Quantifying the Connections in a Permaculture Landscape using the PLN-6 Model

The PLN-6 model summarizes the relationships between the six component categories in permaculture landscape, similar to a 'food web.' Using the model, different landscape designs can be easily compared based on networked component relationships.

Out of the many outputs that we have shared and released since I finished my dissertation on permaculture in 2020, I was still not yet able to publish, or event present in a conference, the model my research team created to quantify the connections identified in a permaculture design. It's called the Permaculture Landscape Network-6 model or PLN-6 model. 

I was listening to a video interview of Geoff Lawton where he tried to explain what permaculture is about. He said, "It's more about the connections than the disciplines." This reminded me of the PLN-6 model. And I had that itching feeling that I had to do something with this. The model was supposed to be at the forefront of the dissertation--the main 'product.' But more opportunities came from the other components of the research such as the landscape ecology aspect, the use of drones, and the plant inventory. So I'm writing this blog to remind myself that this model needs to be published someday. Here's an excerpt from the manuscript (available for download here):

PLN-6 is a conceptual model based on actor-network theory, or ANT (Latour,1996). The model offers a simplified representation of permaculture design showing categories which are connected or related. Results showed that most permaculture landscapes have biotic components as the main hub (or actor). This represented how biodiversity and natural resources were valued in the design.

To create this model, we had to go on the ground and do farm and plant inventories, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions to extract information on the existing connections in the design. We also used a drone to identify landscape and farm components. PLN-6 maps were created by GIS expert, Malvin Biguerras, and computer scientist, Jason Obrero. 

UPOU-FMDS Launches Permaculture Initiatives

Aerial view of the FMDS Perma GARDEN (Photo credit: PRPH)

Los Banos, Laguna

This was a big week for permaculture as several permaculture-related events were held at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) from March 21 to 22 as part of UPOU's celebration of International Women's Month and the International Day of Forests. 

Permaculture Systems Design Thinking (PSDT) course

The PSDT course and FMDS Perma GARDEN was introduced by UPOU senior lecturer and course coordinator,
Dr. Jabez Flores (Photo credit: UPOU Official Facebook Page)

The special event was attended by Jake Bautista III, Executive Director of the Philippine Permaculture Association, and its staff (Photo credit: PRPH)

After several years in development, the Philippine Permaculture Association's proposal to offer a permaculture course in an academic setting has finally come to fruition! Launched last Tuesday, March 21, the 16-week PSDT course is part of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies' (FMDS) Continuing Education Program which is popular for its short courses on environment, health, and entrepreneurship. The course just opened this week, if you are interested you can still enroll by contacting FMDS at fmds-cep@upou.edu.ph or calling them at (049) 536-6010. You can view the course outline here.

FMDS Perma GARDEN

Along with the course, the FMDS Perma GARDEN, which is an acronym for Growing Appreciation toward Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition, was also launched that day. The garden is an initiative of the FMDS Dean, Dr. Joane Serrano, to provide the university faculty and staff with fresh organic food and also educate the community about how permaculture can help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 2: Zero Hunger. 

The garden was designed by Dr. Flores together with expert gardener Maryjane Reondanga of UPOU. FMDS added some cool features to the garden by adding QR codes containing information for every plant which visitors can access using the free on-campus Wi-Fi. They also added a virtual tour here. 

The event was attended by UPOU faculty and staff, past and present university officials, high school and elementary students, women's groups, and local officials. The event was highlighted by the harvesting of vegetables around the garden
(Photo credit: PRPH)

After the launch, native trees were planted around the UPOU campus by university officials, faculty, and staff. The activity was organized by FMDS with guidance from Forester Karl Villegas
(Photo credit: UPOU Official Facebook Page)

The mural for the garden was painted by young artists, Mac Kevin Baula and Edhelysa Necesito
(Photo Credit: Dr. Rina Tan de Luna)

A Brief Introduction to Permaculture

The launch of these initiatives was followed by a 30-minute lecture on permaculture by Dr. Flores to high school and elementary students and their teachers to explain the science behind permaculture design. The garden is open to the public and we will be happy to show you around when you visit.

Dr. Flores explaining permaculture to a young audience (Photo credit: Nenieveh Glinoga)

Participants of the Introduction to Permaculture lecture (Photo credit: Nenieveh Glinoga)

Advancing Gender Equality, Sustainability, and Inclusive Society: Role of Permaculture, Community Forest Development, and Native Trees as Sustainable Based Livelihoods in the Philippines

In the afternoon, Ms. Nenieveh "Weng" Glinoga, a permaculture designer and nurse, was one of the three speakers invited to talk about the role of permaculture in a sustainable livelihood. For long-time readers of this blog and followers of PRPH, you might recognize Ms. Glinoga from our vlog series. She was the first permaculture designer we visited during our nationwide study on permaculture back in 2018. You can watch the full seminar here.

