Permaculturists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who practice or advocate for sustainable agriculture by designing ecosystems that mimic natural systems
2. People focused on creating self-sustaining agricultural habitats through the integration of plants, animals, and soil
3. Experts who promote methods of farming that maintain ecological balance and environmental health through careful resource management

Etymology: Permaculture was coined in the 1970s by Australian ecologist Bill Mollison and his student David Holmgren, a blend of "permanent" and "agriculture." The first half of that blend traces back through Middle French "permanent" to the Latin "permaneo," meaning "to remain through," while "agriculture" came into English in the Middle English period from Latin "agricultura," built from "ager" (field) and "cultura" (cultivation). The sense of tending land that the word carries is thus rooted in an old Latin pairing of field and care. The suffix that turns "permaculture" into a word for its practitioners is "-ist," which passed into English through Latin "-ista," from Greek "-istēs," and reached English through Old French and Middle English. It is the same ending found in words like "artist" and "botanist," and it marks a person who follows or practises a given discipline. Attached to "permaculture," it gives a name to people who work within that design approach.