"De La Salle Lipa’s Nexus Innovations Lab for the 2025 Program Revitalization and Lasallian Institute for the Environment (LIFE) Annual Assembly"
Topic: Integrating Permaculture Principles in Educational Environments Venue: De La Salle Lipa, Lipa City, Batangas Date: August 5, 2025 Photos: Lasallian Institute for the Environment Facebook page, De La Salle Lipa, Lipa City Facebook page Link to the presentationTuesday, August 12, 2025
Monday, July 28, 2025
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀

The MOOC "𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀" officially begins today! This course will run from 28 July to 18 August 2025.
This course is co-developed by the Philippine Permaculture Association, a leading advocate for sustainable design in the Philippines. It serves as an introductory course for individuals curious about the concept of permaculture or interested in learning sustainable living practices in home, community, or farm settings.
Enroll now to learn more about sustainable living and permaculture!


1. Go to http://model.upou.edu.ph/
2. Click “LOG IN” to create a new account.
3. Fill out the form with your details. (𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴.)
4. Check your email account to see your confirmation link. (𝘋𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 3 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴.)
5. Confirm and log in.
6. Browse through our website homepage, and select the course you want to enroll in. (𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦.)

Need help? Chat with "Openg" on model.upou.edu.ph.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn anytime, anywhere—enroll today and be part of the future of education!
#UPOUMODeL #UPOpenUniversity #MOOCs #elearning#UniversityOfTheFuture #SDG4 #SDG9 #UPOUSDG4 #UPOUSDG9 #upoupublicservice
Friday, June 6, 2025
Permaculture Research Presented in Two Events in UPLB
"Beyond Leaves and Linkages, A scientific forum Celebrating the enduring impact of Dr. Inocencio E. Buot, Jr. on Plant Biological Sciences"
Topic: Permaculture: Reimagining Agriculture in the Philippines
Venue: DL Umali Hall lobby, UPLB
Date: May 31, 2025
Photos: Dr. Marj delos Angeles
Link to the presentation
"CSSP Webinar Episode 2: The NextGen of Farming--Harnessing Science and Nature for Resilient Crops and Healthier World" Topic: Permaculture Research for Sustainable Development Venue: Landscape Horticulture Knowledge Center Building, UPLB/via Zoom Date: June 6, 2025 Link to the presentation
Monday, June 2, 2025
A Comprehensive Review of Permaculture Research Publications in the Philippines...after 10 Years of Research
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Image generated with Canva AI |
I. Introduction: The Evolving Landscape of Permaculture Research in the Philippines
Permaculture, a portmanteau of "permanent agriculture" and "permanent culture," represents a regenerative design framework rooted in whole systems thinking, observation of natural patterns, and the application of ecological design principles. Its fundamental aim is to create sustainable and resilient human settlements and food systems. In the Philippine context, permaculture holds substantial relevance as the nation confronts critical challenges such as the impacts of climate change, persistent food insecurity, and widespread rural poverty. Research indicates that permaculture offers a holistic approach to addressing these issues by integrating sustainable agriculture practices, biodiversity conservation, and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
This report endeavors to provide a comprehensive and meticulously compiled list of permaculture research publications specifically from the Philippines. A stringent criterion for inclusion is that the term "permaculture" must be explicitly present in the study or research title. The temporal scope of this investigation extends as far back as available indexed data permits. Beyond a mere listing, this report analyzes underlying trends, identifies key contributors, and discusses the thematic evolution within Philippine permaculture research, offering insights into the field's development and potential future directions.
The identification process for these publications primarily involved systematic searches across major academic databases and institutional repositories. Global platforms such as Google Scholar and ResearchGate proved highly effective in yielding direct results for "permaculture" in titles.
A notable observation from the search process is the temporal pattern of publications explicitly using "permaculture" in their titles. While the Philippine Permaculture Association (PPA) was established in 2000, indicating an organized movement and community of practice in the country for over two decades
II. Comprehensive List of Permaculture Research Publications in the Philippines
This section presents the comprehensive list of permaculture research publications identified through the rigorous search process, adhering strictly to the requirement of "permaculture" being present in the title. The entries are presented chronologically to illustrate the evolution of the field. Each entry provides essential bibliographic details for easy reference and further investigation.
