Discover Permaculture - The Podcast

Compost isn’t just a pile — it’s the engine that drives soil fertility. In this conversation, Host Geoff Lawton and the regular crew, Sam, Eric, Ben are joined by guest Mohammed to unpack how compost really works, why biology matters more than recipes, and how the same principles apply from a backyard bin to large-scale farms. From hands-on composting stories to soil biology, bokashi, and scaling systems, this episode explores compost as a living process that feeds soil, plants, and people. If it once lived, it can live again.

Watch the video episode here.

Key takeaways:

00:00:00–01:10: Compost isn’t a thing you make once — it’s a living process driven by biology.

01:10–02:50: There’s more than one way to compost, and if life is breaking things down, it’s working.

02:50–06:10: You don’t really learn compost from books — you learn it by doing it, mistakes and all.

06:10–10:40: Compost works best when animals, gardens, and soil are designed to support each other.

10:40–17:50: With compost and biology, even worn-out land can recover faster than most people expect.

17:50–20:40: Compost builds fertility by feeding soil life first, not by feeding plants directly.

20:40–23:40: Most compost problems come down to balance, and carbon is usually the missing piece.

23:40–28:30: Good compost systems are designed first, and only then supported by the right tools or machines.

28:30–34:40: Compost follows the same rules at every scale — from a backyard pile to broad-acre farming.

34:40–53:30: Whether it’s aerobic or anaerobic, all composting relies on the same living biology doing the work.

53:30–55:30: Bokashi isn’t finished compost — it’s a fermentation step that prepares food scraps for soil life.

55:30–59:30: Compost is about returning life back to life and closing the cycle where it belongs.

Artificial intelligence is being called the biggest change in human history—bigger than the wheel. But what does it mean for those of us designing resilient futures? In this conversation, Host Geoff Lawton and regular guests Eric, Ben, and Sam wrestle with the knife’s edge of AI: its potential for abundance versus its risk of deepening inequality, war and ecological destruction. Along the way, they explore how permaculture design could harness AI to spread knowledge, the dangers of living in false realities, the resource drain behind the tech and why true wealth still comes from soil, water, and community. With stories ranging from Silicon Valley to Zaytuna Farm, this episode is both a warning and a call to embed ourselves more deeply in nature while the world hurtles toward uncertainty.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways: 

00:00:32 – 00:01:04: AI is being called a change bigger than the wheel—possibly the biggest shift in human history.

00:05:28 – 00:06:49: AI is already used in war; leadership failures make its misuse likely, but a global permaculture network could use it for good.

00:14:26 – 00:15:46: AI risks creating a false natural world, blurring reality and deepening disconnection from the Earth.

00:16:33 – 00:18:01: Over-reliance on AI makes humans vulnerable; true security comes from being multi-skilled and fulfilled in diverse, hands-on work.

00:20:01 – 00:21:19: The hyper-wealthy are driving AI development—raising the question: who really benefits?

00:29:49 – 00:33:37: Permaculture offers a population solution: real wealth in clean air, water, food, and community naturally stabilizes human numbers.

00:35:28 – 00:36:52: AI is resource-hungry—requiring vast amounts of energy, lithium, cobalt, and water—risking ecological collapse if unchecked.

00:43:00 – 00:44:22: If AI learns from the natural world, it could be beautiful; if from artificial systems, its conclusions could be dangerously flawed.

00:55:03 – 00:57:41: Religious and prophetic parallels warn of giving AI godlike power, raising existential questions of faith, ethics, and responsibility.

01:17:09 – 01:19:42: Geoff’s closing directive: decouple from fragile global systems, embed in landscape, and trust in nature and spirit to stay sane.

Host Geoff Lawton and guests Sam, Eric, and Ben sit down to unpack the evolution of the Greening the Desert project, Jordan — from the early days of dust, salt, and heat to the cool, shaded food forest it became. Together they share field stories, design insights, and the lessons learned while turning a degraded desert site into a living demonstration of regeneration. It’s a roundtable tour through one of the most iconic permaculture projects ever built.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 – 03:12: The project begins in the hardest conditions: Conflict, heat and barren soil set the stage for a bold restoration experiment.

03:12 – 07:10: Evaporation is the real enemy in drylands: Shade, wind buffering and hardy pioneers must come first.

