Permaculture Books: Getting Started

Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening--With information on mushroom cultivation, sowing a ... ways to keep livestock, and more...

Sepp Holzer is probably the first "modern" farmer to practice Permaculture. He took over the family farm in Austria back in the 1960's and began to implement all the things he learned in agricultural school; however, he noticed poorer yields, less biodiversity, and more and more disease and pests. He quickly became known as the "Rebel Farmer" due to his unorthodox techniques which often got him in trouble with the agricultural authorities. He persisted and eventually created one of the most amazing farms in the mountains in Austria. It wasn't until years later that someone asked him if he was a Permaculturist, and he had no idea what they were talking about. He began to step out of his little world in Austria and realized that the world was in need of his expertise. He has now travelled the globe teaching and creating Permaculture farms, and fortunately writing books. While this book focuses mainly on larger scale commercial farming and uses heavy machinery for many of his projects, I still think this book is a great read for anyone with a desire to learn more about Permaculture. This book also inspires the reader to think outside the traditional box of how and why to grow plants and raise animals. I just wish it was longer. :)