Table 1: Comprehensive List of Permaculture Research Publications in the Philippines (2013-2024)
| Full Title | Author(s) | Publication Year | Type of Publication | Source/Journal/Repository | Primary Research Theme(s) |
| :--- |:--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | "A numerical model of Philippine population growth: child policy, quantitative insights and challenges" | DASJ Talabis, EJV Manay, AL Babierra, JJM Flores, JF Rabajante | 2013 | arXiv preprint | arXiv preprint arXiv:1309.6900 | Population Modeling, Permaculture (early conceptual link) | "Creating virtual corridors: social network discovery and landscape patch connectivity of permaculture projects and initiatives on Facebook" | JJM Flores, RJ Obrero, LA Gelisan, EA Foronda, RL Mendiola | 2017 | Journal article | International Journal on Open and Distance e-Learning 3 (2) | Social Networks, Digital Connectivity, Permaculture Projects | "Designing Food Security: The Applications of Permaculture in Sustainable Agriculture—Case Studies in the Philippines" | JJM Flores | 2018 | Thesis/Dissertation | University of the Philippines Los Banos | Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture, Permaculture Applications | "Let's Democratize Drones! Using the Ryze Tello Drone as a Tool for Ecological Farm Design & Landscape Ecology Research" | JJM Flores, AKM Bagunu | 2019 | Conference Proceedings | Proceedings of the 10th International Association for Landscape Ecology… | Technology in Permaculture, Ecological Farm Design | "Documenting permaculture farm landscapes in the Philippines using a drone with a smartphone" | JJM Flores, AK Bagunu, IE Buot | 2020 | Book chapter or similar | Methodol. Support. Sustain. Dev. Agric. Nat. Resour. Manag 71 | Permaculture Landscape Documentation, Technology in Permaculture | "PERMACULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES: LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE, PRACTICES, AND PERSPECTIVES" | JJM FLORES | 2020 | Ph.D. Environmental Science Thesis | (Unknown, likely UPLB) | Permaculture Landscape Structure, Practices, Perspectives | "The structure of permaculture landscapes in the Philippines" | JJM Flores, I Buot Jr. | 2021 | Journal article | Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity 22 (4) | Permaculture Landscape Structure, Design | "Cultivating a food forest: Bohol [Philippines] permaculture farm produces award-winning tablea." | Tan, Y. | 2021 | Serial Article | Agriculture (Philippines) | Food Forests, Permaculture Farms, Agricultural Products | "An Inventory of Commonly Cultivated Plant Species in Permaculture Farms in the Philippines" | JJM Flores, IJ Buot | 2022 | Book chapter or similar | Plant Genetic Resources, Inventory, Collection and Conservation, 213-229 | Plant Biodiversity, Permaculture Farms, Species Inventory | "An Emerging Network for Sustainable Agriculture: A Social Network Analysis of Permaculture Practitioners in the Philippines" | JJM Flores, IE Buot Jr, AG Flor, RT Bagarinao, MJ Sobremisana | 2023 | Journal article | International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development (IJSESD …) | Social Networks, Permaculture Practitioners, Mainstreaming Permaculture | "Working with Nature: Practitioners' Perspectives on Permaculture Design in Agricultural Landscapes in the Philippines" | JJM Flores, IE Buot Jr | 2023 | Journal article | Journal of Nature Studies 22 (1), 1-21 | Practitioner Perspectives, Permaculture Design, Agricultural Landscapes | "Permaculture: Reimagining Agriculture in the Philippines" | JJM Flores | 2024 | Journal/Newsletter article | Agriculture and Development Notes 13, 1-8 | Permaculture Vision, Agricultural Reimagining | "The Permaculture Design System: A Landscape Management Strategy for Sustainable Food Production" | JJM Flores | Not specified | Unknown (likely thesis/dissertation) | (Unknown, likely UPLB) | Permaculture Design Systems, Sustainable Food Production |
Note: Publication years for some entries from Google Scholar profile
A review of the compiled list clearly shows a significant academic concentration on permaculture research originating from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). This is largely driven by the prolific output of Jabez Joshua M. Flores and his collaborators. Flores is identified as the primary author or co-author of nearly all identified publications with "permaculture" in their titles.
