Seeing in Systems: Helping Community Gardeners Build Resilience and Reduce the Need for Maintenance by Making Permaculture Connections

Many communities have tried and failed to sustain community gardens, however, permaculture is a framework that can help promote long-term sustainability. Permaculture gardens are designed to work with nature to create efficient, resilient spaces saving time, energy, and money. Despite the potential for positive impact, minimal research has been conducted on permaculture in community gardens. In order to assess the use of permaculture in community gardens a two-part tool was developed to identify whether and how permaculture is being used in existing gardens. The tool identifies six key permaculture systems within community gardens: soil, water, energy, materials, plants/animals, and community/people. Within each system core elements are listed creating a checklist for assessment. In the second part of the tool, connections between elements and systems are identified in a diagram. These interconnections between elements and systems are the basis of garden resilience and the ultimate goal of permaculture. The assessment tool was piloted in existing community gardens and used as a teaching tool in permaculture workshops. Surveys showed that the tool increased participants’ confidence in identifying permaculture elements and systems.