07:10 – 12:20: From spiky pioneers to cooperative legumes: Mesquite held the line early, but gentler support species took over as soil improved.

12:20 – 15:24: Water scarcity shapes every design decision: Swales, mapping and strict budgeting kept the system alive with only hours of weekly water.

15:24 – 18:21: A 70-hectare project reveals costly surveying mistakes: Swales accidentally built uphill had to be torn out and rebuilt.

18:21 – 21:11: A plastic bottle becomes the ultimate teaching tool: Geoff uses simple props to show how contour and water movement actually work.

21:11 – 24:01: Eric arrives in 2009 to a Mars-like landscape: Harsh climate, cultural shock and nearby conflict defined his first days.

24:01 – 27:01: Reality challenges the media narrative: Eric finds Jordan welcoming, safe and nothing like he’d been told.

27:01 – 28:31: Hardship resets Eric’s understanding of difficulty: The desert strips away excuses and sharpens purpose.

28:31 – 33:24: Sam’s journey leads to a thriving 2019 site: He arrives to find the project lush, stable and full of students.

33:24 – 36:00: Proof deserts everywhere can be restored: If this site healed, better landscapes can rebound even faster.

36:00 – 40:32: A 'peace army' replaces the military approach: They contrast permaculture’s healing work with systems that fail to make lasting change.

40:32 – 47:27: Ben’s military experience fuels his restoration drive: War showed him the cost of destruction and the need for repair.

47:27 – 50:48: Aid agencies often miss the point: Sam sees operations focused on extraction rather than regeneration.

50:48 – 53:12: Forest systems beat vegetable beds in the long game: True resilience comes from canopy, soil life and structure.

53:12 – 56:46: ‘Invasives’ become vital allies in dead landscapes: Fast pioneers rebuild soil where delicate natives can’t survive yet.

56:46 – 01:00:25: You can’t recreate past ecosystems on degraded land: Regeneration needs a forward path, not nostalgia.

01:02:23 – 01:04:21: Spain’s Almería shows the industrial opposite: A sea of plastic greenhouses reveals the cost of synthetic agriculture.

01:04:21 – 01:05:30: Reed beds close the loop with elegance: Wastewater becomes irrigation and inspires nearby villages.

In this episode, host Geoff Lawton and guests Ben, Eric, and Sam explore what it really means to be responsible — for ourselves, our communities, and the Earth. They unpack how modern systems have stripped away our sense of agency and why permaculture offers a pathway back to empowerment. From personal energy audits to the illusion of technological choice, this episode challenges you to rethink your role in shaping the future. If you’ve ever felt powerless about the state of the world, this conversation will remind you how much power you still hold.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00:30 – 00:00:53: Responsibility is the ability to respond—it’s about how we meet challenges head-on.

00:01:46 – 00:02:17: Carbon credits aren’t a solution; designing our own systems of provision is.

00:02:49 – 00:03:14: The prime directive of permaculture is taking responsibility for our own needs first.

00:29:10 – 00:29:52: Nature doesn’t have a design problem—humans do. We can be as positive as we are destructive.

00:30:50 – 00:31:19: “It’s no measure of health to be well adapted to a profoundly sick society.”

00:52:14 – 00:52:41: Moments of crisis often spark the realization that there is another way—and permaculture offers that way forward.

In this conversation, host Geoff Lawton along with regular guests Eric, Ben, and Sam trace the rise of chemical agriculture and how permaculture offers a healthier, sustainable alternative. From Geoff’s childhood revelations about farming in England to real-world examples in Australia, Mississippi, and California, this conversation explores the ecological, human, and social impacts of chemicals, and how thoughtful design can create abundance without them.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00:00 – 00:00:12 – Geoff introduces the podcast and sets the topic: permaculture versus glyphosate, framing it as a contentious issue.

00:01:36 – 00:04:18 – Geoff shares a childhood insight from the late 1950s, observing organic vs chemical farming on TV. Key point: using unnatural chemicals felt inherently wrong to him, even as a child.

00:04:18 – 00:09:58 – Historical progression from DDT and paraquat to glyphosate.

00:09:58 – 00:13:22 – Damaging Effects of Herbicides. Global scale: over 800,000 tonnes of glyphosate used annually, widespread exposure.

