Permavillage – January 2026 Update

Français

This updated plan reflects ongoing thinking about designing a minimal, resilient, and self-sufficient permavillage in the Basque region, focusing on small autonomous groups, efficient animal and crop management, and mutualized infrastructure.

Group Structure and Social Cohesion

Based on research including Dunbar's studies, social satisfaction is highest in small groups of 5–9 people, and also in larger groups of 50–90 if structured appropriately. For this experimental permavillage:

Seven mini-groups of approximately seven people each, forming the vertices of a heptagon.
Each group is mostly autonomous for daily needs, especially for zone 1 & 2 activities (food crops, animals).
The center of the heptagon contains mutualized infrastructure for all groups: tools, workshop, winter kitchen, storage, composting toilets, public baths, etc.
Access to central facilities can be rotated, e.g., once per week per group, reducing crowding and keeping autonomy high.

Animal Selection and Management

Animals are included for:

Eggs (protein and nutrients)
Fat (cooking)
Meat (supplemental protein)
Manure, used as an organic fertilizer, always combined with carbon-rich materials

Ducks and Chickens

Ducks: High-fat eggs, meat, and fat production; thrive in wet areas and can forage semi-wild.
Chickens: Regular egg layers, low fat, forage insects and greens; help reduce feed costs.

Minimal Animal Plan for 7 People

Animal	Number	Role	Annual Production
Ducks (rustic)	15 females + 2 males	Eggs, fat, meat	~2,625 eggs; ~5.25 kg fat; ~22.5 kg meat
Chickens	10 females + 1 male	Eggs	~2,500 eggs; negligible fat

Eggs per person: ~1.5–2 per day; fat from ducks alone is insufficient (~2.25 g/day per person), so supplementation with plant oils is required.

Crop Planning for Animal Feed

Crops reduce the dependency on external inputs:

Animal	Crop Area Needed (m²)	Notes
Ducks (15)	450	Supplemented by semi-liberty grazing
Chickens (14)	1,400	Supplemented by pasture, insects, green waste
Total	1,850	Rotation and semi-liberty reduce actual needs

Plant-Based Fat Supplementation

Animal fat is insufficient; oleaginous plants supply essential omega-3 fatty acids:

Flax (Linum usitatissimum): suited for Basque climate, rich in omega-3.
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa): thrives in mild, humid conditions, rich in omega-3 & omega-6.

200–300 m² of flax or hemp is sufficient to cover omega-3 needs for one group of 7 for a full year. Seeds can be eaten raw, roasted, or ground, and mixed with eggs or meals.

Integration of Animals and Crops

Maize + legumes for human protein, reducing dependency on eggs
Alfalfa, forage maize, berza (cabbage) and pasture crops for ducks and chickens
Semi-liberty grazing reduces crop area and enriches soil naturally

Centralized Permavillage Infrastructure

Shared winter kitchen, baths, tool workshop, storage, composting toilets
Heating combined with kitchen and bath areas to reduce wood consumption
Rotation access to central facilities maintains autonomy and fairness
Groups have minimal housing and solar cooking for daily needs

Permaculture Zones

Zone 1 & 2: Immediate crops and animals for each group
Zone 3+: Extensive crops, shared pastures, woodlot; managed by village collectively

Summary

For one autonomous group of 7 people:

~25–30 animals (ducks + chickens)
~1,850 m² feed crops
200–300 m² flax or hemp for omega-3
Semi-liberty, rotation, and centralized infrastructure for efficiency

This design balances nutrition, labor, and social cohesion and can be replicated across the permavillage.

Key Takeaways

Minimize animals to reduce labor and overproduction
Supplement animal fat with plant oils for essential fatty acids
Semi-liberty and rotation improve animal health and soil fertility
Centralized infrastructure reduces duplication and saves energy/materials

Within the permavillage framework, food production and diet remain largely plant-based, in line with principles of sufficiency and efficiency, and inspired in particular by John Jeavons’ crop distribution model (Grow Biointensive). Grains, legumes, roots, tubers, vegetables and oil crops therefore form the foundation of everyday nutrition.

Group-level cooking and lighting: solar panels, surface area, and battery storage

At the group level, cooking and lighting without combustion quickly raises the question of electricity. In the current state of technology, solar panels combined with battery storage remain the least problematic solution, even if they are not perfectly sustainable.

A low-power induction cooktop can operate around 400 W for simple cooking tasks. Lighting with LED systems requires comparatively little energy. When combined, these uses can be covered by a modest solar installation, provided that energy storage is included.

