In April 2025, as part of the PermaHub peer review process, I met Karen Noon from Afrinoon Permaculture. Since we permaculturists are stacking functions I also interviewed her.
A Permaculture Journey Begins
Q: Karen, tell us how you came to permaculture?
Karen: It all started in 2010 when I was trying to find a more sustainable way to develop our garden in France. A bit of internet research led me to permaculture. My husband gifted me an intro course for my birthday, but by then, I was already hooked and upgraded to a full Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) in the UK with Aranya. It completely changed my life.
Expanding the Vision: Education, Design, and Practice
Q: What followed after your PDC?
Karen: After completing my PDC, I enrolled in the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design with the Permaculture Association in Britain. I used this as a framework to deepen my understanding and apply permaculture principles across a range of projects. Between 2011 and 2015, I focused on sustainable corporate gardens, urban garden design, and started an eco-education initiative—especially during my time living in the Middle East. Alongside my diploma work, I explored broader applications of permaculture, studying regenerative agriculture and holistic land management. My diploma work culminated in an accreditation at the 2015 International Permaculture Festival, which was an incredible moment of recognition and connection with the wider permaculture community.
Q: And now?
Karen: Since relocating to Brittany, France, in 2017, we’ve been transforming our 8-hectare property, Afrinoon Permaculture, into a evolving education and demonstration site. We've hosted volunteers from around the world who’ve helped us build a system that integrates animals with a strong focus on welfare, alongside productive vegetable and fruit gardens. We also eco-graze our sheep across the area to help regenerate pastureland and neglected ground. The locals have started to take notice, and we’ve recently been asked to eco-graze fields for nearby farmers—which feels like a real win for both the land and the community.
Living the System: Woodland, Milling, and Community
Q: What’s the land like?
Karen: We started with just 1 hectare and have since expanded to 8 in 3 different parcels of land, about half of which is woodland. Some of this woodland is sitka pine on the original 1 hectare which was planted in the 1970s as a retirement investment by the previous owner. We now mill this timber for our use and for sale, with my husband handling all the milling work. Offcuts are used as firewood to heat our home with a wood burner. We also use timber from our woodlands in various projects across the sites (fences, decks, outdoor kitchens etc.). We are gradually replacing the sitka pine with native hardwoods to enhance biodiversity and long-term resilience.
Making It Financially Work
Q: Many permaculture sites struggle financially. What’s your experience?
Karen: True, it’s tough. We’re lucky to have had off-site income to invest early on. We don’t sell vegetables at markets – it’s not feasible or legal here in France unless you are registered. Instead, we’ve created a multi-income strategy:
- Milling wood for local building projects.
- Making garden signs.
- Offering courses (permaculture and woodland management)
- Renting out a yurt and small camping area.
- Eco-grazing and field cutting (with a small tractor and topper)
- Selling eggs and meat privately through an Association.
It's about resilience, not quick profit. Diversifying is key.
Beekeeping and the Fragility of Nature
Q: You keep bees, right?
Karen: My husband does. It’s rewarding but heartbreaking—two years in a row, we've lost all our hives. This year, we’re testing new hive types, including a German-made, tree-inspired design we crowdfunded a few years ago called HIIVE (https://www.hiive.eu/en/). Natural beekeeping is a growing field and a true eye-opener about ecosystem fragility.
The Human Side of Animal Keeping
Q: Any fun animal stories?
Karen: Last year, we lost one of our ewes to metritis (a uterine infection), leaving behind a 3-day-old lamb that we hand-raised indoors from March. Since then, she’s decided she’s definitely not a sheep—more like a dog, or maybe a human. We named her Ewegenie. She lounges on the couch, follows my husband everywhere, and joins in when the dogs chase the ball. She’s become a full-fledged member of the family—and seems to have appointed herself as our on-site supervisor!
Food, Seeds, and Sharing
Q: You grow most of your own food?
Karen: Yes, we grow most of our own food—not just for ourselves but also for our volunteers and community. Through a local association we co-founded, we share surplus produce with others. For example, if someone has an abundance of plums, like this year, we invite people to come pick for making jams and preserves. The same goes for vegetables and other harvests.
We also regularly host seed swaps, which have become increasingly important as seed prices rise. Sharing surplus food and seeds is key to building local resilience and supporting each other.
Final Words of Advice
Q: What's one essential takeaway for aspiring permaculturists?
Karen: One essential takeaway for aspiring permaculturists is to Observe. Climate change is shifting natural patterns constantly, so keeping a detailed “bio-time diary” to track seasonal changes is invaluable. Use your observations to design systems that are resilient and adaptable. This reflects Holmgren’s key principle: Observe and Interact—a practice we follow every day here.