00:13:22 – 00:17:54 – Examples from Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley, highlighting correlation of high pesticide use and cancer rates.

00:17:54 – 00:26:38 – Geoff stresses that permaculture provides practical, sustainable alternatives.

00:26:38 – 00:33:46 – Permaculture empowers local communities, offers chemical-free options.

00:33:46 – 00:44:58 – Designing crops and weeds for natural fertility, rather than relying on chemicals.

00:44:58 – 00:46:48 – Critical need: rethink reliance on chemical agriculture. Encourage listeners to explore permaculture principles in their own lives.

What does real food security look like? It’s not stockpiling tins or waiting for governments to fix broken systems—it’s designing abundance right where you are. In this episode of Discover Permaculture: The Podcast, Host Geoff Lawton sits down with Sam Parker-Davies, Ben Missimer, and Eric Seider to explore how permaculture transforms anxiety about the future into empowered action.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:01:09 – 00:02:00: Food security isn’t about stockpiling tins; it’s about designing ecosystems that continuously produce abundance.

00:11:57 – 00:12:26: There’s a big difference between feeding people and nourishing them—true food security is about nutrition, not just calories.

00:14:12 – 00:15:03: Nutrition can come from small, diverse systems; calorie crops are bulkier, but permaculture widens the range beyond rice, wheat, corn and soy.

00:44:15 – 00:45:26: Peri-urban agriculture—farming on the edges of cities—can bridge urban diversity with rural productivity and strengthen food security.

00:45:26 – 00:46:29: We could meet all human nutritional needs on just 4–6% of the farmland currently in use.

00:58:07 – 00:58:29: Permaculture designs for abundance—not just for ourselves, but for people we’ll never meet.

In this episode of the Discover Permaculture: the Podcast, host Geoff Lawton and regular guests Eric and Ben sit down with a longtime friend of Geoff's and creative force, Addy Jones — a surfer, builder, recycler, wombat rescuer, and permaculture artist who somehow turns junkyard scraps into landscapes so beautiful they feel like sculpture.

Addy's life reads like an adventure novel: living on a remote island between Australia and Tasmania, shaping surfboards out of refrigerators, nursing orphaned wombats, restoring degraded land, helping save critters (animals), and building artistic permaculture systems from recycling yards to deserts.

This conversation is wild, funny, heartfelt, and packed with real design wisdom. It reminds you that creativity is one of the most powerful tools in permaculture — and that anyone can learn to see solutions hidden in plain sight.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 – 00:01:01: Geoff introduces Ben, Eric, and Addy — and sets the stage for a conversation about creativity, community, and long-term permaculture friendships.

00:01:02 – 00:03:37: A neighborly meeting in the 1990s turns into 30 years of shared work, surf, design, and mischief.

00:03:37 – 00:07:29: From Bill Mollison’s farm to international projects, Addy's hands-on creativity becomes a critical part of major permaculture builds.

00:07:29 – 00:10:26: Geoff reflects on bridging decades of permaculture experience with modern tools — and why every generation needs the other.

00:10:26 – 00:12:45: Addy explains how junk, scrap, and leftovers become high-value landscapes — and why resourcefulness is a design superpower.

00:15:01 – 00:17:12: Surf culture, permaculture, storytelling, and the unexpected rise of Eddie’s artistic reputation.

00:22:12 – 00:28:07: Adventures in wildlife rescue, the power of observation, and the grounded compassion driving Eddie’s work.

00:26:13 – 00:35:56: Eddie shares how experimenting with native oils began as wombat care — and ended up helping heal people as well. (One of the episode’s most surprising stories.)

00:48:08 – 00:49:51: Geoff explains why Eddie’s artistic, intuitive, slightly “sideways” approach is actually a perfect expression of permaculture design.

00:53:22 – 00:54:52: From messy earthworks to five-star landscapes — the mindset shift that unlocks beauty in any environment.

01:02:02 – End: Closing reflections on creativity, wildlife, food, and why the world gets better when we share what we know.

