(Re-)Defining Permaculture: Perspectives of Permaculture Teachers and Practitioners across the United States

The solutions-based design framework of permaculture exhibits transformative potential, working to holistically integrate natural and human systems toward a more just society. term can be defined applied in breadth ways, contributing both strengths weaknesses for its capacity change. To explore the tension as strength weakness, we interviewed 25 prominent teachers practitioners across United States (US) regarding how they define concept perceive term’s utility. We find that casts wide net participants grapple with their own work. They engaged negotiation process associate or disassociate themselves term, recognizing it unifying polarizing. Further, there was noted concern permaculture’s failure cite acknowledge rootedness Indigenous knowledge, well distinguish itself from alternatives. contextualize these findings within resounding call decolonization modern ways living science sustainability, which critically part of. conclude recommended best practices continuously (re-)define an embodied dynamic way work goals.