What is a permaculture farm?
Permaculture farming
Our founders at Nadi Nature Resort traded in their corporate careers with the idea of setting up a permaculture farm in Bali. You may ask what the draw of such a farm was that it was worth throwing in the towel on job security and comfortable salaries, in which case you wouldn’t be the only curious one.
What is permaculture?
Permaculture is the practice of regenerative farming with respect for landscapes and communities by optimizing available resources, originating in Australia during the 1970s. A permaculture farm is an open-source farming system that encourages observation and interpretation at all levels, something which resonated deeply with the founders of Nadi Bali.
We have observed on our own travels that the aim of ‘sustainable human environments’ may be something people aim for in their regular lives, but less so when they are traveling or in a different location. By bringing the concept of permaculture into travel and hospitality, we at Nadi Nature Resort aim to provide a regenerative travel solution so you don’t have to forsake adventure and exploration of the world in the name of the nature and environment you may wish to visit or stay in.
Here are 3 reasons why permaculture
contributes to our regenerative travel purpose
- Productive land as an available resource – A hotel or resort tents to occupy a significant parcel of land, typically a prime site with a view or natural attraction. The trade-off is the same site typically becomes barren as far as farming or forests are concerned, as they compete with the same resources and space as the enterprise. Nadi Nature Resort has created an edible food forest and permaculture farm around the resort accommodation so that the same land serves two functions, hospitality and food production.
- Waste absorption and recycling – A major criticism of the conventional hospitality and travel sector is the waste it creates. Food waste, water waste, inorganic waste, you name it, hotels have it. Our founders were so shaken by the unnecessary waste issue they observed in restaurants and hotels that they have made the waste management aspect key to their nature resort. Food waste from the farm cafe is processed in the permaculture gardens into compost, with the help of the resort’s resident hens and earthworms. The compost is used to grow healthy produce harvested for the farm cafe’s kitchen so guests always get the freshest and healthiest ingredients, a sustainable food production system. Treated wastewater from guest showers is used to irrigate the food forest and fruit trees on the property, in addition to spring-fed waters from the neighbouring Mt Batukaru.
The convenience – As mentioned in point 2, a large portion of ingredients used in the Nadi Farm Cafe kitchen comes from the permaculture farm, harvested daily by its staff first thing in the morning guaranteeing healthy food on your plate. There is a herb garden right outside the kitchen for garnishes and that zest of freshness you’ll find in your healthy meal from the farm cafe. The on-site location of the permaculture farm also means that we get to ensure no nasties such as pesticides or fertilizers are applied directly to the food you are eating.