This episode takes a hard look at politics, power, and why the world feels so upside down right now. Host Geoff Lawton and the team jump from America’s political gridlock to the bold changes happening in Burkina Faso—and what it teaches us about leadership, resources, and real community empowerment. Instead of getting lost in the chaos, the crew keeps circling back to a simple truth: local action beats political promises every time. When people organise, grow food, and build resilient communities, they create real change—no matter what’s happening on the world stage. If you’re tired of the noise and want a grounded path forward, this conversation will get you thinking (and hopefully planting).

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00:00 – 00:03:13: Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré redirects resources to citizens, focusing on trees, food security, free housing—a stark contrast to Western politics.

00:04:17 – 00:07:27: Leaders who try to nationalize resources or challenge global banking systems often face resistance or assassination; debt is used to trap nations and individuals alike.

00:09:21 – 00:10:57: True freedom means liberation from unpayable debt—politicians, left or right, rarely deliver real change.

00:21:22 – 00:22:46: Bill Mollison once said: “Don’t enter a corrupt system to change it—you’ll be corrupted.” Instead, imagine a Permaculture People’s Party with no intention of being elected, only to share its manifesto.

00:23:06 – 00:24:50: Disaster capitalism uses crises to pass pre-written laws and strip freedoms, as seen after 9/11.

00:28:19 – 00:29:14: Companies like Palantir push predictive policing and social credit systems, raising concerns about surveillance and control.

00:31:00 – 00:32:30: Permaculture is a simple, grounded solution to overwhelming global chaos—millions of small local actions could transform the world.

00:44:14 – 00:46:37: Information overload and political tribalism keep people divided; pattern recognition and honesty are key to breaking free. 00:56:11 –

00:57:40: Like forests after fire, collapse can open the way for regeneration—real power is local, patterned, and rooted in permaculture systems. 01:02:40 –

01:03:24: We already have the information we need to act; the task now is to inform, connect, and build alternatives together.

In this first episode of Discover Permaculture: The Podcast, Host Geoff Lawton is joined by Ben Missimer, Eric Seider, and Sam Parker-Davies to explore how water shapes landscapes, communities, and even peace itself. Water is the lifeblood of every living system and the foundation of good permaculture design.  From the hidden rainmakers of the forest canopy to the power of LiDAR mapping and the revival of ancient aquifers, this conversation dives deep into how we can read, restore and regenerate the Earth through design.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:01:48 – 00:03:26: Water is the mainframe of design—slow it, spread it, soak it, and deserts like Jordan’s Dead Sea Valley can turn into abundance.

00:04:13 – 00:08:35: High-resolution LiDAR mapping has revolutionized permaculture, exposing the flaws in low-resolution satellite data and giving designers accuracy to work with.

00:15:34 – 00:19:04: Myths about water persist—pure water doesn’t “go off,” swales don’t breed mosquitoes, and clean rainwater is often safer to drink than tap water.

00:22:08 – 00:23:56: Designing with water means reducing evaporation, increasing condensation, slowing flow, soaking, storing in ponds and aquifers, and letting water touch as much life as possible.

00:25:20 – 00:27:35: Removing trees from ridgelines is the fastest way to create deserts; responsible grazing and reforestation are essential to recharge aquifers.

00:29:18 – 00:31:54: The Ogallala Aquifer, the largest in the US, is being drained—some areas may run dry in 20 years—showing the urgency for water-harvesting earthworks at scale.

00:40:19 – 00:41:42: Condensation drip from trees is more reliable than rainfall—cutting down “rain trees” collapses the hidden cycles that keep rivers and streams flowing.

00:52:31 – 00:55:08: Swivel pipes in swales at Zaytuna Farm make water management flexible—transforming once-dry valleys into permanent wildlife ponds.

01:06:29 – 01:07:41: From broad landscapes to home gardens, humans can design water systems that cooperate with nature, just as beavers slow rivers and birds disperse seeds.

01:09:02 – 01:11:32: New mapping reveals entire catchments and flood flows unseen before, allowing designers to prepare for floods and store years of water in hours of rainfall.

01:13:19 – 01:14:41: Of all the water on Earth, only a tiny fraction is available in rivers, lakes, and soils—most is saltwater, ice, or locked underground.

01:24:42 – 01:25:45: Water can be a peace blanket—when designed well, it provides enough for everyone and removes reasons for conflict.

01:28:24 – 01:29:04: Water systems don’t just hydrate landscapes—they feed us too. Aquaculture offers more production per area than farming on land.