edge of the SCPI help with the filtration of nitrate and phosphorus heavy waters coming into the property.	Green house and propagation area Sitting in front of the potager	The Botanic Ark As part of their Permaculture Design Course, a visit to the Botanic Ark was organised. As the name suggests, it is a vegetal version of Noa's ark. Steve takes care of this nursery, which is only composed of about 4 acres and comprises hundreds of different species. This man is an encyclopaedic resource about trees, and is quite a character as well. Visit him in Warragul, Victoria, Australia!
	The Australian Feijoa
	Damson plum
First Design First design that Clio and Olivia did on the PDC at the SCPI! Although Clio had done some in the past already, it was Olivia's first introduction to the designing process, which proved an interesting experience. The process starts with a needs analysis of the potential client, mixed with a pinch of creativity and extra amounts of research on soil quality, botany, construction designs, local sectors (winds, cardinal directions, property's weaknesses etc). This was a highly informative process.	What does permaculture look like? On the very first day of the PDC, all students got together to brainstorm about what permaculture means for them, and we all came up with this matrix, which indicated the inter-relatedness of all factors within permaculture - hence the holistic characteristics that it is attributed with. This points to the complexity of permaculture systems, in the sense that they take all elements at once in a dynamic relationship, instead of isolating and treating each of them as separate, independent elements	Our day with the bush tucker... Another PDC visit enabled us to meet an Australian bush tucker - in other words, somebody who specialises in growing native bush foods, which is a niche market in Australia...As a retired couple, they dedicated they post-teaching career to recovering lost native species, such as the strawberry gum (leaves that actually taste like strawberry and are used in refined gastronomy), as well as pepper gum. Their local activism also led them to create a local network of veggie box production.
Soil quality at the bush tucker...	Note taking and flower picking This flower, called the Kangaroo Paw, is like nothing we have ever seen in Europe. The PDC allowed us to learn much about the native Australian botany, and the various characteristics of many different plants.	Strawberry Gum
Local greens variety Warragul greens provide an alternative version to basil in pesto. While this may sound trivial, we are actually discovering that permaculture allows for the re-discovery of forgotten foods, which goes beyond having an agro-ecological impact, and contributes to the preservation and regeneration of human cultures.	Water bath tub... ...which is a tool you will often find on permaculture properties to retain water for particular types of plants.
The role of animals Geese are used as natural grass mowers on permaculture properties	Chinese Quince	Traditional Herb Dryer Used by the Bush Tucker to dry herbs such as the strawberry gums and grind it into powder.

Micro-Farming at Ari Fainchtein's

Ari is originally a software engineer, and decided to apply this skill to farming. He started building a farming system on a property located near the Turnpins Fall, Victoria, Australia about 6 years ago and applies a software to his farm which helps him in recording data for each plant, better predict his yields, and enables him to react faster and more intelligently to the evolution of his farming needs. He finds some of his inspiration in permaculture principles and techniques.

Please find his website on the following link: http://www.gingeros.org

Clio and Olivia have recently helped him in building garden beds, and will soon return to help him in building a rocket stove to heat his green house.

The missing, yet essential element In Australia, we are finding out that water is most farmers' biggest concern. The weather goes to extremes and water scarcity can become a real issue. In a country like Belgium on the other hand, sunlight and heat are the scarce elements that production systems need to cope with. In turn, necessary elements also have an impact on soil quality . Each farming system must arrange for the scarcity of essential elements that sustainable designing such as permaculture should provide for	Compost heap... which Clio and Olivia had to re-arrange in garden beds, which are currently hosting heaps of chill, tomatoes, as well as the three sister system (corn, beans, pumpkin)	The commercial veggie garden Including various garden beds, a propagation area as well as the green house. A "fertility" zone sits behind this area, where compost will be produced with the help of chicken, cow and sheep manure. The relative location of these two areas is well though out, so as to make sure compost ends up directly on garden beds, and contributes to the regeneration of soil, which currently happens to be very poor and dry.
	The dripping irrigation system... Most efficient for the direct and consistent provision of water to each plant in the garden bed.	which makes for happy chill plants..

