The word "permaculture" comes from "permanent agriculture"; it is an approach to producing food by working in harmony with the land, in order to minimize the labor involved in doing it. Permaculture is involved with both growing crops and raising animals for food. Some people have called it "the lazy person's farming" because its objectives are to grow/raise the food you need with minimal work.
How is that possible? Well, first of all, notice I didn't say "no work" - but the principles of permaculture allow us to be as self-sufficient as possible (given the resources we have - land, etc.) without having to devote full time to just food production. Here are some resources to help you understand what Permaculture is all about:
Introduction to Permaculture
by Bill Mollison
Bill Mollison, one of the two creators of Permaculture,
wrote this book as a introduction to the concept and its
implementation.
To quote from one reviewer on Amazon.com:
"This book is amazing and written from the guy who started
it all. He puts things in very simple logical terms that
make permaculture available to all of us. The logic of it
is overwhelming. This is a must read."
(Warning: it's also fairly expensive.)
Permaculture: A Designer's Manual
by Bill Mollison and Reny Mia Slay
The key to permaculture is design - meaning that the effort
you put in up front in understanding your land and its
inhabitants (plant and animal) will be repaid manyfold in
productivity.
This book is the text and curriculum for the 72-hour
Certificate course in Permaculture Design.
(But this one's even more expensive.)
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
by Toby Hemenway and John Todd
OK, now that we've looked at the two standard (but expensive)
books on permaculture, what's available for people who want
to learn about it and use it, but not become experts or
teachers in it?
Gaia's Garden is a good (and reasonably priced)
introduction to permaculture for individuals.
The primary author is the associate editor of The Permaculture
Activist, and the scale of the book is ideal for creating the
edible yard.
Austin Permaculture Guild -
"The Austin Permaculture Guild is a loose-knit association
of permaculture design course graduates who are dedicated
to teaching and practicing permaculture, a design system
for creating sustainable human environments. You can apply
permaculture principles to home-building and renovation;
transportation and energy; business and economics;
organizations; education; community projects; food
production; landscaping; and all other areas of your life."
The Permaculture Institute
Located near Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Permaculture Institute
was founded in 1997 to promote sustainable living skills
through education, networking and demonstration projects.
Though they are headquartered in the southwest, they have
programs throughout the United States.
Permaculture Research Institute of Australia
This site relates more to Australia than to the United States
(though the principles are good worldwide).
I've included it on this list because the institute was
founded by Bill Mollison, one of the creators of permaculture.
Permaculture Activist
This is the web site for "Permaculture Activist," a quarterly
magazine with news and resources for permaculturists around
the world.
It has been in business for over 20 years, reporting on
permaculture projects, both underway and completed.