The team from Permaculture Australia’s Permaculture International Public Fund (well known as Permafund), is extremely grateful for the generous donations from individuals, key supporters and fundraisers that have enabled the 2018 round of micro-grants.
With donations of AU$13,000 to distribute, Permafund received applications from projects in India, Kenya, Nepal and Australia.
From 16 applications the Permafund assessment team has selected six organisations who have each received an AU$2,000 micro-grant as seed funding for their various projects. IRDS (Integrated Rural Development), Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India.
Enabling 50 tribal farmers in 3 villages to cultivate indigenous millets, and vegetables through intercrops using permaculture and indigenous farm practices so that the soil fertility and soil moisture will be improved and micro-organisms increased. Kiini Sustainable Initiative Kenya
Establishment and management of a Permaculture integrated land use design model in the Nyeri farm school. Education about greywater recycling, water harvesting and composting will be included. Nepal Permaculture Group, Kathmandu
Rooftop gardening systems and 10 permaculture farms will be developed with three major aims: food production, research and demonstration using ecological technologies related to permaculture and climate resilient farming practices. OTEPIC Kenya Educating children about permaculture gardening at Tabasamu Orphanage Children’s home and Biddi primary school. The grant will support the purchase of teaching materials, gardening tools and equipment, seeds and fencing. Permaculture for Sustainable Communities – Kenya
The project will focus on establishing permaculture as a fully-fledged occupation in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Turkana County in the north-western region of Kenya, by providing essential materials to all supported households to fully implement permaculture to produce food, work and income. (WORD) Women’s Organisation for Development, Tamil Nadu
Promotion of Indigenous millets cultivation through the creation of seeds banks for 15 villages and involving 75 farmers.
A micro-grant of AU $1,000 was approved to assist Ethos Foundation raise funds to support women and children in East Africa to establish permaculture garden systems under the guidance of touring permaculture educator Morag Gamble and family.
Each organisation will provide Permafund with project updates, photos and a completion report to share with donors, key supporters, Permaculture Australia members and the community.
What is Permafund?
Permaculture Australia’s Permaculture International Public Fund (i.e Permafund) is a unique, beneficial mechanism with huge potential for doing good in the worldwide permaculture community though the distribution of funds donated by the Permafund community and its supporters.
It is an organisation with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status in Australia so is entitled to receive tax deductible gifts. You can only claim a tax deduction for donations or gifts to organisations that have a DGR status. Tax deductions for donations or tithes are claimed by the donor person, or business, that makes the gift. Donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible and are shared with grateful grant recipients who put the funds to work in a wide variety of creative and effective projects.
For more information please contact permafund@permacultureaustralia.org.au.
A huge thank you to our generous donors to PA’s Permafund in the lead up to the end of the financial year. Here are two updates from donors Permaculture Central Coast and Permaculture Principles on why they donate to PA’s Permafund as part of their ‘Fair Share’ ethic.
“Most people have no difficulty defining and living the ethics of ‘earth care’ and ‘people care’, but when it comes to ‘fair share’ it can be challenging. After all, in a world where some of us live lives of considerable privilege while others suffer poverty, wars, displacement, and the loss of their homes due to climate change, who decides what is fair?
Many permies adopt the philosophy of living simply so that others might simply live. This commitment asks us not to buy what we do not genuinely need and to remember that every human-made thing must take resources from the natural world. Others adopt a philosophy of donating a set percentage of everything they earn to charities that care for the earth and care for people.
The executive team of Permaculture Central Coast recognises that our organisation also needs to actively demonstrate the ethic of ‘fair share’. We have chosen to support Permafund because it is volunteer run and the Committee includes some highly regarded permies such as John Champagne, and Rowe Morrow is one of the charity’s ambassadors. PA’s Permafund’s focus is providing small grants to permaculture-aligned activities and we see this as an extension of the principle of ‘the least change for the greatest effect’. We all know what difference permaculture can make to people’s lives, particularly in places where there is financial disadvantage.
Projects are as diverse as tree planting, regenerative farming, seed saving and household food gardening. Perhaps my favourite is a recent project aimed at teaching women in India how to grow food so that they don’t need to rely upon the turtle population for their dinner. This project managed to combine earth care and people care in a truly inspiring way.”
Meg McGowan, President Permaculture Central Coast Inc.
“Permaculture Principles (the business, PcP) is all about practicing the ethics and principles of permaculture. Supporting PA’s Permafund through profits from sales of the Permaculture Calendar is one of the ways in which PcP demonstrates the ethic of Fair Share. We must practice our values. The vision for the calendar is of a collective process; to engage with the permaculture community and to illustrate practices and promote examples.
In order to run a growing business like ours, we need to constantly evolve. The principles that are illustrated in the calendar are the design tools we use to adapt to changing needs. As support for Permafund and the calendar grow, we are expanding our reach to support other permaculture enterprises and projects. This multiplier effect will increase our collective impact to help create a positive future in tumultuous times.”