Berry Picking at Baw Baw Organics

Held by Lynda Hoare and her business partner Liz, Baw Baw Organics produce comes from three small West Gippsland farms, growing certified organic produce for a local CSA and Melbourne farmer's markets. They are highly active in trying to find different models to make small-scale farming more sustainable and more profitable, including thanks to the involvement of local community. While Lynda does not necessarily define herself as a permaculturist, in the sense that her property was not originally designed according to a permaculture pattern, her farm takes after many permaculture teachings, including the use of perennial plants, living fences, the use of various aniamls for mowing, grazing, soil restoration, fertility provision, water harvesting, and solar passive housing.

Intensive Learning at David Holmgren's and Su Dennett's Melliodora

As the co-founder of permaculture, David Holmgren has spent his life experimenting with permacultural techniques in various properties, including his own, in Hepburn Springs, Victoria, Australia. His extensive body of knowledge includes botany, soil management, natural construction, history, international relations, mechanics, husbandry, and countless others topics on which he self-edcuated himself. His work, and that of his wwoofers, includes taking care of Melliodora, as well as the public gulley down his property, which leads to a creek, which was dramatically damaged during the mining period decades ago. David follows closely the succession and natural and rehabilitation process, and voluntarily helps with the management of this natural resource, which inhabits a creek, leading to natural mineral springs. His work is one of experimentation as well as close obsveration, as he ultimately believes that permaculture leads to the management of natural resources and the rehabilitation of natural processes.

Goats down the gulley Goats are some of the only husbandry animals used to manage landscapes covered with thorny plants, such as blackberries. They act as natural mowers in this wild environment, and help with its management.	The benefits of electric fencing Interestingly, electric fencing changed pasture and grazing practices to a great beneficial extent. They enable rotational grazing, which is central to managing soil health, provide greater spaces for animals to roam about, and enable landscape management, in that they are easy to move from one place to other.	Reforestation Since he settled down at Melliodora, Davivd Holmgren has spent a lot of efforts helping with the natural rehabilitation of the gulley down his property along with other willing citizens. They have planted countless trees helping with nitrogen fixation, and nutrient complements, which eventually helped in re-creating a weakened bio-diversity.
Cutting down blackberries In the succession and post-mining natural rehabilitation, blackberries have covered the landscape, and help in re-structuring the soil. This process happens naturally, and is followed by a succession of other plants which eventually blossom once the soil recovers structure (including productive fruit trees, nitrogen fixers etc).		The crew
Preparing for fire hazards In Australia, permaculture has also highly contributed to the better understanding of fire prevention in highly fire prone areas. The use of fire retardant plants, the understanding of external sectors and the related design of properties according to fire threats is mainstream in Australian permacultural practice. In this picture, Olivia and Clio are raking leaves off the gulley path, making compost heaps that retain moisture and make small fire retardants in this public domain.	Reading the landscape exercise An essential tenet of permaculture is to be able to read the landscape around you so as to understand soil properties and the proprieties of the particular property or environment you find yourself in. Reading the landscape is also related to the ability to understand natural successions of plants within wild natural environments, such as the creek at the heart of this Hepburn Spring gulley
Growing vines used as shading factor	Greenhouse Juxtaposed to the house. As the house is completely solar passive and uses no other source of heat but the sun, light and thermal mass, the juxtaposition of the green house next to the house ensures an additional source of heat during winter time.
Chicken tractor Used to fertilise and turn soil in determined areas of choice	Blooming Borrach	Grey water system
	Olive trees sitting next to blackcurrants. Every inch of land at Melliodora is meant to be productive. There are three vegetable gardens, countless fruit and nut trees, which all make for surprising combinations. as well as happy chooks, geese, goats, insects, and birds.	Perennial leeks
Kiwi Fruit Used for fruits and shade provision