The word permaculture originally referred to "permanent agriculture", but was expanded to stand also for "permanent culture", as it was understood that social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system as inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka’s natural farming philosophy.
A verba "permacultura" aludía inicialmente á "agricultura permanente", pero pasou tamén a equivaler a "cultura permanente", xa que se entendía que os aspectos sociais eran unha parte conformante dun sistema verdadeiramente sostible tal e como referenciaba a filosofía de agricultura natural de Masanobu Fukuoka.