Learning From Permaculture: Sustainable Software Development

I’ve farmed with permaculture since 2013 and designed & built software for 20+ years. Turns out the same principles apply: observe before acting, produce no waste, value the margins. Let’s explore what the garden can teach us about building software that lasts.

Transcript

1. JOHN ATHAYDE BLUE RIDGE RUBY APRIL 2026 Learning From PERMACULTURE Sustainable So ft ware Development @johnathayde (x) @johnathayde.com (bsky) @johnathayde@ruby.social
9. Every codebase you inherit is someone else's horse farm.
11. Before you rip anything out: observe
12. Permaculture (a contraction of "permanent agriculture" and "permanent culture") is a design system centered on mimicking natural ecosystems to create sustainable, regenerative human habitats and agricultural systems. It integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually bene fi cial synergies, focusing on working with rather than against nature.
14. https://extension.usu.edu/sustainability/research/permaculture
15. 3 Ethics 12 Principles
16. Care of the Earth Care of People Return of Surplus 3 Ethics
17. Observe and Interact. Catch and Store Energy. Obtain a Yield. Apply Self-Regulation. Use Renewable Resources. Produce No Waste. 12 Principles Design from Patterns to Details. Integrate Rather Than Segregate. Use Small and Slow Solutions. Use and Value Diversity. Use Edges and Value the Marginal. Creatively Use and Respond to Change.
18. Observe and Interact. Catch and Store Energy. Obtain a Yield. Apply Self-Regulation. Use Renewable Resources. Produce No Waste. 12 Principles Design from Patterns to Details. Integrate Rather Than Segregate. Use Small and Slow Solutions. Use and Value Diversity. Use Edges and Value the Marginal. Creatively Use and Respond to Change.
19. 1. Observe & Interact
20. git log --oneline -20
22. Photo: Flickr / CreativeMornings Chicago CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
26. 2. INTEGRATE RATHER THAN SEGREGATE
30. INTEGRATION IS NOT WORKFLOW. IT’S AN ORGANIZATIONAL REALITY.
31. 3. DESIGN FROM PATTERNS TO DETAILS
32. First Steps: DOMAIN MODEL
33. The Map is Not the TERRITORY
34. ActiveRecord is SEDUCTIVE
38. Name concepts before your tables. Name boundaries before you write associations. Design from the pattern.
39. 3.5. ZONES
41. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/appendix-g-permaculture-design
43. TYPE I ERROR
44. 4. USE SMALL & SLOW SOLUTIONS
45. The system that lasts is the ONE THAT GREW
47. https://martinfowler.com/bliki/StranglerFigApplication.html THE STRANGLER FIG
48. https://drpicox.medium.com/the-strangler- fi g-pattern-a8ea077e4480
49. Keep a SUSTAINABLE PACE
50. BONUS: THE EDGE EFFECT
51. https://permaculturepractice.com/forest-edge/
52. The Controller IS AN EDGE
53. ActiveRecord IS AN EDGE
54. Your API IS AN EDGE
55. Sidekiq IS AN EDGE
56. https://permaculturepractice.com/forest-edge/
57. BONUS: SUCCESSION
58. https://permacultureapprentice.com/building-
61. AI
62. “The most durable systems of the AI era will be built from code that is meant to die.” https://aicoding.lea fl et.pub/3majnyfydzs2y —Chad Fowler “The Phoenix Architecture: Regenerative So ft ware”
69. Thank You! www.meticulous.com www.sfumatofarm.com john@athayde.com @johnathayde (x) @johnathayde.com (bsky) @johnathayde@ruby.social