Permaculture is both a design philosophy and a farming practice framework. It emphasizes perennial crops over annuals, polyculture over monoculture, closed loops (compost, rainwater), and mimicking natural ecosystems rather than industrial monocultures.
In practice, permaculture farms tend to be small, diversified, and labor-intensive — often structured around food forests (layered perennial plantings), guild planting (companion crops that support each other), and intensive use of small parcels. Not a certification, just a philosophy/toolkit.