Discover Permaculture - The Podcast

How to Set Up Permaculture Community Groups

Local community may be one of the most overlooked forms of resilience we have. In this episode, Geoff, Eric, Ben and Sam discuss how permaculture community groups can help people share skills, grow food locally, support each other through uncertainty and create practical systems that improve everyday life. From portable food forests and school projects through to local governance, youth engagement and resilient local economies, this conversation explores why rebuilding community might be one of the most important things we can do right now. Permaculture Community Group Startup Kit: https://www.permaculturefairoaks.org/pfo_startup-kit/ [https://www.permaculturefairoaks.org/pfo_startup-kit/] Watch the video episode here. [https://youtu.be/IsSsgoyQMq8?si=_Gu4SRh7YKJJ9S8Y] Key Takeaways: 00:00:24 - 00:05:26: Geoff introduces the idea of local permaculture groups as practical support networks built around food, skills and community resilience. 00:05:26 - 00:10:52: Eric shares how starting a local permaculture group transformed an empty urban lot into a growing community food forest project in Sacramento. 00:10:52 - 00:13:38: The conversation explores how permaculture projects can reconnect young people with meaningful work, food growing and community participation. 00:15:47 - 00:18:30: Sam explains why he originally dismissed gardening as too small-scale before realizing community-based permaculture could drive broader systemic change. 00:19:26 - 00:22:00: Eric discusses the challenge of engaging people and why demonstration sites and practical examples matter more than theory alone. 00:22:00 - 00:23:35: A discussion on topographic mapping, swales and how practical design tools help people better understand landscapes and water systems. 00:24:21 - 00:26:16: Geoff talks about food security, reducing dependence on fragile systems and why local knowledge matters more than ever. 00:30:01 - 00:32:29: Geoff explains why permaculture focuses on feeding local communities locally rather than relying on fragile global supply chains. 00:33:20 - 00:37:27: Practical discussion about setting up permaculture groups, local education systems, workshops and community-based learning. 00:39:15 - 00:40:18: Sam explains why resilience comes from shared skills and local cooperation rather than trying to become completely self-sufficient alone. 00:48:01 - 00:55:47: Sam breaks down the community meeting model he used in the Blue Mountains to organize people, prioritize issues and create local action plans. 00:56:21 - 00:58:07: Geoff shares plans for rebuilding Permaculture Byron and explains how listeners can start their own local groups using the startup kit.

Preparing For Hard Times

What happens when fragile supply chains break down? In this episode Geoff and the crew discuss survival gardens, water security, edible weeds, medicinal plants, and practical ways to prepare for uncertain times.  Watch the video episode here. [https://youtu.be/gGG0mFglWjI?si=qawe_c2TmRsmqZ64] 🎓 Explore Geoff's online courses: https://www.discoverpermaculture.com [https://www.discoverpermaculture.com] Key Takeaways: 00:00:15 - 00:03:28: Why modern supply chains are fragile and how permaculture creates food security 00:03:28 - 00:04:24: Survival gardens and the power of perennial food systems - Isabell Shipard's books: https://herbs-to-use.com [https://herbs-to-use.com] 00:04:24 - 00:05:58: Medicinal plants, foraging, and using plant ID apps 00:06:36 - 00:08:20: Jerusalem artichokes, edible weeds, and survival foods hiding in plain sight 00:09:24 - 00:10:51: Lessons from Covid and how permaculture builds resilience during crises 00:11:36 - 00:12:41: Geoff’s favorite survival crops: taro, cassava, yam, and chaya 00:12:41 - 00:14:29: Sprouts and microgreens as emergency nutrition systems 00:14:02 - 00:14:29: Action Step #1: Start sprouting seeds this week 00:15:05 - 00:16:23: Feeding 60 students with sprouts during supply shortages in Jordan 00:16:23 - 00:19:25: Comfrey, moringa, turmeric, and other survival superplants 00:19:25 - 00:20:36: Sterile comfrey varieties and how they spread 00:21:06 - 00:23:05: Long-term food storage strategies and preserving seeds 00:24:00 - 00:24:28: Action Step #2: Plant comfrey or moringa 00:25:12 - 00:26:38: How moringa seeds can clean dirty water naturally 00:27:01 - 00:27:30: Action Step #3: Learn and eat an edible weed 00:28:24 - 00:30:09: Why water systems are vulnerable in modern society 00:30:22 - 00:32:01: Simple rainwater harvesting explained 00:32:01 - 00:33:57: First flush diverters, algae biofilms, and rainwater tanks 00:33:58 - 00:36:13: Rainwater vs municipal water systems 00:39:53 - 00:41:05: Action Step #4: Set up a rain barrel and store water 00:42:25 - 00:43:33: Doulton ceramic filters and gravity-fed water systems 00:43:44 - 00:46:59: Reed beds, gray water, and using plants to clean water naturally 00:46:59 - 00:48:57: Final survival garden checklist and practical preparedness steps

