Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems, which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.
Care of the earth and people:
- Permaculture arranges what was always there in a different way, so that it works to conserve energy or to generate more energy than it consumes.
- Care for surviving natural assemblies, to leave the wilderness to heal itself.
- Rehabilitation of degraded or eroded land using complex pioneer species and long term plant assemblies (trees, shrubs, ground covers, mushrooms).

While we try to preserve systems that are still local and diverse, we should also build new or recombinant ecologies, especially in order to stabilize degraded lands. Create our own complex living environment that sustains itself.
Bill Mollison is the Author of many great books and is Executive Director of the Permaculture Institute, which was established in 1979, to teach the practical design of sustainable soil, plant, water and legal and economic systems to students worldwide.

Mono cultures are depleting our soils to complete imbalance. We are slowly exchanging some of the 5 acres of Roseapple forest (invasive species), with Mango, Papaya, Banana, Inga, Mulberry, Sugar apple, Mountain apple, Jaboticaba, Loquat Trees. Since then we have found, and now nurture, native Awa-Puhi-Kuahiwi, Shampoo Ginger growing along the river and flood plains. Big patches, which is a sign of early habitation of the land. In the old Hawaii, Awa-Puhi-Kuahiwis' flowers were used for hair and body wash, and to quench the thirst. The large knobby, aromatic underground stems were also used to scent Tapa cloth and for medical purposes.

By taking our time and listening, and sometimes even unintentionally, we witness, feel, and understand the process slowly unfolding in front of us. There is always "someone" new to discover. All of us at Kolealea have had a significant experience on the land, in the forest.
One year into the restoration and extension of our farm and renovation of our buildings, many positive results have occurred on all levels.

Mahalo nui, aina.