When planning your homestead, it’s helpful to sketch out some ideas to get an idea of how things should work together. But before you start mapping your homestead site for permaculture, conduct a thorough site analysis to ensure that you’re maximizing the full potential of your land. Learn more about permaculture sector analysis with this brief introduction.
In This Article:
What are Permaculture Sectors?
In any type of construction, architects and designers use site analysis to determine the feasibility of a project and choose the best design elements to respond to the elements in the location.
Permaculture sector analysis is used to identify the external influences that impact the productivity and sustainability of your homestead. Good design starts with understanding the directional forces that come into your site before building infrastructure and planning workflows.
Site Analysis
Every piece of land is unique, with its own exceptional characteristics. Only with careful observation and interaction–the first permaculture principle–can we utilize it in the best way possible and build a thriving homestead.
Your Climate Region
Understanding your climate region will aid you significantly in choosing the right plants and livestock breeds for your area. The best way to learn about your climate region in the United States is to research your USDA Hardiness Zone.
Use climate maps to help you determine the average and extreme temperatures for your climate zone, but keep in mind that, depending on geographical factors such as mountains, rivers, and prevailing winds, you may live in a microclimate in your area.
Water Resources
Your water resources depend on your location within a hydrological watershed. There are many ways to maximize the available water on your homestead:
- Use water channels to spread abundant water supplies to dry areas on your land,
- Set up a rainwater collection system,
- Use swales to store water in the ground, or
- Build the organic matter in your soil so that it stores more water.
Take stock of the water resources and ask yourself questions about how you plan to use and store water. It’s wise to create a water budget to get a ballpark estimate of how much water you’ll use on your homestead, then find ways to “finance” your projects.
Landform Analysis
As we discussed, the topography of your homestead site is part of its mainframe. Whether you have a flat terrain or a steep slope, it’s important to analyze the landforms on your property to determine how they will be used effectively.
Soil Maps and Testing
Understanding the soil is another critical element of successful homesteading. You can utilize resources like the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s online Web Soil Survey to determine the soil type and its best uses.
Testing your soil is always recommended, and it’s best to do it at least once a year so you know what it needs. Contact your local extension office for a laboratory test, which is preferred.
To get to know your soil better, you can arm yourself with soil testing tools, including pH testers and moisture and temperature probes. Soil is the foundation of your homestead’s success, so knowing as much as possible about this resource is essential.
Renewable Energy Analysis
Conducting a renewable energy analysis for your homestead should be a two-pronged approach. First, consider completing an energy audit to determine how much energy your homestead uses and where you can save energy.
Every homestead site has forms of renewable energy available, whether they are water, solar, wind, geothermal, or biogas-related. The second part of conducting a renewable energy analysis for your permaculture site is to look into what’s available for your site and find ways to use sustainable energy.
Permaculture Sector Analysis
Your site has a unique set of sectors, and your permaculture design must take these factors into consideration. In permaculture, sectors are outside factors that influence your property. Sectors include natural and uncontrolled influences like the sun, pollution, and wildlife.
These are directional forces that come into our homestead from outside, and after a period of observation, they can be mapped onto your site plan to improve planning and design.
Sun
The sun gives us heat and light, so mapping its movement is more important the further your get from the equator. North of the 45-degree latitude, the winter movement of the sun is much different from the summer movement.
Your design must account for the sun to take full advantage of its power in the winter and allow you to stay cool in the summer. You can use building direction, long eaves, and structures like pergolas to influence the effects of the sun on your home throughout the year.
Wind
Unlocking your land’s potential means addressing all permaculture sectors influencing productivity and sustainability.
Wind is a primary example of how nature can impact your agricultural efforts. It affects everything from plant growth to water distribution on your homestead site. Setting up windbreaks can change the microclimate of your garden, reduce your home’s energy consumption, and make your livestock more comfortable.
Wind also presents an opportunity for generating electricity. Through careful observation of your site and using tools like online wind maps, you can determine the wind energy potential for your homestead.
Wildfire
While sectors like the sun and wind have advantages and disadvantages for homesteaders, wildfires are a potential negative influence with no upside.
Successful homesteaders learn to recognize fire risks to their property and use fire-prevention techniques to safeguard their operations. Understanding local wildfire history and how fire moves will help you protect your investment.
Pollution
Through careful observation of your homestead site, you’ll learn the potential sources for air, noise, and water pollution coming into your property.
You may have to contend with herbicides, dust, and noise pollution if you’re near roads, and it will be helpful to find ways to reduce the effects of these types of pollution.
Wildlife
You may need to consider protective measures to reduce the impact of wildlife on your homestead operations. Wildlife can enrich your homesteading experience, but it can also be quite destructive.
Learning how to live with the challenges that wildlife presents will ensure that you’re improving biodiversity in your area without increasing the risks to your crops and livestock.
People
To deal with people, you need to consider everything from local crime rates to how visible your property is. While people can be a valuable resource, they can also present a significant risk.
Views
The views from your property can be good and bad. Identify the views you want to preserve and enhance and determine which ones you want to minimize.
Careful planning will improve your experience on your homestead site just by changing what you see on a daily basis. Install balconies, benches, and view points on your property to take advantage of beautiful vistas. Or, you can plant trees and hedges or put up fences to obstruct unpleasant views.
Other Factors to Consider
Permaculture sector analysis will help you address many different issues. Here are a few other factors to consider when analyzing the details of your property.
Property Ownership
It’s important to clearly understand who holds the title to your homesteading site. You should also pay close attention to water and mineral rights. Lease agreements, grazing rights, and access rights are other important factors to consider.
Zoning and Homesteading Laws
Every property is zoned for a particular set of uses. Zoning restrictions can make it impossible to perform certain functions on some types of land, so understanding the zoning laws in your area is critical.
Every state has its own set of homesteading laws, and different regions have specific regulations governing agricultural practices and off-grid living.
Property Taxes
It’s important to know as much as possible about your homestead’s property taxes. In addition to knowing how much they are, you should find the dates for important deadlines for paying property taxes and add them to your homestead calendar.
Land Use History
Understanding the history of land use in your area and specific homesteading site can help you to determine the best uses for your property. It will also provide information about clues and reveal details about past cultivation techniques, fencing, and the types of habitat on your property.
Community Dynamics
Homesteaders rely on each other in many ways, and community networking can make the homesteading experience much more enjoyable.
If you’re looking for property to homestead, make sure you understand the community dynamics. Otherwise, you could find yourself stuck in an area where you have nothing in common with the locals.
Proximity to Services
How close you are to services will impact your homesteading operations and must be considered in relation to your personal and lifestyle goals. If you’ve always lived in an urban area with easy access to shopping, doctors, and gas stations, you might be unaware of how moving to a remote location can impact your life.
Plan Your Homestead Like a Professional
It’s a lot easier to plan a homestead from scratch, but if yours is already built and operational, developing a permaculture plan can help you make long-term decisions that will increase productivity and reduce your workload.
Permaculture sector analysis is just one step in a systematic approach to using permaculture principles in homestead planning and design. Learn more by heading to our How To page and read our comprehensive guides on livestock management, water sources, and off-grid solutions.
Homesteading Solutions: Download Our Free Planner
Our free homestead planner dives deep to help you build a homestead that will succeed. Define your vision and values, study your land with permaculture principles, and complete a detailed land assessment.
Homestead Planner: Vision & Values is full of exercises, journal prompts, and charts, and it’s the perfect place to keep your ideas, hopes, dreams, and information in one place.
