Permaculture started life as a grass-roots movement but its promise as a philosophy and design system to enable humans to create  sustainable ways for them to continue to occupy the planet for millennia deserves significant consideration by the academic community. Sufficient  trialling of the design system, writing of texts and success in education institutions at community and polytechnic  levels indicates that the world is ready to recognise permaculture as a field requiring research and education at the higher education (university) level.