Are you learning about permaculture design? Are you curious about how we create strong and stable relationships in the landscape? In permaculture design, in order to understand how to create these relationships, we do what is called a needs and yield analysis. In my experience studying sustainable agriculture and permaculture design, this has been a very valuable tool. Let’s get into what it is and how you can use it in your landscape designs.
What is a Permaculture Needs & Yield Analysis?
To create a needs and yield analysis, we take an element in permaculture design and create lists of its needs and yields. For example, if I want to include apple trees in my design, I would create a list of all of the products the trees would produce as well as all of the support they will need.
Every element of a permaculture design can be analyzed. Here is a list of elements we can perform a needs and yield analysis of:
- Trees, shrubs, and perennial plant crops
- Annual plant crops
- Animals and livestock
- Compost piles
- Buildings, greenhouses, and other structures
- Fencing
- Roads and driveways
- Rain barrels, ponds, and other water sources
Why Use a Permaculture Needs & Yield Analysis?
In permaculture design, we are aiming for sustainability and efficiency. To do this, we design with the permaculture principles in mind. These principles remind us that each element should support and be supported by multiple elements. When we create needs and yield analyses of each of the elements in our permaculture design, we are able to ensure that we create as many of these relationships as possible.
Elements of a Permaculture Needs & Yield Analysis
Permaculture needs and yield analyses usually include four parts: the products, activities, intrinsic qualities, and needs.
Products
The products of an element are every physical product the element produces. Remember to think outside the box here. If we’re analyzing a fruit tree, there are lots of products besides fruit. It also produces seeds, wood, bark, leaves, oxygen, shade, pollen, and organic matter.
Activities
When conducting a needs & yield analysis, we also look at the actions the element performs. If we’re using the example of the fruit tree, actions can include mulching, soil stabilization, water retention, water and nutrient distribution, soil building, and wildlife habitat.
Intrinsic Qualities
Intrinsic qualities are all of the qualities of the elements that may affect the surrounding environment. Such qualities include size, shape, smell, color, nutrient and water usage, leaf density, flavor, and temperature. Looking at the intrinsic qualities is important because they affect the surrounding environment and how we interact with them. For example, if analyzing the needs and yields of a compost pile, it’s important to note that it’s going to smell. Keeping this in mind will help us place the compost somewhere so we won’t have to smell it!
Needs
In this list, we write down all of the support the element will need. Needs can include water, nutrients, sunlight, pruning, maintenance, weeding, protection from disease and predators, pollination, food, space, shelter, etc.
Using Your Permaculture Needs & Yield Analysis
Once you have a list of the products, activities, qualities, and needs of the element you’re analyzing, it’s time to start thinking about how to place that element in your design. In permaculture, we have three goals: each product of an element is used, each product of an element supports multiple other elements, and each of the element’s needs is supported by multiple other elements. When you have your needs & yields list, you can ask these questions:
- How many ways can each product be used?
- How many ways can each activity be used?
- Which other elements can support the needs of this element?
- Which other elements can be supported by this element?
- What elements can I introduce to support this element?
- What elements could I introduce that could be supported by this element?
After you’ve answered these questions in detail, you can then place this element in your design.
Example of a Permaculture Needs & Yield Analysis
Let’s put this information into action. Below, you’ll find a needs & yield analysis for apple trees. This is a generic analysis that can be applied to all apple trees. However, if you are planting specific varieties, you may want to do an individual analysis for each.
Apple Tree Needs & Yield Analysis
| PRODUCTS & ACTIVITIES | NEEDS: |
| Bark | Carbon Dioxide |
| Beauty | Nutrients |
| Fruit | Pollen |
| Leaves | Pollinators |
| Mulch for Soil Building | Protection from Pests & Diseases |
| Nutrient Distribution in Soil | Pruning |
| Oxygen | Soil |
| Pollen | Space |
| Seeds | Sunlight |
| Shade | Water |
| Soil Aeration & Loosening | INTRINSIC QUALITIES: |
| Soil Stabilization | Color–spring, summer, and fall |
| Water Purification | Environmental & Soil Requirements |
| Wildlife Habitat | Flavor |
| Wind Break | Scent |
| Wood | Shape & Size |
When we create a needs and yield analysis, we also want to look at how we can place the element in relationship with other elements. Here are some questions I would ask and how I would answer them for our apple tree example:
How many ways can each product and activity be used?
The bark, wood, and prunings can be used in hugelkultur; leaves can be used for mulch; fruit can be stored or made into apple chips, apple sauce, apple butter, jelly, jam, and baked goods; fruit can be sold; drop apples can feed animals like chickens, pigs, and goats; the tree can be used in landscaping to create beauty; spring flowers can be cut; shade can be used in common areas or for shade-loving plants; pollen can support pollinators; the tree can be used for privacy; the tree can create soil stability; roots can retain moisture and nutrients in the soil; the tree can be used as a windbreak in the summer; mulch can be used to build the soil; etc.
Which other elements can support the needs of the apple trees or be supported by them?
Rainfall can water the tree if there’s enough, if not irrigation or a nearby pond could do the trick; we could leave the leaves below the tree in the fall to build the soil; we could have bees to pollinate the flowers; a fence could protect them from deer or we could use thorny plants like roses; compost could be put down once or twice a year; we should research natural ways to prevent pests; goats, pigs and chickens could eat the drops to prevent disease; etc.
The Free Permaculture Visioning Workbook
If you’re interested in permaculture, you should check out the free visioning workbook. In this guide, you’ll learn about the second step in the permaculture design process: visioning (arguably the most fun and creative step). Get the workbook sent right to your inbox by typing in your email above.
Summary: Permaculture Needs & Yield Analysis
In permaculture, it’s important to understand every aspect of an element before placing it in our design. Needs and yield analyses may be unsexy, but they allow us to create permaculture designs that are sustainable and efficient. By looking at an element’s products, activities, qualities, and needs, we can create a design where all of the element’s needs are met and it’s supporting multiple other elements.
Have you used permaculture needs and yield analysis in your designs? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your stories, advice, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading and happy designing!
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