Permaculture III

"Learn the relationship between animals and permaculture systems"

Develop your ability to integrate animals and insect into a complete permaculture design in ways that best utilise animal resources.

Lesson Structure

There are 6 lessons in this course:

1. Integrating Animals Into A Permaculture System/Garden
   • Locating animals in the Permaculture system, birds, types of gardens, how to plan and prepare zones in relation to animals
2. Role Of Insects And Other Small Animals
   • Ecosystems and their constituents, the web of life, the classification of animals, insect classification, lifecycles, feeding habits and control, companion planting
3. Poultry and Bees
   • Ducks, poultry food, fowls, turkey, geese, bees
4. Grazing Animals: Sheep, Goats, Cattle, Horses, etc
   • Animals as mobile tractors, types of pasture,
5. Aquaculture Production Systems
   • Biological filtration systems, clearing dam water, protecting fish, mariculture,
6. Aquaculture Species to Grow
   • Australian native fish, yabbies, marron, spiny fresh water crayfish

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Understand the principles behind integration of animals in permaculture systems.
• Understand the role of insects and other small animals in permaculture systems.
• Understand the role of poultry and bees in the permaculture system.
• Develop knowledge of the role of grazing animals in permaculture systems.
• Understand the role of aquaculture production systems in permaculture.
• Develop knowledge of the range of aquaculture species available for permaculture systems.

What You Will Do

• Outline how to plan and prepare garden zones in relation to animals. Provide step-by-step instructions and accompanying photographs or drawings.
• Visit some outside environment close to your home such as a garden, a park, a piece of bushland or a water course. Find and list as many things as you can. Try to see what relationships they might have with other biotic and abiotic components of the environment.
• Draw a 'Web' to illustrate the interrelationships you find in the ecosystems you observe.
• Explain "companion planting" in relation to the insect-plant relationship.
• Contact your state department of Agriculture and obtain leaflets relating to poultry which you are particularly interested in keeping.
• Contact your state department of Agriculture and obtain leaflets (and any other publications) relating to bee keeping.
• In no less than 500 words explain the importance of bees to horticulture and the permaculture garden.
• Enquire to the local agricultural agency on how to make dams and how to water proof them.
• Write a report to 1000 words explaining the advantages and disadvantages of aquaculture and mariculture.
• Develop a 5 year plan for developing a one hectare permaculture farm utilising plants, animals and fish (aquaculture). Use drawings and diagrams where needed to assist in this report.
• Attempt to draw a life cycle diagram of a fish or freshwater crayfish. Include all stages and if possible give a size indication or age indication for each stage.
• Select three different aquatic animals which would be appropriate to grow in a permaculture system. For each one in turn, explain how you would incorporate it into a permaculture system.