III. Analysis of Permaculture Research Trends and Key Contributors
The identified publications reveal several dominant research themes within Philippine permaculture studies, alongside key individuals and institutions shaping the field.
Dominant Research Themes
- Permaculture Landscape Structure and Design: A substantial portion of the research focuses on characterizing the physical design elements and components of permaculture farms within the Philippine context. This includes studies on zoning patterns, the integration of diverse components, and detailed inventories of cultivated plant species. Examples include "The structure of permaculture landscapes in the Philippines"
28 and "An Inventory of Commonly Cultivated Plant Species in Permaculture Farms in the Philippines".28 This foundational work aims to understand how permaculture principles are manifested in real-world Philippine settings. - Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Applications: A central and recurring theme is the direct application of permaculture principles to address food security challenges and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Publications explore how permaculture designs contribute to household food self-sufficiency and offer a viable alternative to conventional agriculture. Notable works include "Designing Food Security: The Applications of Permaculture in Sustainable Agriculture—Case Studies in the Philippines"
2 and "Permaculture: Reimagining Agriculture in the Philippines".28 This highlights permaculture's practical utility in a developing country context. - Social Networks and Practitioner Perspectives: Beyond the ecological and agricultural aspects, research also delves into the human and social dimensions of permaculture. Studies analyze the networks of permaculture practitioners, their interactions, and their evolving perspectives on permaculture design and its broader implications. Examples include "An Emerging Network for Sustainable Agriculture: A Social Network Analysis of Permaculture Practitioners in the Philippines"
19 and "Working with Nature: Practitioners' Perspectives on Permaculture Design in Agricultural Landscapes in the Philippines".28 This indicates an academic recognition of the social movement aspect of permaculture. - Technological Integration for Documentation and Design: An emerging theme involves the innovative use of modern technology, such as drones, for documenting and analyzing permaculture farm landscapes. This demonstrates a blend of traditional ecological design with contemporary tools for research and practical application, as seen in "Documenting permaculture farm landscapes in the Philippines using a drone with a smartphone" and "Let's Democratize Drones!".
28
The identified publications demonstrate a holistic and interdisciplinary understanding of permaculture, encompassing ecological, social, and technological dimensions. The research is not limited to a single aspect of permaculture; it covers diverse areas such as the physical "landscape structure"
Key Researchers and Institutions
- Jabez Joshua M. Flores: Dr. Flores stands out as the most prolific and central figure in permaculture research in the Philippines, authoring or co-authoring the majority of identified publications. His work spans various thematic areas, from foundational landscape analysis to social networks and broader applications.
2 - Inocencio E. Buot Jr.: A frequent collaborator with Dr. Flores, particularly on studies related to landscape structure and practitioner perspectives, indicating a strong research partnership.
28 - University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB): This institution, through its School of Environmental Science and Management and Institute of Biological Sciences, is the predominant academic home for the identified permaculture research. Its strong focus on agriculture and environmental sciences makes it a natural fit for this field.
24 - Philippine Permaculture Association (PPA): Although not a research institution in the traditional sense, the PPA plays a vital role as a catalyst for permaculture adoption and knowledge exchange. Its activities, such as organizing convergences and fostering a network of practitioners, directly contribute to the environment that generates academic interest and becomes a subject of study.