The key constraint is not peak power, but daily energy availability and collective usage patterns. This requires accepting limits, sharing infrastructure, and adjusting habits rather than seeking technical perfection.

Required power and daily energy (order of magnitude)

For collective cooking and lighting, it is essential to think in terms of energy (Wh) rather than instantaneous power (W).

Induction cooktop (400 W)
- Simple pan cooking: OK
- Boiling water: slow but possible
LED lighting: negligible consumption (10–30 W)

Example of a realistic daily usage for a small group:

Cooking: 400 W × 1 h = 400 Wh
Lighting: 50 W × 4 h = 200 Wh
Total daily energy ≈ 600 Wh

Solar panel surface estimation

In Belgium and Western Europe, average annual solar production corresponds to approximately 3 to 4 equivalent full-sun hours per day, with significantly lower values in winter.

600 Wh ÷ 3 h ≈ 200 Wp installed
With losses and safety margin: minimum 300 Wp
Comfortable setup: 400 to 600 Wp

Surface estimate:

1 panel ≈ 400 Wp ≈ 2 m²
2 to 3 panels = 4 to 6 m²

Battery storage: indispensable

Without a battery, collective use becomes impractical:

No cooking in the evening
No stable lighting
System unusable at group level

Recommended minimum battery capacity:

Useful energy: 600 Wh per day
LiFePO4 battery: 1 to 2 kWh
Example: 12 V × 100 Ah ≈ 1.2 kWh

Rainwater harvesting versus solar panels: a false dilemma

It is often assumed that a roof must be dedicated either to rainwater harvesting or to solar panels. In practice, this opposition is largely artificial. Both systems can coexist on the same structure without fundamental incompatibility.

Rainwater flowing over solar panels is not inherently more problematic than water collected from traditional roofing materials. The critical factors remain surface cleanliness, first-flush diversion, and appropriate filtration depending on usage.

From a Permavillage perspective, the objective is not absolute purity, but functional resilience. Accepting imperfect yet workable systems is part of the experimental process.

Chicken management in Permavillage: group-level layers vs village-level reproduction, and choosing the rooster

In Permavillage, the strategy is to separate daily egg production from reproduction to avoid conflicts and manage resources efficiently.

Group-level hens (egg layers)

Each group has 1–2 hens per person for daily egg consumption.
No roosters in the groups – hens are calmer, safer, and easier to manage.
Focus on Zone 1–2: frequent access, low stress, eggs for cooking.

Village-level reproduction

Reproduction is centralized at the village level, using a small set of hens for breeding and 1 rooster.
Purpose: produce fertilized eggs and chicks for renewal of group hens.
Hens used for breeding do not contribute to daily egg consumption.

Choosing the rooster

Decision occurs around 4–5 months of age, before full sexual maturity, after observing behavior.
Criteria: balanced, non-aggressive, fertile, healthy.
Do not keep multiple roosters in the same area: fights, stress, injuries are inevitable.
Keeping only one rooster is safest for a small village; more than one requires careful management and separate pens.

Technical overview

Egg layers in groups: 1–2 per person
Breeding hens in village: small, controlled number
Rooster: 1 per village unit
Observation and selection of males around 4–5 months
Excess males can be used for consumption (traditional dishes) or other purposes

Rotation and annual production of chicks and roosters in Permavillage

Following the principle of only one active rooster per village, Permavillage ensures a continuous flow of chicks through a controlled rotation system. This allows both egg production and long-term flock sustainability.

Chick and rooster rotation (chick production)

Eggs from village-level breeder hens are collected and incubated for 21 days.
Chicks are raised for 4–5 months to observe their behavior and select the next rooster or breeding females.
The current active rooster can be replaced by a young male from the reserve if necessary (disease, age, other reasons), ensuring continuous reproduction.
Only one active rooster is maintained at a time to prevent conflicts.

Annual numbers (example for a small village)

Breeding hens: 8–12
Eggs laid per week: 40–50 fertilized eggs
Chicks hatched per year: ~160–180 (80–90% hatching success)
Surplus males can be consumed or used otherwise
Females are distributed to the groups as egg-laying hens

Ducks

Same principle applies: reproduction centralized at village level, one active male at a time
Rotation of male ducks ensures continuity while avoiding aggression
Duck eggs can be used for consumption; chicks for renewal or expansion of the duck population

This updated plan reflects January 2026 thinking and integrates all previous considerations about minimal animal numbers, crop rotation, semi-liberty grazing, mutualized infrastructure, and social group design.

English | Español | Português | Top