Permaculture Business Lab
Permaculture has a well-developed body of knowledge for designing land and ecosystems, but far less exists to guide the design of permaculture businesses and organisations. Last year, the Mapping Permaculture Business Models team began to address that gap. We interviewed successful permaculture business owners, developed a set of archetypes inspired by nature, and built a framework that uses the eight forms of capital and value flows as a more living model for understanding permaculture business design. We then formatted this into a guide and visual model which can be found here
This year we return to deepen that work. First, the core team runs collaborative design sessions to refine the archetypes and the business model framework, working through how the three permaculture ethics are embedded in the model and how the eight forms of capital actually flow through it. Second, we bring the expert practitioners we interviewed back into the room to collaboratively engage with the work, dig into the findings together, and develop a deeper shared understanding. Third, we reformat the existing research into more practical and digestible resources, including design activities that people can use to apply the framework to their own contexts.
The goal here is to move from theory to practice and to bring the findings into helping permaculture microenterprises survive and thrive. Our name ‘The Permaculture Business Lab’ reflects this intention to open into a space for shared learning and experimentation
Bonus goal: Mentorship and Q&A spaces for CoLab members: to develop a model for opening up mentorship routes discussed with the practitioners last year and hosting Q&A and mentorship time available for CoLab members who want to go deeper.
Team
Siobhan Vida Ashmole
Ntsikelelo Colossa
Camille Burkhard
Area
Emergent festival, Grow project
Objectives 2026
1. Collaborative Design Sessions: Refining the Framework and Archetypes
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Specific: The core team holds dedicated design sessions to refine the permaculture business model framework and archetypes, focusing on how the three ethics are embedded in the model and how the eight forms of capital flow through it.
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Measurable: Revised framework and archetypes documented by July 2026.
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Achievable: Existing material provides a strong foundation; team has the capacity to work through it within the timeline.
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Relevant: Strengthens the integrity and depth of the research already done and makes it more applicable to real permaculture business design.
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Time-bound: Design sessions completed within the GROW Emergent Festival 2026 timeline.
2. Collaborative Session with Interviewed Practitioners
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Specific: Invite the permaculture business owners interviewed last year into at least one session to engage with the refined work, deepen the shared understanding of the designs, and explore what mentorship for CoLab members could look like.
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Measurable: At least one session held with at least two to three of the original practitioners; notes or recording produced.
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Achievable: Permission for re-engagement was already obtained and relationships exist.
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Relevant: Grounds the refined designs in real practitioner experience and opens a mentorship pathway for CoLab members.
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Time-bound: Session held before the end of August, following the internal design sessions.
3. Reformatting into Practical, Digestible Resources
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Specific: Reformat the existing research and refined designs into more accessible outputs, which may include practical design activities, a visual summary, or a recorded session, with Q&A and mentorship time made available to CoLab members.
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Measurable: At least one new practical resource produced and shared in the CoLab community space
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Achievable: Team delivered on high quality resources last year and has the capacity to do this.
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Relevant: The existing guide is not easily read; more digestible formats extend the reach and usefulness of the research to CoLab members and beyond.
Time-bound: Outputs completed and shared by the end of the festival period.
outcomes 2026
resources created
contact links
contact@perma.earth
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