15
Evolution of Research Focus
The trajectory of permaculture research in the Philippines, as evidenced by the publication years, appears to move from initial descriptive and foundational studies (e.g., characterizing landscapes and identifying practitioners in the mid-2010s) towards more in-depth analytical and applied research. More recent publications (e.g., 2020-2024) demonstrate a deepening understanding of permaculture's systemic impacts, exploring its contributions to national development goals such as food security, climate change adaptation, and community resilience. The 2024 article "Permaculture: Reimagining Agriculture in the Philippines"
Table 2: Thematic Distribution of Permaculture Research in the Philippines (Approximate Counts)
Primary Research Theme | Number of Publications | Representative Publications (Titles) |
Permaculture Landscape Structure and Design | 3 | "The structure of permaculture landscapes in the Philippines," "Documenting permaculture farm landscapes in the Philippines using a drone with a smartphone," "PERMACULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES: LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE, PRACTICES, AND PERSPECTIVES" |
Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Applications | 3 | "Designing Food Security: The Applications of Permaculture in Sustainable Agriculture—Case Studies in the Philippines," "Cultivating a food forest: Bohol [Philippines] permaculture farm produces award-winning tablea," "Permaculture: Reimagining Agriculture in the Philippines" |
Social Networks and Practitioner Perspectives | 2 | "Creating virtual corridors: social network discovery and landscape patch connectivity of permaculture projects and initiatives on Facebook," "An Emerging Network for Sustainable Agriculture: A Social Network Analysis of Permaculture Practitioners in the Philippines," "Working with Nature: Practitioners' Perspectives on Permaculture Design in Agricultural Landscapes in the Philippines" |
Technology in Permaculture Research | 2 | "Let's Democratize Drones! Using the Ryze Tello Drone as a Tool for Ecological Farm Design & Landscape Ecology Research," "Documenting permaculture farm landscapes in the Philippines using a drone with a smartphone" |
Plant Biodiversity and Inventory | 1 | "An Inventory of Commonly Cultivated Plant Species in Permaculture Farms in the Philippines" |
Population Modeling (with Permaculture link) | 1 | "A numerical model of Philippine population growth: child policy, quantitative insights and challenges" |
Permaculture Design Systems | 1 | "The Permaculture Design System: A Landscape Management Strategy for Sustainable Food Production" |
IV. Challenges and Opportunities in Accessing Philippine Permaculture Research
Accessing a comprehensive body of permaculture research in the Philippines presents several challenges, primarily related to the discoverability and indexing of academic outputs. However, these challenges also highlight significant opportunities for improvement.
Accessibility Limitations
A significant challenge observed was the disparity in search results across different platforms. While global academic search engines like Google Scholar and ResearchGate proved highly effective in identifying publications with "permaculture" in their titles
The observed disparity in search results between global academic platforms and local institutional repositories indicates a critical challenge in knowledge dissemination within the Philippine academic landscape for specialized fields like permaculture. The ability to identify multiple "permaculture" titled publications through Google Scholar and ResearchGate
Opportunities for Enhanced Discoverability
To address these limitations, several opportunities for enhanced discoverability exist. The establishment or enhancement of a unified, comprehensive, and consistently indexed national research repository for sustainable agriculture and environmental studies could significantly improve the discoverability of specialized fields like permaculture. This would consolidate research from various institutions into a single, easily searchable platform. Furthermore, promoting and enforcing standardized practices for metadata tagging and keyword usage among researchers and institutional librarians would enhance searchability. Encouraging the explicit use of "permaculture" in titles, abstracts, and keywords where relevant would make these studies more readily identifiable. Lastly, leveraging the networks and knowledge of organizations like the Philippine Permaculture Association (PPA)
V. Conclusion: Advancing Permaculture Knowledge and Practice in the Philippines
This report has identified a growing, albeit concentrated, body of permaculture research publications in the Philippines, predominantly spearheaded by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the significant contributions of researchers like Jabez Joshua M. Flores. The thematic focus of this research has evolved from foundational characterization of permaculture landscapes and practitioner networks to more applied investigations into permaculture's role in achieving food security, fostering sustainable agriculture, and integrating modern technologies. Beyond academic publications, there is evidence of permaculture's practical application in the Philippines, as highlighted by articles on successful permaculture farms, indicating a bridge between theory and on-the-ground implementation.
To further enrich the understanding and application of permaculture in the Philippines, future research could explore the long-term economic viability and scalability of permaculture farms across diverse Philippine ecoregions, moving beyond case studies to broader economic impact assessments.
To enhance the impact of this vital research, it is imperative to invest in and improve national academic infrastructure for the indexing, archiving, and discoverability of specialized research. This includes upgrading institutional repository search functionalities and promoting consistent metadata standards. Continued and strengthened collaboration among academic institutions, relevant government agencies (such as the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Talk on Permaculture Principles presented in Lasallian Institute for the Environment's Annual Gathering
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