Is Aid Designed to Solve Problems or Manage Them?

In this episode, Geoff and the team unpack the hidden realities of the global aid industry—sharing firsthand stories from refugee camps, war zones, and on-the-ground permaculture projects. From inefficiency and dependency to real solutions that build self-reliance, this conversation challenges the system and explores what actually works. At its core, this episode asks a powerful question: Can we design aid that makes itself unnecessary? Watch the video episode here. [https://youtu.be/8Q-mYlgS_Fs?si=qGEEMS5fieeMfk8z] Key Takeaways 00:00 – 01:01: Is aid solving problems… or managing them? 01:01 – 03:03: Aid as a business model reveals how funding structures and salaries can prioritize continuity over real solutions. 03:03 – 05:19: Firsthand experiences suggesting some projects may support hidden economic agendas. 05:19 – 08:21: Bureaucracy and overhead can leave only a small fraction of funding reaching people on the ground. 08:21 – 10:05: Can aid ever create independence? questions why successful outcomes are rarely scaled or shared to empower communities long-term. 10:05 – 12:56: A rare success story demonstrates how directing most funds to the ground can create farms, businesses, and lasting impact. 12:56 – 15:13: Why most aid fails long-term highlights the limits of single-solution projects compared to whole-system design thinking. 15:13 – 17:50: The well problem (and the real solution) shows why recharging landscapes beats endlessly digging deeper wells. 17:50 – 20:17: The goal: make aid redundant emphasizes teaching skills and building systems that remove the need for outside help. 20:17 – 22:00: How strategy must shift depending on whether people are temporary or settled. 22:00 – 25:10: A powerful refugee camp transformation shares how education and food systems created real hope and engagement. 25:10 – 26:26: How politics and authority can dismantle successful projects overnight. 26:26 – 29:24: Lasting change comes when people understand, value, and take ownership of systems. 29:24 – 32:00: Hw compost and water systems can become income streams and resilience tools. 32:00 – 36:26: Dependency vs real economies contrasts conventional aid with permaculture systems that create independence and local economies. 36:26 – 40:01: Why smaller, localized efforts are often more effective than large institutions. 40:01 – 45:13: The ethics and psychology of aid work dives into burnout, disillusionment, and the emotional weight of working in crisis zones. 45:13 – 48:17: What it really takes to make an impact highlights patience, persistence, and the long timeline required for meaningful change. 48:17 – 50:03: The hardest lesson: you may achieve very little (at first) reframes success as simply showing up and staying consistent. 50:03 – 53:29: Low-tech solutions win explains why simple, maintainable systems outperform complex, high-tech interventions. 53:29 – 59:08: How aid changes your worldview reflects on resilience, lost skills, and the contrast between modern and traditional knowledge. 59:08 – 01:00:25: Climate instability and fragile systems highlights how global systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable. 01:00:25 – 01:02:08: If imports stopped tomorrow… what happens? challenges us to consider how dependent our regions really are. 01:02:08 – 01:03:40: Permaculture thinking is essential in an increasingly unstable world.

