Human Permaculture

Definition: Applying permaculture principles—care for the earth, care for people, fair share—to human systems and creative processes. In La permaculture humaine, Bernardo Alonso and Cécile Guiochon extend traditional permaculture beyond land stewardship to propose a relational ecology centered on human systems. They argue that just as ecological permaculture designs resilient, interdependent ecosystems, human permaculture designs relational, social, and organizational systems where people, knowledge, and actions circulate regeneratively.

Why it matters: Strengthens community resilience, equity, and collaboration in projects.

In the context of Art for Impact, Human Permaculture provides a structural and ethical foundation for socio-ecological creative work. It reinforces:

• Community resilience: By treating teams, partners, and communities as interconnected ecosystems requiring care, reciprocity, and long-term relations.

• Equity & shared power: Fair share principles ensure equitable distribution of resources, authorship, visibility, and benefits—aligned with decolonial and justice-driven practices.

• Collaborative sustainability: Creative processes become regenerative, not extractive—supporting emotional sustainability, mutual learning, and durable partnerships.

• Systemic thinking: It helps artists design projects with circular, interdependent social structures rather than hierarchical, siloed ones.

Useful Links

• Academic Text: Alonso, B., & Guiochon, C. (2019). La permaculture humaine: Pour une écologie des relations. Éditions Écosociété.

• Academic Text: Holmgren, D. (2002). Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.