Demystifying Permaculture with Ciara Parsons

Ciara Parsons, our Common Knowledge Permaculture Co-ordinator,

Permaculture is at the core of Ciara Parson’s work at Common Knowledge. But what does it mean and how does it come to life daily? We caught up with Ciara to find out more about the principles and practices behind it, and how they are coming to life across her teaching and community work here.

Hi Ciara! First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a Horticultural Therapist and Permaculturist from the west of Ireland and I’m hugely passionate about biodiversity enhancement. In my work earth-care always comes first, and the lines between rewilding, building biodiversity, and vegetable growing are often blurred.

I’ve worked on a broad range of social and therapeutic horticulture projects with many different communities. Learning about the myriad of health and well-being benefits that nature connection can bring really emboldened me to deepen my work with people, and the land, in any way that she can. My work now branches in a few different directions, including nature-based therapy, permaculture food growing and gardening, ecosystem restoration, and facilitating workshops and retreats.

Although Permaculture as a set of principles and an approach has gained a committed following in recent years, it’s still unfamiliar to many. How would you help someone who is new to it to get a better understanding?

It’s definitely a term that is new to many people and can be alienating at first, but we really believe in the wisdom it can offer. I always define it as a holistic approach to agriculture and sustainable living, which aims to create self-sufficient communities and ecosystems.

Ultimately, it’s a method of designing systems which support sustainable and resilient human life, while also considering our interdependency with the natural world. The name itself combines "permanent agriculture" and "permanent culture," highlighting its broad environmental and social impact. 

Guided by certain ethics and principles, permaculture practices are derived from observing natural patterns found in our earth's ecosystems. The three core ethics of permaculture are: 1. Earth care, 2. People care and 3. Fair share. At Common Knowledge, we’re a non-profit social enterprise which focuses on teaching people skills for living a more sustainable life, whilst also building community - so I feel these three values are aligned with what we’re all about here too. 

I have a deep belief in the importance of land-based connection. In today’s world, so many of us have lost touch with the natural rhythms that are at the core of who we are. Reconnecting with the land helps us to foster a deeper appreciation for the environment and a greater sense of responsibility for its preservation. This connection also nurtures a sense of community, as people come together to care for the earth.

My role here at Common Knowledge, as Permaculture Co-ordinator is multifaceted, busy, and deeply rewarding! Here’s an idea of some of the things I’ve been up to over the past few months:

The Organic Garden and Poly tunnel onsite at Common Knowledge.

How do you incorporate the principles of permaculture in the stewardship of the land and Ecosystem Restoration at Common Knowledge?

A key responsibility in my role here is the land stewardship and ecosystem restoration of our beautiful 50 acre site here in Kilfenora. This involves managing the land in a way that enhances biodiversity, builds healthy soil, restores degraded landscapes and creates habitats to support many species of flora and fauna. 

I see our site as having the potential to become a shining example of how land should be treated, which will hopefully inspire other landowners to start treating their land with the same love and respect as we do. We aim to turn these 50 acres into a giant outdoor classroom, where visitors will take what they’ve learnt and bring it home, having a positive ripple effect throughout the Irish landscape. This work is vital in combating climate change and helping us to navigate this biodiversity crisis we’re living through - whilst preserving natural resources for future generations. 

Our organic produce ready for the kitchen and lunch!

You’ve been supplying the kitchen here with so much gorgeous organic food this year - how has using the permaculture approach helped with this?

Growing organic food using permaculture gardening methods is another essential aspect of my role. Serving delicious and nutritious food to course participants is a big part of our culture here at Common Knowledge! We are always working towards the goal of growing as much of our own as possible and we have a brilliant team of longer term volunteers here who help me in the gardens a couple of days per week. This not only provides nutritious food for our community but also serves as a living example of sustainable agriculture. 

Some of our Field Good Friday Volunteers and the bounty they helped to harvest.

What can the principles of permaculture offer for our working in supporting people and communities to make positive change?

Capacity building and supporting community projects is at the heart of my work. By holding space for communities at our Centre here, we are helping to build resilient communities better equipped to face environmental and societal challenges. At the moment I am doing this through my work in the Common Ground project, where myself and Aoife Hammond are bringing community groups from North Clare together to learn the skills needed to start biodiversity and climate action projects in their local towns and villages. 

I also run weekly community well-being days here called ‘Field Good Fridays’, which are open to anyone from the wider community, where we explore various ways of connecting to nature and to each other. We also learn all about ecological restoration and organic food growing, in a fun, interactive, and inclusive way. 

Ciara leading a foraging workshop in Common Knowledge.

Learn the principles of Permaculture with Ciara Parson

Education and skill-sharing is our main focus at Common Knowledge. We’ve seen again and again how equipping people with tools and knowledge builds confidence and excitement about living more sustainably.

Ciara is currently running a Seasonal Permaculture at Home series. This course is an exploration of Permaculture practices along with local experts - teaching the concepts, strategies, and practical hands-on activities needed to help participants integrate permaculture into their own lives and landscapes. 

The next one is running from September 13th - 15th. We will be learning all about Organic food growing methods for Autumn: Seed saving, Foraging, Food preservation, Fermentation, Animal Husbandry and How to Build with natural building materials such as cob.

Curious? Find out more and book your place below.