The Weedy Garden Journey

In this conversation, host Geoff Lawton, Ben, Eric, and Sam sit down with David Trood from The Weedy Garden as he shares how he went from knowing nothing about gardening to documenting one of the most compelling garden journeys online today. From a lockdown turning point to building a thriving garden from scratch, this episode moves beyond gardening into something deeper — purpose, honesty, and the tension between making a living and staying true to your values. Watch the video episode here. [https://youtu.be/Dw4CB9ZCBdU?si=Q0MQ2IT4NtDXUHBb] Key Takeaways: 00:04:32 – 00:05:41: The moment everything changed — lockdown, scarcity, and a shift in direction 00:05:41 – 00:08:30: Starting from zero and being introduced to a new way of thinking through Geoff 00:14:20 – 00:15:30: What nature teaches when you slow down and observe 00:15:13 – 00:16:33: “Plastic life” vs real life — a deeper realization 00:22:36 – 00:23:15: Why storytelling can communicate more than instruction 00:23:49 – 00:25:30: The attention economy and the pull toward fear-based content 00:34:39 – 00:36:30: The challenge of making a living without compromising values 00:36:30 – 00:40:48: Burnout, honesty, and rebuilding trust with an audience 00:40:02 – 00:40:48: A shift toward generosity and community 01:04:49 – End: Why the garden becomes something you can’t walk away from 🌏 Guest Notes: David Trood (AKA Weedy) — Known for his project The Weedy Garden, is a photographer turned gardener documenting the transformation of his weedy hill in Northern NSW, Australia. With no formal background in horticulture, his work is driven by curiosity, observation, and a deep commitment to learning directly from nature. Through poetic visual storytelling, he has built a global audience by sharing not just how to grow food, but how to reconnect with the living systems that sustain us. His approach prioritizes authenticity over growth, offering a rare and honest perspective in the digital landscape

Efficiency: Industrial Agriculture Vs Local Food Systems

What does “efficiency” really mean in food production? Host Geoff Lawton and Ben, Eric and Sam discuss the hidden costs of industrial agriculture and explore how regenerative systems can produce more with less by working with nature, not against it. Watch the video episode here. [https://youtu.be/2VWzMgx_YTg?si=tcZOtJ7pOPxmRpkp] Key Takeaways: 00:00 – 02:00: Introduces the idea of efficiency in food systems and questions whether yield and labor truly define it. 02:00 – 03:30: Reframes efficiency through an energy audit—measuring all inputs and outputs over the life of a system. 03:30 – 06:00: Explains how soil health is the real foundation of productivity, not just visible crop yields. 06:00 – 09:30: Breaks down the hidden environmental and social costs that industrial agriculture leaves out. 09:30 – 13:30: Explores how monoculture systems increase short-term efficiency but reduce long-term resilience. 13:30 – 15:30: Introduces the idea of combining farming scale with garden diversity for better outcomes. 15:30 – 20:30: Compares perennial and annual systems, showing how long-term plantings require fewer inputs over time. 20:30 – 26:30: Contrasts industrial control with ecological design, emphasizing working with natural systems. 26:30 – 31:30: Questions conventional productivity metrics and highlights the importance of nutrition and system health. 31:30 – 36:30: Discusses the benefits of local food systems in reducing transport and increasing resilience. 36:30 – 39:00: Looks at historical examples like victory gardens to show how decentralized systems can feed populations. 39:00 – 45:00: Emphasizes the role of home-scale food production in improving food security and independence. 45:00 – 51:00: Explores how regenerative systems become more economically viable over time. 51:00 – 60:00: Concludes that true efficiency comes from designing systems that work with nature and produce surplus energy.