If you are a farmer or smallholder there are a number of ways you can get involved with the Permaculture Association:

Get involved with the Association's farming project
This new project is aimed at supporting farmers and smallholders to use permaculture at the larger scale. Find out more about the project and how to get involved in the farming section of our website. If you have any questions about this work please get in touch with Celia.

Join the Association
To find out more about permaculture approaches to farming, becoming a member is a great way to start. By joining, you will receive the Permaculture Works newsletter every quarter, with the latest articles, course listings and permaculture news; we can provide advice and support on permaculture queries; you will become part of a growing network of teachers, volunteers and enthusiasts; you will be able to create a profile on our website and add notifications of events or opportunities on your land; receive discounts on books; join the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design (on completion of the PDC); and be eligible to attend Permaculture Association Convergences and other events.

Sign-up to the e-bulletin
Sent out 12 times a year, the e-bulletin gives you the latest news from the Association, plus upcoming events, jobs and opportunities, and links that might be of interest.

Do an Introductory Course
Typically two-days long, Intro to Permaculture Courses provide an overview of permaculture principles, examples of permaculture in action and an overview of the network and how to get involved.

Permaculture and farming

An increasing number of farmers are using permaculture ideas and techniques. Interest has grown recently partly as a result of the Farming for the Future programme on BBC2 with Rebecca Hoskins. Interest is also increasing because of some fundamental challenges facing UK and world agriculture:

• Increasing fuel prices
• Increasing input prices generally - fertilisers, pesticides, phosphates, etc
• Increasing water stress and variable supply
• Biodiversity cooncerns
• Decreasing soil health
• Government subsidies placing an increasing emphasis on environmental benefits.

Permaculture and linked agro-ecological approaches are increasingly demonstrating their ability to tackle and solve these and other key challenges. The recent IAASTD report (the largest and most comprehensive survey of agricultural knowledge, science and technology) overwhelmingly found that smaller scale agro-ecological methods are vital to efforts to live sustainabily on the planet.

With increasing input proces, permaculture and related approaches will simply be more effective ways to make a profit. Enhanced biodiversity, diversified income streams and on-site sustainability are addtional and important benefits.