Permaculture for sustainable agricultural landuse in Malaysia: A case study of Kuala Ping, Terengganu

While modern chemical-based agriculture has enhanced agricultural productivity and income of Malaysian farmers it has taken a heavy environmental toll on rural Malaysia. Permaculture provides an alternative to environmentally unfriendly chemical farming as it is inspired by a set of environmental ethics, green agro-technologies, and the imperative of harmony between man and nature. This study illustrates, by the example of Kuala Ping, how the introduction of permaculture may lead to sustainable agricultural landuse in Malaysia. It shows how thepermaculture re-designing of Kuala Ping’s agricultural landscape may protect and preserve the local eco-system while systematically integrate the environment and people through sustainable agricultural technologies. The central idea is to harness the use of insitu natural resources to produce quality agro-food, to provide appropriate housing design, and to save energy use.