Dr. Joane Serrano and Dr. Finaflor Taylan awards the certificates to guests speakers (L-R), For. Karl Villegas, Ms. Nenieveh Glinoga, and Ms. Nida Collado via Zoom (Photo credit: PRPH)

Open Talk: IP Women in Permaculture and Health

The next day, March 22, Ms. Glinoga was once again onstage for an episode of Open Talk. Hosted by Ms. Neena Ebron and moderated by Dr. Flores, Ms. Glinoga shared her experiences on growing up with a Manobo father and then leaving home to study and work as a paramedic nurse. She then shared how he transitioned from being a health professional and eventually a farmer and permaculture designer. You can watch the full episode of the talk show here.

Visit the Glinoga Integrated Farm FB page

The Open Talk episode was broadcasted live via UPOU Networks and was attended onsite by students, faculty, and staff
(Photo credit: Nenieveh Glinoga)

PRPH Releases Social Media Cards to Promote Published Studies from 2017 to 2022

How is permaculture "passed around" on social media?

Read: https://ijodel.com/index.php/ijodel/article/view/22/58 (2017)

How do we study permaculture landscapes?

Read: https://www.searca.org/pubs/books?pid=472 (2020)

What do permaculture landscapes in the Philippines look like?

Read: https://smujo.id/biodiv/article/view/8192 (2021)

What species of plants can we find in permaculture farms?

Read: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-7699-4 (2022)

#permaculture #permacultureresearch #NatureBasedSolutions #regenerativeagriculture #organicagriculture #climatechange

Online Permaculture Course Now Offered by UP Open University in Collaboration with the Philippine Permaculture Association

 

Click here to access the UPOU website.

Tech x Permaculture: BSEE Students Present their Research Projects in Virtual Brown Bag Session

Los Banos, Laguna

Four BS Electrical Engineering students presented their research proposals and outputs this afternoon in a virtual brown bag session organized by Dr. Anton Domini Sta. Cruz of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Banos (CEAT-UPLB). 

Pioneer Permaculture Research PH (PRPH) Scholar and DJI Tello drone recipient, Jayson Osayan, presented the results of his drone tech study entitled "Development of Non-GPS Drone Mission Control through Computer Vision and Ground Control Points." The research was conducted to help designers and researchers automate their drone monitoring of land use and land cover change in permaculture landscapes. Another study in collaboration with PRPH was presented by AJ de Vera entitled "Raspberry Pi-Based Bird Classification System Through Bird Vocalizations in a Permaculture Setting." The study aims to help practitioners and researchers identify bird sounds in permaculture landscapes to monitor avifaunal diversity. The technologies being developed by these students will hopefully inspire more permaculture-based research at the university.

Aside from these two projects, there are new research proposals as well. John Mhel Policarpio will use the Tello to measure windspeed in his study entitled, "Wind Estimation using the Onboard Sensors and Visual Positioning System of a Micro-Drone." While Reign Cyril de Vera will build on AJ's research with a proposal entitled "Microcomputer-Based Sound Source Localization Development for Instantaneous Bird Count Estimation."

Thanks to these future engineers and scientists, the future of tech-driven permaculture research is bright (Read: Modern farming is harming the planet. Tech-driven permaculture could heal it). We need all the help we can get if we want to reimagine agriculture and avoid a major planetary crisis in 2030.

Last January 30, 2022, PRPH awarded a small research grant, two Tello drones, and free mentorship to two undergraduate students. Hopefully, we will be able to continue to do this and reach more disciplines in the natural and social sciences.

PRPH is an independent research initiative. Our goal is to document and study permaculture designs in the Philippines for ecosystem restoration. 

UPOU to Start a Permaculture Garden Project

Last Friday, September 23, the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) reached out to us to propose the development of a permaculture garden in the new Teaching and Learning Hub (TLH) building. 

In addition to food security for its staff, climate change adaptation, and environmental stewardship, the garden will also serve as a demonstration site for students of the upcoming Permaculture Systems Design Thinking (PSDT) non-formal course scheduled for January 2023. 

As of this writing, this is the third ongoing permaculture project within the UP campus this year. 

Canva Design Template for Monitoring Permaculture Landscapes using a Drone

In 2020, we published a methodology on how to use the DJI Ryze Tello drone to monitor changes in the six components (abiotic, biotic, manmade structural, technological, socio-economic, and cultural) of a permaculture landscape (you can download the free SEARCA e-book here (Chapter 5).). Even with a budget toy drone with a maximum flight altitude of 30 meters (100 ft), we can keep track of changes for better farm management, design, and decision-making.

Using Canva, we created a Drone Observations Template for landscape monitoring. The template is based on the Summary Report of Observations sheet published in the aforementioned e-book entitled, Methodologies Supportive of Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management: Selected Cases in Southeast Asia. You can access the template by clicking here.

Each photo on the template is linked to a summary report sheet that you can fill out monthly (or weekly, depending on your objectives). Remember to follow the 10-step methodology to produce consistent results.

Reference: 

Flores, Bagunu, and Buot (2020). Documenting Permaculture Farm Landscapes in the Philippines Using a Drone with a Smartphone. Methodologies Supportive of Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, 71-86. Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).