永續栽培包含永續文化及永續農業的意思。它是一種實際的環境設計方法及概念，「適用於陽台以至農場，城市以至荒野。它幫助人建立具生產力的環境，滿足糧食、能源、住房、物質和非物質的需要，與及相關的社會和經濟結構。永續栽培强調人要悉心照顧環境，善用資源，以滿足我們的需要。它的目標是要建立能夠照顧這一代，與及世世代代的系統。」 (Permaculture International Journal)

Permaculture stands for Permanent culture or Permanent agriculture. It is a practical environmental design approach "applicable from the balcony to the farm, from the city to the wilderness. It enables people to establish productive environments providing for food, energy, shelter, material and non-material needs, as well as the social and economic infrastructures which support them. Permaculture means thinking carefully about our environment, our use of resources and how to supply our needs. It aims to create systems that will sustain not only for the present, but for future generations."  (Permaculture International Journal)