A movement based on care for Earth's ecosystems takes root in China

Empty land near a freight rail line in Shanghai's northeast corner was once a wasteland filled with garbage and debris. Today it is a nearly half-hectare vegetable garden where the soil has been restored, a rainwater circulation system installed and cement blocks laid as a pathway.

"It's an urban practice of permaculture, like all our projects," said architect Wei Min, co-founder of Shanghai Clover Nature, the project behind the cultivation.

Permaculture. That's a concept not fully understood by most people and certainly a new term in China.

"It may sound a bit remote to ordinary Chinese," said Wei. "Many just see it as agriculture. But it's actually a philosophy, and it's really fun. The idea of restoring the relationship between man and nature can easily resonate with Chinese. It is in line with centuries of our traditions and with the current yearning for greener cities."

Permaculture, short for "permanent agriculture," is a design science based on ecology. It integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies. It is a practice that not only restores a natural ecosystem balance but also puts it on a sustainable footing.

The term was first coined in 1978 by Australian researchers Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who proposed a harmonious relation with the environment, as opposed to industrial agriculture that wastes water, depletes nutrients and kills soil life.

The idea has since spread across the world but is still relatively new to China.

The first Chinese Permaculture Conference will be held in Shanghai in December. The event will coincide with publication of the Chinese translation of the third edition of "Earth Restorer's Guide to Permaculture," written by Australian permaculture pioneer Rosemary Morrow, 80.

The Chinese publisher is Shanghai Scientific& Technical Publishing Co.

Morrow began her professional life as a research scientist in 1985 and has been a permaculture practitioner and teacher for decades. She has become known for her pragmatic approach to creating permaculture systems and for her committed work with refugees around the world.

She has implemented community-scale permaculture systems around the world in places like Uganda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Middle East, Australia and Northern Europe.

This third edition of her book, originally published in 2022, adds considerable new content, including marine permaculture, application in refugee camps, emerging economic models and new urban practices.

"I want the new edition to meet the reality of our times, and that hasn't been really reconsidered since it was developed," Morrow told Shanghai Daily.

"Unfortunately, permaculture very early on became associated with organic gardening," she said, "and that has been a huge problem for the discipline. When approached from the principles and design methods, permaculture can be transferred and restore almost any environment."

Its principles, according to Morrow, can be applied to "an infinite range of possibilities." She gave an unexpected example. A policewoman in the Australian state of New South Wales helps decide deployment of young officers by asking them to identify permaculture elements in the police officer's home garden.

A more anticipated trend of its application lies in the urban environment.

"Although people think of permaculture as supplying food, permaculture designs also carry out important functions through urban forests, such as wind and dust filtering, cleaning water, air, cooling, soil building and animal habitat, which are important permaculture outcomes, especially for cities," Morrow explained.

The Chinese edition will add around 10 Chinese practices of permaculture principles, including two in Shanghai, a megacity of nearly 25 million people.

Chen Chen, editor in charge of the Chinese version of the book, said he thinks the idea of permaculture fits with the increasing awareness of environmental protection and community-building, both by government authorities and ordinary Chinese.

"I've noticed the concept of permaculture mentioned in other books previously, but this is the first translation of a permaculture classic text in simplified Chinese," Chen said.

"It fits our ongoing urban micro-regeneration efforts across China," he added. "Instead of large construction, you can now see change going smaller and spreading quickly. Community gardens, now all over Shanghai, are one example of urban micro-regeneration."

Morrow said she has also heard about the ongoing green revolution in China from a relative who recently visited Shanghai and from Chinese students like Wei. She said she looks forward to seeing greater Chinese implementations of permaculture.

"I hope these examples will be seen as pioneers and thousands more will follow," she said. "It is also important that Chinese knowledge and experience get translated for others in similar bioregions across the world."

Permaculture draws from ancient wisdom. Morrow said she has read about ancient Chinese farmers, citing "Farmers of Forty Centuries: Or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea and Japan," a book by American agricultural scientist Franklin Hiram King (1848-1911).

One example to be included in the Chinese edition of Morrow's book is the Knowledge and Innovation Community Garden, also initiated by Shanghai Clover Nature.

The group turned a strip of land between two housing complexes in Shanghai's Yangpu District into a 2,000 square-meter vegetable garden. It gives its designer Wei a sense of achievement when she sees people of all ages enjoying and interacting in the project, she said.

Anyone can practice permaculture in any environment, according to Morrow.

She lives what she preaches by assessing the impact on the environment of every dollar she spends.

"I practice it in small and big things," she explained. "Where is your money going? Does it harm the environment. From these actions, life becomes more creative and fun, and you actually spend less."

Morrow has been honored for her work with an Order of Australia award.