Permaculture is one of the most revolutionary ideas to come from the ecology movement, and it has already transformed the national agriculture of at least two nations (Australia and Cuba). It comes from the words "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture." Developed initially by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, permaculture essentially refers to designing farming, gardening, settlement and housing in line with natural patterns understood through ecology. The following are key design principles in permaculture described by Holmgren:
1. observe and interact
2. catch and store energy
3. obtain a yield
4. apply self-regulation and accept feedback
5. use and value renewable resources and services
6. produce no waste
7. design from patterns to details
8. integrate rather than segregate
9. use small and slow solutions
10. use and value diversity
11. use edges and value the marginal
12. creatively use and respond to change
This is a profound environmental movement, that seeks to mend the divide between the natural and the artificial through patient, detailed observation of ecological patterns and applying them to built systems. It is tailored especially to the production of foodstuffs- if you do it "right" after several years your work necessary to produce food should be negligible, because you've designed an ecological system that generates food without continued intervention.
Monkeywrench carries many significant and useful titles for permaculture design and cultivation, and is available for hosting permaculture related study groups or events.