Richard Telford, Co-Director of Permaculture Principles
More information:
Richard Telford and Permaculture Central Coast Inc are PA Professional and Organisation members respectively. You can find out more including how to sign up as a member of PA here.
The 2022 Permaculture Calendar and a great range of permaculture books and resources can be purchased from the online Permaculture Principles shop here. PA members receive a generous discount as one of their member benefits, access the discount code via the members only section of the PA website (log in).
Fifty five! Thanks to a generous donation from Permaculture Sydney North we are thrilled to fund another permaculture project – bringing the grand total of projects supported by PA’s Permafund to fifty five in sixteen countries.
A Permafund grant will support PRM, a grassroots organisation, to assist women farmers in 10 rural villages in India to revitalize their farming with permaculture and organic practices. This will include training, tree planting, promotion of local Indigenous seeds, & improved water harvesting activities.
PRM promotes biodiversity forests using the Miyawaki Forest promotion methods – when diversified tree saplings are planted with limited spacing, they grow straight, fast and tall. The local community was involved when PRM initiated this innovative method at a village named Pappudayanpatti, contributing their time, energy and material resources.
“A cultural change is required in the food habits of the communities, with a renewed focus on traditional foods which were the only source of diet in earlier days when our ancestors lived happily and healthy. Similarly, farmers want to restore and promote Indigenous seeds that are drought tolerant, medicinal and healthy. “
This is what PA’s Permafund is all about – enacting the the three ethics of permaculture (Earth Care, People Care & Fair Share) and supporting grassroots projects around the globe to build stronger communities.
How can I get involved?
Want to make a difference too? Donate to PA’s Permafund today here and help build food security and stronger communities across the globe. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
We had such a great response to our ‘February Fair Share’ promotion, that PA’s Permafund has allocated funding to an additional three projects. Thanks to your generous support, we’ve now supported a total 58 projects in 16 countries!
Our first new project is in Tanzania – funding practical permaculture for youth and women, and implemented by SuBeHuDe. This project will include permaculture training for 100 community members, supporting green jobs and employability to break the cycle of poverty.
Our second new project in the Philippines, supports the Seed4Com 7HUrban Permaculture project. This project will convert a property into an urban farm using permaculture principles & regenerative farming, with the aim of improving food security for the Indigenous community.
And last but not least – we will also be funding the 1000 tree project supported by Swayyam in Southern India. This is a rural initiative which will support small groups of marginal farmers to acquire fencing, water harvesting earthworks, drought tolerant native crop seeds and high quality tree saplings.
Why donate to Permafund?
“At Pip Media we follow the permaculture ethics of earth care, people care and fair share – by donating to Permafund we share some of the profits that come through the work we do… We know the donation will go to projects that have been carefully selected by the great team behind PA’s Permafund – Permaculture International Public Fund whom share similar values to Pip,” Robyn Rosenfelt, Editor Pip Magazine
“Our farmers knowledge is increasing in permaculture systems, they are becoming resilient and are able to grow their own local food that benefits many families and more! When farmers are able to grow & eat their own local food it is the best way of giving power to our communities in ways that are truly regenerative, and improves the quality of life and biodiversity on Earth, for our children to inherit”, Grant recipient, Kenya
This is what PA’s Permafund is all about – enacting the the three ethics of permaculture (Earth Care, People Care & Fair Share) and supporting grassroots projects around the globe to build stronger communities.
How can I get involved?
Want to make a difference too? Donate to PA’s Permafund today and help build food security and stronger communities across the globe. Donations over $2 in Australia are tax deductible and are a great way to enact the third permaculture ethic ‘fair share’. For more information including to donate please click here.
The Turtle Survival Alliance – India has a focus on conservation efforts with local communities to safeguard threatened freshwater species in four (of the five) turtle priority areas in India. The project received a 2020 Permafund grant to offer training in vermicomposting and food growing to reduce the reliance on aquatic wildlife for food.
In the three months leading up to February 2021, the project outcomes include the:
successful completion of a household-based survey to gather nutrition information of riverine women communities. Preliminary analysis of data suggests the women living in riparian and fishing hamlets bear major responsibility for their families, work harder in the agricultural field and poor economy, and have limited access to a nutritious diet.
completion of an awareness and capacity-building program providing training in nutrition, small-scale farming and the benefits of Indigenous crops, and
provision of vertical bamboo frames to use for gardening in water logged areas, as well as vegetable seeds and gardening tools.
To reduce the use of chemical fertilizers a large vermicomposting pit has been developed. The lined pit was filled with manure worms, organic materials (such as straw, grass clippings, vegetable peels, manure), and covered with soil.
This is what PA’s Permafund is all about – enacting the the three ethics of permaculture (Earth Care, People Care & Fair Share) and supporting grassroots projects around the globe to build stronger communities.
How can I get involved?
Want to make a difference too? Donate to PA’s Permafund today here and help build food security and stronger communities across the globe. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
